Tremendous Upside Potential

Carlos Boozer to the Bulls?

2009-07-10T14:58:01Z

Despite the fact that these Carlos Boozer to the Bulls rumors have been questioned by two reputable sources - Sam Smith's Bulls.com blog and BobbyStompy's brand new Twitter account (follow that) - I do think it's going to happen. Eventually. In some form.

I believe Smith when he says there haven't been any substantive talks between the teams yet. Trades as large as this one - involving three teams and a boarderline superstar - take time to complete. After going through this so many times the last few years, we should know that by now. But, again, I could definitely see Boozer ending up in Chicago next season. It just seems to make a lot of sense.

No, Boozer isn't ideal. I'd rather have Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire. But the chance to get Bosh may have disintegrated when Hedo Turkoglu's wife decided she preferred Toronto to Portland. And a deal for Stoudemire would likely have to include Joakim Noah. So while Carlos Boozer isn't perfect, he is something. Something tall (enough) and something that can score. Basically, Boozer is exactly the sort of player the Bulls have needed for so long.

If he's on the court, that is. The Bulls know all about injury prone Duke products, and Boozer would be another one. Since signing with the Jazz in 2004, Boozer could have played a possible 410 regular season games. He ended up only playing 276 of them. Karma?

So, yeah, Carlos Boozer has flaws. But I think he's worth the risk. And at some point, the Bulls have to take one, right?

I'm sick of writing posts like this. Of course Stompy doesn't think this trade is going to happen...it never does! KG, Gasol, Kobe, Amare, yeah, we've been through this before as Bulls fans. But, eventually, the Bulls have to do something. They've had the same achilles heel the last four seasons. It's time to fix it.

The deal reported yesterday had Boozer coming to Chicago, Kirk Hinrich going to Portland, and Tyrus Thomas to Utah. It seems like a lot to give up, but is it really?

Now that Gordon is gone, the Bulls are down to six guys that can actually play. Rose, Deng, Salmons, Noah, Tyrus, and Kirk. That's it. You hope to get something from James Johnson and Taj Gibson, but who knows. For a team that entered last season with 'depth' atop the team strengths column, the Bulls are pretty thin right now. To lose two of those guys would be a blow, to be sure.

The trade isn't really about next season, though. The Bulls aren't winning anything next year with five players. As Matt has been pounding into everyone's heads over at Blog-a-Bull, the Bulls sort of decided to sacrifice 2009-2010 when they let Gordon walk for nothing. It's about the future, and a deal for Boozer gives the Bulls some options, some flexibility.

Here's Hinrich's salary going forward. It's a lot of money for a reserve guard who's much more of a point than a two. And with Rose set to play 40 minutes a night for the next 10 years, the Bulls can find a better, cheaper fit than Hinrich. Even though I've always liked Kirk, dumping his salary would be huge.

And Tyrus....I still love him, but the Bulls don't even think he's an NBA player. Would they even pickup that $6.2 million option after this season? I'm not so sure they would. So you may as well get something for him instead of letting another guy walk for no compensation.

We've seen this movie before, but I think Carlos Boozer ends up in Chicago. Just don't expect it to happen today.

What really happened to Bartolo Colon

2009-07-09T14:58:54Z

The real story comes from Ozzie, of course.

''I think Colon disappeared,'' Guillen said before the game, unable to keep a straight face over the bizarre situation. ''I think immigration is looking for him. I worry about Colon because Colon was a big-time Michael Jackson fan. He might see the TV and cry all day long. He maybe is in L.A. at his funeral because I can't find him.''

But don't sweat: Colon has been found (!) and he'll be on the mound for the Triple-A Charlotte Knights tonight.

I'm glad he's still alive, just so I don't feel bad every time I see this picture and laugh.

That man is a professional athlete!

Who needs Brandon Allen when you have Paul Konerko?

2009-07-08T16:26:22Z

As The Cheat noted already, Konerko became the first Sox hitter to go yard three times in one game since Jose Valentin did it in 2003. I hated Jose Valentin - all he was good for was killing the Cubs, which, admittedly, is a pretty awesome thing to be good for - but you have to admit he had a flawless mustache.

