Snell of Success and Gator Aid

As I previewed this draft, I mentioned how the lesson taught to everyone these past NBA Finals is that you need good shooters to win a title.  Tom Thibodeau agreed, so that's the direction the Bulls went in during Thursday's draft.  Some proven talent and veteran leadership from a winning program proved to be what the Bulls pursued and got.  Hopefully, they'll eventually be part of a core that helped the team win another championship.

In my preview, I mentioned that if the Bulls wanted to try for a shooter and Sergey Karasev was off the board, they should go for Tony Snell, the junior from New Mexico.  Sure enough, Karasev went to Cleveland just before the Bulls were set to pick, so Snell became their selection instead.  Snell's main selling point is his smooth-to-a-fault shooting stroke, something the Bulls kind of got with Marco Belinelli, but haven't truly possessed since Kyle Korver.  This pick also means they don't need Belinelli anymore.  Instead, they've found a cheaper, younger player who could become the rare rookie that makes an immediate impact in Thibodeau's system.  When he gets into games, they'll have to do everything in their power to create open looks for him. 

As every basketball fan should know, an explosive dunk can only be rivaled by a hot shooter from downtown when it comes to energizing the crowd.  From now on, Snell will be the player to do that.  More importantly, he will provide a big boost in offense to a team that was severely lacking in scoring at times last year.  Thibodeau's strict defensive philosophy will only take the Bulls so far if the other end isn't producing.  I know Thibodeau's stance on playing rookies, but he would be crazy to sit Snell on the bench regularly.  Here's hoping he has a great preseason so it won't even become a question.

The rookie more likely to be riding the bench this year is Erik Murphy, who just finished his senior season at Florida.  In fact, don't be surprised if he's not even on the roster come Opening Night.  He has connections in Finland, which could mean he plays overseas this year instead of the NBA.  On the other hand, it's been rare for the Bulls not to sign even second-round picks in the last decade, so my money is on him playing here.

A 6-10 power forward with a great 3-point shot, comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki come to mind.  He has also shown to improve as a rebounder and defender after building up his playing weight to 240.  Since the Bulls already drafted a shooter in Snell and have an All-Star defender and rebounder in Joakim Noah, Murphy is more likely to see the floor during garbage minutes, at least during his first season.  In the meantime, he can work on his weaknesses, which include a lack of speed for NBA players at his position and being weak as a defender and rebounder despite building his strength.  At the very least, he'll get to observe firsthand what it takes to become a tenured, productive player in this league.  If he's lucky, he'll be able to do the same.  You can only do so much with your body though.

Now that the Bulls have their young players in place, it's time to move on to free agency.  Will Nazr Mohammed return like many local sportswriters believe he will?  What new faces will we have to get accustomed to?  I'll be on top of it throughout July.  Until then, keep working on that shot.

Tonight's Draft Pick Not Obvious

Even the most prominent Bulls experts don't seem to have a clue as to who the team will select in tonight's draft.  All we know for sure is that whoever it is will likely not be in the green room as it's not very common for those invited to share the stage with David Stern to still be without a team by the 20th pick.  Still, it's worth considering those who have been connected to the team both locally and nationally.  Let's take a look at six players who are likely to be available and/or could give the Bulls another important piece for the future.

Sergey Karasev - G/F (Russia):  He's projected as a late lottery pick in some mock drafts, so don't put money on him being there for the taking.  But if he is, he could eventually develop into the role of spot shooter off the bench that has been filled by Marco Belinelli and Kyle Korver the past three seasons.  It would be better than overpaying for another veteran free agent.  Although Tom Thibodeau doesn't like inserting rookies into the rotation, there's a small chance he could make an exception if he starts hitting from anywhere on the floor.  He needs to get stronger, which only supports Thibodeau's reluctance to play rookies.

Tim Hardaway Jr. - G (Michigan):  The son of the crossover specialist, Hardaway has a chance to compliment Jimmy Butler as a young player who can explode towards the basket thanks to his athleticism and improved shooting.  He reminds me of a smaller and less athletic Tyrus Thomas minus the shooting.  He doesn't have the most meat on his bones and is not as quick as other players in the league.  That will have to come over time, as will finding a way to balance his explosiveness and pure ability to score.  His rookie year will be nothing short of a learning experience in finding how to get the most out of his game.

