SB Nation Chicago: All Posts by Alex Sonty

Bulls vs. L.A. Clippers Final Score: Bulls Turn Ball Over All Game in 101-80 Loss

2012-11-18T05:01:56Z

Neither end of this game was very pretty. With an 18-15 score at the end of the first quarter, the Bulls and Clippers were foreshadowing some bad things to happen for someone in L.A.

The Bulls turned the ball over 12 times in the first 17 minutes, largely contributing to the Clips' 17 fast break points in that span and 35 second-quarter points. Taking a 53-40 lead into halftime, Chris Paul came into the second half with a clear mission to slow the game down and limit the Bulls' possessions to minimize their chance to mount a comeback.

Bulls locked down to cause some shot clock violations and closed out on the 3-point line well to force L.A. to put the ball on the floor. But the 26 fast break points and the 20 points off of turnovers contributed to a .493 FG% that made up for the Clippers' inefficiency spurts and Bulls mini-runs.

The scoring woes of the Bulls' first half where Carlos Boozer, Richard Hamilton, and Luol Deng accounted for 14 of the Bulls' 16 first-half baskets didn't shift. Joakim Noah and Kirk Hinrich missed all 11 of their combined shots for four and one point, respectively. Boozer led the way with a string 22-point, 12-rebound double-double while Deng and Rip disappeared in the second half.

The Clippers bench, led by Jamal Crawford, outscored the Bulls' 53-25. The Bulls' 33.7% brickfest from the field wasn't aided by Taj Gibson and Marco Belinelli's 1-for-6 nights. Deng was a 5-for-16 bricklayer, missing his only 3-pointer. The Bulls, as a whole, shot 2-for-14 on on threes.

On the face, one could think the Bulls' did well on the boards, out-rebounding L.A. 45-41, but a whole gaggle of their 21 offensive boards were Moses Malones where they were anemic to finish at the rim.

Blake Griffin had a modest start to the game in the box score. The fingerprints of his aggressiveness were all over the game and he closed it out well with a 6-for-8 shooting fourth quarter to end with 22 points on 10-for-19 with 10 rebounds and two steals.

All in all, awful performance where the Bulls' defensive rotations weren't even challenged all too much. Tom Thibodeau's team shot itself in the foot, not taking care of the ball, and lost their energy getting killed in the open court.

The Bulls are now 5-4 after the Bucks advanced to 6-2, beating the Hornets on Saturday evenings to advance their Central Division lead.

Stats via NBA.com.

Bulls at L.A. Clippers Preview: Where Everything Needs to Go Right For One and Wrong for the Other

2012-11-17T19:38:34Z

The days of being "The Other L.A. Team" are over as the Pacific Division-leading 6-2 Clippers are better than up-and-coming; now in the range of arrived and ready to contend for a championship.

Led by arguably the best point guard in the NBA and the power forward just about everyone would re-draft first across the league, their complimentary pieces' weakness are well-hidden because extraordinary things are not demanded of them. Instead, the strengths of those pieces are magnified.

Looking throughout the Clippers rotation, there isn't a "don't worry about him" guy without a "worry about him" guy catching an alley-oop over someone's head or draining a three nearby:

