Some Bulls draft thoughts

With the NBA draft two days away…I have no idea what to expect from the Bulls.

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.

10 Responses to Some Bulls draft thoughts

  1. Steverba June 21, 2011 at 2:10 pm #

    Hey Matt, any chance you have some time to compile a list of FA targets? Vince Carter and/or Grant Hill could fill that SG role quite nicely for us!

  2. bscholtens@hotmail.com'
    Brad S. June 21, 2011 at 2:35 pm #

    Matt,

    Good to see that you are still alive. Not feeling like talking about the Bulls after the way it ended, huh? Me neither. I loved the way it all ended, tho. Hang in there.

  3. Inception June 21, 2011 at 2:40 pm #

    I hope CHI can land a solid SG through a trade/free agency….this team can win now, and waiting for a SG to develop just means another wasted season.

  4. Inception June 21, 2011 at 5:11 pm #

    @Steverba

    yeah, 5 years ago.

  5. liebingr@gmail.com'
    Bex June 21, 2011 at 5:30 pm #

    @Steverba-
    Can’t believe you suggested Vince Carter. Shame on you. Luckily management is not insane.

  6. bullsbythehorns@gmail.com'
    Matt McHale June 21, 2011 at 7:41 pm #

    “Hey Matt, any chance you have some time to compile a list of FA targets? Vince Carter and/or Grant Hill could fill that SG role quite nicely for us!”

    I’m definately going to do that, most likely after the draft shakes out, although I can’t promise I’ll be pushing for a Vince Carter signing.

    “Good to see that you are still alive. Not feeling like talking about the Bulls after the way it ended, huh? Me neither. I loved the way it all ended, tho. Hang in there.”

    Yeah, I needed a bit of a break, but I’m back and ready…for a lockout. Ugh.

  7. Steverba June 21, 2011 at 8:55 pm #

    You honestly don’t see Vince Carter as an upgrade over Keith Boggans and a potential steal at veterans minimum?! He’s not what he used to be, but he’s still a good basketball player capable of putting up 15pts a night and creating his own offense!

  8. joe June 22, 2011 at 2:52 pm #

    get iguodala

  9. mharvath@purdue.edu'
    Harvath June 23, 2011 at 2:06 pm #

    E’Twaun Moore at 43. He is exactly what the Bulls need. He defends like Bogans, has decent size (6-4), and can hit threes, especially when he doesn’t have to carry a lot of the offense like he did at Purdue. To me, a perfect draft for the Bulls would be somehow moving Boozer (I’m dreaming, but hey), picking up Jajuan at 28, Singler at 30, and Moore at 43. That gives you a stretch 4 who can protect the rim (unlike Boozer), a solid if unspectacular 3 to spell Deng, and a 2 who has the potential to contribute immediately, or at least be an upgrade.

  10. bodybagsteven@gmail.com'
    BFD June 23, 2011 at 4:52 pm #

    I can’t say I like any of the folks you suggested…I’d take the PF from Perdue if we traded Taj, but otherwise you have described 2 guys who sound like a guy we had last year but wouldn’t give minutes to (James Johnson), a PG who wont see time unless you’ve lost confidence in CJ Watson, and two more slow forwards who can shoot and little else (unless you make Korver a starter, you can’t have too many of these guys on the floor).

    I just hope we can make a deal for a SG.

Leave a Reply

Designed by Anthony Bain