But a Jose Valentin mustache remembrance wasn't the only majestic consequence to appear in Paulie's wake. On Konerko's third bomb, Hawk treated us to another raucous 'HELLLL YESSS'. I can't embed the video here because Major League Baseball is the Mike Celizic of pro sports (it's 2009, guys), but you can still watch it here. Check it out. It's glorious.

Quietly, Konerko has come back from the dead to put together a hella good year (and, yes, I am going to see No Doubt on Saturday. Thanks for asking). He appeared to be on the Richie Sexton career path there for a while, but he's broken out of it big time thus far. Though yesterday skews it a little, Konerko's .881 OPS is still damn good. Perhaps even more surprising is that batting average, which now sits at a cool .301. Remember, we're talking about a guy who was seemingly hitting .230 or lower most of the last two seasons.

Konerko's resurgence is huge for two reasons: a) he still has another year left on the extension he signed after the World Series that pays him a boatload of money (even with the hometown discount!), and b) the Sox traded away his most likely successor yesterday, Brandon Allen.

I was high on Allen and a bit puzzled by the trade. As The Cheat notes yesterday, the guy the Sox got back, Tony Pena, certainly appears to be valuable, but did it really have to take Brandon Allen to get him?

What this really means is that the Sox believe either Tyler Flowers or Dayan Vicideo can't stick at their respective positions. Hopefully not both. I never thought Viciedo would be able to handle third anyway, so I'm hoping he'll slide over to first whenever the Thome/Konerko Era comes to a close. The Sox need to give Flowers every chance to stick behind the plate, just because finding catchers is so hard. And, you know, the guy they have behind the plate now probably couldn't throw out Kenny Powers at second, so how much worse could Flowers be?

Yesterday's win puts the Sox at 43-40, two games behind the division leading Tigers. I said at the beginning of the year that, if nothing else, the Sox should keep us interested all summer by staying in contention, and that certainly looks like it's going to happen. Can't ask for much more for a team rebuilding on the fly and still staying relevant.

Happy Birthday, Rickhouse

2009-07-07T16:03:24Z

Rickhouse's SlowBreaker shizzle here.

It's the Rickhouse's birthday today -- at least that's what they tell me. My present is actually from our old friend, Jay Mariotti. It's an excerpt from his latest column. I call it "this is what I hope you'll never become" (also, per the usual, I will not link to it as it was sent to me against my will through my Fanhouse RSS feed):

Just to refresh your memory, Manny Ramirez is a shamed steroid cheat. He used a female fertility drug that produced artificial testosterone, making him the latest in a pathetic line of high-profile players who have done performance-enhancers and contaminated an entire baseball era. He also is a petty quitter, having stopped running out groundballs in a hissy-fit ploy that forced the Red Sox to trade him to the Dodgers.

So why were people cheering him when he returned last weekend after a 50-game suspension? And giving him long, robust standing ovations? And proudly wearing $22 concession-stand dreadlocks and No. 99 jerseys? And waving signs that said "We Still Love You, Manny" and "It's all about the dreads, not the Meds" -- stadium greeting cards that made him feel good when he should be feeling like, well, a convicted scumbag? Why oh why would anyone with a soul, a conscience and working brain cells glorify a cheater?

Those are the only two paragraphs they gave me. If I wanted more ammo to make fun of him, I would have had to -- gulp -- actually click the link. And I'm not making him more famous!

Oh, where to begin? If he's a "shamed steroid cheat," then why are you railing against people who glorify him? Are glorified people also simultaneously shamed? This isn't even worth our time. Just remember: It's all about the dreads, not the Meds.

I'll end this with the first funny sports picture I could find:

Enjoy the day, man.

SlowBreaker column, up at 11 a.m.

2009-07-07T05:45:30Z

Find it here.

About that time I ran into Steve McNair...

2009-07-06T04:53:23Z

You'll have to forgive me if it takes a few days for me to get back in the loop. I spent the weekend maxing out my party meters (red alert!) at the happiest place on Earth, New Buffalo, Michigan (a.k.a. where overprivileged suburban Chicago white kids pretend every day is Spring Break. Or maybe that's just my friends.). After a weekend like that, it's going to take me a few days to catch up with the Sox, baseball's All-Star selections, and everything else. I was pretty much cut off from the real world up there. The only piece of news I really got was the death of Steve McNair, which was a shocker to my friends and I in every sense.