Chris Paul, perennial All-Star and MVP candidate, who can score from anywhere, makes plays out of nothing and attack passing lanes as well as anyone (27.4 PER, 17.0 PPG, 10.3 APG, .522 eFG%, .400 3P%, .913 FT%,).
Blake Griffin, maybe the most athletic post player in the NBA and a crafty rebounder, is having a slow'ish start and still producing at a high level (18.9 PER, 16.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, .495 FG%, .268 DRB%).
Jamal Crawford, their leading per game scorer this season is coming off the bench, is getting little more volume than ever, but is more efficient than he's ever been (24.1 PER, 20.5 PPG, .605 eFG%).
DeAndre Jordan in the middle is one of the most aggressive seven-foot athletic freaks in the league. Always a lob threat in and out of the pick n' roll, good rebounder when he has to be, and excellent shot blocker (19.6 PER, .714eFG%, 6.1 BLK%).
Eric Bledsoe, more guard depth off the bench playing putting up go-to guy production (22.2 PER, 21.1 PP36, .561 TS%).
Caron Butler shooting like a god and finally in a place where he isn't leaned upon to play above himself (.583 eFG%, .500 3P%).
Matt Barnes playing such great defense and always with these scorers around him doesn't produce a liability when he comes in for Butler.
Willie Green, asked to nothing in his 19.1 MPG than hit threes (.409 3P%).
Lamar Odom is still a shell of himself, but Griffin's stamina with Butler, Barnes, and Crawford all being capable forwards doesn't produce a need for Odom.
Ronny Turiaf is pretty much not making too many mistakes as the 12.6 MPG backup center for Jordon (20.0% DRB%)

The Clippers are the second-best shooting team in the league (.541 eFG%) and 6th-best defensive efficiency (100.5 DRtg), despite allowing opponents to shoot an about average .486 eFG%, because they're the most turnover producers (17.0% TOV%).

It's a great reflection of how this team is generally managed. There isn't a 25 PPG, buckets guy, but a lot of guys who can score for a team that scores from everywhere. There isn't a tandem of shut down wing players or bigs on defense, but they force turnovers and block shots with aggressiveness and athleticism.

There isn't really a formula to beating the Clippers. Isolation deters them from being rewarded for attacking passing lanes, screens set them in motion to take energy away from their offense, closing out on shooters can force shooters to freeze, and help can force the dribble-too-much guys into bad shot selection. The Bulls aren't a very good isolation team, but they do well at everything else.

What's frustrating is that all of this can go right for the 5-3 Bulls and they can still walk out of the Staples Center at 5-4 because it's more of a game that the Clippers need to mess up than for the Bulls to outplay their opponents. Those mistakes can be forced on both ends, but it'll take the 48-minute effort on which Coach Tom Thibodeau fixates, usually not needed so much against mediocre teams and bums.

Bad things need to happen for the Clippers for the Bulls to beat this stacked roster, despite Chauncey Billups and Grant HIll being out with injury. With Crawford creating his own shot all night and the Clippers executing under Vinny Del Negro, it should therefore surprise no one if the Bulls win on Saturday night.

It'd be an upset, but not a shocker.

Stats via Basketball-Reference.com.

Bulls vs. L.A. Clippers Preview: Full Coverage

2012-11-17T19:37:06Z

The Bulls will be outmatched on many levels in their second game of the Circus Trip against the Clippers in Los Angeles.

The days of being "The Other L.A. Team" are over as the Pacific Division-leading 6-2 Clippers are better than up-and-coming; now in the range of arrived and ready to contend for a championship.

Looking throughout the Clippers rotation, there isn't a "don't worry about him" guy without a "worry about him" guy catching an alley-oop over someone's head or draining a three nearby:

Chris Paul, perennial All-Star and MVP candidate, who can score from anywhere, makes plays out of nothing and attack passing lanes as well as anyone (27.4 PER, 17.0 PPG, 10.3 APG, .522 eFG%, .400 3P%, .913 FT%,).
Blake Griffin, maybe the most athletic post player in the NBA and a crafty rebounder, is having a slow'ish start and still producing at a high level (18.9 PER, 16.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, .495 FG%, .268 DRB%).
Jamal Crawford, their leading per game scorer this season is coming off the bench, is getting little more volume than ever, but is more efficient than he's ever been (24.1 PER, 20.5 PPG, .605 eFG%).
DeAndre Jordan in the middle is one of the most aggressive seven-foot athletic freaks in the league. Always a lob threat in and out of the pick n' roll, good rebounder when he has to be, and excellent shot blocker (19.6 PER, .714eFG%, 6.1 BLK%).
Eric Bledsoe, more guard depth off the bench playing putting up go-to guy production (22.2 PER, 21.1 PP36, .561 TS%).
Caron Butler shooting like a god and finally in a place where he isn't leaned upon to play above himself (.583 eFG%, .500 3P%).
Matt Barnes playing such great defense and always with these scorers around him doesn't produce a liability when he comes in for Butler.
Willie Green, asked to nothing in his 19.1 MPG than hit threes (.409 3P%).
Lamar Odom is still a shell of himself, but Griffin's stamina with Butler, Barnes, and Crawford all being capable forwards doesn't produce a need for Odom.
Ronny Turiaf is pretty much not making too many mistakes as the 12.6 MPG backup center for Jordon (20.0% DRB%)

