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[The Arteest]

Is this thread early? To some reality has set in and the Bulls are done, hell thay really do not have a right to be in the playoffs, but if they do get in the Pistons will end that mistake in less than a week, sorry. But May is coming and that means one thing, at halftime of the Conference Finals, the Asst. Comish will announce the results of the 2006 lottery, the Bulls who own the Knicks pick (Good news at least we are not them) and what did the largest city and richest payroll bring........ a potential #1 overall pick. Plus our own pick, which shouldn't be to low. So the chances of landing some primetime young guns to the team, hopefully some bigs that can rebound and put a guard on their ass if they try to penetrate the lane. Here is a little info on each player that most likely will be a Bull. The fun part of this thread is I want our members to be John Paxson your on the clock, pick two of these players, but be realalistic, you have the 2nd and 9th pick in the draft, so picking two top three rated players is unlikely, so you can't pick Aldrige with the 2nd and Gay with the 9th, because Gay most likely won't be there at 9. Choose wisely and convince us why these two players will fill the Bulls needs and help them return to the postseason. So with the 2nd pick the Chicago Bulls pick............................................................................
......

The Best of the Draft
Rudy Gay
Birthdate: 8/17/86
NBA Position: Small Forward
College: Connecticut
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6-8
Wt: 220
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
High School: Spalding
NBA Comparison: Scottie Pippen
Strengths: Run and jump athlete who finishes well above the rim ... High flyer ... Very versatile... Does everything well ... Complete offensive arsenal... Can hit the mid range jumper... Excellent at slashing to the hoop... Accurate passer who is very unselfish... Does the majority of his damage in the post ... Very strong and stays active throughout the game ... Very tough to defend... Doesn’t get pushed around down low ... Runs the floor well ... Tough on the boards... Has a passion for the game ... Works harder than everyone else on the court ... A coach’s dream player ... Will most likely play on the wing at the next level ... Has great potential.
Weaknesses: Ball handling could stand to improve ... Must gain maturity ... Develop physically ... His glaring weaknesses are his inexperience and his handle. His handle has improved dramatically but learning that phase late has slowed him moderately ... He will be star with some college seasoning ... He has only really been coached for a year and a half now so if UConn can get 2 years out of him he will be one of the baddest things to come out of college since Tim Duncan ...

LaMarcus Aldridge
Birthdate: 7/19/85
NBA Position: PF/C
College: Texas
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6-11
Wt: 245
Hometown: Dallas, TX
High School: Seagoville
NBA Comparison: Channing Frye
Strengths: Considered the top bigman prospect in the country ... Extremely smooth post player ... Has excellent touch within 12 feet of the basket ... Soft hands ... Excels on the offensive end with great fundamentals and footwork ... Put on 25 pounds of muscle between his freshman and sophomore seasons and it's made him a much more aggressive and confident post player ... Runs the floor especially well for a (near) 7 footer ... Good transition player ... Good shot blocker, with his long arms he should get a fair number of blocks on the next level ... Long arms and a quick leaper ... Very versatile big man ... Has many effective moves in the low post including a go-to jump hook. Has even developed a sky hook in his sophomore year ... Great at positioning himself in the post ... Has nice form on his jumper, range is developing ... Positions himself well for rebounds and excels on the offensive glass ...
Weaknesses: In high school he developed a reputation for being soft and not showing enough heart. Scouts still have some question marks about his toughness inside. He is vastly improved in that area, but still struggles against big and strong players on the NCAA level ... Not a physically imposing player inside, plays more a finesse game. Needs to get nastier ... Should still add an additional 10-15 pounds ... Not an out of this world leaper, but solid ... Not an extremely emotional player, which is both a positive and a negative ... Passing and ball handling are decent but can improve ... Also has been injury prone (missed half of his freshman year after a hip injury that required surgery) ... Must develop a killer instinct, more intensity ... Free throw shooting is just average ...

