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From HOOPSWORLD.com
Running with the Bulls: Pre-Lottery Draft Scenarios
By Joel "Brigs" Brigham
May 14, 2006, 21:03
There will be no representative present for the Chicago Bulls at this year’s draft lottery, as the team avoided the Gathering of Intense Mediocrity for the second straight year by making the playoffs in 2006. Instead, the ping pong balls will flop and flurry about for the New York Knicks, who ended up with the second worst record in the league this season. There will be no Jerry Reinsdorf in attendance, no John Paxson. No Ben Gordon and no Jabba the Krause. Not a single member of the Chicago Bulls will show up on television when they lot those orbs fall.
But that doesn’t mean that Bulls fans won’t be watching.
In 2003, the year of the LeBron Sweepstakes, the lottery was a marquee event. It inevitably came down to two teams, one of whom would end up with King James: the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the worst record in the league that season, and the Memphis Grizzlies, who inexplicably passed over worse teams to make it into the final two, but who would be forced to trade the pick should it be anything other than the #1 overall selection. In other words, for Jerry West, it was LeBron or nothing.
There’s no surprise ending to this story; Bron ended up with his hometown Cavs, and the Grizzlies had to give the #2 pick to Detroit, who would soon draft Darko Milicic and win the NBA Championship. With a little more luck, Jerry West would’ve ended up with Carmelo Anthony. Instead, he got absolutely nothing, and the whole thing, the fates of many, many teams (Toronto drafted Chris Bosh #4 and Miami Dwayne Wade at #5) were decided the night of the NBA lottery.
The New York Knicks representative will wear the Jerry West Face on May 23 when he (or she) is forced to gift wrap whatever pick New York ends up with first class to Chicago. This will be more fun than watching Matt Leinart’s face when he realizes he’s dating Paris Hilton. The selection will be no lower than #5, which means that the Chicago Bulls will draft LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas, Andrea Bargnani, Brandon Roy, Adam Morrison, or Rudy Gay. Exactly which of these guys it is will be mostly determined the night of the lottery.
Chicago also owns the sixteenth pick in the draft this year. That pick depends largely on who Paxson selects with the higher pick. The Bulls’ needs are givens: an offensive presence in the post, and a tall defensive-minded guard who can match up against some of the league’s bigger swingmen. Working off this philosophy, the Bulls could realistically do one of two things:
SCENARIO #1 (The “What Everyone Expects” Approach)
With the higher pick, assuming it ends up being in the top three, the Bulls would select Aldridge, Thomas, or Bargnani. Which of these three is anyone’s guess, but each has his own upside. Aldridge is probably the safest pick at 6’11”, as he is the tallest, longest, and most offensively apt of the three, but Thomas is a little more consistent, athletic, and has the potential to really break out as a star in the league. Bargnani has been touted by some scouts as being the most talented player in the draft, and often has been compared to Dirk Nowitzki. If Paxson has his choice of the three, it is most likely that he selects Tyrus Thomas, though if anyone takes the risk on Bargnani, the Bulls would be the team to do it. Portland, Charlotte, and Atlanta have too much to lose by missing out on a European. That said, the Bulls would happy to end up with any one of these three guys.
If the Bulls go for size with the first pick, it’s likely they’ll go for their tall, defensive guard at #16. Two guys that might be available there are Ronnie Brewer, a 6’7” ball of defensive intensity from Arkanksas, or Maurice Ager, a very talented all-around guard from Michigan State who stands at 6’4”. Both would be helpful, and either could end up starting should Skiles wish to continue bringing Gordon off the bench to preserve his energies for the later portions of the games.
Tyrus Thomas and Ronnie Brewer? Not bad, but maybe even better is…
SCENARIO #2 (The “Risky, Yet Sensible” Approach)
With the top-five selection, the Bulls could nab Brandon Roy of the University of Washington. Roy is a big guard who does pretty much everything, and is probably the most NBA-ready of any player in the draft. Right now, he’s projected to fall between picks 4 and 7, but the Bulls could come out looking like geniuses should they gamble and take him a little bit higher. He truly has the potential to be a star, and after his show of leadership and skill in the 2006 March Madness tournament, it’s obvious that he can compete. It’s a risk, but it could pay off. Big time.
