Bulls win 2nd Pick in Draft
The NBA held the 2006 Draft Lottery on Tuesday night and the Bulls ended up with the 2nd overall pick. (Thanks again, Isiah.) They also still have their own pick, 16th overall. Should they try to package these picks for a proven player or roll the dice in the draft? There are no Lebron James' in this draft, as even the best players have easily identifiable weaknesses. In fact, some are calling this the weakest draft since 2001, when ironically the Bulls also had two picks, both in the top four (which ended up being Curry and Chandler).
Chad Ford's Mock Draft has the Bulls taking Tyrus Thomas, a Power Forward from LSU. I honestly don't know a lot about Thomas; Perry's the guy you should be talking to for college hoops. But after reading his bio, I think he's definitely somebody the Bulls could use. In short, his upside is that he's a "freak" athlete, a great jumper and rebounder, a great shot blocker, and he can hit 12-15 footers. Plus, drafting him would continue John Paxson's history of drafting Tournament-experienced players, as LSU made the Final Four this year. (See Hinrich, Duhon, and Gordon.) His downside is that his inside game is very raw, and at 6'9 he might be a little undersized to play Power Forward in the NBA. Reading that, he sounds like another Dennis Rodman, at least from a defensive standpoint. A Rodman that can hit outside shots. I'd be OK with that.
The only other logical choice, provided they keep the pick, seems to be LaMarcus Aldridge of Texas. Like Thomas, he can rebound, block, and has a nice outside shot. He's 6'10, and might be able to slide over and play some Center. (but not full-time.) Plus he has tourney-experience, losing to LSU in the Elite Eight. He needs more bulk, and simply needs to work on upper-body strength when he gets to the pros. Frankly, I'd be happy with either one of these guys, provided the Bulls keep the pick.
I'm just glad the Bulls have these options and not Eddie Curry. Somebody recently joked that John Paxson should vote Isiah Thomas Executive-of-the-Year.