Adam Morrison
Birthdate: 7/19/84
NBA Position: SG/SF
College: Gonzaga
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-8
Wt: 220
Hometown: Spokane, WA
High School: Mead
NBA Comparison: Larry Bird
Strengths: A special talent ... Old school right down to the stripes on the socks ... Like a coach on the floor ... Incredibly competitive ... The game comes very easily to him ... A great player in the half court ... Can create offense for himself or others ... Really excels with the ball in his hands at the top of the key ... Very good scorer with complete offensive repertoire ... Effortless shooting stroke ... Has great anticipation and basketball understanding ... Great intangibles, competes and inspires others to play hard ... Hard worker ... Plays with great intensity and aggressiveness ... Fundamentally solid, does all the little things to help his team win ... A true competitor. Will not back down from anyone ... Wants to take the big shot ... Sees the floor well, and is creative finding teammates for baskets ... Catches and shoots, or can shoot on the move ... Great at moving without the ball ... Finds a way to score against better athletes ... Great leadership ability ...
Weaknesses: Not especially gifted athletically ... Lacks great foot speed getting out into transition ... Runs decent, but needs a head of steam ...Better hand speed than foot speed ... Leaping ability is average ... Plays hard on defense but lacks great lateral quickness ... Lack of a great first step will make it harder to get shots off against superior athletes ...

Andrea Bargnani
Birthdate: 10/26/85
NBA Position: Power Forward
Ht: 6-11
Wt: 240
Int Team: Benetton Treviso
Hometown: Rome, Italy
NBA Comparison: Dirk Nowitzki
Strengths: Good foot work, soft hands even if he's not particularly strong ... A fast player with very quick feet and first step for such a big guy, runs well in the fast break ... Shoots it quickly, with solid release and is also a great catch and shoot player ... Good one on one player who prefers to face the basket ... Bouncy, and will get up multiple times off two feet ... Good shot blocker ... Played an average of 12 minutes per game this season (2004-05) ... Generally impacts game tempo in a positive way when he's on the floor ... Makes plays.
Weaknesses: Needs to develop more body strength for the NBA, as he can be moved off the block. His strength has really gotten better in the past year, but he still has aways to go... Still very new to the game having played at the professional level for only two seasons ... Missed parts of the 2004-05 season due to illnesses ... Excellent shot mechanics, but could use more arc on his shot ... Favors his right hand, and needs to be a better back to basket offensive player ... Indecisive passer at times, but employs proper tecnique ... With no Italian players in the NBA, it could hurt him slightly in scouts minds ... Emotional player, he needs more experience in order to gain more confidence.

Tyrus Thomas
Birthdate: 8/17/86
NBA Position: Power Forward
College: LSU
Class: Freshman
Ht: 6-9
Wt: 218
Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA
High School: McKinley
NBA Comparison: Kenyon Martin
Strengths: Agile bigman with great leaping ability ... Feathery touch out to 12-15 feet ... Has a very nice turn around jump shot ...Spectauclar dunker, his explosiveness and quickness getting off the ground is unrivaled among college post players ... A super shot blocker due to his long arms and explosiveness ... Runs the floor well ... Huge wingspan ... Has good hands for rebonds and catching passes ... Plays with good energy, loves to dunk ... Extremely long arms plus great lift make him a monster on the boards and allow him to play much bigger than 6-9 ... Plays with great intensity, has an edge to him ... Excellent passer, great vision ... Great upside ...
Weaknesses: Unproven, must prove himself on the college level ... Must put on a good deal of weight as he can be pushed around due to lack of bulk . He needs at least 20-25 pounds of muscle ... How well he weight trains and maintains his agility will be huge ... He's so talented he can get away with not hustling or working hard, so staying intense and focused is important ... Needs to become better conditioned, gets winded easily ... Has a bit of a hitch on his free throw shot ... He's a risky pick because it's uncertain how his body will turn out. Will he be able to add the weight?

Brandon Roy
Birthdate: 7/23/84
NBA Position: Shooting Guard
College: Washington
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-5
Wt: 195
Hometown: Seattle, WA
High School: Garfield
NBA Comparison: Jon Barry
Strengths: Roy is a no nonsense 2-guard with excellent all around skills ... Very cerebral player, makes excellent decisions. Understands the game ... Very polished, great experience with four years at Washington under his belt ... An excellent shooter who steps up in big situations. Hit a number of huge shots at the end of games this year ... Has worked hard on his outside shot which has improved each year ... Great competitor ... Excellent ball handler with the ability to create shots for himself and others ... His midrange game is relatively impressive and his range has really improved this year ... Really stepped up in his senior year assuming a leadership role and taking over as the go to player for the Huskies ... Has spent time at the point guard position this year, and played admirably ... Not afraid to take the ball inside. Utilizes the spin move in the paint well ... Good free throw shooter at 81% ... Has great composure and confidence. Never gets rattled ... Good one on one skills with the ability to shoot off the dribble and get by his man to the basket ...
Weaknesses: Does everything very well but nothing out of this world ... On the small side. Lacks tremendous size and length at just 6-5 and average wing span ... A good athlete, but nothing extraordinary. Not a great leaper or thunderous dunker ... Lacks great body strength. His body is solid but not overpowering ... Foot speed and quickness is strong but wont stand out on the next level ... Defensively he is just average giving solid effort, but lacks the foot speed to be a lock down defender ...

