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The future is…

Grant — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:38:06 +0000

With the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select Derrick Rose from the University of Memphis.

Derrick Rose – University of Memphis

Born October 4, 1988

Point Guard

6 Feet 3 Inches – 196 Pounds

From Chicago, Illinois – Simeon High School

Here are strengths and weakness of Derrick Rose from NBADraft.net:

NBA Comparison: Dwyane Wade/Jason Kidd

Strengths: With a rare combination of size, quickness and athleticism, he has the potential to change the way the point guard position is played … He has extremely long and explosive strides than not only give him a remarkable first step, but also unmatched ability to turn the corner … Using his incredible speed and ballhandling, he is almost unstoppable both in a half court setting and in transition … When he decides to attack, not many players can match up with him as he is relentless and constantly keeps the pressure on the defense … His ability to finish in the paint is where he is in a class by himself at the point guard position; he can finish above the rim in emphatic fashion, or use his creativity and complete plays in a variety of finesse ways using both hands … Reads his defender well and uses a wide repertoire of moves off the dribble such as crossovers, in&outs, spin moves, hesitation dribbles, all to get the defender off balance … Staying infront of him is no small task, but even then his stocky build allows him to take his defender all the way to the hoop once he has him on his hip … Uses his body well to shield the ball on drives and has remarkable body control and shot making ability even under the most difficult circumstances … Because of his strength and great footwork, he has the potential to play spot duty in the post (similar to Baron Davis) and create offense for his team playing with his back to the basket … He is not afraid of contact and he knows how to use angles and his body to draw fouls … Even for a point guard he is very efficient with his dribble, he doesn’t take the air out of the ball, instead attacks at the first opportunity … Although he is an incredible scorer, he still plays with a pass first mentality and more importantly he has shown that he can run a team … His 40” vertical and 6’ 8” wingspan not only help him offensively, but they also combine with all of his other physical attributes to give him the potential of being a top notch defender … Has proven to be a big time player and winner while performing at a high level in crucial games and taking his team to National Championship Game…

Weaknesses: He needs to become more vocal and establish himself as a leader (as most PGs in the league are) … Measuring out at 6’1.5” without shoes makes him a bit shorter than initially thought, but with his physical tools he still plays much bigger than his actual size … The biggest hole in his game right now is undoubtedly his shot, even though he shot a decent 34% from three and a pedestrian 71% from free throw, he still needs to become more consistent from the outside … He doesn’t necessarily need to become deadly from long range, but with the NBA being heavily predicated on pick & roll play, his ability to knock down mid-range shots coming off screens will be crucial for not only his success but also longevity, as he will be able to extend his career by not having to constantly go into the paint amongst the trees … In college he played in a system that was heavily dependent on isolation play and they also faced many zone defenses, which did not help him much in terms of developing his court vision and decision making … His team defense principles still need to improve as he is known to fall asleep on cutters and also lose sight of the ball on the weak side … Understanding help defense and reading screens are also concepts he struggles with, but there is no reason to think that he won’t change this in a very short time …

Chicago Bulls Draft Day Central!

Grant — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 01:54:32 +0000

Welcome to NBA Draft Day 2008! The Chicago Bulls have the number one pick this year as I assume most of you already know. They one the pick with a less than 2% chance of winning. Since they knew they would have the pick, they have stated that the choice would be between Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose, no one else would be invited to work out for the ball club.

With the draft now less than 24 hours away, and maybe less depending on when you read this, we want to give you a place where you can get everything you need to know heading into the draft. So in case you have been out of the loop for the last month, heres some links to get you up to date and prepared for tonight’s draft:

BullsHome.com Rumors and Scenarios

Trade Rumor: Hinrich and Nocioni for Elton Brand: An early rumor that occurred shortly after the Bulls aquired the number one pick was the possibilty of this trade. If the Bulls were to draft Rose they would have to make some room at the guard position and Hinrich could be the man to go.
Scenarios if the Bulls Draft Rose: As stated above, the drafting of Rose could be followed by a trade or two to fill up some room. Here is a list of a few other possible moves.
Scenarios if the Bulls Draft Beasley: If the Bulls do decide to go with Beasley, there are a few things that could happen. Adding Beasley could cause a little bit of a jam at the forward position and would not upgrade the point guard position. Here is a list of a few possible moves if Beasley is selected.