Remember when I took that little camping trip about a month and a half ago? It included a one night adventure in downtown Nashville, where, wouldn't you know it, we happened to run into McNair. I always thought he was a pretty cool player back in the day (who doesn't love black quarterbacks?), but he immediately went up in my book that night. That's probably mostly because we saw him at the one Nashville bar that actually played good music instead of, you know, Toby Keith or whatever they usually play in Nashville bars (Americah!). Was it a coincidence or does (did) Steve McNair actually dig Phoenix and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's? I like to think it was the latter.

We weren't sure it was him at first, which prompted a 10 minute discussion on whether or not it was racist to ask the only black guy in Nashville if he was Steve McNair.

My friend Josh finally worked up the nerve to go up to him.

"No offense, but are you Steve McNair?" (how funny is that question? 100 percent funny!)

It was, and McNair was actually super cool and friendly. We all went up there, shook his hand and said a few words. I think I told him I loved using him in Madden. The best by far, though, was my buddy Jason (raised in St. Louis) who said "you played in my favorite Super Bowl ever!" before remembering, oh yeah, McNair's team came up a yard short.

"But....uh....I wish you would have won." (Jason was lying)

So naturally when the text messages about his death started rolling in to myself and everyone else, we were shocked. I mean, we all just saw that dude! And he was a super rich, super famous, recently retired pro athlete who was actually pretty cool!

Also noteworthy: when we approached McNair, he was at the bar with just one other guy. As the night went on though, a group of chicks about our age recognized him and started hanging out with him. I'm pretty sure he was making out with one of them before we left.

No big deal really....it's just kind of weird that the girl who murdered him was only 20 years old. What if it was one of the girls we saw him with at the bar!? (/head explodes)

So yeah: rest in peace, Steve McNair. He was a cool football player, a hell of a video game quarterback, and, judging by my 30 second interaction with him, a fairly nice dude.

Peace, Ben. It's been real.

2009-07-02T06:23:22Z

Is there another Chicago athlete in recent memory that elicited more passionate opinions both for and against him than Ben Gordon? To prove my point, look no further than...the Internet! (Why go anywhere else?) Hit up the Bulls blogs today and you'll see lots of anger and sadness.

For example, Andrew from DaBullz wrote:

Well, looks like the Bulls are going back to the lottery next season. The Bulls lost their best player and will suck next year.

Tell us how you really feel, man! But, last I checked, the Bulls compete in the sport of basketball, not competitive bicep curls. And Derrick Rose exists.

Then I logged onto Twitter and saw this message:

Now the Bulls will have to find a new undersized guard that will give up 35 points a game.

You see what I mean? It's kind of funny because, as Bulls fans, we all watch the same games and root for the guys on our team, yet Gordon is the one player that it seems no one can agree on.

Also worth noting: you can make the argument that both Gordon and the Bulls were losers in the negotiations. The Bulls lose because one of their best players is going to their biggest rival in the prime of his career for zero compensation. In Interweb speak, we like to refer to that as FAIL. Gordon doesn't get off clean either, though. The contract he took from Detroit is pretty similar to the one he rejected two years ago from the Bulls. Now he's 26, back then he was 24. Had he taken the Bulls' first offer way back when, he'd still be young enough to cash in on another phat contract. By the time his deal with the Pistons expires, he'll be 31 and out of his prime. Also, Gordon is leaving Chicago (which is a great city) for Detroit (which is a miserable city).

In basketball terms, Gordon's departure means John Salmons and Luol Deng need to step up. Last we saw them, Salmons was awesome, and Deng was bad and hurt. Is that what we can expect again?

