UPDATE: Bulls get Johnson at No. 16, Gibson at No. 26

Unless the Bulls can convince someone up front to a pik-n-trade, I'm not excited at all about this draft. Once I see who we've picked, that may change. There are a few, strongly possible surprises here; the Arenas's. I wouldn't mind Johnson in the least, but I have a feeling the Bulls covet Blair. Why? I'm guessing it's the offensive rebounding part, because all else is a big gamble.

Please relay to Mr. John Jackson that the Bulls are NOT going to take Chase Budinger!

OMG, that's all we need is another matador defensive player.

East just got much better and the competition is just warming up. Labron and his teammates are surly, bitter and hungry just like the young Bulls used to be after being denied - like a young jilted lover that was passed over for his best friend.

But you know what, getting rid of Gordon and adding James Johnson and Chase Buddinger should really improve the team. And when KG and Elton Brand get back, the Bulls will be ready for another historic run. V-V-V-Vinny and the Jets are ready for take off! Um getting excited!!!

Edgar, you mentioned previously about Hansbrough being taken to school by Griffin. HELLO!!! Blake was taking double teams to school!

Deep down in my heart, I would not mind in the least if the Bulls were lucky enough to steal Tyler at 26. There are too many good athletes at 16 to try there, but the 18' and in shooting ability, the tiredless motor, and the love for the competition this kid has is unparalleled in the draft.

You know, when you're the National Player of the Year, and people question your athleticism and abilities, good things happen.

I'll take that lit fire!

The bulls have to get an offensive presence down low. They shouldnt even be thinking about defensive. The Bulls have needed a offensive presence for years now.

I know, Anthony, and that's why I would have traded Hinrich, Tim Thomas, Tyrus AND both first round picks for Blake Griffin. Imagine Griffin and Rose running a fast break and executing pick and rolls... that would have been SPECIAL.

But enough from fantasy land... here's the deal, definitely at #26, Tyler Hansbrough would be a steal for any team, but there is no way he lasts that far. I really don't have too much bad to say about Hansbrough really... he's a nice player, plays tough, goes all out, a 4-year College starter and he has some skills. He's definitely not a "Mark Madsen" or "Jack Haley", but if I had a choice between him and Mullens, I’m going long term on Mullens because again, you just don’t find legit 7-footers with skills often in the draft and I really feel the Bulls have the personnel now to help develop this kid quickly the right way. However, if you want to go for that coveted Championship now and you think that you’re a few bench pieces away from getting there, then Hansbrough or DeJuan Blair can help your bench right away in his rookie season. For me, I just do NOT think that the Bulls are only a few bench pieces away and they don’t have enough on the plate this upcoming season, even if they resign the lovea-bull Ben Gordon. For one, Derrick Rose is still too young to lead the team to a Championship at the age of 21. Ben Gordon is NOT a 2nd piece to a Championship puzzle. He’s more like a 3rd or 4th piece if you understand what I’m saying. Everything still hinges on making trades and managing the salary cap for 2010. As a typical frustrated casual fan, forget about this draft. Nothing at #16 or #26 will excite anyone. Only blockbuster trades for a big name will satisfy the masses. For me, however, I like looking at the big picture and building from scratch if necessary. With the Bulls team, I see a brand new head coach and a 20-year old prospect and star in the making still learning the ropes of the NBA and what it takes to be a Championship contender. I also see a roster still full of bad contracts that are killing this team in salary cap flexibility and expensive pieces from the “original core” like Mr. $80 million Luol Deng who I’d rather the Bulls just get rid of and start fresh with a new identity. Right now, they’re obviously trying to make it work with Deng. They basically have no choice because they committed to him long term with that silly contract last year.

