2003–04 Chicago Bulls season

The 2003–04 NBA season was the Bulls' 38th season in the National Basketball Association. During the offseason, the Bulls re-signed free agent and former Superstar forward Scottie Pippen. However, they continued to struggle finishing last place in the Central Division with a 23–59 record, missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season. Following the season, Pippen retired and Jamal Crawford was traded to the New York Knicks. (See 2003–04 Chicago Bulls season#Regular season)

Offseason

July 20, 2003: Signed F Scottie Pippen
August 20, 2003: Signed G Kendall Gill
September 4, 2003: Bought out contract of C Dalibor Bagaric
October 23, 2003: Waived G Trenton Hassell

NBA draft

Main article: 2003 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College / Club Team
1	7	Kirk Hinrich	PG	United States	Kansas
2	36	Mario Austin	F	United States	Mississippi State
2	45	Matt Bonner	F	United States	Florida
2	53	Tommy Smith	F	United States	Arizona State

Roster

2003–04 Chicago Bulls roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Height	Weight	DOB	From
F/C	3	Chandler, Tyson	7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	1982-10-02	Dominguez HS (CA)
G	1	Crawford, Jamal	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1980-03-20	Michigan
F/C	2	Curry, Eddy	6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	1982-12-05	Thornwood HS (IL)
F/C	34	Davis, Antonio	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	1968-10-31	UTEP
F	20	Dupree, Ronald	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	209 lb (95 kg)	1981-01-26	LSU
F	21	Fizer, Marcus	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	262 lb (119 kg)	1978-08-10	Iowa State
G	13	Gill, Kendall	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1968-05-25	Illinois
G	12	Hinrich, Kirk	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1981-01-02	Kansas
F	6	Jefferies, Chris	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	1980-02-13	Fresno State
F	8	Johnson, Linton	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	1980-06-13	Tulane
G	15	Pargo, Jannero	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	1979-10-22	Arkansas
F	33	Pippen, Scottie	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1965-09-25	Central Arkansas
F	32	Robinson, Eddie	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1976-04-19	Central Oklahoma
F	45	Shirley, Paul	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	230 lb (104 kg)	1977-12-23	Iowa State
G	22	Williams, Jay	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1981-09-10	Duke
F	11	Williams, Jerome	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	206 lb (93 kg)	1973-05-10	Georgetown

Head coach

Assistant coach(es)

Ron Adams
Johnny Bach
Mike Wilhelm
Fred Tedeschi (trainer)

Legend

(DP) Unsigned draft pick
(FA) Free agent
(S) Suspended
Injured

Roster
Last transaction: March 15, 2004

Roster Notes

Point guard Jay Williams missed the entire season due to a dislocated left knee from a motorcycle accident.

Regular season

Heading in to the season, Bulls fans were as optimistic as they had been in years. Before it was done, however, winds of change had blown through the Windy City leaving a roster and a coaching staff upside down.

After closing out the previous season with four solid wins in the final six games to reach the 30–victory plateau, the team was hopeful of reaching the playoffs for the first time since 1998 and new pieces were added to the team's puzzle for that to happen.

First, Kirk Hinrich was taken with the seventh overall pick in the 2003 NBA draft to fill the void at the guard spot. This happened just days after the team learned it would be without services of Jay Williams, who was injured in a motorcycle accident in June and would miss this entire season.

Later in the summer, the Bulls brought back one of the sport's all-time legends when free agent Scottie Pippen—a seven-time NBA All-Star, two-time Olympic gold medalist and one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history—returned to Chicago on 07/20/03.

“I think I know how to win games in the NBA. It may sound simple, but both winning and losing can become a mindset, and I won’t accept losing—ever. Whether it’s on the floor, in the huddle, at practice or just demonstrating a winning leadership, I plan on helping this team win,” said Pippen.

Just one month into the season, however, it became clear that expectations were not being met and changes were necessary. With a 4–10 record, the team relieved Bill Cartwright of his head coaching duties (11/24/03). A few days later, Scott Skiles was named head coach (11/28/03) as he set out to instill a tough, defensive-minded, and high-effort mentality upon his new team.

The Bulls makeover wasn't done yet. A blockbuster of a deal went down on 12/01/03, when Chicago traded Lonny Baxter, Donyell Marshall and Jalen Rose to Toronto for Antonio Davis, Chris Jefferies and Jerome Williams.

“This trade helps us address a couple of different areas, areas that we needed to get stronger in. It not only provides us with size, but also with energy,” said John Paxson.

While the Bulls continued to struggle, improvements in effort under Coach Skiles were evident, and the roster re-make had only begun. The team's 23–59 record qualified it for a sixth consecutive NBA Draft Lottery appearance.