It'd be an upset, but not a shocker.

Stats via Basketball-Reference.com.

Bulls Free Agency: Guard options, centers available to replace Asik, general free agent market prices

2012-07-08T00:14:01Z

Whether or not the Bulls match the Rockets' three-year, $24 million offer sheet to keep Omer Asik, they don't have the funds available to be aggressive in the free agent market.

Every free agent target is being told by their agents that the players can get more than they actually can; and to, therefore, not settle for mid-level exception type of money until the teams with cap room to spend more begin draining that cap space.

Jason Terry, Jason Kidd, Jamal Crawford, and Brandon Roy are the only free agents to have committed to MLE-range money at this point. All went to teams with something in common: their positional needs at the players' respective positions are less demanding of those free agents' performances than the Bulls' need.

Kidd and Terry already have a ring each and would be closer to role players on the Knicks and Celtics than they would here in Chicago. Crawford and Roy went to lesser full teams, but to teams in the Clippers and Timberwolves with more flexibility to add to their respective rosters, though already would be periphery focal points of the teams' schemes.

That said, the Bulls Organization still deserves to be scrutinized for not being able to land a Terry or Crawford type of talent with so much still left in their tanks.

To look at the Bulls' options, it's still required to look at the free agent market in a larger picture. The max contracts define the market's cap, those losing on their attempts to get max deals lowers the demands of those attempting to get more than the MLE; and from there, the Bulls have realistic targets.

I placed all of the guards in one chart and bigs who can legitimately play the five in another; the third is a current recap of the deals agreed to, some offered to this point in general, and how some players landed on waivers.

Guards [click here to enlarge]:

Bigs [click here to enlarge]:

Agreed-upon Transactions [click here to enlarge]:

The deals are much shorter due to the newest collective bargaining agreements. Those which are most influential to lowering the market prices for the Bulls to maximize of their targets are obviously Terry and Crawford, but moreso the surprisingly reasonable deals to Goran Dragic and Jeremy Lin.

Dragic and Lin are precisely the types of players most likely to get overpaid early in the free agent period, and thereby inflating the prices of others. Not saying that a player like O.J. Mayo would fall to MLE-value, but their deals lessen the likelihood of him getting into the eight-figure dollar range. A perfect example is Nick Young only getting a one-year deal worth $6 million from the 76ers.

This may push guys like Jerryd Bayless and J.R. Smith down to even the mini-MLE range for two or three years and keep current Bulls targets like Courtney Lee, Delonte West, and Kirk Hinrich in their price range, if not lower them to veteran minimum range.

More importantly, if the Bulls opt to not match Asik's signed offer sheet with the Rockets, there are serviceable bigs on which to use their MLE with players like West, Lee, or maybe a Shannon Brown in the veteran minimum range.

These are stretches, and the market still has a lot of playing itself out to do. But what we know is who's out there and who's agreed to what right now. Most of the rest is guessing.

Most free agent notes are via the NBA.com Free Agent Tracker and Adrian Wojnarski's Twitter page; PER is via Basketball-Reference.com.