If the Bulls draft this James Johnson, they are essentially saying that they messed up on Luol Deng, Tim Thomas and Tyrus Thomas. Tim Thomas, I already know they gave up on when we barely saw him in the playoffs, but he and Deng handcuff us on their salaries alone. It becomes a terrible numbers game on the bench for James Johnson and I guarantee you won’t see him on the court much unless the bulls somehow get rid of at least 2 out of 3 of those guys on a trade. Can it happen? It better if we’re gonna draft James Johnson. He’s not even a great defender. Besides, when I watched Wake Forest play last year, it was Jeff Teague and Farouq-Aminu who stood out more from that team than James Johnson so strike one there for my tastes. I still say that the man who stood out the most in last Tuesday’s private workout between DeJuan Blair and BJ Mullens will be the Bulls selection at #16 unless Gerald Henderson slips. Hansbrough is a dark horse, but only if Blair, Mullens and Henderson are already gone. Overall, I won’t be mad if the Bulls grab Hansbrough, but I will if it’s James Johnson. At #26, I have a strong feeling that the Bulls will use that pick on a foreign guy a couple years away from the NBA as a money move. If not, I’ll take Sam Young, Marcus Thornton or Taj Gibson any day over Chase Budinger. Budinger has bust written all over him.

Edgar, I cant believe I just read that load of crap you typed. If we draft Johnson it says were giving up on Tyrus, Luol, and.... TIM THOMAS? Yeah we really had high hopes for Tim Thomas.

Anthony,

Adam Morrison and JJ Redick are 2 shining examples of national players of the year who's athleticism and abilities were questioned. That being said, I think Hansbrough will be considerably better than both of those players.

Alright I have to ask - can anyone and I mean anyone give me ONE legitimate reason why ANY AVAILABLE STAR would want to sign with the Bulls next year??? I will settle for ONE good solid reason.

I know if I am a free Agent I am going where I have the absolute BEST chance to win - NOW. AND I am going to a team KNOWN for Winning and Spending money to help me get there. And lastly, I might go where the weather is nicest and the market is big enough for me to make some MORE money.

That means the Bulls are saving for NOTHING. Getting under the cap for who??? IMHO they should prepare the team for a star or superstar and THEN make a good case. Because if they think that little Boston series is going to draw someone they are WAY off and Sadly Mistaken. The Bulls have a terrible reputation for being cheap and proud of it. You prepare the team and then you might have some drawing power and even then its going to be near impossible. In 2010, the players available are going to have franchises lining up to pay them. MONEY is not going to be a problem - it will be WHAT ELSE do you have.

OOOOOOH I FORGOT - WE WILL HAVE DERRICK ROSE AND TYLER HASBRO!!! My fault.

Max, I said "messed up", not "give up"... Look, I'm not that high on Tim Thomas either, but the fact is James Johnson will start off behind those 3 in the depth chart should he get drafted by the Bulls. Plus, his game is similar to Luol Deng. If James Johnson is the next Danny Granger, then it's going to take a few years and we're back to square one on differentiating between long term "potential" and "immediate impact" as a rookie. Pick your poison then. For me, if the Bulls are that committed to Deng and Tyrus thomas, then drafting James Johnson is either a waste or a trading piece. I'll take the long term potential of a Mullens over James Johnson.

And Keith, I sensed the sarcasm in Tyler Hansbrough, but earlier you just raved about possibly drafting James Johnson and Chase Budinger. And now you're ranting that the Bulls should not even bother about positioning themselves for 2010. No problem, Keith. I hear ya, man. Let's go get Allen Iverson and Etan Thomas! Cool.

Oh by the way, Max, if my analysis is a load of crap, then why not elaborate on your 2 sentence rant? Are you a James Johnson fan then? Give us your take please.

Considering how weak this draft is and where the Bulls are selecting, I don't see them getting anything more than a nice role player at number 16. Obviously, that's not what anyone is looking for, but that's reality.

Sarcasm in my earlier post Edgar. Sorry to mislead. I thought you would have picked up on that. How can anybody be excited without any improvement.

This draft is weak, outside of a few, it will be mostly role players

We want to win now so we don't want anymore projects. So why choose Mullens? He's an athletic 7 footer with upside....so was Kwame Brown, Michael Olowokandi, etc etc. What about production not potential? Mullens did nothing at OSU and has a poor work ethic. Do we want to wait 3 years for him to pan out? We're already doing that with Tyrus.