Other Notes: Hired Assistant Coaches Johnny Bach (07/15/03) and Ron Adams (07/16/03) ... snapped a 26-game road losing streak versus Western Conference teams with a 95–79 win at Utah (02/04/04) ... Hinrich dished out 506 assists and his average of 6.7 apg ranked tied for 7th in the NBA, despite the Bulls ranking last in the league in team field goal percentage (.414) ... Hinrich was the only rookie in the NBA to tally a triple–double when he registered 11 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against the visiting Golden State Warriors (02/28/04) ... Jamal Crawford went for a career–high 50 points (18–34 FG, 8–11 FT) at Toronto (04/11).

Honors: Kirk Hinrich (freshman team) participated in the Schick Rookie Challenge at All-Star Weekend ... Hinrich also was named to the got milk? NBA All-Rookie First Team ... the Bulls drew an average of 19,736 fans through 41 home games (third in the NBA), including 11 sellouts ... the Bulls also hosted the seven largest crowds in the NBA, including a season-high draw of 23,067 versus the L.A. Lakers at the United Center.

Standings

Central Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Indiana Pacers	61	21	.744	–	34–7	27–14	20–8
x-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	7	31–10	23–18	17–11
x-New Orleans Hornets	41	41	.500	20	25–16	16–25	14–14
x-Milwaukee Bucks	41	41	.500	20	27–14	14–27	15–13
Cleveland Cavaliers	35	47	.427	26	23–18	12–29	14–14
Toronto Raptors	33	49	.402	28	18–23	15–26	11–17
Atlanta Hawks	28	54	.341	33	18–23	10–31	10–18
Chicago Bulls	23	59	.280	38	14–27	9–32	11–17

#	Eastern Conference v t e
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Indiana Pacers	61	21	.744	–
2	y-New Jersey Nets	47	35	.573	14
3	x-Detroit Pistons	54	28	.659	7
4	x-Miami Heat	42	40	.512	19
5	x-New Orleans Hornets	41	41	.500	20
6	x-Milwaukee Bucks	41	41	.500	20
7	x-New York Knicks	39	43	.476	22
8	x-Boston Celtics	36	46	.439	25

9	Cleveland Cavaliers	35	47	.427	26
10	Toronto Raptors	33	49	.402	28
11	Philadelphia 76ers	33	49	.402	28
12	Atlanta Hawks	28	54	.341	33
13	Washington Wizards	25	57	.305	36
14	Chicago Bulls	23	59	.280	38
15	Orlando Magic	21	61	.256	40

Record vs. opponents

2003-04 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NOH	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–1	3–1	1–3	2–0	2–0	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–3	1–3	1–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–2	2–2
Boston	1–3	—	1–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	0–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	0–4	1–3	3–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	3–1
Chicago	1–3	2–1	—	2–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–3	2–2	2–2	3–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	4–0	1–1	1–3
Cleveland	3–1	1–3	2–2	—	0–2	0–2	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	0–2	1–2	3–1	4–0	2–1	3–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	2–2
Dallas	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	—	2–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	0–2	2–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–1
Denver	0–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	—	0–2	3–1	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	4–0	4–0	2–2	1–3	2–2	0–2	3–1	2–0
Detroit	3–1	3–0	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	—	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–0	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	3–0
Golden State	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–3	1–1	—	2–2	0–2	2–2	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	1–1
Houston	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–1	2–2	—	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	3–1	0–4	0–4	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–0
Indiana	4–0	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	—	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–0	1–3	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	4–0	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	4–0	2–0	2–1
L.A. Clippers	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	2–2	0–4	0–2	—	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–0	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–4	1–3	0–4	1–1	1–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	3–1	—	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–3	3–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	2–0
Memphis	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–2	0–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	—	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–0	1–3	2–0
Miami	3–1	2–2	4–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–3	2–0	0–2	1–1	—	1–2	0–2	3–2	3–1	1–3	4–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–1	1–1	4–0
Milwaukee	2–2	3–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–1	—	0–2	3–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	2–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–1	1–1	3–1
Minnesota	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–2	2–2	1–1	4–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	2–0	—	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–0	1–3	3–1	2–2	3–1	2–0	2–2	2–0
New Jersey	3–1	2–2	3–0	2–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–0	0–2	0–2	2–3	1–3	1–1	—	2–1	3–1	4–0	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	4–0
New Orleans	2–2	4–0	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	1–2	—	1–2	4–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	3–1
New York	3–0	3–1	2–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–1	—	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	0–2	4–0
Orlando	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–2	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–4	0–4	1–3	—	2–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–2	1–1	4–0
Philadelphia	2–1	1–3	4–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–2	1–1	0–2	0–4	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–1	1–2	1–1	1–3	2–2	1–3	2–2	—	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–2	2–2
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–2	3–1	0–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	—	2–2	1–3	0–4	2–2	0–2	1–3	1–1
Portland	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–3	0–4	0–2	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	—	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	1–1
Sacramento	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	2–2	2–0	2–2	4–0	2–0	4–0	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	3–1	2–0	3–1	1–1
San Antonio	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	2–2	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	1–3	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	4–0	4–0	2–2	—	4–0	2–0	4–0	2–0
Seattle	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	1–3	3–1	0–2	4–0	1–3	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–4	—	1–1	1–3	1–1
Toronto	3–1	1–3	0–4	3–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–2	1–3	0–2	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–1	3–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	—	1–1	1–3
Utah	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	2–2	2–2	0–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	3–1	1–1	—	1–1
Washington	2–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	1–1	0–2	0–3	1–1	0–2	1–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–2	0–4	1–3	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	—