Chicago Bulls Free Agency Rumors: Kirk Hinrich, Delonte West on Bulls radar

2012-06-30T15:09:05Z

In the 2012 NBA Draft, the Bulls found a backup point guard to fill the job C.J. Watson was brought in to do two years ago. But with Derrick Rose recovering from ACL surgery until at least -- well... no one can really estimate -- the Organization is looking for a veteran to be a starter in the meantime for that period of next season.

Former Bull Kirk Hinrich has been reportedly on the Bulls radar for a couple of weeks; Delonte West is a name added to that reported list Friday.

The Bulls only have a $5 million mid-level exemption to the salary cap to spend on free agents and can give minimum salaries to fill the roster. After signing draft pick Marquis Teague and what's expected to be committed to re-signing Omer Asik, the Bulls will be in the $70 million dollar range -- nearly $2-3 million short of the luxury tax.

The general thought was the Bulls' will attempt using a veteran minimum on whomever starts at the point for them next season. Hinrich reportedly won't sign to anyone that low (and may have other suitors -yfbb), but West played for that minimum last season.

Both are not "true point guards", but combo guards with just enough size and more than enough skill to defend two or three positions. Either would fit add versatility to the Bulls defense for the entire season.

Rafer Alston will reportedly attend a Bulls camp from July 12-15. Jonny Flynn has also reportedly been on a few teams' radars, including the Bulls.

There isn't really much other than a little size and speed that puts the 31-year-old Hinrich over the 28-year-old West. Flynn has been a bit of a disaster throughout his short career thus far, and Alston hasn't played an NBA game since the 2009-10 season.

Here are their career numbers:

Rk	Player	From	To	G	GS	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
1	Rafer Alston	2000	2010	671	452	28.9	3.7	9.5	.383	1.5	4.2	.354	1.3	1.8	.729	4.8	1.2	0.2	1.8	2.1	10.1
2	Jonny Flynn	2010	2012	163	90	22.9	3.4	8.5	.400	0.7	2.1	.338	1.7	2.2	.809	3.9	0.7	0.0	2.3	1.1	9.2
3	Kirk Hinrich	2004	2012	634	515	33.0	4.6	11.0	.417	1.5	3.9	.378	1.9	2.3	.811	5.4	1.2	0.3	2.0	3.0	12.5
4	Delonte West	2005	2012	432	258	27.4	3.7	8.3	.448	0.9	2.3	.372	1.4	1.7	.826	3.6	1.1	0.4	1.6	1.9	9.7

Rk	Player	PER	TS%	eFG%	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%	ORtg	DRtg	OWS	DWS	WS	WS/48
1	Rafer Alston	13.2	.490	.461	1.5	9.7	5.6	27.4	2.2	0.4	14.7	19.4	102	105	10.3	22.6	32.9	.081
2	Jonny Flynn	11.3	.490	.442	1.3	8.1	4.6	26.7	1.6	0.1	19.9	22.3	94	114	-2.1	1.0	-1.1	-0.015
3	Kirk Hinrich	13.8	.522	.484	1.3	9.8	5.5	27.0	1.9	0.6	14.5	19.1	106	106	20.5	23.5	44.0	.101
4	Delonte West	13.9	.538	.501	2.2	10.3	6.3	21.1	2.1	1.2	15.2	17.9	107	106	10.9	13.6	24.5	.099

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table; Generated 6/30/2012.

Teams can begin courting free agents Sunday, July 1, but players cannot sign until July 11. It will likely take a bit of time for the Bulls to begin filling their rosters with limited money to offer for leftovers and limited trade possibilities.

We'll look more at combo guard and wing options in the coming week.

My opinion: Hinrich's been an awesome defender, but is only getting older and has always has shot selection problems; West is one of my favs; the way Flynn's first name is spelled pisses me off; and if Alston gets anything, it better be suit duty

2012 NBA Draft: Bulls pass on strong wing prospects for Kentucky PG Marquis Teague; goodbye, C.J.

2012-06-29T04:06:52Z

The Bulls selection of Marquis Teague, 19-year-old NCAA Champion Kentucky point guard, was a shock; but not only for his position.