The Signing of Vinny Del Negro

Vinny translates to Rose?: The Bulls went with former point guard Vinny Del Negro to fulfill the position of head coach. Does the signing of Del Negro say anything about the possibilities of drafting a point gaurd?

Top 10 Chicago Bulls Draft Picks

Picks 10-6 & Picks 5-1: Here is a two part list of the top 10 draft picks by the Chicago Bulls all time.

Mock Drafts- here are a few mock drafts from around the internet

As draft day is upon us, I hope this list of links will help you be prepared for however you decide to celebrate the 2008 NBA Draft and the newest player of the Chicago Bulls!

Bulls Top 5 Draft Choices of All Time

Grant — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 04:47:56 +0000

Last week we went through 6-10 of the Chicago Bulls top ten draft choices of all time. Today we finish of the list. We have compiled all the stats and awards and came up with these five players:

5. Orlando Woolridge / 1981 1st round, pick number 6
16.0 ppg / 4.3 trb / 1.9 ast – Productive career on 8 teams. Averaged 20+ ppg four seasons.

4. Elton Brand / 1999 1st round, pick number 1
20.3 ppg / 10.2 trb / 2.7 ast – Very productive career for two stuggling teams. Rookie of the Year 99-00. 2 All-Star game appearances. Should end up at 2 or 3 on this list towards end of career.

3. Reggie Theus / 1978 1st round, pick number 9
18.5 ppg / 3.3 trb / 6.3 ast – 2 All-Star game appearances. All rookie first team.

2. Artis Gilmore / 1971 7th round, pick number 117
17.1 ppg / 10.1 trb / 2.0 ast – 6 NBA All-Star Games (5 ABA All-Star Games). Played 5 seasons in the ABA after being drafted, before joining the Bulls. ABA Awards: Rookie of the Year, MVP.

1. Michael Jordan / 1981 1st round, pick number 3
30.1 ppg / 6.2 trb / 5.3 ast – I don’t believe this needs much explanation. But, 14 All-Star Games (3 MVPs), Rookie of the Year, Defensive player of the Year, 5 MVPs, 6 Finals MVP awards.

The Chicago Bulls are just two days away from the 2008 draft. As you all know they have the number one pick, lets hope this pick ends up on this list as well, whether Rose or Beasley.

And now its your turn. Do you agree with me? Did I miss someone? Let everyone else know what you think about my list, and what your list would look like here.

Vinny translates to Rose?

Grant — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:39:02 +0000

The Chicago Bulls decided last week to make their head coach a first time coach. Vinny Del Negro was given the head coaching spot my general manager John Paxson. Since Negro retired from his playing days in 2002 he has held positions in the front office with the Pheonix Suns under Paxson’s good friend Steve Kerr.

Negro played for several teams during his 14 year NBA career. Negro was drafted by the Kings in 1988 and retired as a Sun in 2002. He also spent two years from 1990-92 playing in Europe. Negro was a point gaurd/shooting gaurd during is playing career.

The hiring of Negro offers a few questions and maybe a glimpse into the future on what the Bulls off-season still has to come.

The Bulls have several young big men on their roster with potential such as Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas and Arron Gray. Adding another big man, such as Michael Beasley, would create a jam at the position. Also, would you really want a former journey man point guard like Negro mentoring a 19 year old forward?

This leaves the other option with the number one pick, a point guard from Chicago. Derrick Rose is a point guard with tons of athelticism and can shot the ball. Rose also has plenty of height for the position at 6 feet 4 inches. Sounds kind of like the point guard/shooting guard head coach? Rose would be the perfect fit the Bulls offense, and for what Negro’s plan may be. Negro played for five different NBA teams and two different teams in Europe. Negro should have plenty of experience with differnt offenses and should be able to put together a game plan that will fit the young bunch of players on the Bulls roster.

