Lining the walls outside the Bulls' United Center locker room are large action photos of some of the team's legendary players. On one side are the modern heroes born from six NBA titles. Michael Jordan is there, of course. And Scottie Pippen too. Dennis Rodman, Toni Kukoc and John Paxson.
On the other side are greats from a more distant past: Norm Van Lier, Jerry Sloan, Bob Love and Chet Walker. Smack in the middle _ how appropriate _ is Artis Gilmore, arguably the greatest center the franchise has known.
Each time current Bulls center Robin Lopez heads to the court he passes Gilmore.
"(Chicago fans) love the hard-working players _ that's something they really appreciate," Lopez said. "That's kind of what I pride my game on."
Lopez has joined a fraternity of Bulls centers that includes Gilmore, Tom Boerwinkle, Dave Corzine, Bill Cartwright and others who patrolled the paint in Chicago. Bulls fans have held a bond with the men in the middle _ most of it positive, some not _ throughout the history of the organization.
"The role of the center is kind of hard-working, banging and there's nothing real fancy," said Bill Wennington, who helped the Bulls win three championships during his six seasons in Chicago (1993-99). "Big guys aren't high flyers. It's something that most people can relate to, guys who are setting screens and rebounding. The bring-a-lunch-pail-type of guy who goes to work every day."
Added Cartwright, who played a significant role in the Bulls' first three-peat from '91-93 and later coached the team: "People in Chicago are hard-working people, they enjoy effort. They want to see somebody who could play that position that could hold their own."