Earlier in the day, K.C. Johnson re-tweeted a report from a New York reporter expecting the Bulls to be targeting Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor at #29. The insinuation was consistent with loud whispers that the Bulls would pass on their team option to keep C.J. Watson next season for $3.2 million; and Taylor would be backing up a veteran starter while Derrick Rose recovers from ACL surgery.

The shock was that Teague was even available. Most boards had him as a top three PG in this draft behind Damien Lillard and Kendall Marshall; or in the top four with the 6' 5" true combo guard Tony Wroten ahead of him. Lillard was expectedly picked at #6 and Marshall was picked in the lottery a handful of spots ahead of expectations.

Marshall was almost uncontroversially the Mavericks' top target. With him gone, they selected Tyler Zeller at #17 and traded him for control of the Cavs' final three three picks at #24, #33, and #34. Dallas threw a huge curveball by selecting projected second rounder Jared Cunningham at #24, leaving the Grizzles with the choice of Teague and Wroten to fill a point guard need.

The Grizz picked Wroten at #25. The Pacers passed up on adding Teague, instead choosing to add athletic seven-footer Miles Plumee at #26. The Heat and Thunder had no intention of going small and with highly ranked bigger players still available, it was clear Teague would fall into the Bulls' laps.

Teague was selected over Quincy Miller, Jeffrey Taylor, Orlando Johnson, Festus Ezeli, Tyshawn Taylor, Doron Lamb, and the consensus expectation Will Barton.

It's difficult to look at the Bulls' weaknesses in the rotation spots which demand 25+ MPG on a nightly basis. But the Bulls may have selected the best player available; and the rule of thumb is -- especially outside of the lottery -- is that you shouldn't pass on the best player available, regardless of position, because chances for low first round picks to add value are so slim.

Stats and scouting

Season	School	Conf	G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT	FTA	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
2011-12	Kentucky	SEC	40	32.6	3.6	8.8	.412	0.7	2.0	.325	2.1	3.0	.714	2.5	4.8	0.9	0.3	2.7	2.3	10.0
Career	Kentucky		40	32.6	3.6	8.8	.412	0.7	2.0	.325	2.1	3.0	.714	2.5	4.8	0.9	0.3	2.7	2.3	10.0

Season	School	Conf	PER	TS%	eFG%	ORB%	DRB%	TRB%	AST%	STL%	BLK%	TOV%	USG%
2011-12	Kentucky	SEC	13.2	.491	.449	1.6	6.6	4.4	25.6	1.7	0.8	21.1	20.2
Career	Kentucky		13.2	.491	.449	1.6	6.6	4.4	25.6	1.7	0.8	21.1	20.2

Provided by Sports-Reference.com/CBB: View Original Table; Generated 6/28/2012.

Teague isn't big enough to play the wing. He's only 6' 2", but a -- well -- freakish athlete. And not a circus act that will never translate to the NBA, but a player with speed, agility, and insane hops that ought to translate very well to the NBA, as a dangerous player in the open floor with pick n' roll penetration skills to fit right in to the Bulls' inside-out, board crashing second-chance game, Mike Schmitz's scouting report with the help of John Calipari and Jay Bilas suggests:

His speed and method fit into how Tom Thibodeau likes his point guard to use the dribble to move the defense while others create off the ball, find lanes to drive, and finish with the confidence of trailing rebounders. And his physical attributes with a coach like Thibodeau makes the mind run wild of his potential as a defender.

"He's another guy who can break defenses down, get in the paint, and make plays for himself," Bulls GM Gar Forman said Thursday evening.

The 500-pound gorilla in the room

The magic question: But who cares, because point guard is arguably the least important defensive position?

