Draft Afterthoughts: Still Work To Do For Bulls

Contrary to the wishes of many fans, the Chicago Bulls made no moves on draft night, electing to take forwards James Johnson from Wake Forest and Taj Gibson from USC. Not exactly breathtaking, but decent selections nonetheless. Looking on Blog-a-Bull, I realized I was one of many who was hoping for the Bulls to pull off a blockbuster move, but, since July 1 opens up more possibilities for trades, the Bulls still have plenty of time to make that big change.The Bulls' picks were not very appealing for trade scenarios, and so they took the player they wanted the most in Johnson. I admittedly don't know much about him, but video highlights and expert analysis tells me that he at least brings something different to the Bulls. He's a versatile player who has played both forward spots (although this might mean he's stuck in between the two spots at the professional level), possesses good range and the ability to create his own shot, and should be able to contribute off the bench immediately. Once again, my knowledge of Johnson is limited, but, as of now, I'm content with trusting the front office on this one.As for taking Taj Gibson at 26, I'm somehat less enthusiastic. To me, he seems like a poor man's Tyrus Thomas with better shooting and far less athleticism. Gibson can block shots with his enormous wingspan, and he's a solid rebounder. However, considering that Joakim Noah is more of a power forward than a center (although he has filled the center role admirably), this means we now have four power forwards, not including Tim Thomas (who will probably be traded at some point before the trade deadline). Not only is that too many power forwards for one roster, but the Bulls passed up on DeJuan Blair at 26, which I think could come back to haunt them. Most teams seemed worried about past knee problems for Blair, but he was a beast on the boards throughout college, and, should he stay as healthy as he did in college, the rotund and freakishly athletic Blair will make a lot of teams wish they had taken a chance on him. Nevertheless, the Bulls couldn't have expected much at 26, and Gibson is an upgrade over Linton Johnson, so the front office did an okay job on this one.So the Bulls have too many power forwards now, two of which - Tyrus and Taj - have very similar playing styles. Logic tells me someone is the odd man out, and, based on the way Vinny Del Negro refused to play him in crunch time dueing the playoffs, I'd say Tyrus is that odd man. Hopefully the Bulls can trade for a superstar power forward or center,becuase right now we have neither. Noah will complement a superstar well, cleaning the boards and providing constant hustle, but none of Tyrus, Johnson, or Gibson comes close to solving our power forward situation as of now. Rumor has it that Chrish Bosh wants out of Toronto, and, as his contract will expire after the upcoming season, I would think the Raptors front office would want to deal him before then to get something in return rather than losing him with nothing to show for it. I'll jump on the bandwagon with most Bulls fans and declare my support for going after Bosh, and, now that we have plenty of players who could play as his backup, we need to move quickly. Bosh and Patrick O'Bryant for Tyrus and Brad Miller (and maybe a future draft pick) works out financially, and the Raptors would get two serviceable players. They could try their luck at developing Thomas, and they could use Miller to complement Bargnani for one year, after which his contract expires and the Raptors will have cap space for the big 2010 free agent market. The Bulls got better from this draft (assuming they re-sign Ben Gordon), but not enough to get them out of the first round of next year's playoffs. The Bulls may be signalling an intent to trade a power forward or two, or they may have simply picked up two rookies that they can use to fill up the roster for a cheap price (if that's the case, I recommend that they invite undrafted players Jerel McNeal and Dionte Christmas to the summer league roster, who could be cheap, useful backups at SG). Either way, the Bulls did a good enough job in this draft, and, while they can pat themselves on the back for now, they still have work to do to make this team a contender.NOTE: Look for an early preview of the other teams in our division to come soon, as well as a post on how the East in general looks for the upcoming season. James Johnson's so excited, he's doing backflips in anticipation (Photo courtesy of Sports Illustrated and the Johnson family).