Johnson is a SF who can play a little PF. Classic tweener. Not bad but I don't think he's the best pick. We need someone who can step in and play 15-20 immediately and contribute. For that reason, I'm cool with Blair or Hansborough. We need more rebounding and toughness inside, both of those guys can back up Tyrus for now.

None of the guards in the draft really impress me much. So Blair or Hansborough with the 16th and trade the 26 or pick some Euro we can stash for a year to save some $$$

And no Budinger. He can shoot but that's it. Soft, weak defender...he should stick to volleyball.

Yeah, I heard about Budinger and his volleyball skills. Now I know why Keith likes him so much... Budinger reminds him of Jud Buechler from the Championship years!

Swagger, none of the guards in this draft impress you? From what I understand, the strength of this draft is the guards! Or are you saying the shooting guards are weak? Then that, I agree with.

Swagger, the Kwame Brown and Olowokandi comparisons are unfair because they were former #1 overall picks. We're talking the #16 pick of the first round. A SKILLED big center with athletic ability, wingspan and good hands are just not available often in any draft year. The risk reward of a Center project is too good to pass up at #16. If we're talking top 5 here, then YES, I'm with most to say no way, I'd like the safe talent with production stats over potential. But I'm counting on Brad Miller's experience and Joakim Noah's high energy personality to help whip this Center prospect into shape. If those guys weren't on the team already, I'd say forget about Mullens 100%, seriously. Plus, drafting James Johnson is the same thing then, we're counting on development and long term potential. Have some of you even checked James Johnson's 3-point efficiency in College? It's not very impressive. I'm telling you, that's Luol Deng there for the next 3+ years until or if he ever develops the NBA 3-shot. We've been waiting 6 years for Luol Deng and he still can't shoot it with any efficiency. Nope, I'll take the Center project if he's there, thank you very much.

I could live with Johnson, on tape he has a little Carmelo Anthony in him.

However, I prefer Mullens, athletic legit 7 footer with NBA body and big upside. Projects to top 5 pick if he returns to college.
At 16 you go for the homerun, but I really believe that he makes perfect sense to the Pistons at 15, and with Shaq gone the Suns at 14, so unless we trade up I think that he is gone.

So it probably comes down to Johnson or Blair. Tough call Johnson can score from both the 3 and 4, might eventually be a starter.
Blair is toughness and rebounding, and probably not ever a starter.

As a sleeper pick, I like Eric Maynor as a backup combo guard, who can play the point and score from the 2. A combination of Gordon and Hinrich in one body.

AT 26 I like Toney Douglas, younger, cheaper, taller(?)Ben Gordon, plays defense. Nick Calathes, younger cheaper taller Hinrich, or Taj Gibson Great length(6'10" 7'4" &9'2"), but seems soft.

Well..with Vince going to the Magic and Shaq to the Cavs...

we either need to get in the Eastern Arms race...or dump salary like everyone else.

What a draft, ugh. I say Bulls start 4 PF's and Rose. ok, guys- Derek you take as many shots as you can, everybody else hit the boards,
Ready? Break! nice.( not) dont have to worry about Milwaukee though,
they drafted their 4th PG tonight, hah! Could be interesting, our 4 PF's vs their 4 pg's...lol.

I can live with Johnson at #16.
I actually said that he would be a good pick at that spot but Taj Gibson?
Really?
What is he supposed to be?
The replacement for Noah when he needs a breather or gets into foul trouble? "Oh look! He rebounds but is not a scoring threat!"
A back up to Deng? “Hey! We have another thin, frail, undersized forward!”
He is... dare I say it? A ROLE player! A role that they did not need but I guess that this does not really matter.
Set that bar nice and low Pax.

The Bulls actually passed on Sam Young and DeJuan Blair to draft Taj Gibson.
Since they had no 2nd round pick I guess that Gar Forman (yeah right!) figured that he would take a 2nd round talent in the 1st round.