OK, the real question:

@AlexSontyHoops The problem is they drafted a PG who's ceiling is Rose's backup for the next 5 years. Take a risk on a 'potential' SG
— NBA Trade Ideas (@NBATradeIdeas) June 29, 2012

The Bulls already have an MVP point guard whom the organization expects to log 35+ MPG for at least the next six years, so no matter how good Teague becomes, when does this value get added?

Honestly, I don't know; and the Bulls probably don't either, but will do their damnedest to sell you on "can't have too much depth" narrative.

What I can do is speculate is that the Bulls are questioning Rose's long-term viability as a point guard, as the 76ers did with Allen Iverson at an inflection point; that maybe more minutes in small backcourts in shifts as the secondary ball handler -- the de facto SG -- is optimal for his health, so he can rest more often on offense.

But, again, I'm honestly just guessing and assuming the Bulls had a 'best player available' approach and were shocked someone so high on their overall board fell in their laps.

Serious concern

There's a lot of stop for caution when I see a point guard with a 101.7 offensive rating on a team with a 116.6 rating, as Teague did on last year's NCAA Champion Kentucky Wildcats. His turnover rate is very scary coming into an offense which demands the point guard do a ton of movements at various speeds with the ball.

He shot a very respectable .368 3P% (7-for-19) in March and April when the pressure was at its highest during tournament play, but only .311 in the first 29 games (19-for-61), adding to the narrative of him getting better as the season went along.

But the turnovers weren't much lower and the lowered volume of threes raises valid questions of his NBA range.

Four of the six players I ranked over Teague were still available. Those four were picked at #31 (J. Taylor - Bobcats), #36 (Johnson - Kings, traded to the Pacers), #38 (Miller - Warriors), #40 (Barton - Trail Blazers), so I'd be completely disingenuous to suggest the Bulls maximized the return for the only pick they possessed in a draft so deep.

In any other draft a player like Teague is a huge steal at #29, but this wasn't any other draft. It was a draft where four players projected to be lottery picks in 2011 fell out of the lottery after an extra year in school.

There weren't just options to full the gaping hole at shooting guard, but players with combinations of NBA length and agility to add to both ends of the floor, versatility, shooting, ball handling, and IQs to create shots on and off the ball. The value gap between Teague, a projected #25 pick, and the actual #40 pick is so tight that "best player available" is difficult to articulate for anyone at that spot.

Sure, he was the point guard on an NCAA national champion; but so was Mateen Cleaves.

Teague is going to be a good player for what he is, and may become a good starter sooner rather than later. But if he progresses well early, he'll get too expensive to keep with a salary too low to trade for good value; if he doesn't, then, he's a bust. Teague's maximum value for the Bulls may have been in the minutes between when the Bulls picked him and the 34th, 35th, or 36th picks were made; maybe there is some grand scheme to get Pau Gasol or Dwight Howard, using Teague to fill serious needs for the Lakers or Magic.

But, again, maybe Rose is the shooting guard of the future for this franchise; and no one knows it yet.

2012 NBA Draft: Ranking the Bulls potential draft picks -- Will Barton, John Jenkins, Doron Lamb & more

2012-06-28T13:16:16Z

The Bulls have the 29th pick in this Thursday's 2012 NBA Draft, and looking at mock drafts, we have a better picture of their wealth of options.

The best player available will likely not conflict with the Bulls need for someone on the wing with length to defend more than one position and good scoring abilities -- shot creation on and/or off the ball and long range. An existing ability to defend with the length and long range is optimal, but difficult to find with the ability to create a shot with the ball at the NBA level; and players with that shot creation ability usually have sketchy ranges, raising the fears of inefficiency. The Bulls don't need more possession killers; they need finishers on both ends.

Quincy Miller and Jeffrey Taylor are still not likely to be available to the Bulls, but likely enough to be worthy of discussion. The depth of this draft de-values those who would be passed up to draft-and-stash Evan Fournier in Europe, so he gets added to the discussion.

