In trading to acquire Creighton star Doug McDermott, the Bulls fell victim to something much more common in the NFL: They got attached to a particular player in the draft.

Every year, smart teams like San Francisco and New England fleece the teams that prioritize the short-term (think Tennessee or Carolina) by taking advantage of the fact that such a team “covets” a specific player. Despite the draft being somewhat of a crapshoot, and the plethora of talent available, teams convince themselves that they just have to have that precious prospect who will fill a glaring need. However, the price for that desperation ends up costing a premium in draft capital. The basic framework of such a trade might see a team acquire a third rounder immediately, but at the high price of next year’s second and a sixth in the current draft.

It doesn’t happen much in basketball both because the NBA Draft is so much shorter and teams don’t deal first rounders to acquire second rounders, leaving just one round for franchises to borrow against their future. Under the current CBA, the only transaction that closely resembles what the Bulls did is Utah packaging #14 and #21 to Minnesota to move up to #9 for Trey Burke last year. The Jazz got much better value in that deal though, as they desperately needed a point guard, and Burke was the last consensus top-level player remaining in that woeful draft.

While they moved up the exact same amount of spots the Bulls did, typically the better the pick, the steeper the cost. And yet the Jazz surrendered far less than GarPax did last night. Gorgui Dieng, the player the Wolves nabbed at #21, looks like a legit asset, but that’s judging the deal with information unavailable at the time. In addition to the extra first rounder, #19, the Bulls surrendered a second rounder (they were two in the black thanks to the Luol Deng deal, but still) and took on the final year of failed project Anthony Randolph’s contract.

This happened because the normally uber-secretive Bulls were terribly obvious about the object of their affection. Multiple reports mentioned how often Chicago had scouted McDermott at Creighton and practically every major media outlet reported at some point that the Bulls were shopping their picks with reckless abandon, making it painfully apparent that, barring the selection of a draft-and-stash guy, there was no chance they’d use both, with the ultimate goal to package them and move up for a shooter.

So, in the same manner that the Bulls forced the desperate Cavs to cough extra assets in the Deng deal, the Nuggets were able to leverage not just the 19th selection, but swiped another pick and dumped a contract on the Bulls, who’ve worked so diligently to avoid taking on any sort of money. Randolph may end up being used as salary fodder in a grander move, but CBA rules make re-dealing a player rather complicated, and according to K.C. Johnson, Gar Forman admitted that Randolph’s inclusion was Denver’s impetus, not Chicago’s.

What really puts this over the top is that the Bulls may not have needed to trade up at all, and that, even independent of Randolph, it cost them potential cap room to do so. Unless another team would have swapped with Denver for McDermott, they likely just take Jusuf Nurkic at 11, instead of with Chicago’s pick. Orlando was widely assumed to select Dario Saric, enabling their acquisition of tenth pick Elfrid Payton from Philly (speaking of Orlando, they too got swindled out of a first rounder to ensure the delivery of Payton.) The only team that kept their target less of a secret than the Bulls was Minnesota, who took Zach LaVine at 13. Maybe Phoenix was a threat at 14, but Atlanta was surely choosing Adreian Payne at 15 over McDermott.

It looks like McDermott may very well have still been on the board at 16 for Chicago, and staying there would have saved the Bulls a few hundred thousand roughly in cap space due to the difference in salaries attached to the picks involved. In the event he had been gone by their pick, Chicago’s worst case scenario was getting “stuck” with Gary Harris at 16. Lack of size may have hurt Harris, but consider that he notched 15 blocks as a sophomore, trumping the paltry 14 McDermott had over his entire four year college career.

The last couple years, the Bulls have been engulfed by two enormous question marks. The first is obviously if Derrick Rose can get, and stay, healthy. The second is how they can pave a path and execute a plan to add another star. We’ve learned that role players are nice, and crucial on the margins as this year’s Finals showed, but when push came to shove, GarPax dipped into their precious flexibility and collection of assets just to add one rookie role player over another. We’re not talking about trading up to grab a boom-or-bust type like LaVine, who could change a franchise if he happens to pan out, as McDermott is pretty defined in his potential, a 22-year-old whose lack of variance provides security but considerably less upside.

