Ranking 10 Worst Bulls starters of the Michael Jordan era
By Tyler Watts
![Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen. (Photo credit: VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images) Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen. (Photo credit: VINCENT LAFORET/AFP via Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/bc96d626b2977cb2dc4009522fe60a1e1ef6688749465301727ac2970731f7b4.jpg)
4. Earl Cureton
Cureton joined the Bulls just before MJ’s third season. The 29-year-old big man had already played six years in the NBA and was coming off his best season where he averaged 8.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game for the Pistons. Detroit traded Cureton and a second-round draft pick to Chicago to get Sidney Green.
The 6’9 big man lasted just six months in the Windy City. He started 36 of his 43 games played, but the Bulls were 22-21 with him in the lineup. Cureton averaged 6.9 points and 5.3 rebounds in 25.7 minutes per game, but Chicago traded him to the Clippers for just a second-round pick near the deadline. Jerry Krause wanted to open up minutes for the other big men on the roster, which meant Cureton had to go.
Earl Cureton was released by LA following the 1988 season, but he did play parts of four more years in the NBA. The big man played for seven different teams in his 12 years in the league. He won two rings but only got spot postseason minutes on both teams.
It was a short and forgettable stint on the Chicago Bulls for Cureton, which puts him firmly on this list.