What If the Chicago Bulls Drafted Dirk Nowitzki Instead of Elton Brand?
What If the Chicago Bulls Drafted Dirk Nowitzki Instead o...
By Jason Bolton August 09, 2024 00:34
The 1998 NBA Draft will always be remembered as a mix of talent unseen in recent years and the choices that will be made in some franchises in the future. The most memorable picks are arguably Elton Brand, No. 1 to the Chicago Bulls, and Dirk Nowitzki going ninth to the Dallas Mavericks. In a fun hypothetical scenario, this article dives into what would have happened if the Chicago Bulls had selected Dirk Nowitzki instead of Elton Brand.
Context Of The 1998 NBA Draft
Coming off their sixth title in eight years, the Chicago Bulls had started looking at what it would take to reload as Michael Jordan neared retirement. They used it to draft Duke University power forward Elton Brand, a player that many believed would make an impact right away and enable the franchise to move into its post-Jordan phase.
Then, regarded as a high-octane pick due to his unknown commodity in American basketball was, the 7-foot German forward Dirk Nowitzki. Dallas went on a limb to draft Nowitzki, who had flashed brilliance in Europe but was largely an unknown and unseen player to the average NBA fan. Nowitzki would eventually prove to be one of the greatest players in NBA history, leaving Dallas no choice but to build around him.
How Dirk Nowitzki Would Have Looked With The Bulls
If the Chicago Bulls had picked Dirk Nowitzki, he probably would not have reached where his career took him. With Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen around him, he would have had a rare chance to grow with two of the greatest winners ever.
Nowitzki would learn more from two of the best NBA players in history on this team. This might have expedited his development in areas such as defense and competitive mentality.
Suppose the Bulls had prioritized ball movement, as they generally did when Michael Jordan was off doing other things along with his two-year baseball sabbatical. In that case, this window might not even exist. Jordan's rare shooting ability would have played off Jordan incredibly well, providing more space for the breathtaking scoring.
Playing Style and Role:
Positioning: Nowitzki would have slotted in as a stretch four with Brand's physicality on the floor. He could pick-and-pop and play off of mismatches against slower defenders. His normalized form of modern basketball would have opened driving lanes for Jordan and Pippen.
Offensive Effect: For how versatile Nowitzki is offensively, the potential change in direction for Chicago's offensive strategy would have made them even more difficult to solve. The Bulls' offense was already other-worldly, but adding his one-legged fadeaway in its iconic form would have added another dimension.
Championship Contention:
Immediate Impact: The Bulls were still competitive in the late 90s following Jordan's retirement, and Nowitzki kept his team a contender for championships. Chicago would have been the power in the East with his ability to score and size.
Legacy: Can you imagine if Nowitzki's title run was the final chapter in whatever road Jordan and Pippen had gone down then? His entire career would be viewed (and told) much differently.
Impact on the Chicago Bulls
Post-Jordan Era:
Smoothing Transition: The Bulls could've made a smoother transition into the post-Jordan era with Nowitzki. His scoring could have filled a need in the tribe as it recently geared towards new, young options.
Team Identity: Chicago would have needed to shift its identity from a defensive force into one that could score efficiently, now even more so than before, in order to pick up the slack defensively.
Championship Aspirations:
Had they been good, the Bulls could have kept contending for playoff spots and maybe even won championships in the early 2000s. Nowitzki always had a knack for hitting clutch shots in big playoff games.
Overall NBA Landscape
East: If Chicago had kept up its winning ways, the balance of power in the Eastern Conference would have shifted, possibly hampering the rise of teams like Detroit or Miami.
West: The Mavs without Nowitzki would probably be relegated to the pack of emerging powers in the West, led by San Antonio and L.A.
In hindsight, envisioning Dirk Nowitzki's illustrious career unfolding with the Chicago Bulls instead of the Dallas Mavericks opens a fascinating chapter of NBA "what-ifs." Had the Bulls selected Nowitzki in the 1998 NBA Draft, the trajectory of not only the Bulls but also the entire NBA could have shifted significantly.
With Nowitzki's unparalleled skill set complementing the legendary duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Chicago might have extended their dynasty into the new millennium, rewriting the legacies of both the team and Nowitzki himself.
This alternate reality suggests not only a different landscape for the Eastern Conference but also a ripple effect across the league, challenging the ascendance of contemporary powers and possibly adding a few more championship banners to the rafters of the United Center.
While the Bulls' choice to draft Elton Brand over Dirk Nowitzki remains a pivotal moment, it's intriguing to imagine how Nowitzki's career and the NBA landscape would have evolved differently under the banners of the Chicago Bulls.
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