The Bulls can say they wanted to add shooting, but that’s not what this is, at least not yet, because the chatter seems to suggest this frees them up to lop Mike Dunleavy’s salary off the books. That’s not adding a shooter, that’s replacing a shooter, and in doing so, relying on a rookie to suitably fill the role of a guy who’s been in the league for a dozen years and qualifies as the only above average deep shooter on the roster.

As for the idea that consolidating two first rounders into one created more cap room for the Bulls, well, that’s misguided. If they wanted to do that, they could have stayed at 16, as mentioned, and easily traded 19 for a future first round pick from somebody. There, that was easy, and now you have a shooter without wasting cap room to trade up, plus a future first (or a stashed prospect) that could grease the wheel in trade talks for Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Love or somebody else entirely.

Overall, McDermott’s actually a good fit. The Bulls probably weren’t retaining Dunleavy after this year anyway, so they secured a long-term shooting threat, and just as importantly, someone who opponents absolutely know is a threat and will bend their defense as such. Within two minutes of watching NBATV, they’d already praised him with the phrases we’ll hear about him his entire career: “coach’s son” and ” high basketball IQ,” so basically he’s the perfect heir to Kirk Hinrich’s throne. In all seriousness though, McDermott does seem to be the high-quality teammate he’s lauded as, so for both his sake and Chicago’s, hopefully he fills the role they have slotted for him, but the Bulls sure tapped into the resources they’ve spent years accumulating for what amounts to an ancillary piece of the puzzle.

The post Doug McDermott And The Trouble With Love appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

UPDATE (9:54 PM): An update of the trade also indicates the Bulls have acquired Anthony Randolph in the trade as well. With the inclusion of Randolph the Bulls have now spent $1 million more than they would have had they stuck with their 2 draft picks. The inclusion of Randolph in the trade is puzzling as Chicago doesn’t have a need for him. His inclusion could potentially be security in case Chicago needs to trade away Taj Gibson in order to sign a superstar.

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It’s been a long build up leading up to tonight’s NBA draft but it seems we’ve come to somewhat of a resolution- the Chicago Bulls have traded both the 16th and 19th overall pick to the Denver Nuggets for Creighton University standout Doug McDermott. The move doesn’t come as much of a surprise as pre-draft rumors pegged the Bulls as highly intrigued in McDermott and willing to trade up for him.

What has caught some people by surprise is Chicago giving up both of their first round draft picks for him. Instant reactions on Twitter were very mixed as some Bulls fans cheered the moves, few believe it to be a good move at too steep a price, while others deride the move as a complete failure.

The trade up for McDermott saves the Bulls some money to put towards their pursuit of a superstar free agent. Rather than commit $2.7 million to two players, the Bulls are now only on the hook for $1.9 million. The move also seemingly puts Chicago in a position to move Mike Dunleavy Jr. to improve their pursuit of a superstar. McDermott’s ability to spread the floor with this three point shooting lessens the impact of losing Dunleavy.

Adding McDermott does add an interesting question at power forward though. With the addition of McDermott, and assuming Nikola Mirotic finally makes his move over to the NBA, the Bulls have a log jam at power forward with Taj Gibson, Mirotic, and McDermott. It will be interesting to see what Chicago plans to do moving forward. Are the Bulls preparing to move Taj Gibson this offseason? Next season after allowing McDermott to sit on the bench for a year? Are the Bulls anticipating moving Nikola Mirotic? There are many questions, but few answers for now.

At first look it seems the Bulls have made a good move drafting McDermott. The move allows Chicago to spread the floor more, gives the team a little more offense, and sets the team up for potential moves to get the final piece needed for a championship run.

More of an in depth analysis of this pick, as well any potential picks/trades Chicago makes in the immediate future, will be up soon.

The post Instant Impression- Chicago Bulls Draft Doug McDermott appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

jtyerse | Flickr

As you are presumably aware by now, the Philadelphia 76ers went on a one-team crusade to acquire the entire second round of this year’s draft at the trade deadline. Already in possession of a couple second round picks, they nabbed five more over this year and the next two by trading away Spencer Hawes and trading for Eric Maynor and Byron Mullens.

You might rightly ask what general manager Sam Hinkie’s plan is with all those picks. Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com took on that question today, and he theorized that because of the harsher luxury tax penalties in the new CBA, and because first round picks are significantly more expensive than second rounders, Hinkie likely will shop his second round picks to teams worried about the luxury tax who also have surplus picks towards the end of the first round.