Although the Bulls have not made any noise to who they will draft next week other than Rose and Beasley being the final two, the hiring of Vinny Del Negro may translate into the drafting of Derrick Rose.

Scenarios if Bulls draft Michael Beasley

Grant — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 03:10:52 +0000

As we discussed in the article about the possible moves if the Bulls decided to draft Derrick Rose, the same applies if they decide to go with Michael Beasley. Whomever the Bulls decide to draft, there is likely to be some moves made. Beasley is said by some scouts to be an ‘elbow man.’ These players typically start at the corner of the foul line, and either step back and take a shot or drive the lane. Dirk Nowitzki is the NBA’s best ‘elbow man’ and Carlos Boozer and David West are two other greats. The Bulls already have several forwards. If the Bulls do go with Beasley, there are some moves that could be made.

The Bulls were originally destined for the number 9 pick in this years draft, were a few good point guards would have been available, including Longhorn’s D.J. Augustin. If they go with Beasley, they will have to make other moves to improve the point guard position. The point guards position is already full though, so what would be the best option, is to attempt to move a forward and a point guard in a package for a better point guard.

Baron Davis is one man who may become available. He is due $17.1 million next season, and will become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Davis’ history of injuries is a red flag. Davis played in all 82 games last season, but missed at least 15 each other to previous five years as reported by the Daily Herald. He is only 29 years old though, and is a great leader when healthy.

Another point guard who may be available is Raptor’s T.J. Ford. The Raptor’s will likely choose between Ford or Jose Calderon as their future point. To get Calderon it would probably take Ben Gordon, but Ford could be traded for Andres Nocioni, who would be a good fit for their roster.

Memphis’ point Kyle Lowry also could become available. Lowry outplayed rookie Mike Conely for the most part last season. Lowry’s small contract of only $1.2 million next year will make it hard to make a deal happen. The Daily Herald also came up with an interesting trade offer of Hinrich or Gordon, plus Thomas, for Lowry, Mike Miller and Hakim Warrick. This is a very interesting trade, as it would add some needed help the Bulls back court.

Even if the Bulls decide to go with Beasley and stick with the current roster, a team that still has a lot of potential would have even more. A starting line up of:

Hinrich at PG
Gordon at SG
Deng at SF
Beasley at PF
Noah at C

could be a very dominating force. With Hughes, Thomas, Gooden, Nocioni and Sefolosha coming of the bench would be a very deep team.

Either way the Bulls go in this years draft, the team will definitely be upgraded nicely.

Scenarios if the Bulls draft Derrick Rose

Grant — Sun, 25 May 2008 19:56:45 +0000

The Chicago Bulls most likely going to receive plenty of phone calls from other teams regarding the number one pick, as well as some of their guards if they decide to go with Derrick Rose. If Rose is the right choice for the number one pick, and the Bulls decide they need to trade away some other guards here are a few things that may happen:

Full House: The Bulls will have a plethora of gaurds and will want to move someone. After getting Larry Hughes in a trade with Cleveland in February, sharing minutes between Krik Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Hughes, and Tabo Sefolosha didn’t work well for either player. Sefolosha’s potential will make him an unlikely trade option, and Gordon’s jumper being the best of the team will make it hard to part ways with him. Hinrich and Hughes are left with huge contracts, which could make them are to deal though. Hinrich is owed $36.5 million over four years and Hughes is due $26.5 million over two years. Chris Duhon is an unrestricted free-agent and is unlikely to return.