Salmons will be Gordon's replacement at shooting guard, and the Bulls better hope that last year wasn't an aberration. Make no mistake, Salmons had a career year last season. He set careers highs across the board at age 29, a point when most players begin to decline, not take off. His biggest jump was in three-point percentage. Without Gordon, the Bulls are going to need more shooters. Last year, Salmons was good enough to fill that roll, making 49 treys in 26 games as a Bull. He was efficient from long range too, connecting at a Gordon-like 41 percent. Again, was it a fluke, or is John Salmons for real? The Bulls better hope it's the latter.

The spotlight will shine even brighter on Deng, Gordon's classmate in the '04 draft. He got the money that Gordon didn't, now the Bulls need him to earn his contract. Deng has been pathetic the last two seasons, and the fans and media have been quick to make excuses for him. Two years ago it was all that damn Kobe trade talk that got in his head. Poor guy! Last year, it was a stress fracture in his leg that cost him the final 22 games plus the playoffs. That's when people started to question his toughness. If the Bulls are going to be good next year, Deng needs to put those questions aside. Simply put, he has to be their second best player. I think there is a good chance that happens. Deng just turned 24, and, you know, most basketball players don't peak at 22. The future is still bright for Deng, or at least the Bulls better hope it is.

Finally, one last note: pretty much everyone the Bulls have paid recently has been a huge disappointment. Hinrich, Deng, Noce, Ben Wallace, and Tyson Chandler all signed for big money and then seemed to take a step backwards. Now that the Bulls let Gordon walk, will it happen again or will he take off? Discuss.

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Find this post and a little more on the 'Hawks at the Sun-Times Full Court Press blog. Also: the White Sox are awesome and Beckham > everyone else in the world combined.

990 words on the why Bulls should probably resign Ben Gordon

2009-07-01T17:39:01Z

Watch as I try to convince blue collar, hard-nosed Chicagoans that you can win with offense, too. I'm sure this will go over well. It's all at the Sun-Times' Full Court Press blog. And it all comes back to Jay Cutler, of course.

Also, in case you missed it, everyone's favorite former Sun-Times columnist got ripped to shreds all across the Web yesterday. His masterpiece of a column was on steroids and bloggers. Find it at Fanhouse, if you want, but I think I'll follow Stompy's edict and not give Jay the pageviews.

Great posts here, here, and here. FreeDarko's tweets were dead on, as well.

I feel like it has been too long since we've had some quality Jay bashing. Maybe it's better that way. But - more than anything - I just want another excuse to post this picture.

He has a very punchable face, doesn't he?

Taking over Full Court Press for a week

2009-06-30T17:24:06Z

Before you dive into that two-part Simmons-Klosterman podcast, go check out my post on Chicago baseball All-Stars over at the Sun-Times' Full Court Press blog. I'll be there through the week. My only goal is to avoid starting any more race wars. Easier said than done.

New SlowBreaker column, up at 11 a.m.

2009-06-29T07:28:48Z

Or whenever ~~Zack~~ Zach feels like posting it. Topics include U.S. v. Brazil, the NHL Draft, and, of course, Ricky Rubes. (Update: find it here)

Also read: Stompy's soccer post.

I'll see his Donovon collage and raise this one of Cubs fans crying.

Have a good Monday.

Brazil'd

2009-06-28T19:59:45Z

It's hard to put into perspective how much goodwill the United States soccer team lost today from casual soccer fans. I mean, they were up 2-0 on Brazil, and they steadily blew it. It wasn't really a flurry of goals. It was just a bad, bad second half. They just... blew it. They blew it. It's the kind of loss that makes you want to give an all encompassing statement like "this is why soccer will never make it in America."

But that's not very fair.

It was frustrating. We should have expected a loss. We knew they weren't favored. But they were up 2-0, man. 2-0. It's just hard to shake the feeling that everything they've accomplished in this tournament was sort of erased. Had they simply gotten rolled by Brazil, it probably would have been easier. But victory was oh-so close. It's hard not to feel burned by events that led to this outcome.

One of the ESPN announcers: "If this is the way they go down, no shame in this game. No shame in this result."

Maybe he's right. I'm certainly not ashamed by the team, but it's definitely upsetting. What a major disappointment from a team that's historically been pretty good at consistently providing them -- best ever World Cup finish was 3rd place ... in 1930.