So where do second-rounders come in? Good question. First-round picks are not only more expensive than second-rounders, but they also count against the cap regardless of whether they are signed. The key is that second-rounders, by rule, do not. So cost-conscious teams looking to preserve precious cap space in summer free-agent sweepstakes or looking to shave down their luxury-tax bill can still add talent to fill out the roster by unloading a first-round pick for a couple of second-rounders.

A tax-flirting team like Chicago, which holds two late-first-round picks next season (Charlotte’s first-rounder goes to Chicago if it doesn’t fall in the top 10 via the Tyrus Thomas deal), could improve its flexibility by swapping a first-rounder with Hinkie for say, the No. 32 pick and the No. 39 pick. Same goes for Oklahoma City, a team that also holds two late-first-rounders in the 2014 draft. Though it doesn’t seem like much in February, second-rounders could hold serious currency for capped-out teams come June.

Furthermore, second-rounders are far cheaper for tax purposes than picking up free agents off the scrap heap. As astutely pointed out by SB Nation’s Mark Deeks, there’s a reason why center Erik Murphy remains on the Bulls’ roster even though he never plays: As a second-round pick, he is saving them about $1 million in luxury-tax penalties compared to a similar non-drafted rookie thanks to the fine print in the CBA. With a repeater tax on the horizon, CBA minutiae matters more now than ever.

via What Are Second Rounders Worth? — ESPN (Insider)

We will, for the moment, leave aside Haberstroh’s assertion that Erik Murphy is a center when we’ve actually seen him most recently as a nominal small forward. What is important here is that he specifically names the Chicago Bulls as a team that might send out a first rounder to Philly for probably two or three second rounders.

While trading out of the first round of one of the best drafts in recent memory seems abhorrent — I certainly abhor it, for whatever that’s worth — there’s plenty of reason to think it could happen. Mainly, that Jerry Reinsdorf is incredibly cheap and likes to save his money rather than spend it. Well, on the Bulls, anyway.

There are two scenarios where such a thing might actually make some modicum of sense. One if the Bulls follow through with their amnesty of Carlos Boozer, one if they don’t.

If they don’t amnesty Boozer,* and we’ve heard rumblings to that effect in recent months, then the Bulls will find themselves hanging right around the cap line before making any further moves, with around $63 million in salary committed to 8 players. Two first round picks bring that number up around $66 million, perhaps a little higher, for 10 players, plus ~$500K for their second round pick, which gets us to about $67 million for 11 players. In that case, we’d have to assume that the Bulls would use their full mid-level exception to bring over Nikola Mirotic, if at all possible. That takes them up to about $72 million, which would be pushing right up against the luxury tax line. And note that, in this scenario, DJ Augustin is not on the roster, or if he is, he’s making a little less than $2 million, which would probably push the Bulls into the tax. That’s a problem for Mr. Reinsdorf, particularly in light of the new repeater tax. As long as the Bulls stay under the tax line this season, that wouldn’t apply unless they pay the tax in 2014-15 and 2015-16, but let’s just assume JR would prefer not to pay the tax in either of those years if he can avoid it.

*Note: This scenario also applies to a hypothetical Boozer-Carmelo Anthony sign and trade, which is unlikely to happen, but you never know.

If we swap in two second rounders for one of the first rounders, the Bulls could save themselves about $1.5 million in salary if they let DJ walk — one million from the drop from a first to a second, another half million saved in not paying the veteran’s minimum to fill out the roster.

Meanwhile, if Boozer DOES get amnestied, that $1.5 million kicks in again, only this time it’s another $1.5 million in cap space. Alternatively, it’s just another $1.5 million JR doesn’t have to spend on filling out the roster. Supposing Mirotic signs for something in the $7-8 million range, and Augustin comes back for something in the $2 million range, that leaves us with around $60 million committed to 12 players with the two first rounders compared to $59.5 million to 13 with the two seconds. That obviously doesn’t sound like much of a difference, but the difference between $3 million and $3.5 million isn’t to be sneezed at. This year, that’s approximately the difference between Greg Stiemsma and Jordan Hill, which is not insignificant. Granted, Stiemsma only makes about $2.7 million this year, but I’m counting that as close enough.

(There is, by the way, no real benefit to drafting two players in the second round and then cutting them to gain cap space. The cap charge for unused roster spots is virtually identical to the salary they would be paid, and you’d still have to fill those spots eventually.)