J.J. Redick
Birthdate: 6/24/84
NBA Position: Shooting Guard
College: Duke
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-4
Wt: 190
Hometown: Roanoke, VA
High School: Cave Spring
NBA Comparison: Drazen Petrovic
Strengths: One of the purest shooters anywhere ... Redick has a beautiful outside stroke that creates fear in the eyes of opponents ... He possesses incredible range and routinely takes shots well beyond the three point line. He's a player that you simply can't leave open anywhere within the area code of the basket ... He has also added a deadly mid range game to his repertoire, with the ability to create shots for himself with ball fakes and the dribble drive … Unbelievable at rolling off screens and hitting the open J ... Redick has picture perfect form, a lightning quick release and gets great elevation on his shot. He is also automatic from the free throw line ... Has a killer instinct and seems to step his game up in clutch situations ... Never appears tired, has great conditioning and work ethic ...
Weaknesses: Doesn't have great size or athleticism for the 2 at the next level ... He doesn't possess the ball handling or passing skills to run the point … He can be streaky at times, but he's on more often than not … His defense will also need work as he lacks both size and strength ... Must prove he can score against elite level athletes ... Not a freak athlete, but his quickness and agility is better than it looks...

Ronnie Brewer
Birthdate: 3/20/85
NBA Position: Shooting Guard
College: Arkansas
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-7
Wt: 217
Hometown: Fayetteville, AR
High School: Fayetteville
NBA Comparison: Marquis Daniels
Strengths: 2 guard with great versatility ... Very intriguing because of his ability to run the show from the point guard position ... Has good leadership abilities ... Creates well off the dribble with a quick first step ... Elevates his teammates play with his passing ability ... Excellent vision, creating easy baskets for open teammates ... Thoroughbred type of athlete, very strong frame, think legs, extremely fast in the open floor ... Long arms and quick hands make him a defensive nightmare ... Great rebounder at the guard position ... Aggressive defender ... Anticipates passes well and forces a ton of steals with his on ball pressure ... Has range out to college three with good accuracy ... Has a great feel for the game which comes from being around basketball his whole life ...
Weaknesses: A childhood water slide accident left him with a small bone protruding from his triceps area which has created an abnormal shooting form ... Not a great spot up shooter, makes most of his shots moving towards the basket, a rhythm shooter ... Much quicker than he is athletic, wont wow you with monster dunks, but not a bad leaper ... Mostly effective with the ball in his hands, so some feel he must dominate the ball to be effective ...
Notes: His father (Ron Brewer) was drafted 7th in the 1978 NBA Draft. He had an 8 year career averaging 11 ppg, and averaged over 18 ppg. in the 1982 season.

Shelden Williams
Birthdate: 10/21/83
NBA Position: Power Forward
College: Duke
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-9
Wt: 250
Hometown: Forest Park, OK
High School: Midwest City
NBA Comparison: Antonio Davis
Strengths: Burly power forward with a no nonsense approach ... Great experience, 4 years at Duke has given him a strong foundation with a great skill level and solid fundamentals ... Hard worker who has developed a reputation as a great kid ... Extremely strong body ... Deceptively quick and athletic ... Sticks to playing in the post, where he dominates on the NCAA level ... Tremendous wingspan allows him to play like a 7 footer ... A real defensive presence, a shot blocker who won national defensive player of the year as a junior ... Averages close to 4 blocks per game as a senior ... Should be able to guard centers in the NBA ... Great rebounding ability, boxes out well ... Understands how to defend, has become disciplined (blocks a ton of shots without fouling out very often) ... Range on his jumpshot has shown improvement through hard work, along with his free throw shooting ... Fairly consistent out to 12-15 feet ... Posts up well and uses his strength well to score ... His post moves have really developed well in his 4 years at Duke, including hooks and drop steps ... Touch around the basket is good and converts well after contact ...
Weaknesses: Rigid. Williams lacks great fluidity running the floor, his movements could be described as stiff or mechanical ... Lacks the ability to improvise much in the open floor: catching and dribbling/passing before a shot, he's a lot more comfortable with set plays or crashing the glass ... Offensive game may be limited on next level due to lack of spontaneity (the Duke computer chip in his head runs best in half court set) ... Lacks great vision or passing ability ... His body is very rigid partly due to his muscle mass ... High school incident not considered indicative of his true character, especially after Duke retained his scholarship. He's been a model citizen ever since (accusation) and comes from strong family background ... Has given up a number of big games to post players as a senior, partly due to Duke's perimeter defensive approach ...