Yawnnn.... What an intriguing pick this was Pax.
Just like you planed.

Well, I'm 50/50 on this draft. I don't mind Taj Gibson at 26. He just needs to bulk up a bit, but he can be an athletic defensive force off the bench. James Johnson though... I just don't get it. He's too heavy to be a 3 and too short to be a 4 and he didn't even shoot the College three better than a 32% clip? And Gar himself says at the press conference that him and his staff graded James Johnson among the top 5 players in this draft? Wow. Sure hope he's right because I don't see it. I can't believe the Bulls passed up Jrue Holiday and DeJuan Blair, never mind BJ Mullens, my pick at 16. There better be trades happening in July. And they better be involving Hinrich, Deng and/or Tyrus Thomas. This kid better be the real deal for Gar because I don't buy that he's better than Blair, Holiday and Mullens in the long run. Even Jeff Teague was the best player on that Wake Forest team that didn't even qualify in the NCAA Tournament! Ouch. Oh well, onto low end free agency and trades in July... Ben Gordon better be re-signed or else this team is really screwed.

I'm very biased on this opinion, but a 21-0 kickboxer with decent basketball skills will in no way hurt your team. I've not seen enough of this kid to evaluate his court sense, but obviously he's a dedicated athlete, and I don't use that term lightly.

I remember Ronnie Lott getting better with the passing of each year in his hey-days, and we can't say whether or not his full contact sport helped or not, but I'm guessing it damned well did. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say this kid will be a pleasant surprise.

Taj Gibson may help too. Shoot, we got bigger, that's for sure. Only time will tell, but I can live with these choices.

Been doing it since 1998!

Edgar - good post. We have to see if GAR knows what he is doing. Bulls just made Ben Gordon a MUST sign now. They are just too gunshy for me. Chicago REALLY thinks its going to get one of those stars in 2010. Man we don't stand a chance. And I think they ALL are going to stay where they are. Maybe Bosh will leave. When the smoke clears, we are going to WISH we had the likes of Iverson, Rasheed, McDyss and guys like that. They are where we SHOULD have been aiming this season.

What is with you and Detroit's leftovers. Iverson is done. Do you want to start a 33 y/o SG who needs the ball in his hands at all times next to Rose? Really, Keith...c'mon bro. Sheed is 34 and plays when he feels like it which is increasingly not very often. McDyess would be ok as a backup.

Let's get quality vets not hasbeens. Taj Gibson is another Cedric Simmons. Awesome.

NICE ASM!!!!!

Hilarious line

"I say Bulls start 4 PF's and Rose. ok, guys- Derek you take as many shots as you can, everybody else hit the boards,"

Its Scary because its almost a good idea!!!

McSwagger - Chauncy Billups is a Detroit leftover also. And Brad Miller is 33. Rasheed is 35, Iverson is 34 and McDyss is 35, but I will take them all if they can be had. Rondo is good because the vets he is running with. Vince Carter is 32. Who did Labron go pickup??? Shaq who is 37 years old and you better believe Cleveland is coming for theirs just like Boston did last year.

KLS, I don't think anyone is questioning your motive on getting veteran help. But the fact you mentioned Iverson, Rasheed and McDyss in the same sentence is a little unsettling. And now you mentioning Chauncy Billups too.

Don't try and throw the focus unto one veteran going to another team.

You give the impression you will take all three or four of these players and put on one team. I DON'T THINK SO BUDDY!!

Rondo is good because those veterans have been playing together for a while and KG is in the middle. Come on man, what are you looking at?

I ain't buying it either like everyone else.

If veteran help is so great what happen to your beloved Ben Wallace in Cleveland? OOPS, I have started an explosive dialogue about Ben - steal your money - Wallace again.

We explained to you when Ben was here, he needed to score points besides rebound and play defense which he did sub-par in both categories. That is why Shaq is in Cleveland to rebound, play defense and SCORE POINTS!!!

Shaq is not there to make commercials!