Let me reiterate that I think such a move would be stupid. First rounders, even late first rounders, are much more likely to be productive players than second rounders. Look at Jimmy Butler, the very last pick in the first round of the 2011 draft, as compared to 32nd overall pick Justin Harper, who lasted all of a year with the Orlando Magic, barely played, and is now in Israel. And keep in mind that this year’s draft is considered to be incredibly deep, so the odds of getting a productive player are even higher than they normally would be. But the possibility of saving money has never stopped The Chairman from making the on-court product slightly worse. And there is some slight merit to the idea in terms of maximizing cap space, as outlined above, though probably not enough to make it worth it.

I suppose we’ll find out in June.

All salary numbers that I did not invent for the sake of my hypothetical come via ShamSports.

The post Don’t be surprised if the Chicago Bulls trade a pick to save money appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

Nate Wolters- South Dakota State University
Nate Wolters was the star player for the Jackrabbits this past season and led them with very solid scoring numbers. Because of the weak conference he played in the numbers are obviously inflated, but I still believe Wolters can carve out a consistent role in the NBA. Defensively, Wolters isn’t anything great and is likely an average defender at best. To me this isn’t too much of a problem as the reason to draft Wolters lies solely with his offense. In his career at SDSU, Wolters has exhibited a great basketball IQ and rarely makes bad decisions. While his role at SDSU was to act as a scorer, his above-average court vision has allowed him to make the right play time in and time out. The biggest reason I believe Chicago should draft Wolters though is his ability to create a shot and shoot the three. As the primary offensive option in college, Wolters has developed a consistent shot off of the dribble and in spot-up situations. He’s shown that he can extend this ability to the NBA three point line. While he may not be able to use his abilities as much in the NBA given the level of players he’ll be facing, he can still be a valuable threat that helps stretch the floor. Wolters is listed as a point guard, a position the Bulls already have an overflow of. However, at 6’4 Wolters could be pushed to play a backup shooting guard role the way Kirk Hinrich occasionally does. In all likelihood, Wolters wouldn’t even see the floor his first year under Tom Thibodeau which would simply open things up for him to take over Kirk Hinrich’s role in a year.

I’m obviously very high on Wolters and would love to see the Bulls make a move to get him. Given he’d be a second round pick it’d simply be a low risk high reward move. If you’d like to read a more in depth analysis on Wolters, something I would suggest, take a look at this breakdown and comparison of Wolters’s game to Trey Burke’s by Dylan Burkhardt. In the charts, Wolters is denoted in light blue.

Dwayne Davis- Southern Missisippi
I’ll admit it… I’m a sucker for a feel good story. Nothing engrosses me more than hearing about a player who has endured hardship at a young age and has overcome all of the challenges to get into a position where they can succeed. A couple of seasons ago that player was Jimmy Butler. This year it’s Dwayne Davis. I won’t get into specifics about Davis’s past. You can read about that in Jeff Eisenberg’s post on “The Dagger.”

With only one season of college ball under his belt, it’s hard to gauge just how skilled Davis is and how he’ll perform in the NBA. From what I’ve seen though (mostly highlight films and box scores), Davis is a good ball handler who can get to the rim well and create his own shot. He also exhibits pretty good range and can help spread the floor somewhat. His abilities and statistics are likely inflated from playing in a weaker conference and there are concerns that his skills may not translate to the much more difficult NBA. However, as noted in many instances in the Eisenberg article on him, Davis is a tireless worker who has put forth the effort in recent years. Call it a hunch, but should Davis make it onto Chicago’s roster, I’m confident his drive and work ethic will make him into a solid player who can contribute to the teams success.

As of now the Bulls have already had dinner with Davis which likely shows interest on their part. All that’s left to do is see how everything pans out for Davis. Regardless of whether he’s drafted or brought in via free agency, I’d love to see the Bulls give him a chance.

The post Chicago Bulls Draft Prospects Part 3: The Possibly Hidden Gems appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

With the 20th pick in the draft, the Chicago Bulls select…

Allen Crabbe- California (University of California Berkley)
Of all the proposed guards the Chicago Bulls may take with the 20th pick, Allen Crabbe tops the list of who they are likely to take. Offensively Crabbe is a strong player who is regarded as being one of the better shooters in the draft. He moves well without the ball often times putting himself in positions where he can cut right to the hoop or get into open space for spot-up jump shots. He can also hit the three which is a big plus for him given that the Bulls were one of the worst teams in the league in terms of three point shooting. Crabbe, however, isn’t strong in isolation situations which is something Chicago needs out of the wing players they bring in. Defensively, Crabbe has the physical makings to be a good defender but, as he admits, doesn’t put in the effort to be great at defending. This may not be too much of an issue in Tom Thibodeau’s system and he may improve over time, but as of now it’s a big question mark.