Tony Snell - G/F (New Mexico):  Since Karasev is likely to be off the board by the time the Bulls get to pick, Snell is the next best thing they can hope for if they want to go young on the shooting front.  He has a smooth stroke and if you leave him open, you can forget about getting back because he's just going to knock it down anyway.  If the NBA Finals reminded us of anything, it's that you need somebody who can shoot well if you want to go all the way.  That smoothness could pose some problems however if the Bulls urgently need a big shot with the clock ticking down.  He'll have to play with a chip on his shoulder to succeed in this league or he'll bounce around for a few years before his playing days come to an end.

Gorgui Dieng - C (Louisville):  He's the player most commonly thought to be taken by the Bulls.  He represents the big-man need for the Bulls and comes from a national champion, a trend the team loves to follow.  Drafting Dieng might lessen the chances of Nazr Mohammed's return from a depth standpoint alone.  Besides that, his solid defensive presence would fit right into Thibodeau's system.  As a backup to Joakim Noah, opponents wouldn't catch a break from the frequent blocked shots bound to occur.  Like Mohammed, he also doesn't have the strongest offensive game, which could be why he's not a lottery pick.  Regardless, that defense and winning background fits perfectly on this team, so if it were up to me, he'd be the one the Bulls take.

Mason Plumlee - F (Duke):  The Bulls could always use someone to do the dirty things on the court much like Kurt Thomas did and Plumlee fits that description.  His four years at Duke and ability to get rebounds make him a tempting pick for this team.  He should only be considered if the Bulls aren't looking for an offensive big man and at 6-11, Plumlee doesn't quite fit that mold.  If he's drafted by the team, he's likely to be behind Taj Gibson on the depth chart as a power forward.  Don't look for him to play much this first year however.

Allen Crabbe - G (California):  He represents the shooter the Bulls are looking for:  good range, consistent motion and solid production.  Don't expect all of those to come right away however.  He is often a catch-and-shoot type of player, so if he has difficulty getting open, that could limit what he's able to bring to the team.  If the Bulls are looking to take a shooter for their first pick, they'll have to realize that nothing will come easily for him right away.  Once he improves on creating his own shot however, he could be very dangerous.  But again, here's a rookie Thibodeau will be lucky to give heavy minutes to.

So whether it's one of the above players or somebody else, the Bulls have some intriguing decisions to make if they want their next draft move to put them back in the championship discussion.  I'll be paying attention to what that is tonight and hope to have a post about it tomorrow, if not Saturday.  Why the possible delay?  Because a championship parade in Chicago is enough to take me away from my laptop for several hours.  Hope you understand.

Deng Not a Wizard and Scottie's Troubles

Even as the Blackhawks sit one win away from the Stanley Cup, the Bulls decided their co-tenants couldn't grab all the headlines, so some noise was created today.

This morning, talk was rampant that the Bulls were in discussions with the Washington Wizards to send Luol Deng over there in exchange for Emeka Okafor and the third overall pick in this year's draft.  The only financial hiccup would be that Okafor would have to exercise the option in his contract for the coming year.  It doesn't seem so bad on paper considering Deng is a free agent after next season.

Not so fast, my friends.  It was just as quickly reported that the Wizards do not intend to go through with this deal.  Frankly, I'm glad they didn't.  Most years, I would be glad to have the third pick in the draft.  However, the class of 2013 is said to be one of the weaker ones in recent memory.  Yes, there are some big names that could be available then like Ben McLemore, Victor Oladipo and Alex Len.  They could all contribute something to the Bulls and come from college programs with winning traditions, a common quality among picks in the Paxson era.  I'm not ready to see Deng leave yet however.

Dealing a two-time All-Star for a lottery pick in this class doesn't make much sense to me.  Without Deng, you lose the one player on your team with both a sharp all-around game and the veteran experience.  Nobody else currently on the roster possesses both of those assets.  Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and others have serious talent, but are still young by comparison.  Kirk Hinrich is a veteran, but has never even merited All-Star consideration.  On top of all that, trading Deng would cost the Bulls a big piece of the core they've spent years building.  If they want to contend next year, the only way to make Deng expendable would be to acquire somebody who possesses the two qualities I just mentioned.  They don't have the money for a Richard Jefferson or Andre Iguodala, both free agents, so I'd rather they'd stay pat in this department.  Leave a comment if you can come up with a legitimate replacement for Deng.