The long-shot that all three, and Will Barton, somehow get picked before the Bulls can grab them may open up the shot at Festus Ezeli as a real option. He could be the player who gives the Bulls more wiggle room to pass up on retaining Omer Asik. But the wealth of shooting guards and small forwards who can play the two raise the value of trading down to pick up a sniper like John Jenkins or Doron Lamb, along with a backup point guard like Tyshawn Taylor or Scott Machado to replace C.J. Watson .

Barton's reportedly the only player the Bulls have worked out twice. Local writers are consistent with national writers in expecting Barton to not pass the Bulls. If he isn't on the board, most speculation leads to the Bulls selecting either of the two one-trick sharpshooters -- Jenkins or Lamb -- who are probably the two best shooters in the draft.

Barton is the favorite to be picked by the Bulls, but there's little belief they'd pass up on the more NBA-ready, less long but more athletic Taylor. In the SB Nation blogger draft, Miller and Fournier were taken, and I was saved from a tough decision on Ezeli. I elected to grab the underrated NBA-ready, long, athletic, hard-working, mid-major star scorer Orlando Johnson; but my decision was -- and has been for weeks -- very close between him, Barton, Taylor, and Jenkins.

The options led me to use deductive reasoning, eliminating Jenkins because of his height and lack of defensive skills. Defense can be taught to someone who can combine intelligence with a long frame, athleticism, or ferocity; Jenkins doesn't show to possess these qualities to make him into a good defender, let alone make him someone who can play more than one position at 6' 4".

Barton and Taylor are the better defenders and Taylor may have the best shot of the remaining three options. Barton's shot is bad enough that there's more wait-and-see with his all-around game, and his lack of athleticism makes me fearful that the strength he deeply needs to add may further compromise that.

Johnson's shot is closer to par with Taylor and their athleticism may be closer than people think. Taylor is the much better defender, but Taylor's 6' 7" wingspan makes him a different sort of exploitable. Johnson's 6' 11" wingspan at least gives Bulls helpers more time to rotate as Johnson's man will need wider angles to get around him.

Johnson's experience at the point and scoring abilities with such high efficiency at high volume wasn't just getting around a bum or two in the mid-majors. He faced double- and triple-teams on a nightly basis and turned into a de facto point forward at many points. Normally, this is a red flag, but his length and shooting ability should translate just as well as Taylor's range and open court play. But a decision between the two is still very close; Taylor is the safer pick, but Johnson has a higher ceiling.

All of that said, we should all be fairly shocked if Taylor is still around at #29 because his stock has risen to that mid-20s level to get drafted.

Of the players who can be available, I rank the Bulls' options as:

Quincy Miller - scouted here by me; very long and athletic, but fears of his past ACL injury make him very polarizing, despite an NBA range and great high post game; can play with two forwards and a center, but struggles to position himself down low on both ends too much to play the four; everything the Bulls could want in a wing player if his size doesn't deceive people to expect more than he is.
Evan Fournier - draft and stash option playing in France that's hard to pass on; great scorer, plays three positions, improving bad shooting at a young age.
Orlando Johnson - scouted here by me; very long, great shooter, has experience at the one, two, and three; needs to improve defense, but has the IQ, work ethic, length, and athleticism to be very good with the right coaching; a bit of an enigma coming from a mid-major, but produced at very high levels as the focal point of the offense against double teams and aggressive help defense; willing passer, but with turnover problems against hyper-aggressive defenses that should ease up in the NBA.
Jeffrey Taylor - excellent defender, great shooter, dangerous in transition, lacks length for the SF position, scouted here by BaB friend Christian D'Andrea at Anchor of Gold.
Will Barton - scouted here by me; very good, aggressive rim attacker and defender; lacks athleticism and length, but very hard worker; has NBA length and defensive skills, but struggles to find good jump shots.
John Jenkins - scouted here by me; maybe the best shooter in the draft, making him NBA-ready; lacks the length and strength to play any position other than SG; awesome off-ball shot creator; only has zone experience.
Marquis Teague - if available, he'll be by far the best available, difficult to pass on; but if Lillard isn't there for the Warriors at #7 and Teague's available at #29, the Bulls' pick gets a ton of trade value as everyone else in the league would then know that he won't be available after GSW at #30; highly likely won't get passed on by the Grizzlies at #25
Festus Ezeli - huge basket defender, will be a great shot blocker if he can stay healthy, amazing character and work ethic; but only if the Bulls know they can't afford Asik, as he'd be ready to fill that void for a few years better than free agent options; likely won't be available after the Heat at #27 or Thunder at #28.
Kim English - big-time college producer, very similar to Taylor in length, yet not as strong and athletic, but a much better shooter; a much safer pick than the average early second round pick because of his elite shooting and ability to play two positions; easily a top five spot-up shooter in this draft, who'll fair well in the NBA.
Tyshawn Taylor - scouted here by me; NBA-ready shooter who'd be a definite first rounder if he were two or three inches taller; maybe too short to play SG too much and way too turnover prone to trust at the point; very good defender, but will need to learn to guard threes as well to add the versatility to keep him as an asset to NBA rotations, instead of his decision-making turning him into a liability.
Doron Lamb - arguably the second-best shooter in the draft; like Jenkins, would be a lottery pick if he were two inches taller.
Tony Wroten - project with a ton of potential, versatile length to play two -- if not three -- positions, avery aggressive, but horrendous shooter; likely will get passed on by teams who want more NBA-ready players, as the seven of the eight picks right before the Bulls are held by teams that made the playoffs last season and there's plenty of NBA-ready talent available.

Anyone looking at this draft can say with confidence that no more than four of the top six or six of the top eight I've listed will be picked before #29, so the final four are merely ceremonial and covering the options that should be available if the Bulls trade for a package of, for example, the Cavs two early second round picks.

There's a good amount toward which Bulls fans can look forward with any of those top five being selected.

2012 NBA Draft: Comparing mock drafts from around the web

2012-06-27T17:30:15Z

The 2012 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 28. The Bulls have only the 29th pick. It's unsure whether or not they'll trade to move up or gather more picks.

Looking at mock drafts are most useful not for pinpoint predictions, but to see the ranges at which players are likely to go and display a good range of players who will be available to the Bulls; which is why I expanded these mocks to go through the first ten picks of the second round.

The consensus top pick is Anthony Davis. Thomas Robinson and Bradley Beal are becoming the consensus #2 and #3. After that, top tens are very similar with differing orders, but the top seven all include Harrison Barnes, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Andre Drummond, and Damien Lillard. In the past weeks: Lillard entered this group; Beal has shot up the boards; and Drummond has fallen from what was seeming like a guaranteed top four to somewhere in the #4-to-#7 range.

After that, Austin Rivers' rising stock is pushing down that of Jeremy Lamb -- and to a lesser degree that of Meyers Leonard, John Henson, and Tyler Zeller, but the top 20 are fairly recognizable.

The polarizing views on Quincy Miller and Tony Wroten, the elite shooting with nothing else to bring to the table has John Jenkins all over the place, and Jeffrey Taylor looking like a first round guarantee gives a better picture of the Bulls' options.

So, after all of that, here is your clusterfrack of mock drafts.

The first and second columns are two mocks by me, yet different. The first is who I would pick were I each team -- obviously having less information than them; and the second is how the draft is more likely to go, judging not from the players' skill and potential, but of their stock. The third is a 'who each team should pick' mock, performed by SB Nation bloggers over the weekend in the draft order (including myself picking for the Bulls); The fourth is from Scott Howard-Cooper at NBA.com; the fifth is Chad Ford's Mock Draft 9.3 at ESPN.com (#31-#40 are from 9.2) ; the sixth from DraftExpress.com, which is as of this morning; and the seventh from David Aldridge at NBA.com, posted this morning.

Discuss away (click to enlarge):