Tim Hardaway Jr- Michigan
Hardaway Jr is another guard who is likely just as high on the Chicago Bulls’ big board as Allen Crabbe, if not higher. Overall, Hardaway is a strong overall player and is NBA ready. Offensively he’s decent at finishing at the rim, a good passer, a strong shooter, knows how to play in and thrives in isolation situations, and can hit the three point shot. The biggest question mark for Hardaway Jr is his ability to play consistently, something that has prevented him from being a lottery level talent. Defensively, Hardaway Jr isn’t going to be anyone who forces steals and block consistently given he only has a 6’7″ wingspan, but his athleticism and drive could still make him an above average defender. The Bulls have hosted Hardaway Jr. for a few workouts already which may indicate high interest from their side, but with how secretive general manager Gar Foreman is it’s hard to say anything with certainty.

Jamaal Franklin- San Diego State University
When I saw Jamaal Franklin on several mock drafts going at 20 to the Chicago Bulls, I was intrigued. Franklin has the physical tools to be a great defender with a 6’11 wingspan, good athleticism, and the work ethic. While this is good, for Chicago it may not be enough. Offensively Franklin, while a good ball handler who can create offense, isn’t the best shooter. His form can be excellent but he lacks consistency for it to be great. He also has some difficulty spreading the floor with the three point shot, something the Bulls desperately need. More than anything, Franklin seems to be a spot-up shooter but Chicago already has two wing players like that in Luol Deng and Jimmy Butler. It’ll be interesting to see if the Bulls end up taking Franklin with the 20th pick or if they end up trading down and drafting him later on in the first round.

The post Chicago Bulls Draft Prospects Part 2: The Wing Men appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

With the 20th pick in the Draft, the Chicago Bulls select…

Thomas Robinson- Houston Rockets:
Ok. Thomas Robinson is already in the NBA already. I know. But the new rumor coming from ESPN’s Marc Stein and Chad Ford indicate that the Houston Rockets are shopping Thomas Robinson to clear up cap space to sign Dwight Howard and the Chicago Bulls are an interested party. The supposed deal would send the 20th pick to the Rockets and the Bulls would absorb Robinson’s contract into Kyle Korver’s traded player exception. However, according to Ford and Stein, the Bulls would be looking to further trade Thomas Robinson immediately. Whether this deal happens or not is anyone’s guess at the moment, but we’ll know for sure within 24 hours.

Gorgui Dieng- Louisville
A fair number of mock drafts across the internet have Dieng falling to the Bulls and, should Chicago be so lucky, he is the man to take. Dieng’s ability to protect the rim, his perimeter defense (especially in pick and roll situations), and rebounding are all very strong. Offensively he’s not the most prolific scorer, but he has solid fundamental play and footwork with his back to the hoop and is able to hit midrange jumpers with some consistency. What’s more is that Dieng acts as the perfect complement to Taj Gibson. A lineup of Dieng and Gibson can flourish on both sides of the ball. Offensively, Gibson can go to work in the paint  (where he converts 60% of opportunities) while Dieng can take on a Carlos Boozer-like role by taking mid-range jumpers. Defensively, Dieng can protect the paint thus allowing Gibson to defend midrange jumpers.

There are some concerns that at the age of 23 Dieng may have reached his ceiling, but in the right system and around the right players Dieng could grow into a solid role player. In Chicago, Tom Thibodeau’s system more than favors Dieng’s strengths while Dieng can grow as a defender under the guidance of Joakim Noah and as a shooter under the guidance of Carlos Boozer.