Player statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Regular season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Lonny Baxter	14	1	10.5	.551	1.000	.625	2.5	.4	.1	.4	4.3
Corie Blount	46	3	16.4	.471	.000	.542	4.5	1.0	.8	.4	4.5
Rick Brunson	37	0	10.9	.376	.478	.871	1.0	2.2	.7	.1	3.1
Tyson Chandler	35	8	22.3	.424	.000	.669	7.7	.7	.5	1.2	6.1
Jamal Crawford	80	73	35.1	.386	.317	.833	3.5	5.1	1.4	.4	17.3
Eddy Curry	73	63	29.5	.496	1.000	.671	6.2	.9	.3	1.1	14.7
Antonio Davis	65	64	31.3	.407		.768	8.1	1.9	.4	.9	8.9
Ronald Dupree	47	8	19.0	.394	.444	.629	3.6	1.2	.7	.4	6.2
Marcus Fizer	46	2	16.0	.383	.118	.750	4.4	.9	.3	.2	7.8
Kendall Gill	56	35	25.2	.392	.237	.735	3.4	1.6	1.2	.3	9.6
Kirk Hinrich	76	66	35.6	.386	.390	.804	3.4	6.8	1.3	.3	12.0
Chris Jefferies	19	2	9.8	.364	.410	.632	1.5	.3	.2	.4	4.0
Linton Johnson	41	20	17.9	.355	.212	.595	4.5	.7	.9	.8	4.2
Donyell Marshall	16	8	25.5	.419	.407	.700	6.2	1.8	.8	1.3	8.7
Roger Mason Jr.	3	0	14.3	.091	.167		1.0	1.0	.3	.0	1.0
Jannero Pargo	13	1	26.5	.429	.377	.852	2.1	3.6	.5	.4	13.5
Scottie Pippen	23	6	17.9	.379	.271	.630	3.0	2.2	.9	.4	5.9
Eddie Robinson	51	4	20.1	.482	.200	.651	2.0	1.1	.6	.2	6.7
Jalen Rose	16	14	33.1	.375	.426	.765	4.0	3.5	.8	.3	13.3
Paul Shirley	7	0	12.3	.435	.000	.333	2.3	.6	.1	.1	3.0
Jerome Williams	53	32	23.2	.466	.000	.675	6.5	1.2	1.3	.1	6.5

Denotes player spent time with another team in the season. Stats reflect time with the Bulls only.

Awards and records

Kirk Hinrich, NBA All-Rookie Team 1st Team

References

"2003-04 Chicago Bulls Roster and Stats".

v t e Chicago Bulls
Founded in 1966 Based in Chicago, Illinois
Franchise	All-time roster Draft history 1966 Records Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	International Amphitheatre Chicago Stadium United Center
Personnel	Owner(s) Jerry Reinsdorf President Michael Reinsdorf General manager Marc Eversley Head coach Billy Donovan
G League affiliate	Windy City Bulls
Retired numbers	4 10 23 33
NBA championships	1991 1992 1993 1996 1997 1998
Rivalries	Cleveland Cavaliers Detroit Pistons New York Knicks
Culture and lore	Broadcasters Air Jordan Jumpman Tommy Edwards Ray Clay Benny the Bull Disputed Foul Against Scottie Pippen "Sirius" "I Believe I Can Fly" "Sweet Home Chicago" Bill Swerski's Superfans Jordan Rules Triangle offense Ashland Green/Pink Line Station Tex Winter The Spirit (Michael Jordan statue) Phantom Buzzer Game The Shot NBA championship riots Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs Trent Tucker Rule The Calhoun Shot 72–10 Michael Jordan's last shot Space Jam The Last Dance

Chicago Bulls seasons

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

1990–91

1991–92

1992–93

1993–94

1994–95

1995–96

1996–97

1997–98

2000s

2010s

2020s

Bold indicates NBA Finals victory

2003–04 NBA season by team

Eastern

Atlantic	Boston Miami New Jersey New York Orlando Philadelphia Washington
Central	Atlanta Chicago Cleveland Detroit Indiana Milwaukee New Orleans Toronto

Western

Midwest	Dallas Denver Houston Memphis Minnesota San Antonio Utah
Pacific	Golden State L.A. Clippers L.A. Lakers Phoenix Portland Sacramento Seattle

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