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In a completely related note: Landon Donovan -- though talented -- is easily the worst thing about American soccer.

Let's quickly look at the facts.

- First name: Landon

- Height: 5'8''

- Birth place: Ontario ... California

- Funny hairline: Check.

- Biased photo collage of him shirtless and/or being dwarfed by taller women and/or making unflattering faces: Oh yes.

When he scored the second goal in the game today, he started pointing at himself screaming "me! me!" before jumping in the air while throwing a fist pump. It was only slightly less lame than Kobe's triple jump in the NBA finals.

I need a better pulse on soccer. Is Donovan disliked only by uptight stiffs (read: white, old sportswriters)? Or is he really just all-out lame? Do laid back, genuine soccer fans also think he's kind of an idiot? Or is he actually considered -- gulp -- popular?!

These questions may never be answered. But he does look like an elf.

I went there.

Fortunately there's a yin to this yang. I present U.S.A. striker Jozy Altidore.

Specs:
- 19 years-old ... which means he was born in 1989
- Could never play for the Minnesota Twins
- 6'1''
- Born in Jersey, lives in Florida
- Braid his hair and make him grow a slight beard, and you've got an uncanny resemblance to Bloc Party singer Kele Okereke

He could be our only hope.

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In better news: go home, Cubs.

Ahem...

2009-06-28T17:15:52Z

Bobby Stompy http://www.tremendousupsidepotential.com

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WORST DRAFT EVER

2009-06-26T04:26:51Z

Just kidding, actually. There was a time when I had strong opinions on things like this, but I think that time passed when I forgot what day the NFL Draft was on. The only reaction I can really muster up for James Johnson and Taj Gibson is a big 'meh'. Maybe they'll be good, maybe they won't be. I really have no idea.

I am pissed about Rubio, though. Sacramento, Oklahoma City...why have you forsaken me!? I can't wait to watch Rubio throw a perfect alley-oop to Kevin Love next season, only to see him get rejected by the rim, regather the ball, and throw a wicked outlet pass down the court just because he's used to doing things like that.

Actually, Ricky Rubio can't play in Minnesota, right? Especially not after they took Jonny Flynn at 6. Maybe he'll stay overseas, maybe he'll Stevie Franchise his way to the Knicks or something. I guess I'll have to hold off on that j-shirt order. Or maybe I'll just opt for his Spanish National Team jersey, because, you know, it has my name on the back.

(I'm lying, I'd actually never do that. When I went to St. Xavier my freshman year, there was a kid I worked with at the newspaper named Steve Dunn. He was like 6'4 with super long, greasy black hair and a skin complexion that rivaled mine. He was a sports writer, naturally. Anywho, this kid always wore an old Tampa Bay Bucs Warrick Dunn jersey. It probably would have been cool on most people, but not for a kid who vaguely resembled The Undertaker. I vowed never to buy a sports jersey with my name on the back because of him.)

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Two quick Bulls thoughts...

a) From what I've gathered of James Johnson, he sounds like a combination of Tyrus Thomas and Luol Deng. I'm sure you're immediate reaction to that sounds something like this, but, if you think about it, maybe that'll be awesome.

b) Taj Gibson is 24 (!) and his NBADraft.net player comparison is Vin Baker.

(One more quick sidenote: I've been reading NBADraft.net since at least 2002 or 2003. Their all-time greatest scouting report had to be on Deshawn Stevenson. NBA player comparison? Michael Jordan. I just checked for the link and it looks like they took down the scouting reports for all the current NBA players, but yeah, Michael Jordan. I'll never forget that.)

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One more thing...

SCOTTY PODS

What can you say that hasn't been said already? The man is a machine.

Helluva week for the Sox. Let's finish off the Quadruple-A portion of the schedule with some Cubbie domination.

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That's it for me. I'll be running SlowBreaker all day tomorrow, so make sure to check in. Have a wonderful weekend.

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UPDATE

Let's add on a little link dump. Why not?

- Like I said, I'm running SlowBreaker all day today. Go there to watch this f'ed up Grizzly Bear video, check out EVEN MORE of my NBA Draft thoughts, and click around the network. Those people do good work.