Mason Plumlee- Duke
Mason Plumlee is one of the players rumored to be on Chicago’s shortlist of draft prospects. Plumlee isn’t the greatest of all the big men in the draft and definitely has areas he can improve in, but with time he could prove to be a solid pick at 20. Defensively Plumlee is an above-average defender who could step into the backup role and make things difficult in the paint for opponents. He’s not a prolific shot blocker and his lateral quickness isn’t great but his size, footwork, and strong help defense make up for those weaknesses. Offensively Plumlee’s strengths lie in the fact that he is strong passing out of the post, is good at setting perimeter screens in pick-and-roll situations, and grabbing offensive rebounds. However, he does have a good deal of room to improve in terms of shooting and playing with his back to the basket, though he has improved a bit over the past year.

Mike Muscala- Bucknell
Muscala hasn’t been listed as a player the Bulls may take with the 20th pick, but should the Bulls trade for Thomas Robinson then deal him for a lower first round pick and some assets, the Bulls could feasibly go with Muscala as a first round choice. In his years of college basketball, Muscala has shown he is a smart player who rarely makes bad decisions. In his years at Bucknell, he knows what passes to make, rarely dribbles into traffic or double teams, and anticipates when to rotate to help on defense. Offensively he’s a solid rebounder, has improved in his post game and can finish with both hands, and has developed a fairly consistent jump shot from up to 18 feet out, a nice little compliment to Taj Gibson. Defensively he’s a solid pick-and-roll defender, has consistently shown he has the ability to make opponents alter their shot in the paint, and is a strong rebounder. His lack of athleticism and affinity to play a slower pace shouldn’t be too much of a factor as Muscala would fit in nicely with Chicago’s slower paced half-court offense. Muscala’s abilities and numbers from his college days may be slightly exaggerated as he played in a weaker conference in college, however should Chicago trade down in the draft, he could prove to be a decent value pick.

The post Chicago Bulls Draft Prospects Part 1: The Big Men appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

They are your new Chicago Bulls.

Well, sort of.

The Houston Rockets actually selected Mirotic with the 23rd pick but then traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Chicago took Norris Cole with the 28th pick but traded him and the 43rd pick to Minnesota for the rights to Mirotic. Here’s the hitch: Mirotic — a shooting big man whose ceiling supposedly ranges somewhere between Andrea Bargnani and Jason Kapono — is under contract with the Spanish club Real Madrid until 2015, so don’t expect to see him in a Bulls uniform any time soon. He’s basically a farm experiment with the hope for future returns.

On ESPN 1000′s Chicago’s Gamenight, Gar Forman said: “We’ve done it in the past and Omer Asik is a good example of that. We went into this draft possessing three picks and we certainly didn’t feel we were in a position to keep three rookies, and maybe even two rookies. We obviously want to continue to bring young players into our situation, but at the same time, we feel we’re at a level now where we’re trying to compete and get better and compete for championships. We’ve still got a lot of work to do and we’ve still got roster spots and some different avenues we can take to try and improve our team. Now that the draft’s over that’s where we’re headed next.”

It makes sense. Rather than draft three rookies — two of which might not even make the team — the Bulls picked a guy who could make an impact a few years from now.

According to ESPN’s Chad Ford: “I like the Mirotic pick. He he was a lottery talent who slid because of contract issues, but the Bulls can afford to be patient and allow him to continue to develop in Europe. They do take a risk that he doesn’t ever come here (Mirotic is already getting paid major coin in Europe), but at No. 23, it’s worth the gamble.”

That brings us to Butler.

The Bulls got him with the 30th pick, and there are several reasons to be optimistic about this guy. From everything I’ve heard and read, he’s an intelligent two-way player with a strong work ethic. He’s a solid (though not spectacular) athlete who moves well without the basketball. Butler has a reasonably consistent mid-range jumper he can knock down either pulling up or spotting up. He attacks the rim (6.5 FTA last season) and makes smart decisions (1.59 assist-to-turnover rate). Most importantly, he’s a determined and focused defender.

On the downside, Butler isn’t a three-point shooter (only 34.5 percent during his senior season), can’t create his own offense and doesn’t have a “go to” skill. He has the all-around skills to become a solid roleplayer…but that’s probably his ceiling.

Still, there’s a good chance Butler can contribute “out of the box” as Luol Deng’s primary backup.

Butler has had a difficult life — his mother kicked him out when he was only 13 years old — and the adversity has made him a hard-working, high-character man. That should make him a perfect fit for Tom Thibodeau’s demanding (but rewarding) team culture.