Obviously, the details on this are still emerging, but in case you didn't hear, Scottie Pippen was taken in for questioning earlier today after he was involved in a fight at a Malibu restaurant this past weekend.  No charges are being pressed at this time, but the man he fought had to be taken to the hospital after suffering head injuries.

Regardless of how this turns out, it's disappointing to see Pippen get caught up in this incident.  As he is a special adviser to Michael Reinsdorf, it certainly puts that job at risk.  This also happened months after Kendall Gill was taken off the Comcast SportsNet broadcasts for punching a Big Ten Network analyst.  I know both occurrences are isolated, but neither paint the Bulls organization in a positive light.  Pippen especially needs to feel remorse.  He's been seen as nothing but classy since he retired and now, the perception of him has likely changed to some extent.  I'll always love what he did in the 90s, but I'm not a fan of the choice he made here.  Hopefully, there's a settlement for all parties involved and he doesn't have to stay away from the organization.  As Michael Jordan owns the Bobcats, Pippen is the biggest former player the Bulls could hope to have in their organization.  To have it all thrown away because of this would be a disheartening conclusion.

It's rare for the Bulls to be in the news so much when the draft is still days away, but at least I get another chance to give my insight about the offseason.  That said, time to go watch some hockey.

A Few Things Can Happen In June

Yes, I know I haven't been on here since the Bulls' season ended, but recently, a few things of note happened in their world which I think can be touched upon.  Nothing major broke, but it's nice to see the news landscape for the organization is not completely barren.

First, the Bulls had their groundbreaking ceremony for their new practice facility set to open after next season.  I can't imagine they'll be starting the real work on it before the end of the Stanley Cup Final, but anything ceremonious is always cause for celebration.  This could be a new attraction for free agents, whom I'm sure would love to come to a team that has the practice and game arenas adjacent to each other.  In the 20 years since the Berto Center opened, it's kept up with the times.  Still, today's NBA players need something more modern to help meet their current demands.  More importantly, this will mean the end of the long commutes between Deerfield and Chicago on game days.  It's not just the players and staff that have to deal with it now, but also the press.  I found this out recently when I had the privilege of meeting K.C. Johnson, the Bulls beat writer for the Chicago Tribune.  The stress of all the jobs involved will be lessened by the drastically reduced travel times that will come.  Why they didn't think of doing this much sooner is beyond me.

It's been a nice run of luck lately for Tom Thibodeau.  It began when he was named an assistant coach for the U.S.'s next Olympic team under Mike Krzyzewski.  If he's going to stay with the Bulls for an extended period, this could be beneficial.  The best players born in this country will get a large taste of his style firsthand and decide whether Chicago would be a good fit for them when free agency hits.  This is an opportunity Thibodeau can't pass up, so he better implement his style while at the same time not scare potential quality players off.

Thibodeau also revealed that Derrick Rose is finally back to his old self and reports that he was dominating practices during the season were overblown.  In other words, he didn't quite have that speed and explosiveness he's known for on a regular basis.  Just a few days ago, Scottie Pippen echoed the sentiment I expressed throughout these shenanigans, which is that all the criticism dished Rose's way was overblown.  During injuries like the one Rose suffered, it's easy for everyone to become armchair physicians and relate their own past injuries so they may be appropriately applied to the situation.  Let this be a lesson to all that only you can determine what's right for your body.  Rose only suffered abuse from the press and fans because of what he does for a living.  He's the one whose accomplishments depend the emotional well-being of the third largest city in the U.S.  Look me in the eye and say it wouldn't be difficult for you to cope with all those expectations and the criticism that comes with it.  I'll just laugh.  Fortunately, this will all be forgotten when Rose plays in a game again and lights up the court like he once did.

My next post will likely deal with who the Bulls could take in the draft, so expect to hear from me again over the next week or so.  In the meantime, enjoy the end of the NBA season, which will come either tonight or Thursday.  There's still a little basketball left, people.