Bulls Staying Together Despite Distractions

A checklist of obstacles longer than three episodes of “Mission: Impossible” confronted Da Bulls as they embarked on defending their first NBA championship. There was the inevitable pressure of repeating, which alone can break a club. There was the broken left hand of starting center Bill Cartwright, which has kept him out of 10 games so far. And, of course, there was Da Book, which could be divisive to a group that thrived on teamwork.

Not! Entering Friday night’s game against the New York Knicks (13-6), the Bulls own the league’s best record at 16-3, including a string of 14 straight wins. That’s as powerful a testament as any that Da Bulls are on the proper course. Forget about pressure to repeat. The presence of Michael Jordan always embellished Chicago’s road trips with a big-game mentality; playing away from the Windy City this season has been no different from the past.

“We’ve always played in front of sellouts and loud crowds,” forward Horace Grant said. “And everybody knows Michael is the reason for that. The crowds are the same now as champions as they were in the past. So there’s no difference.”

What about the absence of Cartwright, the awkward but integral pivot man? In winning the championship, Chicago was fortunate to go almost all last season without serious injuries to key players. Will Perdue, who is as clumsy as Cartwright, mans the post now, but guys named Jordan and Scottie Pippen have taken on additional responsibilities. Da Bulls are 9-1 without Cartwright, as Jordan and Pippen have helped them win by an average of 11.7 points a game.

“But we can play better,” Pippen said. “We need Bill, but everybody on this team knows he has a role to fill and goes out and fills it. Injuries happen. You just have to overcome them by playing together.”

Da Book looked to be Da Bulls’ biggest obstacle to overcome. “The Jordan Rules,” written by Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune, depicts the game’s most dynamic star as a selfish player who was quick to fire scathing criticism at teammates. It has received national publicity and recently made the best-sellers list.

In Da Book, Smith wrote that Jordan, among others, had no respect for General Manager Jerry Krause; that Jordan disliked Cartwright and told teammates not to pass the ball to the gangly center in critical situations; that Jordan said if he hit the lottery he would buy a golf course and “post a sign that said ‘No Jews Allowed”’ because he was disallowed membership to a Jewish country club in north Chicago. And on and on.

“I’ve decided to laugh and keep moving about it,” Jordan said. “We, as a team, know what the truths are. That book is not the truth. We joked with each other a lot. The book said I hated Bill Cartwright and Will Perdue. True, Charles Oakley was a friend I hated to see go. But I did not know Cartwright to dislike him. Ask my teammates. I don’t think that’ll be their answers.

“I’ve never applied to any golf course in the (Chicago) area, so certainly I have never had a chance to be denied. I’ve played a lot of Jewish clubs, and enjoyed it a lot. And why would I have to hit the lottery to buy a golf course? I do make a little bit of money. I could buy one now if I wanted to. That shows it’s not true.”

Other Bulls have supported Jordan. Coach Phil Jackson said he read some of Da Book, but stopped because “there were some discrepancies.” Added Grant: “We know that it was some things, some situations within the team, that were taken out of context by a reporter.”

Whatever the case, Da Bulls have not let the constant inquiries about Smith’s account of the team affect their play. “If anything, it’s brought us closer together,” Jordan said. “We’re even more a family now than we were before. No one can say it has been disruptive because we’re winning.”

The depiction of Jordan has not lessened his celebrity or raised the impact of his presence, either. The Bulls still sell out every home game and have an average attendance on the road of 19,121, tops in the league.

And asked if “The Jordan Rules” has had any effect on Jordan’s standing with endorsements, his agent, David Falk of ProServ, made it clear that it had not. “No. People are smart enough to know the deal,” Falk said. “Michael has stood the test of time. He’s as marketable now as he ever was.”

And apparently as great a player, too, although he is scoring only 29.6 points a game, the lowest for him in the last six seasons. Jordan still sprinkles the game with his one-of-a-kind flavor when the outcome is on the line. And throughout the game, Jordan’s play has elevated his teammates.

Pippen, averaging 20.7 points, is a bona fide star. He and Jordan together present foes with monumental problems because they can do so much.

Grant, the ever-underrated power forward, is talented and accepts his thankless position. “If Michael is not having a great game, we have to step up. Michael’s a great player who’s going to get attention,” Grant said. “But when you win, everyone gets credit. One man cannot do it alone.”

It was Jackson who sold Jordan on that notion. Jackson asked the perennial scoring champion to spread the wealth last season. Jordan did and Da Bulls are champs.

“At this level, you have to respond on the court,” Jackson said. “All the off-the-court situations have to be let go. So far, this team has been able to maintain. I think that’s a product of experiencing the finals. The guys came back motivated and in sync and with confidence. That can overcome any so-called distractions.”