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The Bulls announce that Tim Floyd, hired at the end of last season as Jackson's likely replacement, is finally anointed the new head coach. Until now, Floyd kept most of his stuff in boxes stacked up in the hall outside the coach's office and called himself a consultant. Chicago remains obsessed with Jordan's retirement. The Sun Times observes that he'd be a great politician. The Tribune, in a completely earnest front-page story, suggests that Jordan could become an astronaut.
Meanwhile, the four lonely Bulls, Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc, Keith Booth and Randy Brown, are facing a surreal adjustment to playing for a team unlikely to make the playoffs. The Bulls have suddenly become the NBA equivalent of the Florida Marlins: world champions who the following season have a second-rate crew that finish last. Steven Julius, the Bulls psychologist, says the four remaining Bulls will cope with their new status by continuing to think of themselves as defending champions. "Ron Harper can step up under adversity and even other pain," he says. "Toni Kukoc is a tough guy. He grew up in war-torn Croatia."
--Reported by Julie Grace/Chicago