The Official 2008 NBA Draft Thread Options

[Wanne]

Jordan isn't really even worthy of a 1st round pick. I'd be utterly disappointed if we took him with the 9th pick. It would probably be the only pick worse than Tyrus Thomas. He sat on the bench in college so he's a lottery pick in the NBA? My god. If we get #9, Augustin or Love is who I want. If we get 1-2, it's obviously either Rose or Beasley, whichever is there. If we get #3, I want Lopez or Mayo.

I'd like to see the Bulls get Love too...I know some aren't really that fond of him...but I think he'll be a pretty good 4 in this league.

[Chicago Bulls Fr...]

I'd like to see the Bulls get Love too...I know some aren't really that fond of him...but I think he'll be a pretty good 4 in this league.

I'm not really sure how to read him on his strength attributes. He looks like he's still got some of that baby fat that he can shed off but then again, he's one of the few people I've seen that can launch a full court chest-pass into the basket..

[Wanne]

I'm not really sure how to read him on his strength attributes. He looks like he's still got some of that baby fat that he can shed off but then again, he's one of the few people I've seen that can launch a full court chest-pass into the basket..

From Chad Ford who's traveling around visiting prospects workouts. I'm actually pretty intrigued with getting this guy.

Here's my report from Day 1.

Kevin Love, PF, UCLA


Love was the first player I wanted to see in this environment. We already know that he's one of the most skilled big men to ever enter the draft. His basketball skills, both in the paint and out on the perimeter, resemble those of an NBA veteran.

His basketball IQ is off the charts, his footwork is strong, his jump shot has range out to the NBA 3-point line, his outlet passes are legendary and he has a series of step-backs, up-and-unders and spins that made him one of the top 5 players in college basketball this season.

However, what Love has lacked is explosive athleticism and a chiseled, athletic body. As a freshman at UCLA, he often carried a spare tire around his waist. He seemed to run out of steam in up-tempo games and, at times, looked like he lacked the athleticism to excel in the pros.

Love's strengths and weaknesses have generated a huge debate among NBA scouts and executives about his NBA prospects. Sure, he knows how to play the game. But would that be enough in the up-and-down, breakneck pace of the NBA?

Abunassar has spent the past three weeks with Love and the results are really impressive. Love has lost 13 pounds since UCLA was bounced from the Final Four and he's starting to show muscle definition. He really is getting up and down the floor -- he went through a one-hour, fast-paced workout and finished with plenty of gas left in the tank.

Ford's NBA Dish
Chad Ford chats with Kevin Love about his training regimen, and more. Listen

Love is clearly in much better shape than he was at UCLA and it dramatically improves his game. He's more explosive getting off the floor. He moves better laterally. And he isn't sacrificing the trademark strength that made him one of the toughest big men in college basketball.

Abunassar said a mixture of conditioning and dietary changes have led to Love's improvements. He now eats structured meals several times a day and is working out roughly five to six hours a day. In addition, Abunassar is working on improving Love's flexibility and agility -- which has really helped with his quickness on both ends of the floor.

"Kevin has been working hard," Abunassar said. "And I still feel like we're scratching the surface. He's probably going to lose about five more pounds before Orlando [the NBA pre-draft combines that begin May 27] and we're still working on his explosiveness and flexibility. Every week he's looking better and better."

Love's confidence shines through on the floor. He's taking the lead in drills, encouraging everyone in the gym and going all-out on every drill.

After the workout, he said he's treating basketball like a job. "I want to come in to work every day and put in 100 percent. I know NBA teams expect a lot and I don't want to disappoint them. I love the game and I want to be the best player I can be."

Love admits that he struggled to stay in great shape at UCLA and said he felt that his eating habits were the primary problem. Love said he didn't eat a lot of junk food (thought he mentioned a fondness for chocolate milk) but that he ate large quantities at bad times. Now he's spreading out his meals and it makes a difference.

On Thursday, at least, Love didn't look like the slow, unathletic big man that many NBA scouts had pegged him. He was pretty nimble on his feet.

"I'm telling you right now, I'm going to shock a lot of people coming to the combines," Love said. "Whether it's jumping off the floor or the agility drill or the three-quarter court sprint."

Watching Love work out and seeing his confidence has pushed me to rethink his draft stock. If he goes into pre-draft combines in great shape and shows he has the requisite athleticism and quickness to be a full-time NBA power forward, Love could really move up the board -- possibly in the 5-to-10 range in the draft.

We've already identified the Bobcats, Bulls and Pacers as possibilities. A few other teams higher up in the draft like the Grizzlies and Sonics might also have to give him serious consideration.

[ZoomSlowik]

If he really comes out in much better shape and tests in the middle of the pack or higher Love is a much better prospect than the current prevailing opinion. His skill level is well above everyone except Beasley so if he's even average athletically he probably moves up to at least #6, maybe even ahead of Lopez if he does well. If he does that, I don't see any way he's there at our pick.

[TeaLeafReaderII]

espn draft machine has the bulls taking a 7footer out of ohio state.

[SoxFan1]

espn draft machine has the bulls taking a 7footer out of ohio state.

I haven't seen Koufos that high in any mock drafts, pretty interesting. After about 10 tries, I got the Bulls with the 3rd pick and it has them taking Brook Lopez. One attempt later, it has us 2nd behind Seattle with the Bulls picking Beasley. Then a bit later, it has us at 9 picking Kevin Love.

[eddog2]

If we get the 9 and can't trade up then I'd have no problem taking Love. He posted great #'s a freshman and he'll only get better. If he is serious about getting in shape he could become a very good pro.

