We could definitely make a list just like this one for every professional sports team and someday we might, but for now we focus on the worst Chicago Bulls players of all time. It is never easy determining who the worst players are, but when it comes to teams that have won multiple championships throughout the years it becomes apparent who was not contributing to the success.
This is the case with the Bulls who have had times of complete dominance in the NBA winning three straight championships in 96, 97 and 98 plus a few more. A decent amount of players from the Jordan era are on our list, but we made sure to add some that had nothing to do with that time in Chicago Bulls history. It was crazy how quickly the Bulls went from a dynasty to a cellar dweller in the NBA following Jordan's second retirement. The departure of stars like Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen, as well as Phil Jackson's move to Los Angeles quickly diminished them as not only a championship contender, but a playoff contender. Since then, the Bulls have had trouble putting it all together, despite some promising years.
There is a good chance we left some players off that deserve a spot on the list and we would love to hear what you think in the comments section.
18 15. Tyrus Thomas
Man the Bulls messed this one up….
They had originally drafted power forward LaMarcus Aldridge as the number two overall pick back in 2006, but then proceeded to trade him for Tyrus Thomas.
Unfortunately for both Thomas and the Bulls, he turned into a major bust, especially when compared to the All-Star career Aldridge put together.
Even when Thomas started for the Bulls his number were well below average and nothing close to what Aldridge has done. After four up and down seasons with the Bulls he has played for the Hornets and is now on the Grizzlies where he will more than likely not get much playing time.
At least the Bulls did a good job this year with Bobby Portis.
17 14. Eddy Curry
Curry was a tough call compared to most of the players on our list, but with the lofty expectations he had coming into the NBA he had to make the list somewhere. His career numbers were definitely better than most guys on our list, but during his four year stint with the Bulls, only two of them were decent.
However, 14 points per game and only 5 rebounds per game are NOT good numbers for a starting center who is supposed to be a dominant force. The Bulls used the number four overall pick in the draft to get him back in 2001 and he never panned out.
His best year in the NBA came later on with the Knicks when he averaged 19 points per game and 7 rebounds per game which is a low rebound total for a big center.
16 13. Eddie Robinson
Eddie Robinson signed a five year, $32 million contract with the Bulls before the 2000-01 season and was literally “Mr. Excitement” in Chicago before the season began.
He had a great couple of years with the Hornets averaging 7 points per game, 2 rebounds per game, and 15 minutes off the bench and played in at least 67 games each season.
The Bulls expected his numbers to double when he got the starting job, but after three years Robinson’s numbers stayed exactly the same as he made over $5 million per year.
The Bulls waived him in 2004 and Robinson was unable to resurrect his NBA career.
15 12. Bryce Drew
Like others on this list, Bryce Drew had a pretty short career and bounced between multiple teams. His one season with the Bulls was mediocre at best and despite starting 41 of the 48 games he played in that season he still only managed 6 ppg, 4 apg and 1 rpg for the season.
Those are awful starting numbers for any point guard, but he had a lot of talent on the team including Elton Brand, Jamal Crawford and Ron Mercer.
To make things worse, what the Bulls thought would be a deal for two second round draft picks turned into an epic failed experiment that did not even last a full season.
14 11. Marcus Fizer
Fizer was a tough pill to swallow for the Bulls and their fans. After starring at Iowa the Bulls were certain he could be their superstar of the future and selected him fourth overall in the 2000 NBA draft.
He was an extremely talented player on the court, but never made the commitment to basketball that he should have. This resulted in poor play and tension with both teammates and coaching staff. Fizer admits as much these days and wishes he could have known then what he understands now. Recently it was reported that he was interested in joining the current Bulls coaching staff led by Fred Hoiberg (who almost made our list).
It looks like that did not work out for him either.
13 10. Brian Scalabrine
Scalabrine signed with the Bulls back in 2010 and was mainly there to establish more locker room presence and maybe help other guys understand coach Tom Thibodeau’s system.
There were no real expectations for Scalabrine as he barely played off the bench and only averaged a measly a point a game with the Bulls. He made $1.2 million for averaging 1.1 points per game which is pretty insane for the Bulls, but great for Scalabrine.
I am confident that I could average 1 point per game in the NBA for $1 million a year too.
Interesting choice by the Bulls with the move and thankfully it did not last too long.
12 9. Brad Sellers
Sellers was originally drafted by the Bulls ninth overall and he was supposed to help clog up the middle with the potential to become a solid starting player. Michael Jordan was displeased to say the least regarding the draft pick and had no problem showing it. Jordan wanted help at the guard position and expressed his desire to draft Johnny Dawkins out of Duke University.
