http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/CHI/leaders_career.html Take a look at that page and see what Deng has contributed over the years. 5th in games played, 4th in scoring, 7th in 3s, 8th in rebounds, 4th in steals, 10th in blocks, 6th in Win Shares. 2 time all star. Numerous playoff appearances. Bulls have 4 numbers retired. Jordan and Pippen of course are ahead of Deng. An argument can certainly be made that Deng is ahead of Sloan or Love. I'm hoping to see #9 hanging in the rafters of the UC someday.
Yes, but that certainly counts when it comes to retiring a number, IMO. Playing at a very high level, longevity and team and individual success. Being a class act helps too. I never saw Butterbean or Sloan play, so I can just go by stats and talking to people that have.
I don't think the stats matter as much as whether he should be honored. He should be given the honor, IMO, since he was basically the embodiment of the GarPaxDorf era Bulls. Love was also an elite defender but a much better offensive player than Lu. Love was the #1 option for years, on a team that had only two guys that weren't offensively challenged. Chet the Jet Walker being the other.
You can make a case, but it doesn't feel right to me. The Bulls are now a fairly mature franchise. Future number retirements should be for very accomplished players who either play their entire career with the Bulls or win one or more championships, ideally both. Deng is leaving the team square jn the middle of his prime and never played in the Finals much less won a title. Sent from my GT-P1010 using Tapatalk 2
As an outsider, no, not even close. That said, having read the "Lu got traded" thread, I clearly don't think as highly of him as you all do.
Yeah, that's why I made the "mature franchise" statement. IMO, Sloan and Love had their numbers retired because the team was trying to build a tradition. Both are very marginal choices. Sent from my GT-P1010 using Tapatalk 2
