This was a long time coming. NBA front offices in 1984 were not what they are now, neither in size nor procedure. Organizations didn’t overflow with scouts, as they do today. There wasn’t nearly the same emphasis on studying every nook and cranny of a player’s off-court life. Chicago never even brought Jordan in for a pre-draft interview or workout. “We never had a conversation until we drafted him,” Thorn said. Instead, the Bulls did their homework old-school. Thorn was in contact with Smith, his close friend, who provided intel. Thorn, as well as scouts Gene Tormohlen and Mike Thibault, regularly traveled to Chapel Hill to watch Jordan play. Thibault estimates he was at UNC six or seven times during the 1983-84 season, Jordan’s junior and final year at the school.