Bulls Welcome Kukoc But Lose

It was almost like the good old days, with the United Center fans screaming, yelling and cheering their loudest when Toni Kukoc was introduced.

Almost, but not quite. Seeing Kukoc in that blue uniform with "Sixers" on the front is going to take some getting used to.

"It was a little different," Kukoc said after the game, his first back in Chicago since his Feb. 16 trade to the Philadelphia 76ers.

"I don't want to say it was strange, but it was very different."

Forget any weepy nostalgia on his part, though. Making his first start as a 76er, Kukoc scored 11 points and had five assists and five rebounds in 32 minutes Saturday as his new team beat his old team, 95-84.

Theo Ratliff added 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Eric Snow had 14 assists.

Ron Artest, guarded by Kukoc most of the night, led the Bulls with 18, and Matt Maloney added 17 on 4-of-6 shooting, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range. The Bulls were hurt by 21 turnovers, 13 of which came in the second half.

When the game ended, Kukoc and Randy Brown, a close friend who wrote "TK 7" on his shoes after Kukoc was traded, embraced at half-court. Fans stuck around to watch Kukoc leave the floor and slap his hand as he walked by.

"It was tough seeing him in a different uniform, but we just took it as a game and like any other player," said Elton Brand, who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. "Overall, it hurts us without him."

Lured to the United States in 1993, Kukoc had, until last month, spent his entire 6 1/2-year NBA career with the Bulls. The Croatia native helped Chicago win its last three championships and won the NBA's Sixth Man award after the 1995-96 season.

When Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and Scottie Pippen hightailed it out of town, Kukoc was the only key piece left from the dynasty days. That's a lot of history in one city.

Asked if he missed being in Chicago, Kukoc at first said no. His wife and two children are still here and he misses them, he said, but there isn't much time to think about the Bulls.

As he talked, though, Kukoc gave a hint of how he really feels.

"Sometimes, when I'm alone in my room, late at night," he said, "I think about things a lot."

The fans and his old teammates didn't leave any doubt about their feelings for Kukoc. About half the crowd stood when he was introduced, and several fans carried signs welcoming him back.

During the first timeout, the Bulls showed a video tribute to Kukoc on the Jumbotron above the floor. With the Foo Fighters' "My Hero" cranking on the arena's sound system and "Thanks Toni!" on half of the screens, fans got a video tour of Kukoc's time in Chicago. There was a shot of him with Pippen. Another of him holding a championship trophy. One of him dunking.

As the tribute ended, the crowd gave him another loud ovation.

"That was very nice," he said. "I always said there's nothing I can say but, `Thank you' to the Bulls fans. They were always great to me."

Kukoc had stopped by the Bulls' practice facility Friday to see his old teammates, but there were still plenty of smiles and handshakes as they waited for the ball to go up. When Artest launched a 20-foot jumper over Kukoc's head to open the game, the two ran back down the court laughing and talking trash.

"He thought I told him the play we were running and it was the wrong play," Artest said, smiling. "I faked him out. He went to the wrong side."

Despite the lovefest, memories can be short when it comes to professional sports these days. One fan held up a sign reading, "We'll all miss you, Tony." He also was listed as "Tony Kukoc" on the first-quarter stat sheet.

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