The draft is getting close. You get two approaches to this question. First approach: if we move up. Second: If we stay where we're at. I'll take the first, mostly because I haven't watched enough ball to have a detailed opinion about the guys who might be available at 28 or 30. I'm going with Klay Thompson. Why? 1). Lights out shooter. 40% on 7 attempts while being the focus of opposing team's defenses. His form and release are flawless. He's got NBA range, and he shoots just as well off the ball as off the dribble, with a lot of experience doing both. After watching him, I also had less doubts about athleticism and floor game than I did before. He's a below the rim player, but he can create his own shot with a combination of length, skill, and body control. His handle is good too, he just doesn't use it very often because he's such a good shooter, which brings me to my next point.... 2). Everything about his game translates to the NBA. Really, I don't see a whole lot of what he does now that he won't do for the Bulls. The problem I have with Marshon Brooks and Alec Burks is that both of them look like they dribble and create for themselves way more in college than their talent will allow them to do in the NBA. Not so for Klay. His game fits just right. I know his defense will be subpar, but he's not an idiot defender. With a lack of boneheaded plays and a commitment to Thibs' system, he should be good enough. If we don't take Klay, I'm hoping we take Bismack Biyombo. I don't care about his game, but I giggle at the thought of being able to say his name for the next 4 years. At 28, I'm hoping Iman Shumpert will be available, but I claim ignorance at a pick this low.
Also, here's a good clip of his game. It shows most of what's good about him. I concede it does nothing to qualm any doubts you might have about his defense. [video]http://youtu.be/3w2ekvQS-Xs[/video]
At this point, I think the Bulls would be best off trading all their picks in a deal for a #2 guy. If we can't get that #2 guy, then a backup SF and a roll of the dice on a SG might make sense.
Sebastian Pruti has put together a pretty great segment on Thompson's strengths and weaknesses. DraftExpress has it half way down the page here. I, like you, have not put in the amount of time on the draft that I have in the past. My guy thus far is Marshon Brooks. His elbow pops way out on his jumper but he has a really strong sense of balance. I think it's going to allow him to finish in a ton of different ways in the pros. I also like his athleticism and length as a starting point for making the transition. I like Klay Thompson well enough but I don't really see him as the right pick for the Bulls. He looks exactly, exactly to me like Kyle Korver. His shot is as NBA ready as you could hope. Part of the reason it's so good though, is because his center of gravity is so high. I don't think he's going to be able to move laterally well enough in the pros, through no fault of his own (also like Korver). Alec Burks is interesting because he's the rights size, can do a lot of different things, and has shown noticeable changes in his game since his college career ended. His form on his jumper is much more traditional than what he showed in his college highlights. That being said, his sense of balance is really inconsistent. I feel like he is a jumble of moving parts which haven't really came together. At the end of the day, I think it's easier to develop strong shooting with weak form and good balance or strong shooting with good balance and reworked form, than strong shooting with good form and bad balance. I prefer Brooks.
I think Klay's athleticism and ball handling is closer to Jalen Rose/Mike Miller than Kyle Korver. He sets up his drive with his outside shot, but he's decisive with the way he makes his moves and has good body control. He's not DWade, but playing along side next to Rose I think he'd do fine. When I watch Brooks I see a guy with similar athleticism (in game....I know he had good combine scores), but with a shot and playing style that he's not going to know what to do with in the NBA. I haven't watched a ton of both, so I'm open to being persuaded.
Hey, I think we're in similar boats in that neither of us really has strong feelings about the individual prospects because we haven't watched enough of them. I would be pretty excited if we drafted Thompson because I think there is a reasonable chance that he contributes from the get go. I agree with you that you have the same worries about Brooks that you had about James Johnson: that he will be a jack of all trades that doesn't know how to shape his game so that he is a consistent contributor. Alec Burks strikes me as the least NBA ready of the trio. He seemed to me like the college game moved a little too fast for him; or that he was a little frantic in college. I can easily envision him struggling his rookie year.
Thompson's the only intriguing possibility that might be able to help right away, but I see no way of trading up that far to get him. I'm fine with trading the picks for something useful or if that's not possible, drafting projects we can park overseas for a couple years.
"That's my guy. That's my guy right there!" Actually, my guy was Brooks, although I didn't see him play enough to know for sure.
