Post-Draft Reaction

No real surprises at the top of the draft. Cavs taking Tristan Thompson so early was a bit unexpected, but not unreasonable. Jimmer Fredette definitely went too early at 10, but he has hype and there are so few gunners to pick from. I was glad to see the two Purdue players go to Boston since it is a team I like.

The Bulls did exactly what I predicted/hoped with their first pick and got a solid foreign prospect in Nicola Mirotic. They gave up their second round pick to move up just five spots to get him though and I wouldn't call that great horse-trading. Plus, this guy just resigned his Real Madrid contract in April for five years, so it is very likely the Bulls don't see him for a minimum of four years, since they are unlikely to buyout more than one.

Still, he's only 20, the youngest player on his team, and has been playing professionally since he was 15. He started the year at the very end of Real Madrid's bench but improved so much that he became a key reserve and wound up winning the Euroleague Rising Star award, which is sort of equivalent to the NBA's ROY. If you look at the comments on his youtube videos, you'll see that Chicago fans are very unimpressed with him, but I'm extremely hopeful. He's getting minutes on one of the better European teams. If he doesn't get hurt, he could well be a prize by the time he gets to the NBA.

Four or five years is a heck of a long time to wait though! The Bulls just went deep into the playoffs, so we need help now. I think the Bulls realized that they weren't going to get much help in the draft with such bad picks so they decided to swing for the fences long-term. And judging by all the obscure young foreign players taken at the bottom of the second round, lots of other teams had the same idea.

With their last pick in the first round the Bulls wisely passed on Singler, who was available, but they took semi-local Marquette star Jimmy Butler. It's a pretty under-whelming pick, but I guess they thought that he has decent size, a good attitude, and might be able to improve into a three point shooter, although he certainly has a long way to go there. If he does, then it is the right pick, but that's a pretty big condition. As I said pre-draft, it's hard to find someone who can stay on your roster with the last pick in the first round. And if you are going to pay a guy to sit on your bench for three years, you at least want someone who works hard in practice. Maybe they though Butler's experience with being homeless as a child would prepare him for the NBA lockout?

I agree with the ESPN commentators who said that the Bulls had an eye towards free agency for their 2 guard need. I disagree with them in thinking that Jason Richardson is the best fit for them. I just can't see him or Vince Carter playing defense for Thibs. I'd prefer Nick Young or Richard Hamilton, but the Bulls just may be better off standing pat and hoping for improvement from their current trio of SGs. That may be their only option if the new collective bargaining agreement winds up removing their mid-level exception.

If this winds up being a lockout year then it will be brutal for rookies, as they won't get any training camp time. So, I guess if your going to have a year without any rookies in the rotation, then this would be it. The Bulls looking long term with their picks may well be their best choice.