# Draft Thread



## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

Here's the thread for the draft, including any pre-draft speculation.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

There is a lot of Jimmy Butler chatter out there today. LA, Orlando, etc. It's going to be interesting tonight.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

K4E - if you're reading, in the unlikely event the Bulls do unload Butler tonight for picks/young guys and it looks like a full-on rebuild, are you on board for that approach?

I have a hard time seeing 80 year-old Jerry being cool with that, but maybe he has enough Bulls rings and all he cares about are the Sox at this point.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

Woj and KC both tweeting in the last few minutes that the Bulls are still engaged in talks with Boston for Butler.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

No Dunn for Bos, which seems to indicate no deal with Chi.

Probably nothing for JB unless there's an unlikely Minny trade.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/746130178418548740


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/746130132260229120


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/746132248731197440


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

Denzel Valentine is the pick.


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## Dornado (May 26, 2003)

I liked Denzel Valentine at MSU - I'm a little curious what position he projects to play (Gar Foreman says he projects to be a 2 that can play the 1 or 3, I think) and I'm a little worried about Valentine's lack of athleticism, but he definitely has a great feel for the game, can handle it, pass it and shoot it.


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## K4E (Jun 29, 2015)

You are not going to get a bonafide stud at 14.

Seems like he has some skills the Bulls need and might play well with Butler.

Bulls are stockpiling guys that are not strong defenders though.

Robin. McDermott. Niko. Now Valentine (supposedly).

You have to trust at this point the Bulls did as much homework as possible on the knees.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

K4E said:


> You are not going to get a bonafide stud at 14.
> 
> Seems like he has some skills the Bulls need and might play well with Butler.
> 
> ...



Yeah, in a vacuum I don't really mind the pick, but I'm not sure how you can play Valentine next to McD, Niko, Portis, etc. 

I'd disagree though that Robin is not a strong defender. He seems above average (but not as good as the guy he's replacing) in that regard.

Overall, though, absent further moves the Bulls look pretty terrible on the defensive end next season.


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## K4E (Jun 29, 2015)

jnrjr79 said:


> I'd disagree though that Robin is not a strong defender. He seems above average (but not as good as the guy he's replacing) in that regard.


I have not watched Robin Lopez play a great deal, so we'll see.

Here's a query of centers that played more than 15 minutes per game last season sorted by defensive win shares. 

http://stats.nba.com/league/player/...e=Regular Season&CF=MIN*G*15&PlayerPosition=C

Here's ESPN's Real Def +/-

http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/page/2/sort/DRPM/position/9


Let's just say he doesn't rate out like a plus defender by any stretch by these metrics.

Valentine / Butler / McDermott / Niko / Lopez seems like trouble.

It does seem like he's a good rim protector. His per 36 here is pretty good.

http://nyloncalculus.com/stats/rim-protection/

I'll reserve judgement I guess until I see him play for the Bulls a bit.


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## HB (May 1, 2004)

I just dont get what the Bulls are doing.

Valentine had red flags going into the draft. Good player, but he doesn't strike me as a superstar. Lets go with the logic that the Bulls moved Rose because of his health, so they pick up a guy with similar issues?


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## K4E (Jun 29, 2015)

HB said:


> I just dont get what the Bulls are doing.
> 
> Valentine had red flags going into the draft. Good player, but he doesn't strike me as a superstar. Lets go with the logic that the Bulls moved Rose because of his health, so they pick up a guy with similar issues?



The Bulls are trying to consistently make the 1st round of the playoffs.

They also tend to draft replacements. If Valentine can play the 1/2/3, who could he replace if they decided to part with one of their existing 1/2/3s?


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## Dornado (May 26, 2003)




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## Dornado (May 26, 2003)




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## Fergus (Oct 2, 2002)

Is there any hope that Zipser can be a legitimate NBA player? Chad Ford liked him, saying that he is athletic and can score. My initial thought was he would stay in Europe for now and come to the Bulls in a year or two.


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