Rising Stock Of Bigs Leave Good SG Options For Bulls At Bottom Of 1st Round

"There shouldn't be any question that the 2012 NBA Draft will be dominated by power forwards and centers.

As the bigs created a vast majority of any buzz during last week's Draft Combine in Chicago, the mid-sized and combo guards didn't really create any splash in their measureables. And in a league conscious of a new collective bargaining agreement with harsher penalties of being in the luxury tax above the salary cap, franchises will look to take advantage of this crop of players in this year's draft to avoid committing a few dozens of millions to bigs on the free agent market -- commitments which regularly handcuff teams' flexibility in future offseasons."

Read more: http://www.blogabull.com/2012/6/10/...stock-of-bigs-leave-good-sg-options-for-bulls

 

I don't think that's quite right Rosenthall. I mean, yes, draft picks are always a crap shoot. I've started digging into this draft, though, and there is a striking amount of size all the way through both rounds. I usually equate the second round with 6'8'' power forwards and 6'2'' shooting guards and the like. This year there is NBA size throughout.

For example, I was watching Florida last night. They have this center, Bernard James, who runs 6'10'', 7'3'', 240 lbs, who is really quick and the perfect size. He's 27 years old, so many teams may write him off, but he's a defensive presence, putting up 2.3 blocks per game, and he rebounds at a decent clip, 8.1 per game. He probably will never be an above-average offensive player but he's efficient (60.6% from the field, 65% last season) and he gives you some scoring at 10.8 points per game.

I realize there's the age thing, but the drafts sites don't have him going until mid-to-late second round. I think he would be a great acquisition if the Bulls lose Asik. This isn't the regular course of things. You usually can't find size/athleticism that late in the draft.

 

So, I'm really starting to get into this draft. I think the title of the article is 100% accurate on how it will shake out. So there aren't any more-than-likely stars besides Anthony Davis. Even Thomas Robinson has a number of wholes in his game that make me worry. But the many high risk-reward power forwards and centers are pushing the more refined talent down to mid-way through the second round. The thing is, though, the Bulls will have the option of picking a player -- a shooting or point guard in particular -- who has the potential, at least, to develop into a star.

Now all of the players the Bulls have the option of drafting will need to make adjustments and develop certain components of their game. But they're all the right size and have some A-level skills and you can envision them becoming regular all-stars, if they are able to make developmental leaps in their games.

The guys who have attracted my interest so far:

John Jenkins (SG 21 years old; 6'4"; 212 lbs. Vanderbilt, Junior). Jenkins is already one of the best shooters in the world. He's only hitting 43.9% from the three, but the thing is, he shoots from anywhere past the center-court line. He reminds me of a video game. The major drawbacks for Jenkins is that he is not a great handler, and his defense looks atrocious -- he plays D like his primary concern is never getting in foul trouble, and that makes sense, because if he gets in foul trouble, Vanderbilt really doesn't have any offensive options. I'm not convinced that he won't be a better defender in the pro's where he doesn't have to carry his team's offensive load all by himself.

Orlando Johnson (SG; 23 years old; 6'5"; 224 lbss.; UC Santa Barbara, Senior). Johnson reminds me a little bit of a poor man's Brandon Roy. He has all of the classic shooting guard vocabulary and an elegance to his game that characterizes the great guards. Johnson is also a pretty darn good rebounder. Johnson's draw backs are that he's nowhere near as good a handler as Roy, and that USCB relied on this tissue-soft zone so he'll probably be an egregiously bad defender at first. Johnson may be the most complete shooting guard prospect in the draft.

Evan Fournier (SG/SF, 19 years old; 6'7"; 204 lbs. Poitiers, International). Fornier developed his game this past season in the top-level French league, which is pretty weak league. I have watched a couple of his games and he looks like he's going in fast-motion while all of the rest of the players are a step behind. He has the makings of an elite handler and defender. The big draw back for him is that his shooting is still a work in progress, and if you can't shoot, and you're shooting guard, you're not really a shooting guard.

Tyshawn Taylor PG (22 years old; 6'4"; 177 lbs.; Kansas, Senior). Taylor looks to me like the best point guard prospect in the draft that I've checked out closely. (That includes Kendall Marshall, Marquis Teague, but not Damian Lillard.) Taylor plays a gorgeous floor game and is big part of why Thomas Robinson was so effective this past season. Taylor is a genius in pick and roll action, attacking the defense in a myriad of ways: stringing it out, splitting the defenders, threading all kinds of gorgeous passes. He's also a solid defender and a way above average athlete. Some of the draft sites are down on Taylor because of his somewhat high turnover rate, but not all turnovers are the same, and Taylor takes calculated risks. Taylor's go to move is a quick little pull up jumper in the paint that he launches before defenses can collapse, and will probably be effective in the NBA. The only outstanding question about Taylor is his ability to shoot from distance, and you have to imagine that Taylor will be able to refine that area of his game, given his ability to hit close jumpers.

So right there is four guys who have the potential to be allstars. We never get that at the end of the first round.