Bulking up

This 1980s nostalgia bit has gone too far. I can handle being roped into wearing skinny ties, while spinning a few choice cuts from Steve Winwood's beer-shilling era, but now we have to deal with the re-emergence of the Central Division. Two legitimate Finals contenders, surrounded by three of the hippest young things around. It reminds us of times gone by, when Paul Pressey was bringing the ball up against Scottie Pippen in one arena, while a few hundred miles across the plains, Detlef Schrempf was trying his damnedest to post up against Adrian Delano Dantley. All the while, Ron Harper was dominating the baseline on the banks of Lake Erie

Radical, man. Throw me a Michelob and kick off your shoes. You can leave your hat on.

Losses: Lawrence Funderburke, Frank Williams

Gains: Malik Allen (free agent), Eddie Basden (free agent).

Offseason goals: Try to sustain the sort of warm feelings that their first winning season in seven years created; figure out what to do with their pair of frustrating yet talented young bigs.

What really happened: There's still a rosy glow emanating from the City of Big Shoulders, if only because one set of those shoulders ( Tyson Chandler) has been retained for six more years, while clueless scoring center Eddy Curry sulks and waits for a giant contract offer that doesn't really exist. Thanks to a cap-clearing deal with the Knicks in the summer of 2004, GM John Paxson gained enough financial flexibility to comfortably extend the contracts of Chandler, second-year point man Chris Duhon and eventually the three other rookie contracts on Chicago's roster. For Pax, this summer was all about holding onto the team's assets while working around the fringes (Basden is an interesting rookie addition at the wing, Allen and potential signee Darius Songalia add depth to an already dynamic frontcourt), and watching his crew of 25-and-unders grow into something special.

Curry is the big question mark. Still waiting for a new contract, Curry seems not only to be overestimating his worth, but underestimating the severity of the heart condition that has had him on the shelf since March. The Bulls can easily live with Curry's on-court foibles, the horrid defense and pitiful rebounding, just as long as he can put the ball in the hole during the first and third quarters. What they don't want to live with is signing a player to a long-term deal without any insurance in place to buffer the financial setback if Curry retires due to his heart ailment.

Outlook: With nine players on the roster clocking in at 25 years of age or younger, you have to like this team's chances to grow into an Eastern powerhouse. Replicating last year's success and another run toward the conference's third-best record, however, will be a stiff challenge. They won't finish the season on a 47-26 tear again, but it sure beats the hell out of another trip to Secaucus

Losses: DaSagana Diop (Mavs), Lucious Harris, Jeff McInnis (Nets), Robert Traylor, Dajuan Wagner ( Mayo Clinic).

Gains: Martynas Andriuskevicius (draft), Mike Brown (coach), Larry Hughes (free agent), Damon Jones (free agent), Donyell Marshall (free agent).