Bill Cartwright
Bill Cartwright (born July 30 1957 in Lodi, California) is a former NBA basketball player, a 7'1" (2.16 m) center who played 16 seasons in New York, Chicago and Seattle, helping the Chicago Bulls capture consecutive championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993. He played college basketball at the University of San Francisco. Cartwright carried more of a scoring load with the New York Knicks, twice averaging better than 20 points. But he played a more of a supporting role for the Bulls, who had plenty of firepower with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. As a member of the Knicks, he made his only All-Star Game appearance in his rookie year of 1979-80. After his retirement, Cartwright tried his hand at coaching, and took over the Bulls 37 games into the 2000-01 season, going 17-38 after the team's horrible 4-23 start under Tim Floyd and Bill Berry. The Bulls finished 21-61 on the year, and Cartwright was named head coach for the following season. In 2001-02 the Bulls finished 30-52, but Cartwright lasted only 14 games into the 2002-03 season-- going 4-10-- before being fired. Pete Meyers and finally Scott Skiles coached the Bulls immediately following Cartwright's tenure. During Cartwright's final season in Seattle, he took an elbow to the neck in a game and required serious operation. As a result, he now has a lightly hoarse voice.
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