Chicago Bulls: nba FUTURES & BETTING ODDS

The Chicago Bulls were founded in 1966, and they began play in the 1966-67 NBA season, as the 10th team to join the NBA.Fans who bet on the expansion Chicago Bulls would have been thrilled, as the team made the playoffs in their first season, where they lost to the St. Louis Hawks. To bet on the Chicago Bulls during the 1970’s would have been a futile endeavor as the team only won two playoff series during the entire decade, as fans who bet on the Chicago Bulls odds were disappointed when they failed to make a single NBA finals.

Many more people bet on the Chicago Bulls to win it all after Chicago drafted guard Michael Jordan out of North Carolina with the third overall pick in the 1984 NBA Draft, but Jordan could not overcome the Chicago Bulls odds and failed to advance out of the first round of the playoffs in Jordan’s first three seasons. To bet on the Chicago Bulls would be more profitable during the following three seasons, but Jordan and Co. lost to the Detroit Pistons in three consecutive postseasons, including a painful Game 7 loss in the 1990 Eastern Conference Finals. 

Finally, in 1991, the Chicago Bulls odds were finally overcome, when the team, helmed by second-year coach Phil Jackson defeated the Pistons in the conference finals before beating Magic Johnson and the Lakers to win the franchise’s first ever NBA title. Most teams struggle to repeat, but Michael and Scottie were not intimidated by the Chicago Bulls odds and defeated the Portland Trail Blazers in six games to win the 1992 NBA Finals. The Chicago Bulls odds of three-peating were considered to be miniscule, but Michael Jordan won his third straight NBA Finals MVP, as Chicago defeated Charles Barkley’s Phoenix Suns, again in six games. 

Fans who bet on the Chicago Bulls to four-peat would have been sorely disappointed, as Michael Jordan retired before the 1993-94 season, and the Scottie Pippen led Bulls fell to the New York Knicks in the playoffs. Michael Jordan returned during the 1994-95 NBA season, but it was not enough to lift Chicago over Shaquille O’Neal and the Magic. Finally, in 1996, after Jordan had a full offseason to shake off the rust, the front office bet on the Chicago Bulls chemistry, keeping the core of their roster intact, as they rolled to their fourth NBA championship, as fans speculation of the Chicago Bulls odds to break records came true, as the team finished the regular season 72-10, then rolled through the playoffs, before winning the NBA Finals in six games over the Seattle SuperSonics. The Bulls managed to repeat in 1997, winning their fifth title by beating the Utah Jazz in six games, as Michael Jordan earned his incredible fifth NBA Finals MVP. Fans who vet on another Bulls three-peat would be thrilled in 1998, as Michael and Scottie led the Bulls to their sixth title of the decade, by beating the Utah Jazz in a thrilling six game series. 

The Bulls were on top of the basketball world after winning six titles in eight seasons, but what has followed has been two dark decades for the storied franchise. Michael Jordan would retire from basketball for a second time after the 1998 championship, and the Bulls would manage to miss the next six postseasons, including a brutal stretch from 1999 through 2001, where the Bulls managed to only win 45 games in three seasons, a number they had topped in the prior eleven straight seasons.  The Bulls managed to make the postseason in 2005, 2006 and 2007, but only won one playoff series during that stretch. The team’s fortunes appeared to change when they drafted Derrick Rose first overall out of Memphis in 2008. Rose paid immediate dividends to people who bet on the Chicago Bulls, winning Rookie of the Year in 2009. After a pair of competitive but ultimately mediocre 41-41 seasons, Rose jumped up several levels in 2010-2011, averaging 25 points and almost 8 assists per game, en route to being named the NBA MVP, while leading the Bulls to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they would lose to the Miami Heat in five games. Unfortunately, Derrick Rose would struggle with health issues starting in 2012, he has never played more than 66 games in a season since his MVP campaign, and the Bulls have not returned to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2011. 

After making seven consecutive postseasons from 2009-2015, the Bulls have failed to make the playoffs in four of their previous five seasons, bottoming out in the 2018-19 season with a 22-60 record. The Bulls would again win 22 games in their COVID-shortened 2019-20 campaign. After a long stretch of being run by the duo of GM Gar Forman and John Paxson, the Bulls have rearranged their front office, while also hiring legendary Florida Gators, and former Oklahoma City Thunder, coach Billy Donovan, you can bet on the Chicago Bulls having brighter days ahead.

Championships: 6 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998)

Retired Numbers:

4: Jerry Sloan

10: Bob Love

23: Michael Jordan

33: Scottie Pippen