Wildcards
Hilton Armstrong
Birthdate: 11/23/84
NBA Position: C/PF
College: Connecticut
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-11
Wt: 235
Hometown: Peekskill, NY
High School: Peekskill
NBA Comparison: Ervin Johnson
Strengths: A legitimate 6'11 big man with a wingspan that allows him to play bigger … Big time shot blocker, especially in transition ... Athletic and strong, he can run the floor well and play above the rim ... Great hands, catches everything and rebounds well ... Very good rebounding technique ... Good passer, has the ability to make the necessary pass from the low post … Very good at put-backs and cleaning up the glass ... Can throw down some thunderous dunks ... Has the quickness to leave the paint and alter shots ... Has improved his free throw shooting substantially … Vastly improved offensive game ... Has developed a consistent intermediate (12 feet and in) jumpshot that he did not possess until his senior year ...
Weaknesses: Not very polished on the offensive end, partly due to the fact that he only averaged 10, 10 and 12 minutes per game his first three years ... Although he has the size to play center in the NBA, he could add more weight and strength ... Below average court awareness, gets caught making mistakes in defensive switch-offs … Plays inconsistent on the offensive end, his confidence seems to get shaken if he's not making his shots…. Plays timid at times, lacks the killer edge, consistency ... Good lateral quickness, but when he gets drawn out of the paint, he's susceptible to the pump fake which makes his leave his feet early and take some bad fouls ... Mental toughness has been a question for him in the past ...

Patrick O'Bryant
Birthdate: 6/20/86
NBA Position: Center
College: Bradley
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 7-0
Wt: 250
Hometown: Blaine, MN
High School: Blaine
NBA Comparison: Brad Daugherty
Strengths: Classic late bloomer ... Bigman with excellent upside ... Huge frame with extremely long arms (likely close to 7-6 wingspan) ... Very good agility for a 7 footer, light on his feet ... Not afraid of contact, good strength and improving rapidly ... Runs the court and moves very well, also quick getting into transition ... Should be able to carry another 20-30 pounds ... Great shot blocker, doesn't get overzealous. Can block a lot of shots without jumping ... Excellent rebounder ... Has good touch on his shot, solid free throw shooter ... Works hard to establish position under the basket ... Has developed some solid post moves ... Displays good footwork ... Has a very good turnaround jump hook ... Soft hands on rebounds ...
Weaknesses: Needs to get bigger, stronger, tougher ... Still growing into his body, gets banged around due to lack of body strength, but he's working hard in the weight room to improve upon it and showing great progress ... Bigmen take the longest to develop ... He's still getting used to his body and learning what he's capable of ... Body balance is weak, will improve in time with added strength ... Not a tremendous leaper, but above average for a 7 footer ... Must get nastier on the court, develop a killer instinct ...
Notes: Was not heavily recruited coming out of high school ... Suspended by the NCAA for the first 8 games of his sophomore season due to getting paid for work he didn't do while on his summer job.

http://www.nbadraft.net/
Currently this website has the Bulls with the 2nd and 11th picks. They have us selecting LaMarcus Aldrige with the 2nd and J.J. Reddick with the 11th.

[SoxFan1]

Moved this into the College Basketball Forum. Welcome aboard...and sweet sig!

[The Arteest]

Moved this into the College Basketball Forum. Welcome aboard...and sweet sig!

Oh I think I reposted it, because I thought i made a mistake when I couldn't find it. Go ahead and delete that one, thanks. We need a more disciplined bored, ESPN is a joke. The sig is Spiderman in the alien suit that later becomes Venom. A little plug for the movie.

[Brian]

Let's hope those ping pong balls comeo ut in the Knicks favor and we get a good pick. I'm assuming the Bulls would be targeting Aldridge, but that is just my guess.