Bulls Update:
Draft- Bulls draft James Johnson, a 6 ft. 7 in. forward from Wake Forest and Taj Gibson, a 6 ft. 9 in. forward from the University of Southern California. Johnson was taken at 16 and is a small-forward who can shoot threes, Gibson is a power forward and was taken at pick 26. The consensus was that the Bulls had a successful draft, deepening their roster with 3's and 4's in anticipation of potential trades involving Noah, Thomas, or maybe even Hinrich. I say that's ludicrous. To me the Bulls had three needs:
1. A big man who can score (as we've needed for years)
2. A shooting guard to replace Ben Gordon who was destined to leave as he has refused to sign long-term deals with the Bulls for years (we know now he is a Detroit Piston)
3. A backup point guard in case they deal Hinrich who is clearly their most value trading asset because he could be a starter on most NBA teams
Summary: They need a 1,2, or 4/5
What we took: 3/4's
Result: The Bulls took two players who are NBA ready in that they are both 22. However, neither of these players are particularly explosive, and neither present solutions to the Bulls holes. Gibson is a nice defender, but is undersized as a post player and Johnson has turnover problems and is a less experienced version of Luol Deng- not to mention he was taken at 16 when no one else seemed interested in taking him that high. Also, neither played well in the NCAA tournament, a tournament that showcases mental toughness and the ability to win (Wake lost as a 4 seed in the first round, USC lost last year in the first round with Gibson as their star).
Who they missed out on: PG- Jrue Holiday SG- Wayne Ellington PF- Dejuan Blair C- BJ Mullens
To me these would all have been better picks.
Second: Ben Gordon signs with the Pistons. Is this bad news or good news? Well, classic debate: Ben Gordon was a guy who on any given night could pour in 40 points, and hit a game winning three fading away from a defender in his face. On the other hand, he is a defensive liability, a ball-hog, and frankly did not seem to get along with the Bulls organization. As of now the Bulls could either start Rose, Salmons, and Deng at 1,2,3, Rose, Hinrich, Salmons, or Rose, Salmons, Deng, bringing Deng or Hinrich off the bench (I'm assuming Salmons secured a starting role with his playoff performance). Either of these combos poses a much better defensive threat; however, there is a clear offensive flair lost without Gordon. Turkoglu is an attractive replacement for Gordon; however, the Bulls cannot afford him and he will likely end up in Portland. To me, the Bulls should make a move for the Magic backup center Marcin Gortat, who showed spurts of dominance on both sides of the court in limited minutes backing up Dwight Howard. If not, the Bulls should just play as is and hope to get Bosh or Wade in 2010. With a player like Rose developing, and Salmons emerging as a legitimate NBA scoring threat, the Bulls could still make a run at the playoffs and second round with improved defense.
This is all for now, I have a lot more to say but need to go. Please fuel me with questions, and since I am a beginner I will even cover the White Sox.
Eli
Love the idea of this blog, I miss AP Bio where we would spend 5 minutes finishing the easy homework, and then 40 minutes in talking sports (or 20 minutes of us talking, then you and Sully yelling at each other for another 20)
ReplyDeleteFirst post ever, and I almost agree 100% with your points. The only thing I'm tentative about Gortat. In no way, in my opinion, is he any kind of long term answer at the 5 (not that that is what you were trying to say). If he can come by for cheap, I think it would improve the team. But knowing the Bulls organization, they would probably give him a long-term deal for too much money that he really doesn't deserve. He is a good player, but he can also get worked by the other 5s in this league. I don't believe Gortat could keep up his dominance with full starting minutes.
I think BJ Mullens was worth the pick at 16, and I can't remember how far Blair fell, but couldn't he have been taken at 26?
What's your opinion on Ty Thomas and Noah as players? To me they are really hard to think about, they either piss me off royally or are fun to watch, but I think if they could package one of these guys for a valuable assest (like a 5, or a new shooting guard who is actually taller than me and can play a touch of defense...).
Keep up the posting