Drafting Near and Far

For a large portion of Thursday's draft, rumors persisted that the Bulls were shopping Jimmy Butler, whose spot on the U.S. Olympic team had just become official, to acquire Providence's Kris Dunn.  Even after the Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Dunn, they continued to push hard for Butler before talks ultimately dissipated.  Gar Forman later said shopping him never even happened.  So for now, Butler will stay in Chicago and get used to the two players the Bulls picked.

For the second time in three years, the Bulls ended up with the reigning national player of the year.  Doug McDermott was that player in 2014 and this time, it's Denzel Valentine of Michigan State with the 14th pick.  A four-year player for a winning program, Valentine is right up there with recent Bulls draft picks with similar backgrounds.

His key is his versatility and doing it at a high level.  Scoring and passing both come easy for him, so it's great to see the Bulls draft someone with his skill set.  He has the body of a guard and skill set of a forward.  His court vision is fantastic and after a few years, he could be seen as one of the leaders on the team, assuming it matures and improves.

There are questions about his athleticism and it will be interesting to see how he adapts with those limitations.  Even more pressing are the questions surrounding his left knee, on which he had arthroscopic surgery for torn cartilage last December.  It goes back to a football injury he suffered in ninth grade and caused concern for several teams looking at him.

But Valentine, who played 144 of a possible 148 games in college, has downplayed any potential knee issues.  His main argument is the wear and tear on his body is no different from that sustained by other athletes.  The Bulls' medical staff is also comfortable with his health, so everyone is on the same page.

With the Bulls, it's likely Valentine will most often play shooting guard, his natural position, as well as small forward.  Forman also said he could play point guard if necessary.  It's a testament to the versatility that made him attractive to so many teams, even if the knee thing was the elephant in the room.  There's no reason Fred Hoiberg shouldn't give him plenty of playing time to show he can be in the NBA for years to come.

In the second round with the 48th pick, the Bulls selected forward Paul Zipser out of Germany.  When I saw this selection, my first thought wasn't that his team, Bayern Munich, shared the name of a famous soccer team.  It wasn't even the fact that the Bulls took one of 16 international players drafted, second-most ever.  It was that he happened to share the last name of my good friend Justin Zipser and luckily, he was all game for the jokes headed his way.

Anyway, Zipser has a buyout option with his team and the indication is he'll be joining the team this coming season, though his commitment to the German national team will keep him away from the Bulls' Summer League team.  His body is ready for the NBA, as is his ability to play both forward positions.  His energy is good on both ends and he can score above the rim, from the free-throw line and in catch-and-shoot situations.  He's also 22 years old just like Valentine, but age is just a number when it comes to the draft, so he's got time to show he's worth more than a second-round pick.

The chief concerns surrounding him are his non-elite athleticism and slow shot release.  If he doesn't adapt to or change those respective areas, that will cut his stay in the league short if his knee problems and the extra bone in his foot don't.  But if the Bulls have enough faith in him to give him a shot right off the bat, maybe there's more to his game than we know.  If he works out even remotely better than recent second-round picks Erik Murphy and Cameron Bairstow, that's already a sign the Bulls had a good draft.

Valentine and Zipser will be introduced Monday and next Friday, the free agency period begins.  The Bulls have approximately $25 million in cap space to spend.  Will they decide to add further depth at point guard, find a backup center for Robin Lopez or go in another direction?  Whatever they do could determine how long this first step in returning to respectability will take, so the front office better conduct itself wisely.