Who is the best Chicago Bulls player of the last 10 years?

The Bob Love Region

(1) Taj Gibson vs (4) Bobby Portis. This is an interesting matchup as it includes two players who play the same position, but have very different styles. Taj was always known for his excellent defense, team-first attitude, and thunderous dunks during his 8 seasons on the Bulls.

Bobby Portis is more of a modern big, meaning he can score down low, but also has the range to stretch the floor a bit. He’s turned the corner over the past year and I believe he’s deserving of this ranking. He’s played extremely well this season and will get rewarded with an extension.

However, unlike other former Bulls players, Bobby isn’t knocking Taj out. Taj moves on.

The second matchup sees (2) Luol Deng vs (3) Nikola Mirotic. Deng, a two-time All-Star, developed into an incredible player under coach Tom Thibodeau. He was an iron-man who guarded the best player on the opposing team on a nightly basis, while usually being the 2nd option on offense. Mirotic, on the other hand, never really lived up to the hype in my opinion. He was a Euro-League MVP in 2012-13 and although he had flashes while on the Bulls, his time will mostly be remembered as a letdown in Chicago. He’s getting knocked out of this round (no pun intended).

So, the regional final sees (1) Taj Gibson vs (2) Luol Deng. Honestly, you could make the case for either player to make the final four here as they were both key pieces while on the Bulls. The slight edge goes to Deng because of his All-Star appearances. First “upset” so far.