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Kenny Smith Says The Chicago Bulls Were Too Small To Win A Championship In 1994 And 1995

While many NBA fans believe that the Chicago Bulls would’ve had won eight consecutive championships if Michael Jordan hadn’t retired in 1993, former Houston Rockets point guard Kenny Smith knows exactly why it wouldn’t have happened.

Smith, who was part of the Rockets’ championship team in 1994 and 1995, believes the Bulls had one glaring weakness that would’ve kept them from winning – and it was their lack of height, Smith said during an interview with Stephen A. Smith on ESPN’s First Take.

As transcribed by USA Today Sports:

“First of all, [Jordan] was wearing number 45, the year that they lost. And he was actually in the league. People forget that. But they were just too small. No Horace Grant. He was in Orlando. Dennis Rodman was still in San Antonio. That’s why they lost to Orlando Magic.

We would’ve done the same thing. The team that they lost to 4-2, we swept. It wasn’t Jordan wasn’t the best player. That wasn’t the best team. So if they didn’t keep Horace Grant or they didn’t get a Dennis Rodman with Michael, they would’ve been too small on the inside. I don’t think they would’ve won eight straight.”

For the record, the Bulls were hardly known for their size. Luc Longley, Bill Wennington and Bill Cartwright didn’t impose a threat to even challenge Hakeem Olajuwon, who had a monstrous playoff run in two consecutive years.  

The Bulls could’ve had shown resistance in 1994 with Horace Grant still playing for the team, but it would’ve still been a roadkill for the Rockets who had a twin-tower combination of Otis Thorpe and Olajuwon.

In 1995, the Bulls’ best rebounder was Scottie Pippen who stood at 6-foot-8. This is why Shaquille O’Neal and their former forward Horace Grant were able to man-handle them inside the paint during the second round of the 1995 NBA playoffs.

Ultimately, Kenny Smith does have a point when speaking about the Bulls’ lack of interior presence prior to Dennis Rodman’s emergence. But then again, we couldn’t easily count out the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan, especially if he had chosen to stay with the Bulls to push for a fourth run in 1994.