"The invitation to join the Bulls was not an attractive one" - Kent McDill recalls Chicago Bulls' failed pursuit of NBA HoF after Michael Jordan left ahead of 98-99 season

Michael Jordan's exit from the Bulls marked the end of an era in Chicago. The hunt for the Bulls' new star went on for decades before Derrick Rose stepped inside the United Center in 2008. However, immediately after the Bulls blew up, then-general manager Jerry Krause went after Grant Hill. Hill was touted as the next Jordan to come out of college.

Kent McDill, a sportswriter based out of Chicago and Indianapolis, discussed the Bulls' pursuit of Hill:

“I remember them going after Grant Hill, which made all sorts of sense because they needed a really good citizen, and Hill was maybe the best citizen in the NBA at that time. The invitation to join the Bulls was not an attractive one, which is why nobody ever came.” (via) HoopsHype

McDill covered the Bulls in his books "If These Walls Could Talk" and "Talks From The Chicago Bulls Locker Room."

The Chicago Bulls' "Michael Jordan hangover" has lasted for too long

The Chicago Bulls are synonymous with Michael Jordan and vice-versa. The only championships the Bulls have won in their franchise history came during their dynasty in the 1990s, spearheaded by Jordan. In terms of win-shares, Jordan is the franchise leader with 204.3, while in second place is Scottie Pippen with 99.7.

It took the Bulls six seasons to have a winning record after Jordan's retirement. Between 1998-99 and 2003-04, they averaged a win percentage of 25.8%. In the six seasons after Michael Jordan left, the Bulls, on average, could win only one in every four games.

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Relief couldn't come any sooner in Chicago. Over the next six seasons, the Bulls crawled out of the abyss and nearly doubled their average win percentage. They improved their win percentage from 25.8% to 51.2%.

The Bulls landed the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and selected future MVP Derrick Rose. Rose led the Bulls to their first 60+ wins season since 1997-98.

At 22, Derrick Rose became the youngest player to win the Most Valuable Player award. Despite this, the LeBron James-led Miami Heat handed them a swift five-game exit in the 2011 Eastern Conference finals.

Since then, the Bulls have been an average team. They have won around 46.8% of their games each year and had six playoff appearances but are yet to get past the second round. The 2011 playoffs marked the Bulls' only conference finals appearance since Michael Jordan retired. The last time they made the NBA Finals was in 1997-98, 24 years ago.

MJ still carrying The Bulls 20+ years later twitter.com/TheNBACentral/…