Bulls Back In Business With Jordan Back On Top, Chicago’s Off To Record Start

The astounding thing about the Chicago Bulls - who are making a mockery of the rest of the NBA is that going into the season, they had many of the same questions about themselves that others did.

But when a team jumps out to a NBA-record 29-3 start and has a legitimate shot at becoming the league’s first 70-victory team, potential concerns tend to get placed on the back burner.

So for the last 2-1/2 months, while the Bulls have blown through the league, there have been no stories about Michael Jordan losing a step, Scottie Pippen arguing with management or Dennis Rodman acting like a space cadet.

“Winning takes care of a lot of things,” said Luc Longley, the Bulls affable 7-foot center, whose team visits the Sixers tonight at the CoreStates Spectrum. “When you’re winning, it’s easy to have good chemistry.

“I think people outside the team were worried about how things were going to come together. But we weren’t worried about chemistry. That’s not the way to approach a season.

“There is a distinct pecking order - or, rather, let’s say there are distinct roles on this team that everyone is comfortable with.”

It’s a three-tiered hierarchy, and, to no one’s surprise, it starts with the incomparable Jordan.

When he returned from his 18-month hiatus late last season, Jordan looked human as he struggled to re-adjust to the NBA grind and his Bulls teammates, many of whom weren’t there when he initially retired after leading Chicago to a third straight title.

Now, however, he’s had a full off-season and preseason to get familiar with his teammates and to get back in basketball shape.

It shows.

“(Training camp) was important from a continuity standpoint for all of us to get to know each other as players,” said Jordan, who again leads the league in scoring at 30.4 points a game. “It was good for me to get some of the skills and rhythm of my game back and apply it with some of the players I wasn’t accustomed to playing with.

“We seem to have made strides in the right direction, but we can continue to improve.”

A major factor was Jordan’s willingness not to try to assert his indomitable will over this group of Bulls. More than once, he has said this is actually Pippen’s team and that he just plays a role on it.

“Scottie is one of the best, if not the best player in the league,” Jordan said. “He challenged himself to become a more consistent and dominating player.

“Maybe some of that was due to my departure from the game for 18 months and Scottie stepping forward and understanding some of the responsibilities that he has. His game has gone to another level and you have to respect that.”

Having finally stepped out of Jordan’s shadow, Pippen has accepted Jordan’s return without feeling threatened.

“I think Michael’s just being modest when he says this is my team,” said Pippen, who is among the league leaders in six categories. “Since the offense runs through me now, I guess I’m the leader in that respect, but believe me, this is still Michael’s team.

“I’ve always stated his leadership is definitely needed here. He knows he’s the leader, whether he wants to say it or not. I think the team has been able to respond to me because Michael was away from the game for two years. We got a lot of new players in that time. But I feel, and I’m sure all the other players feel, that Michael’s definitely still the true leader of this team.”

Whoever is the leader, rest assured neither ever had a teammate like the indescribable Rodman.

Talentwise, no one doubted the Bulls got the best of the deal that sent backup center Will Perdue to San Antonio for Rodman, the 6-8 rebounding machine.

But talent has never been the issue with “The Worm.”

Rodman’s rebounding prowess was just the ingredient needed after losing free-agent forward Horace Grant to the Orlando Magic before last season.

“If you’re talking about basketball-related benefits, Dennis is the best rebounder I’ve ever seen,” said Jordan, who isn’t generous with compliments. “The only thing that’s really surprised me about his skills is how smart he is. He picks up things really quickly. He’s got a strong dedication to the game and works very hard at winning.

“Away from the court, I didn’t know what to expect of Dennis. He’s got his own way of marketing himself and his own ideas about certain things. For me to question that is not my place. Dennis is different, but I felt we could accept that as long as he stepped on the court and understood the system and dedication we had as a team and not divert from that. He gets attention, which is a part of him, but as long as he doesn’t take away from the success of this team, Pippen and myself don’t have a problem with that.”

Until Wednesday night’s two technicals and ejection against Seattle, Rodman had been saintly. Still, he hasn’t been late for a practice, much less skipped one. The only games he has missed due to injury were legitimate ones.

“Maybe I’m getting older, more relaxed and just saying, ‘Bleep it,”’ Rodman said. “In Chicago, it’s too darn cold. I can’t run out and go wild like I’d like to.

“But see that guy over there?” he said, pointing at Jordan. “That’s why I don’t have to worry about scrutiny anymore. San Antonio is a Southwest town and they made a big deal out of me. In Chicago, nothing is a big deal unless you have MJ on your chest.

“All I have to do is my job. (Bulls coach Phil Jackson) is laid-back. He’s a Deadhead (Grateful Dead fan), and if he wanted to smoke a joint or two, he would. That’s my kind of coach - fancy-free, don’t give a damn. Let’s just do the job, then go home and have a cold one.”

Uh, right.

Whatever the personal dynamics, the Bulls have certainly put it together on the court.

In Jordan, Pippen and Rodman, Chicago has three of the NBA’s best players and the three best defenders at their respective positions.

That’s proving to be a tough combination to contend with.

“A lot of teams are afraid of the Bulls because of who the individuals are,” Rodman said. “They have to concentrate on so many people that they are skeptical about what they’ll be able to do. They’re so worried about how to play us that they forget to just play us.”

With Wednesday’s ridiculously easy, 113-87 victory over the Pacific Division-leading SuperSonics, the Bulls are on a .906 winning pace. If it stays the course, Chicago would finish an unfathomable 74-8, easily shattering the NBA record of 69-13 set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.

Each of the Bulls’ losses - one each to Seattle, Orlando and Indiana - has been avenged, and they’re 18-0 at the United Center.

“They’re making the game look easy,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.

The Bulls leave it up to others to speculate on whether they’ll actually win 70 games. They’re focusing on a bigger goal.

“We’re playing as well as any team can play or has played at this time of the year,” Jackson said. “They’ve been able to carry it out every night and meet the challenge of different teams and different attacks that come at them.

“So what’s the mystery for this season? Well, you go along and make this record run, and try to establish this homecourt advantage and you get enamored with just winning games. But then there’s another level that comes at the end of the season, with playoff basketball. And that’s the mystery to see if we can play at this level all through the season and then come through in the championship round.”