Fortunately for both Jordan and the Bulls it only took a few seasons of below average play from Sellers to ship him out for a future draft pick which really worked out for the Bulls.
They were able to use that pick to draft B.J. Armstrong (a point guard for Jordan) who turned out to be an All-Star. That turned out okay, but it cost the Bulls a few years.
11 8. Dragan Tarlac
10
After the Bulls won big on their gamble with Toni Kukoc it seemed like a no-brainer to take another international player in the draft. The risk was well worth it when they took Kukoc, but after waiting five years for Tarlac it turned out to be the exact opposite.
Although the main problem seemed to be injuries Tarlac also had quite a bit of extra mileage five years after he was drafted. Those years should have been used to prep him for the NBA.
Unfortunately, it did not pan out and after just one year with the Bulls, Tarlac was gone from the NBA completely with an average of 2 ppg and 2 rpg.
9 7. Dalibor Bagaric
8
Bagaric averaged over 18 points per game and over 10 rebounds per game overseas before he was selected 24th overall by the Bulls back in 2000.
It seemed to be a perfect match for both team needs and rookie expectations for the big man who showed a natural toughness overseas which is exactly what the Bulls desired.
Although he was just 20 years old with what seemed like potential to be a double-double player in the NBA the result was far from that hope. After three seasons with the Bulls Bagaric put up less than 3 points per game and less than 3 rebounds per game while earning over $1 million a year.
The team and player soon went separate ways and Bagaric went back overseas to try again.
7 6. A.J. Guyton
6
The Bulls used a second round draft pick on Guyton with hopes that he would be able to have an immediate impact on the offensive side of the ball while complimenting Jamal Crawford off the bench.
Unfortunately his high shooting percentage in college did not follow Guyton to the NBA and after two seasons the Bulls decided to just let him go. He later was able to sign with the Lakers, but was cut before the season and the same thing happened with the Warriors to end his career that same season.
In his short three year NBA career he averaged 5.5 ppg, 1.8 asp and 1 rpg and shot well less than 40% from the field as well as three point range.
5 5. Corey Benjamin
Most Chicago Bulls fans will only remember Benjamin as a wasted draft pick and getting completely abused in a one-on-one game against Michael Jordan (who was retired at the time).
After being drafted 28th overall to bring some high flying action back to the Bulls since the retirement of Jordan, Benjamin decided to challenge MJ to a one-on-one match to prove his worth to the Bulls.
Unfortunately for Benjamin, all the match did was prove that he did not belong in the same sentence as Jordan and that the Bulls probably made a bad choice in the draft.
Jordan straight annihilated Benjamin that day and Benjamin never seemed to recover. He was a non-factor in all three seasons with the Bulls and did not play again after being cut by the Hawks his final season.
4 4. Jo Jo English
Not only did poor Jo Jo have a lousy NBA career, he also had one of the most embarrassing brawls in NBA history.
He averaged a measly 3.6 ppg, 1.1 rpg and 0.9 apg and really did not see much time on the court averaging barely over eight minutes per game for his career.
Somehow he was able to get into a brawl against the New York Knicks in the playoffs despite barely ever playing. The brawl resulted with poor Jo Jo getting body slammed into the floor by Derek Harper of the Knicks and was then thrown into the first row.
Terrible player and apparently even worse fighter.
3 3. Mario Austin
Austin was a very curious choice for the Bulls back in the 2003 draft because they had a decent lineup of big men ahead of him in the rotation including Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Marcus Fizer.
It was especially strange because there was solid “role player” talent still available when they picked Austin with the 39th selection. Kyle Korver, Steve Blake and Zaza Pachulia are just a few of the players who were available at the 39th pick.
Turns out, Austin never played a game in the NBA despite coming out of college as a strong rebounder.
2 2. Dickey Simpkins
Simpkins may be the most deserving player on the list after coasting to three championship rings during the Bulls dynasty days with Jordan and Pippen. He literally never played a minute in the '96 and '97 playoffs and when he finally got some playing time in '98 he averaged just over a point per game over 13 games resulting in another ring for him.
After winning three championships with Jordan and Pippen it would be logical to think Simpkins would improve at least a little bit, but it did not happen.
The Bulls were able to draft Brad Miller in 2000 and Simpkins was finally on the chopping block.
1 1. Jack Haley
Does anyone remember Jack Haley?
Chances are that you don’t because he never really got much playing time. It came out some time ago that Haley was only on the team to keep Dennis Rodman from doing anything that could get him suspended or in trouble with the law.
Some writers have called him a glorified babysitter on the Bulls.
During his “babysitting” career, Haley picked up some championship rings with Jordan so it was completely worth it for Haley, but he literally did nothing to help on the actual basketball court.
As the only player known as a babysitter on our list, he had to come in at number one.