Of course, if the Bulls draft a guard that high, they will need size at #16. If Sheldon Williams falls that low, he’d be a wonderful fit. That, however, is unlikely, and the Bulls will most likely have to look at the players that actually will be available, like UConn’s Hilton Armstrong, NC State’s Cedric Simmons, and Brazilian stud Tiago Splitter. All three of these players are big men who should be available in the second half of the first round (except Simmons, who could go in the lottery). Armstrong is still a pretty raw talent, but he’s long and can block a ton of shots. Simmons is also a student of defense, but still would be a fine addition if he slipped to 16. Splitter supposedly has been NBA-bound for several years now, but it always seems like plans fall through before the draft can happen. This year, he’s in it to stay, and with skills that have had scouts buzzing since 2003, he may be hard to pass up.
Whether it’s Tyrus Thomas and Ronnie Brewer, or Brandon Roy and Hilton Armstrong, the Bulls should receive two nice additions this summer. And that doesn’t even take free agency into consideration!
But before anyone gets ahead of himself, the lottery has to happen. There might not be a LeBron James, and there might not be a Jerry West, but for Bulls fans, this evening of television couldn’t be more exciting.
THE BULL’S EYE
Come draft time, don’t count out the possibility of a trade for the Bulls. In 2001, Jerry Krause sent future all-star Elton Brand to the Clippers for the rights to Tyson Chandler, who was drafted #2.
Some other notable draft-day trades:
In 1996, the Milwaukee Bucks drafted Stephon Marbury, while the Minnesota Timberwolves took Ray Allen. The two were traded for each other shortly after the selections were made.
The Golden State Warriors drafted Vince Carter with the fifth overall selection in 1998, but they promptly traded him to Toronto for Tar Heel teammate Antawn Jamison.
That same year, the Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki with the ninth pick overall, but traded him, along with Pat Garrity, to the Dallas Mavericks for Tractor Traylor. Man, did the Bucks get ripped off!
Running with the Bulls: Pre-Lottery Draft Scenarios
By Joel "Brigs" Brigham
May 14, 2006, 21:03
There will be no representative present for the Chicago Bulls at this year’s draft lottery, as the team avoided the Gathering of Intense Mediocrity for the second straight year by making the playoffs in 2006. Instead, the ping pong balls will flop and flurry about for the New York Knicks, who ended up with the second worst record in the league this season. There will be no Jerry Reinsdorf in attendance, no John Paxson. No Ben Gordon and no Jabba the Krause. Not a single member of the Chicago Bulls will show up on television when they lot those orbs fall.
But that doesn’t mean that Bulls fans won’t be watching.
In 2003, the year of the LeBron Sweepstakes, the lottery was a marquee event. It inevitably came down to two teams, one of whom would end up with King James: the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the worst record in the league that season, and the Memphis Grizzlies, who inexplicably passed over worse teams to make it into the final two, but who would be forced to trade the pick should it be anything other than the #1 overall selection. In other words, for Jerry West, it was LeBron or nothing.
There’s no surprise ending to this story; Bron ended up with his hometown Cavs, and the Grizzlies had to give the #2 pick to Detroit, who would soon draft Darko Milicic and win the NBA Championship. With a little more luck, Jerry West would’ve ended up with Carmelo Anthony. Instead, he got absolutely nothing, and the whole thing, the fates of many, many teams (Toronto drafted Chris Bosh #4 and Miami Dwayne Wade at #5) were decided the night of the NBA lottery.
The New York Knicks representative will wear the Jerry West Face on May 23 when he (or she) is forced to gift wrap whatever pick New York ends up with first class to Chicago. This will be more fun than watching Matt Leinart’s face when he realizes he’s dating Paris Hilton. The selection will be no lower than #5, which means that the Chicago Bulls will draft LaMarcus Aldridge, Tyrus Thomas, Andrea Bargnani, Brandon Roy, Adam Morrison, or Rudy Gay. Exactly which of these guys it is will be mostly determined the night of the lottery.
