The 2006–07

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

season was the 41st season for the franchise in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). The team finished with a record of 49–33 in the regular season and reached the second round of the

NBA playoffs The NBA playoffs is the annual Playoffs, postseason Tournament#Knockout tournaments, tournament of the National Basketball Association (NBA) held to determine the league champion. Since 1949, the four-round, best-of-seven tournament is held afte ...

, making it, at the time, their most successful season since the retirement of

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

, but nevertheless leaving some doubt amongst fans as to whether the team could compete for an NBA championship in the near future. The Bulls had the best team defensive rating in the NBA. In the playoffs, the Bulls swept the defending NBA champion

Miami Heat The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern C ...

in four games in the First Round, before losing to the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in six games in the Semifinals.

Offseason

Whereas previous seasons under General Manager

John Paxson John MacBeth Paxson (born September 29, 1960) is an American basketball administrator and former player who was vice president of basketball operations for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2009 to 2020. He was t ...

focused mostly on allowing the young players which comprised the core of the Bulls' roster to develop, before the '06-'07 season Paxson made an expensive free-agent signing in the form of Ben Wallace. Many fans were excited about the veteran experience and star power Wallace brought to the team, though some questioned if he was the best fit for the team, as Wallace had always been known for his defense, and many believed that the Bulls' biggest problem was a lack of inside scoring. On July 20, the Bulls traded

Tyson Chandler Tyson Cleotis Chandler (born October 2, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Chandler was drafted directly out of high school as the second overall pick of the 2001 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, then wa ...

to the

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

for J.R. Smith. However, six days later, Smith was traded again, this time to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

, in exchange for Howard Eisley and two second-round draft picks.

NBA draft

Regular season

The Bulls got off to a rocky start, posting a record of 3–9 in their first 12 games. The criticism by some in the offseason about the signing of Ben Wallace seemed to gain some validity, as Wallace appeared to show his age and was not always able to put up big rebounding numbers as he had been known for with the

Pistons A piston is an engineering component of engines and pumps. Piston(s) may also refer to: Science and technology * Misnomer for a hydraulic cylinder * Piston (optics) * Piston (subcellular structure) * Piston valve * Fire piston, an ancient device ...

. However, as they had in the 2004-05 season in which they started 0–9, the Bulls performed better as the season went on and finished 49–33. The record was good enough to receive the #5 seed among the 8 teams qualifying for the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The Bulls, however, lost their final game of the season to the

New Jersey Nets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

ESPN - Chicago vs. New Jersey - Recap - April 18, 2007
/ref> which would have boosted them to a #2 seed and given them an easier path to the Eastern Conference finals.

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Playoffs

, - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 1 , April 21 ,

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

W 96–91
,

Luol Deng Luol Ajou Deng (born 16 April 1985) is a South Sudanese–British former professional basketball player. He was a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2012. Born in South Sudan that was then part of Republ ...

(33) , Ben Wallace (14) , Ben Gordon (11) ,

United Center The United Center is an indoor arena on the Near West Side, Chicago, Near West Side of Chicago, Illinois. It is home to the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) ...

22,183 , 1–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 2 , April 24 ,

W 107–89
, Ben Gordon (27) , Ben Gordon (7) , Kirk Hinrich (8) ,

23,097 , 2–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 3 , April 27 , @

W 104–96
, Ben Gordon (27) ,

(11) , Kirk Hinrich (6) ,

American Airlines Arena Kaseya Center is a multi-purpose arena on Biscayne Bay in Miami, Florida. The arena is home to the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. The arena was previously named American Airlines Arena from opening in 1999 until 2021, FTX ...

20,280 , 3–0 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , April 29 , @

W 92–79
, Ben Gordon (24) ,

(12) , Gordon, Hinrich (4) ,

20,283 , 4–0 , - , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 1 , May 5 , @

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

L 69–95
,

(18) , Wallace, Deng (8) , Kirk Hinrich (6) ,

The Palace of Auburn Hills The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly known as the Palace, was a multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Opened in 1988, it was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the ...