- I wanted Dejuan Blair at 16. I wanted DeJuan Blair at 26. Eamonn Brennan agrees, and finds smart people to back him up.

- From FreeDarko's live-tweet of last night's draft: "Darko Milicic is four days YOUNGER than Taj Gibson."

Oof.

I watched the draft with some of my former TTCS bros, and my buddy Scott - who I will (begrudingly!) admit knows far more about hoops than me (especially college) - was lobbying for the Bulls to take UCLA guard Jrue Holiday at 16. Looking back at how the board broke, I think my ideal draft would have been Holiday and Blair (though, like I said, I still would have taken Blair at 16). Jrue ended up going to Philly, which apparently has Brian happy. So I suppose it could be worse.

- Three best lines from Simmons' draft diary:

a) "If Jennings wanted to get paid for a year before he entered the draft, why didn't he just go to Memphis?"

b) "Hey, I'm excited for Indiana's 2009-10 local marketing campaign: a photo of Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Jeff Foster, Hansbrough and Travis Diener with the UPS-like slogan, 'WHAT CAN WHITE DO FOR YOU?'"

c) "Bilas said Griffin could "finish with either hand" twice in eight seconds. I'm 39 years old. It still made me laugh."

Now on with your weekend.

In which I find my new favorite basketball player

2009-06-25T04:33:52Z

Anytime a player enters the NBA drawing to comparisons to Pistol Pete and looking like he should be in the Arctic Monkeys, I get excited. So excited, in fact, that I'm easily more pumped to see where Ricky Rubio lands today than I am to see what happens with the Bulls.

The Bulls' Thursday will likely end with Tyler Hansbrough's stupid face holding up a red jersey. As a Bulls fan, that's conservative, boring, and probably kind of smart. But as a Rubio fan, tomorrow's possibilities are endless.

It's a big day for me. To be honest, what team Rubio goes to will have more impact on my life than whoever the Bulls choose to be their 7th man of the future. I've already decided Rubio's my new favorite player (non-Bull, at least). It's a big commitment. I will watch him on TV, play with him in video games, and wear his j-shirt to parties. Clearly, this is a huge deal. That's why I'm stealing a page out of Stompy's book and ranking the teams I'd like to see Rubio play for. Warning: FD-style liberated fandom ahead.

4. Timberwolves

I'm not sure if you've noticed, but the trade that sent Minnesota the Wizards' No. 5 overall pick cost them Mike Miller. That means they're down to only three white guys. The Pacers and Jazz boast twice as many. Though, to be fair, I always felt like Mark Madsen should count for double.

Rubio isn't the type that fits in Minnesota, though. Too cool. Hansbrough is more their style, obviously.

I'd hate this for two reasons: a) it would mean the end of Sebastian Telfair Era, and b) the Wolves don't have a hyper-athletic swingman who would look awesome throwing down Rubio lobs in transition.

Plus, you never know what type of facial hair Kevin Love could convince him to grow. Ew. Rubio in Minnesota would be gross. No thank you.

3. Grizzlies

If nothing else, Gay and Mayo could slam home those alley-oops. You know who else could? Goddamn Darius Miles. That's who.

Q-Rich not included.

We've seen the whole 'Spanish star in Memphis' thing flop before, though. More than anything, I just don't think it's a flashy enough team/city for Rubio. The man has a personality that cannot be bottled up. Need proof?

2. Kings

I love this video for two reasons. Go to the second question (:33 mark), and as watch Rubio nails Sacramento's roster with brutal singularity.

Q: "What are your thoughts on the Kings?"
A: "They are a good team. They are growing. They have a very good player, young player."

Yes, good player! One of them. Kevin Martin. And that's it.

Rubio's answer to the next question is just perfect.

Q: "How do you feel your game will translate to the NBA?"
A: "I love to run. I love to make assists to my teammates, and to make everybody happy."

Layoff, critics! Ricky Rubio just wants to make everybody happy! So what if he can't shoot? Is that really a crime?