Chicago also owns the sixteenth pick in the draft this year. That pick depends largely on who Paxson selects with the higher pick. The Bulls’ needs are givens: an offensive presence in the post, and a tall defensive-minded guard who can match up against some of the league’s bigger swingmen. Working off this philosophy, the Bulls could realistically do one of two things:
SCENARIO #1 (The “What Everyone Expects” Approach)
With the higher pick, assuming it ends up being in the top three, the Bulls would select Aldridge, Thomas, or Bargnani. Which of these three is anyone’s guess, but each has his own upside. Aldridge is probably the safest pick at 6’11”, as he is the tallest, longest, and most offensively apt of the three, but Thomas is a little more consistent, athletic, and has the potential to really break out as a star in the league. Bargnani has been touted by some scouts as being the most talented player in the draft, and often has been compared to Dirk Nowitzki. If Paxson has his choice of the three, it is most likely that he selects Tyrus Thomas, though if anyone takes the risk on Bargnani, the Bulls would be the team to do it. Portland, Charlotte, and Atlanta have too much to lose by missing out on a European. That said, the Bulls would happy to end up with any one of these three guys.
If the Bulls go for size with the first pick, it’s likely they’ll go for their tall, defensive guard at #16. Two guys that might be available there are Ronnie Brewer, a 6’7” ball of defensive intensity from Arkanksas, or Maurice Ager, a very talented all-around guard from Michigan State who stands at 6’4”. Both would be helpful, and either could end up starting should Skiles wish to continue bringing Gordon off the bench to preserve his energies for the later portions of the games.
Tyrus Thomas and Ronnie Brewer? Not bad, but maybe even better is…
SCENARIO #2 (The “Risky, Yet Sensible” Approach)
With the top-five selection, the Bulls could nab Brandon Roy of the University of Washington. Roy is a big guard who does pretty much everything, and is probably the most NBA-ready of any player in the draft. Right now, he’s projected to fall between picks 4 and 7, but the Bulls could come out looking like geniuses should they gamble and take him a little bit higher. He truly has the potential to be a star, and after his show of leadership and skill in the 2006 March Madness tournament, it’s obvious that he can compete. It’s a risk, but it could pay off. Big time.
Of course, if the Bulls draft a guard that high, they will need size at #16. If Sheldon Williams falls that low, he’d be a wonderful fit. That, however, is unlikely, and the Bulls will most likely have to look at the players that actually will be available, like UConn’s Hilton Armstrong, NC State’s Cedric Simmons, and Brazilian stud Tiago Splitter. All three of these players are big men who should be available in the second half of the first round (except Simmons, who could go in the lottery). Armstrong is still a pretty raw talent, but he’s long and can block a ton of shots. Simmons is also a student of defense, but still would be a fine addition if he slipped to 16. Splitter supposedly has been NBA-bound for several years now, but it always seems like plans fall through before the draft can happen. This year, he’s in it to stay, and with skills that have had scouts buzzing since 2003, he may be hard to pass up.
Whether it’s Tyrus Thomas and Ronnie Brewer, or Brandon Roy and Hilton Armstrong, the Bulls should receive two nice additions this summer. And that doesn’t even take free agency into consideration!
But before anyone gets ahead of himself, the lottery has to happen. There might not be a LeBron James, and there might not be a Jerry West, but for Bulls fans, this evening of television couldn’t be more exciting.
THE BULL’S EYE
Come draft time, don’t count out the possibility of a trade for the Bulls. In 2001, Jerry Krause sent future all-star Elton Brand to the Clippers for the rights to Tyson Chandler, who was drafted #2.
Some other notable draft-day trades:
In 1996, the Milwaukee Bucks drafted Stephon Marbury, while the Minnesota Timberwolves took Ray Allen. The two were traded for each other shortly after the selections were made.
The Golden State Warriors drafted Vince Carter with the fifth overall selection in 1998, but they promptly traded him to Toronto for Tar Heel teammate Antawn Jamison.
That same year, the Bucks selected Dirk Nowitzki with the ninth pick overall, but traded him, along with Pat Garrity, to the Dallas Mavericks for Tractor Traylor. Man, did the Bucks get ripped off!
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