NBA Draft Talk

While I cannot say the Bulls were the best movers in the league on draft day, at least they were not the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T-Wolves drafted 4 guards after trading away their proven back-court for a couple of nobodies. I understand the term rebuilding, but around a 17 year old and a man who stands 5'11".... you've got to be kidding me?

The Bulls did a nice job finding value with lower first round picks. James Johnson was able to drop 15 and 8.5 while shooting over 53% in a very tough conference. The man provides size at the 3 position and depth for Luol Deng who missed the end of last season battling stress fracture like injuries which tend to be very nagging. Johnson also wore number 23 in college, so maybe the Bulls are hoping he can bring some of that magic to what now appears to be a very deep team.

Taj Gibson was able to play in a system where many stars had to share the ball and found success by doing the little things. Getting rebounds, blocking shots, throwing his opponents timing off. He averaged nearly a double-double in his final season at USC and did it on 59% shooting. And oh yeah, throw on 3 blocks per game. Not bad for the 26th overall pick in the NBA draft.

Gar Forman did a nice job in his first draft filling immediate holes and deferring to the proven players rather than limitless potential. Too often NBA teams pick the athlete before the ball player. These men coming out of good systems with good stats appear to be the latter of the two and hope to help the Bulls advance beyond the first round in 2010 and for years to come.

With the added depth at the 3/4 position, John Salmons can move to the 2 guard and be one of the bigger in the league at that position. This will fill the void often left open with a midget Ben Gordon having to guard the likes of Wade, Kobe and VC.

While the Bulls had a solid draft day, it was certainly not the best. The Cleveland Cavs made a big move acquiring the Big Aristotle, Shaquille O'Neal. Though some say this does not address their ability, or lack thereof, to stretch the floor and guard the pick and roll. The Orlando Magic got themselves a scorer to go along with Shard and Superman, though must hope Vince Carter stays interested in the game of basketball long enough to get them back to the finals. They did so at the cost of super-rookie Courtney Lee who showed his ability to take games over from time to time. Still, none of these teams had the best draft day. It was the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs not only acquired another scorer to accompany Duncan, Parker and a hobbled Manu with Richard Jefferson, but maybe had the pick of the draft with Dejuan Blair at the 37th pick. Though he is undersized at 6'6, his 7 foot wing span, wide frame and heart could be enough to be the key rebounded the Spurs lacked next to the Big Fundamental. Critics say his lack of achilles will limit his upside and longevity, but at the 37th pick, does that really matter?

Parker-Ginobili-Jefferson-Gooden-Duncan as a starting 5? Now add Finley-Mason-Bowen-Blair-Thomas as a second unit. As much as I hate to say it, the Spurs may be back at the top this year. That is, unless the Bulls can move past the Ben Gordon era and how about coming to terms with Chicago native Sean Marion. One can only hope