Said Forman: “Jimmy is a guy that we felt really just fits us to a ‘T,’ as far as the type of the person he is, his makeup and his character, and as far as his game is concerned. There’s been no question in our minds for quite a while that Jimmy was a real, real fit for this team and this organization. The thing that we’re so excited about with Jimmy is his versatility. He’s 6-8, he’s got a nice frame, a strong body, he’s a good athlete and he’s a very, very versatile defender. As we watched him throughout his career at Marquette, he could guards twos, he could guard threes, he could guard fours and there were even games where they would assign him to guard the point guard.

“Offensively, he’s got some skills that could help our team moving forward. At his size, he can put the ball on the floor and he can handle it. He’s got a nice stroke. I’d say he’s a mid-range shooter, but with his stroke, we project that he can add range to his shot. He’s a strong driver to the basket and can finish plays going to the basket. Each time we met with him, he really kind of blew us away, so we really feel he’ll be a fit in the locker room, he’ll be a fit with the culture of this team, we think he’ll fit on the floor and we were ecstatic Jimmy was around when we were picking 30th.”

As for Butler, he wants to start defending people right now. Seriously.

Said Butler: “I want to win games and I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the Chicago Bulls win a championship. I’m going to guard. I think that’s where I’ve got to make my mark in this league. I’m going to put in that work to be able to guard LeBron and Dwyane Wade. I’m going to be able to spread the floor out. I’m working on my outside shot. But I think the biggest thing is defense. I think that’s where I’m going to be a pest. I’m going to take up everybody’s space, make them work for every little thing.

“I really take pride in my defense. I take it personal when somebody scores on me. I know you can’t shut down guys every night, but you can give it your best effort and that’s what I’m going to do on both ends on the court every night.”

I’ll give him this: He’s ready to challenge the Gods. I hope he’s also planning to work on his long-range shooting.

Said Butler: “I think I will be able to play [shooting guard]. I want to stay at this level for a long time and in order to do that, I’ve got to get better at every aspect of my game, not just shooting, so I’ll be in the gym working on everything because no part of my game’s perfect.”

With a potential lockout looming, the Bulls needed a confident, mature, internally motivated self-starter, and Butler sure seems like that kind of person.

I’m sure Bulls fans were hoping that management would use draft night to address the shooting guard position or find a three-point sniper — I know I sure was — but I think Forman did pretty well. He invested in a potentially valuable future asset and hopefully found a (much needed) backup for Deng. The other needs, well, they’ll just have to be addressed via free agency or trades.

Bonus video of Nikola Mirotic:

Bonus video of Jimmy Butler:

The post Bulls draft for today and tomorrow appeared first on Bulls By The Horns.

“I’ve always been a huge believer that you draft the best player available. Every team in the league has certain needs and when you look at needs in my mind, there’s three ways to fill them — it’s not just the draft. You’ve got free agency, you’ve got trades and you’ve got the draft. And I think when you’re higher up in the draft, which we’ve been at times in the past, that if you have guys that are tiered closely together that you may go for need. I think when you’re drafting as late as we’re drafting that we’re not necessarily going to go for need. We’ll go for two guys that we think fit the culture that we’ve created and that can be part of our rotation, if not immediately, and we would hope immediately, but if not immediately, then somewhere down the road and trying to build some depth.”

The strategy makes sense. But I’m sure many Bulls fans — who believe the team is one above-average shooting guard away from contending for a title right now – won’t be thrilled to find out there isn’t a more exciting plan in place.

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Chicago has the 28th, 30th and 43rd picks. The team needs an athletic shooting guard who can create his own offense, nail jumpers from long range, and (of course) defend. That would basically complete the championship package.

So how does management make that happen?

Through the draft?

With a trade?

The Bulls have tradeable assets (most notably Omer Asik and Taj Gibson) and could package the draft picks to create a deal. There have also been grumblings and murmurs about moving Carlos Boozer, although I sincerely doubt anybody wants to stand within a thousand yards of his contract right now.

Assuming management wants to hang on to Asik and Gibson — or, at the very least, isn’t willing to give them up without a major return — the Bulls will need to pull off a minor late-round miracle. Unless Adam Morrison did something amazing while working out for the team last weekend. Which I doubt.

For what it’s worth, here are some players I think the Bulls either might or should target with their picks.