Three more reasons why Rubio in Sac-town would be great.

a) California may be the only state cool enough to hold him.

b) The Sacramento fans are some of the best in the league. They need something to cheer about.

c) The "White Chocolate" parallels. Jason Williams was my guy growing up. Watching Rubio YouTube vids (why doesn't everyone call him Ricky YouTubeio, again?) made me remember the glory days of White Chocolate firing 360 behind-the-back passes to a cutting Lawrence Funderburke. What a time.

Watch first hand: White Chocolate highlights (with NOFX!), Rubio highlights (with 'Born to be Wild'. Seems fitting).

Now for the obvious No. 1...

1. Thunder

A no-brainer. This would be the most exciting team in the league to watch, and easily the coolest team to play as in NBA 2k10. Yeah, it kind of sucks rewarding Clay Bennett, and, while I don't know much about it, I can only imagine Oklahoma City is super lame. But seeing Rubio play with Durant would be fun overload. This needs to happen.

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UPDATE

Arin isn't giving away a free jersey this time around, but he is running a live NBA Draft chat using the mythical beast known as Cover It Live. If you've been here when we used it before, you know it's always a good time. So if you're watching the draft from home tonight, be sure to go over there and check it out.

With the 26th pick...

2009-06-24T05:48:12Z

Part I..

I sort of wish the Bulls didn't have the 26th pick. I want Thabo back. He had some good games in Oklahoma City last season, and I just feel like he'd fit this rotation well right now.

It's too late for that, though. For the record, I still think the Bulls can add a contributor at No. 26, even in a weak class. As any 90's Bulls fan would know, finding anything useful is tough at the end of the first round. Imagine how much stronger those dynasty teams could have been if at least one of those late first rounders (Travis Knight, Corey Benjamin, and Jason Caffey come to mind, just to name a few) had panned out. But the Bulls' have had some decent success with with late picks in recent years. You could do worse than Roger Mason Jr., Chris Duhon, and Trenton Hassell, right?

Well....trust me, you can.

I went through ESPN's first round archives today and am proud to report it seems like there's usually at least one pretty good player to come out of the end of the first round most years this decade. Tony Parker, Kevin Martin, Gerald Wallace, and John Salmons all turned out okay. The '03 first round even ended in Kendrick Perkins, Leandrinho Barbosa, and Josh Howard.

So the Bulls at least have a chance here. Below are a few guys I wouldn't mind them taking...

At 26

SG Marcus Thornton - LSU

What's to like: He seems like a good replacement for Gordon. Thornton might be able to shoot as well as any guard in the draft this side of Steph Curry. He finished 9th in the nation in scoring last year, averaging over 21 points a game and did it very efficiently. Thornton hit 39 percent of his treys, too. If nothing else, he seems like someone who could play about 15 minutes a night and knock down a couple threes.

Thornton on his NBA comparison over at The Baseline: "I will go with a combination of Gilbert Arenas and Stephen Jackson."

I think that means we'll see him on a FreeDarko shirt.

What's not to like: At 6'3, he's undersized for a two guard. He supposedly has trouble putting it on the floor and can't really create his own shot. He's not much of a defender, either. But, you know, don't ask him to do too much and he should be fine.

PG Toney Douglas - Florida State

What's to like: Do you want Lindsay Hunter running the show while Rose catches his breath? A late first rounder seems like a good place to try to find a backup for Rose at point. Douglas has pretty good size for a point, and, again, was one of the most efficient scoring guards in the country last year at FSU. He's also supposed to be a great defender.

What's not to like: Douglas was the best player on a team that lost in the first round of the tournament when I picked them to go to the Final Four (yikes). While he can hold down the point, he's more of a hybrid guard.

Any tall foreign guy - any foreign country

What's to like: This late in the first round, it's basically a shot in the dark anyway. Why not take a chance on a high upside Euro? It worked out for the Bulls almost 20 years ago with Toni Kukoc. History would seem to tell us that at least one of the Victor Claver, Jonas Jerebko, Omri Casspi trio will pan out. Don't forget the Bulls nabbed a foreign big man last year in round two with Omer Asik.

What's not to like: Take a look at Fran Vazquez. Sometimes these guys never even come over. And when they do, they often get dunked on.

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More draft: pinch hitting at SlowBreaker.