Chicago Bulls: 30 greatest players in franchise history

In the 1979 NBA Draft, the Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers participated in a coin flip to determine the No. 1 pick. The Lakers won the coin flip and selected Magic Johnson, who became one of the best players in NBA history. The Bulls? They took David Greenwood, a 6-foot-9 forward out of UCLA.

Greenwood was obviously no Magic Johnson, but he had a stellar six-year run in Chicago. The most productive year of his career was actually his rookie season, in which he put up 16.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. Those numbers earned Greenwood a spot on the All-Rookie first team alongside Magic, Larry Bird and future Bull Bill Cartwright.

Greenwood never matched that scoring average again, but his production stayed mostly steady throughout the rest of his Bulls tenure. He averaged a double-double in 1983-84 and came close in four other seasons.

Greenwood appeared in the postseason with the Bulls on two separate occasions. In his first appearance in 1981, the big man recorded 17.8 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as the Bulls lost to the Boston Celtics in the second round. That scoring average was third just behind Reggie Theus and Artis Gilmore.

Greenwood fell off in Michael Jordan’s first year, and the forward was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for George Gervin just before the 1985-86 season. Greenwood is currently seventh in Bulls history in offensive rebounds, fifth in defensive rebounds, eighth in total rebounds and eighth in blocks.