22,076 , 0–1 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 2 , May 7 , @

L 87–108
,

Tyrus Thomas Tyrus Wayne Thomas (born August 17, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Louisiana State University (LSU) before being drafted fourth overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2006 NBA d ...

(18) , Ben Wallace (7) , Kirk Hinrich (7) ,

22,076 , 0–2 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 3 , May 10 ,

L 74–81
,

(21) ,

(14) , Kirk Hinrich (7) ,

23,462 , 0–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 4 , May 13 ,

W 102–87
,

(25) , Ben Wallace (17) , Kirk Hinrich (10) ,

23,099 , 1–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ccffcc" , 5 , May 15 , @

W 108–92
, Ben Gordon (28) , P. J. Brown (8) , Kirk Hinrich (13) ,

22,076 , 2–3 , - align="center" bgcolor="#ffcccc" , 6 , May 17 ,

L 85–95
, P. J. Brown (20) , Ben Wallace (7) , Kirk Hinrich (11) ,

23,030 , 2–4 , -

Awards and records

NBA Sportsmanship Award The NBA Sportsmanship Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given to a player who most "exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship on the court with ethical behavior, fair play, and integrity." It is directly analogous to the ...

* Kirk Hinrich,

NBA All-Defensive Second Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two ...

* Ben Wallace, NBA All-Defensive Second Team *

NBA All-Rookie Team The NBA All-Rookie Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1962–63 NBA season to the top rookies during the regular season. Voting is conducted by the NBA head coaches who are not allowed to vote for play ...

Second Team

Roster

Player statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Transactions

* June 28, 2006: Drafted F

LaMarcus Aldridge LaMarcus Nurae Aldridge (born July 19, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for two seasons with the Texas Longhorns. Aldridge was selected second overall in the 2006 NBA draft. After spending n ...

in the first round (2nd overall) of the

2006 NBA draft The 2006 NBA draft was held on June 28, 2006, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City and was broadcast in the United States on ESPN. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. c ...

* June 28, 2006: Drafted F

Rodney Carney Rodney Dion Carney (born April 15, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Memphis and was selected in the 2006 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls and shortly afterwards traded t ...

in the first round (16th overall) of the

* June 28, 2006: Traded F LaMarcus Aldridge and a second-round draft pick to the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (N ...

for F

and F

Viktor Khryapa Victor Vladimirovich Khryapa (also trans. Viktor; ; born August 3, 1982) is a Russian former professional basketball player who spent the majority of his career playing for CSKA Moscow of the VTB United League. A versatile forward standing at , ...

* June 28, 2006: Traded F Rodney Carney, a second-round draft pick and cash to the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlan ...

for G

Thabo Sefolosha Thabo Patrick Sefolosha (; born 2 May 1984) is a Swiss former professional basketball player. He played in the NBA, the Turkish Basketball League, LNB Pro A, and Lega Basket Serie A. In 2006, he became the first player from Switzerland to play i ...

* July 7, 2006: Waived F Othella Harrington * July 13, 2006: Signed free agent C Ben Wallace * July 14, 2006: Traded C

to the

for F P. J. Brown and G J. R. Smith * July 20, 2006: Traded G J. R. Smith to the

for G

Howard Eisley Howard Jonathan Eisley (born December 4, 1972) is an American former professional basketball player and current coach. Born in Detroit, Eisley played college basketball for the Boston College Eagles and was drafted in 1994 by the Minnesota Timbe ...

and two second-round draft picks * July 31, 2006: Signed G

Adrian Griffin Adrian Darnell Griffin Sr. (born July 4, 1974) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who most recently served as the head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played in the NBA a ...

* August 18, 2006: Traded G Eddie Basden to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

for C Martynas Andriuskevicius * October 30, 2006: Waived C Luke Schenscher * October 31, 2006: Re-signed G Kirk Hinrich

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2006-07 Chicago Bulls Season

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Chicago Bulls seasons

2006 in Chicago 2007 in Chicago