Marshon Brooks of Providence would be a great fit for the Bulls. He’s got decent height (6’5″), a huge wingspan (7’1″) and great athleticism (38+ vertical leap and a 3.1-second three-quarter court sprint). Last season, he averaged 24.5 ppg while shooting 48 percent from the field. Unfortunately, unless the Bulls trade up, Brooks will probably be off the board by the late first round. Which might be just as well, considering he has a tendency to hold onto the ball too much and lacks defensive intensity. (Of course, those qualities could be coached out of him…)

Georgia’s Travis Leslie might be more attainable. Like Brooks, Leslie has hops (40+ vert) and wings (6’10″), plus he can score efficiently (49 percent last season) and defend. He’s a premier athlete who’s been compared to Tony Allen and claims he’ll be better than Allen on offense despite not having a three-point shot. That deficit — in addition to his lack of handles — worries me.

Butler’s Shelvin Mack is a player the Bulls could probably snag with one of their picks. Having played out his senior season and appeared in two NCAA championship games, he has experience and pedigree going for him. He was a smart and consistent performer in college who hit clutch shots and played tough defense. Unfortunately, he’s a 6’2″ point guard who has an inconsistent jump shot and more strength than speed.

Purdue’s JuJuan Johnson is probably worth a look, and I’m not saying that just because I’m a Boilermaker. A 6’10″ power forward, Johnson is the reigning Big Ten player of the year and has skills the Bulls could use immediately. He can score inside and outside, rebound and play strong defense. He’s athletic (38-inch vertical)…but a bit skinny for NBA play (220 pounds). Note that my interest in Johnson assumes the Bulls would be making a trade that involves Asik or Gibson, or that they’d somehow manage to move Boozer’s contract.

I like Duke’s Kyle Singer as a potential backup for Luol Deng. Yes, the Bulls need a SG first and foremost, but expecting Lu to play 40+ minutes every night seems like lunacy. Singer is a pretty versatile scorer — he can drive, post up and shoot — who will crash the boards and make hustle plays. My main worry is whether he’s fast enough to stay with other small forwards at the NBA level. Another potential backup for Deng is Richmond’s Justin Harper. He’s 6’9″ and hit 44.8 percent of his threes last season.

More draft thoughts in the coming days.

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Me too.

However, if Bulls management has it’s way, some other team is going to end up with the 17th pick.

According to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: “Like the Heat’s trade of Daequan Cook and their first-round pick, the Bulls are trying to shave payroll for free agency. They’ve tried to package the pick with Luol Deng or Kirk Hinrich with little serious interest yet, although talks with the Clippers continue.”

Speaking of the Cook trade, the Heat pulled off a real coup there.

According to Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald: “By trading [Cook], the Heat have only Beasley ($4.96 million) and Mario Chalmers ($850,000) under contract next season. The Heat also avoids having to budget $1.2 million in salary cap space for the No. 18 pick. With the salary cap set at $56 million, that would leave the Heat with enough space to re-sign Wade, another max-salary player and possibly a third max player (between $15-$17 million for the first year of the deal).”

Pat Riley’s salary wrangling has allowed the Miami to Leapfrog Chicago as The Most Desirable Potential Destination for LeBron James. After all, the Heat could realistically field a three-man core of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and (say) Chris Bosh.

I hate to admit it, but that would certainly trump a LeBron-Rose-Noah combo. But that won’t stop the Bulls from working to make moves right up until the last minute.

Said Bulls GM Gar Forman: “There are a lot of things we’re considering, some of which the (No. 17) pick is involved with. We’re not just going to move the pick (alone) for financial consideration. Like trade deadlines, a lot of times things don’t happen until the 24th hour.”

Like a trade that would send Luol Deng to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Mickael Pietrus and Marcin Gortat? Apparently, this deal has been discussed…but it’s unlikely to occur. For financial reasons, of course.

According to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: “This deal would save the Bulls about $22 million in future salaries, but it wouldn’t give them any more cap space to add a second free agent this summer. In fact, it would erase about $300,000 in cap space, which probably makes this move unlikely. … The Bulls wouldn’t mind moving Deng this summer to add a second free agent, but they’re not likely to trade him for two reserves and no cap relief.”

Remember: Even if nothing happens by tonight, the Bulls still have a week or two to shed salary for the upcoming free agent bonanza. I’m not sure whether management can actually move Deng and/or Hinrich — their contracts are that much of an anchor — but if you’re a fan of either guy, I suggest you make peace with the idea of seeing them in another uniform next season.

You know, just in case.

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