Blockbuster Moves: Starting off really big would be to pursue Carmelo Anthony if the Denver Nuggets do look to move him. Anthony’s agent, Calvin Andrews, says the Nuggets aren’t shopping him, but after barely making the play-offs with the leagues third-highest payroll, and a 4-20 playoff record since 2003, the Nuggets are in need some sort of make over. Possibly acquiring Hinrich and Luol Deng can help the Nuggets become a little more defensive minded. If not that, theres the possibilty of the Elton Brand trade, but this time the Daily Herald had a little different opinion. With the Bulls sending Hinrich and Drew Gooden, instead of Hinrich and Andres Nocioni. Another forward who may be available is Charlotte Bobcats Emeka Okafor who is a restricted free agent. Although the Bobcats do not have much room for more guards. Inevititably, Hinrich could be traded for former college roommate Nick Collison and project center Johan Petro.

These are just some thoughts and rumors that could occur. What the Bulls inevitably end up doing could be decided by the other 29 teams. Read the full article at DailyHerald.com here.

Four possible moves with the number 1 pick

Grant — Sat, 24 May 2008 00:44:18 +0000

The Chicago Bulls have a lot of power with the number one overall pick. Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley are the favorites to be drafted first and second overall and many teams will be interested in moving up to draft one of these players. If the Bulls elect to keep the pick though, there is the chance that others will be traded to make room for one of these guys. The Bulls have several other young big guys, but none are believed to be as good as Beasley. The same goes for point guards if Rose is drafted. So here are four possibilities that could unfold.

The Chicago Bulls keep the number one pick, and draft Michael Beasley.
This possibility we already discussed in an earlier article. The Bulls would draft Rose and trade Andres Nocioni and Kirk Hinrich for Elton Brand.
The Bulls trade pick to the Clippers for Elton Brand and the number 7 pick. With the number seven pick the Bulls then draft D.J. Augustin from Texas.
The fourth is a little out there, but the Bulls would trade the number one pick and maybe some players to Miami for Dwayne Wade. This would allow the Heat to draft Beasley and Rose with the number 1 and 2 picks.

These are for speculations on what the Bulls may do this off-season. They have a lot of options with the number one pick, and have a lot of control. Whether the Bulls keep the pick or trade it, they should definitely return the form of two years ago when they won 50 games.

Trade Rumor: Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni for Elton Brand

Grant — Thu, 22 May 2008 07:23:52 +0000

After the Chicago Bulls won the NBA Draft lottery on Tuesday, the early favorites for their number selection is Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. On Wednesday, general manager John Paxson confirmed this belief saying that the Bulls would only scout these two players.

If the Bulls were to select Derrick Rose with the number one overall pick, he would join a long list of Bulls point gaurds. Chicago already has Kirk Hinrich, Chris Duhon, James OnCurry, and Ben Gordon, although he plays mostly at the shooting guard position. If the Bulls are to retain and not trade the pick, one of these players will most likely be traded or cut. Hinrich or Duhon would be the likely players to be traded because the addition of Rose would give the Bulls three premier point gaurds. And early trade rumors have Hinrich being the one shipped out of town.

This trade would send Hinrich and Andres Nocioni to the Los Angeles Clippers for former Chicago Bulls number one overall pick and power forward Elton Brand.

Elton Brand, who was the number one overall selection by the Bulls in 1999, was traded to the L.A. Clippers for Tyson Chandler. Brand recently turned 29 in March, played in only 8 games for the Clippers in 2007-08 as he was hobbled by injury. In these 8 games, Brand aveged 17 points per game and 8 rebounds per game, down from his career averages of 20 ppg and 10 rpg. At 29 though, Brand still is young and could provide the Bulls with a veteran presence in the post.

Chicago Bulls win NBA Draft Lottery

Grant — Thu, 22 May 2008 07:01:39 +0000

In the NBA Draft Lottery earlier today, May 20th, the Chicago Bulls had a 1.7% chance of winning the lottery after finishing in 11th place in the Eastern Confrence. The Bulls defeated the odds and will have the first selection in the 2008 Draft on June 25th. The early favorites to be drafted first are Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley, unless the Bulls elect to trade their number one overall pick for some veteran help.
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