[Chicago Bulls Fr...]

espn draft machine has the bulls taking a 7footer out of ohio state.

I would put a bounty on JP's head if that ever happened..

[eddog2]

I would put a bounty on JP's head if that ever happened..

If Love and Randolph are off the board I could see Paxson going with Koufas but I hope it doesn't happen. He's a young big with really good size and a decent shot but he has a lot of weaknesses. He needs to get a lot stronger to become a good center at the NBA level (He'll likely never be a superstar but good be a good starting center). The draft express profile below does a good job describing his weaknesses. The fact that he ranks 6 from last in FT attempts per game of the 2008 and 2009 Mock Draft players and 12 from last in true FG% (even though he's a center) shows that he needs to gain toughness and also improve his post moves and include a few left hand moves in his arsenal.

http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Kosta-Koufos-1070/

[eddog2]

Does anyone have an opinion on Jason Thompson out of Rider? He looks like has very good size and skill for the PF/C position at the next level. From watching a video he even looks athletic enough to play SF. I think he'll probably have to add some weight be be a true beast down low but he did average over 20 ppg and 10+ rpg his last 2 seasons against weaker opposition. He appears to be a late bloomer and with his athleticism he still has room to develop more at the next level. I've seen a few mock draft boards that have him going 22nd to Orlando and I saw one where he went to the Bucks at 7 which was a shock. He's one of those guys whose stock could go through the roof with pre-draft workouts.

[SoxFan1]

The Daily Herald outlines some big man prospects that the Bulls might be looking at with pick...

The Bulls will have 1.7 percent of the ping-pong ball combinations. So while it's OK to dream, prepare for the reality of the No. 9 pick.

Two obvious needs for the Bulls are point guard and a big man. The only point guard who figures to be a candidate at No. 9 is Texas' 5-foot-11 D.J. Augustin.

But there are a boatload of big men with low-lottery potential. Most are college freshmen who kept a low profile last season. So here's a rundown of some possibilities for the Bulls:

Kevin Love, 6-9, UCLA:ŒOut of this group, Love is the one guy who seems to be polished and also a proven winner, having helped lead the Bruins to the Final Four. He also could go higher than No. 9.

Love is a strong rebounder (10.6 per game) and may be the best outlet passer the game has ever seen. But at 6-9, will he score in the spot or be much of a defender in the NBA?

Anthony Randolph, 6-11, LSU: He's supposed to be more of a multi-skilled big man in the vein of Lamar Odom than another Tyrus Thomas. Randolph is very thin, listed at 220 pounds, but flashed plenty of potential (15.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg) on a poor LSU team.

DeAndre Jordan, 7-0, Texas A&M:ŒThis guy looks good in theory but has to be considered a major project. He averaged 7.9 points in just 20 minutes per game during his freshman season.

JaVale McGee, 7-0, Nevada: A Chicago native who attended Hales Franciscan, McGee has tantalizing athletic skills and was reasonably productive as a sophomore (14.1 ppg). He's also very inconsistent and another high-risk, high-reward pick. His parents are former Illinois power forward George Montgomery and former USC star Pam McGee.

Robin Lopez, 7-0, Stanford: Projected to be a strong defender, but not as gifted offensively as twin brother Brook, who is expected to be one of the top five picks.

Kosta Koufos, 7-1, Ohio State:ΠHe showed some post scoring skills during his lone season with the Buckeyes, though some would argue he lacked toughness (6.7 rpg).

Donte Green, 6-10, Syracuse: Baltimore native has a nice-looking jumper but probably shot way too many 3-pointers for someone his size.

Alexis Ajinca, 7-1, France:ΠHe's shown the potential to be a shot blocker but is very thin and didn't play much on his French team last season.

Roy Hibbert, 7-2, Georgetown: Thought to be a possible top-10 pick if he came out last year, Hibbert's stock has apparently dropped following his senior season (13.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg). He did shoot 60 percent from the field, though.

[ZoomSlowik]

Donte Green is not a big man by any stretch of the imagination, he's more of a Marvin Williams type SF at this point.

Add me to the list of guys who doesn't like Koufos as well, he's more of an over-sized SF than a real post player, kind of like a less athletic Andrea Bargnani.

[SoxFan1]

Augustin, Love, Westbrook, and Batum are my wish-list if we get the #9 pick.

[Wanne]

espn draft machine has the bulls taking a 7footer out of ohio state.

If Pax takes Koufos...I will officially burn all my Bulls garb!

[dasox24]

Augustin, Love, Westbrook, and Batum are my wish-list if we get the #9 pick.

Sounds about right to me. Besides Love, none of those big men expected to be there at #9 intrigue me at all.


Also, just wanted to point out something for the sake of arguement:

I think a lot of people around here believe the Bulls need more of a true PG than Hinrich is. So, let me pose this question to you. Would you trade Tyrus and Ben Gordon to the Grizzlies for Mike Conley to get us that PG? This, of course, is pending the Grizz get the #1 or 2 pick to select Derrick Rose in the draft.

The Grizzlies have a plethora of PGs and are in big need of a low-post defender and a scorer, both of which we could give them and they'd fit really well with Iavaroni's offense. This would then allow us to spin off Kirk for a talented player elsewhere. Then, with the draft pick we could take a scorer to come off the bench and fill Gordon's roll as a scorer off the bench. Now, obviously, a rookie won't score like Gordon has for us, but if that's all he's asked to do, then I think he could be productive.