Prospect Watch: Stephen Curry

If the Bulls lose Ben Gordon to free agency this summer, which is likely to happen if the shooting guard receives a substantial offer from another team, the Bulls will need someone in the backcourt who can knock down shots playing alongside Derrick Rose.  The best shooter in this draft is Davidson’s Stephen Curry, a 6′3″ guard who can really shoot the lights out.  The only problem for the Bulls would be that Curry is projected to be a lottery pick, and there is talk that he’s getting the attention of teams as high as Washington (fifth pick).  The Bulls would have to trade up for Curry, but it would be a fit if they were able to land him.

Curry played shooting guard for the first two years of his collegiate career, but attempted to make the transition to point guard last season.  The results were mixed, but he showed that he has a good basketball IQ and could develop into a capable point guard.  Curry could play alongside Derrick Rose and serve as a nice outlet for the team’s franchise player.  Rose’s ability to penetrate opens things up on the outside, where Curry could knock down shots with regularity.  He’d also be able to run the point part-time when Rose is on the bench.  It’s a long shot, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

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Mock Draft

ESPN’s Chad Ford has the Bulls selecting Gerald Henderson and DaJuan Summers in his latest mock draft.  “Call it a Ben Gordon insurance policy,” Ford says of the Henderson selection at 16.  ”If Gordon leaves in free agency, Henderson can step in and help, especially on the defensive end.  Henderson had an inconsistent career at Duke, but when he’s good, he can be really good.”  “Summers is a NBA athlete and a good scorer whose game really slipped toward the end of the year,” Ford writes of the Summers selection.  ”More and more NBA scouts are projecting him as a 4 in the league.  He’s not a great rebounder, but he could give the Bulls some much-needed offense down low.  On talent he could have gone much higher and is a value pick for the Bulls here.”

I don’t really see the Henderson pick working with the Bulls’ roster, even if Ben Gordon leaves town this summer.  Henderson looks like a good defender who will struggle to score in the pros and the Bulls will need some additional offensive firepower on the perimeter if they lose Gordon.  The Summers pick makes sense, but only if he can play the four.  If he can play power forward and provide scoring inside, then his rebounding deficiencies are not as glaring with Joakim Noah cleaning up on the glass.

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Bulls Work Out Flynn

In a somewhat puzzling development, the Bulls recently worked out Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn.  “News that the Bulls worked out Jonny Flynn over the weekend is intriguing merely because most mock drafts have the Syracuse point guard listed as a lottery pick,” it said in the Chicago Tribune.  ”The Bulls own the 16th and 26th selections.”  It’s not that he’s projected to go higher in this draft than the Bulls are selecting that gives me pause, it’s the position that he plays that confuses this blogger most.  Using such a high pick on a backup point guard doesn’t seem to make sense, and it’s not like Derrick Rose is going anywhere soon.

Flynn looks to be a solid player with potential, but he’s no sure thing.  His size, questionable decision-making and so-so jump shot seem to worry scouts, but he should stick in the league.  The Bulls though, have more pressing needs, such as replacing Ben Gordon should he sign elsewhere.  Working out Flynn could signal that the team is ready to deal Kirk Hinrich this summer.  Hinrich was a solid contributor last season, but his salary doesn’t match his minutes.  It’s unclear what the Bulls intentions are now.

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Signing Gordon a Top Priority

He may be streaky and he may be a bit one-dimensional, but Ben Gordon was a big part of the Bulls’ success this season, and newly-minted Chicago general manager Gar Forman is well aware of this fact.  Forman proclaimed that the team wants to re-sign the shooting guard this offseason, as Gordon will be an unrestricted free agent, even going so far as to call it a top priority.  “There’s still a lot of steps until we get to that point,” Forman cautioned.  The two sides were unable to agree on a long-term extension last summer, which resulted in Gordon signing a one-year qualifying offer with the team.  Forman recently replaced John Paxson, who will remain with the team as executive vice president of basketball operations, as the organization’s GM.

Gordon is, without a doubt, a major x-factor for this Bulls team.  He can score like nobody else on the roster, but could desire a richer payday than a one-dimensional player like himself might merit.  It’s unclear how the economy will affect the free agent market this summer, but it’s sure to make things tough on both sides.  Gordon has been with the Bulls his entire career, but he’ll almost surely bolt for more money if the opportunity knocks.

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Draft Notes

The Bulls gave two first-round picks (16 and 26) in the 2009 NBA Draft and will have the chance to add two talented youngsters to their roster this summer, assuming that they hold on to those picks.  ESPN’s Chad Ford, in his latest mock draft, has the Bulls selecting DeJuan Blair with their first pick.  “I think the Bulls will do backflips if Blair falls this far,” Ford writes.  ”They have the athleticism of Tyrus Thomas, the energy of Joakim Noah and the skills and size of Brad Miller on their front line.  If they could add Blair’s toughness and offensive rebounding, the Bulls would have an answer to every front line in the league.”

Ford has Chicago selecting Florida State guard Toney Douglas with their second pick in the first round.  “The Bulls face the real possibility of losing Ben Gordon this summer, and Douglas has some similar abilities as a dynamic scorer and shooter,” Ford writes.  ”And, unlike Gordon, he won’t cost a lot of money and be discontented coming off the bench.”  Both of these picks makes sense as they would be good value and fill a need for the Bulls.  Next week, we’ll get into some other players that the Bulls could target on draft day.

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Thomas on the Move?

It’s being reported that the Bulls are actively shopping forward Tyrus Thomas.  “The Chicago Bulls are reportedly heavily shopping Tyrus Thomas around the league, trying to see what kind of value they can get for him after the solid season he’s coming off of,” writes Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.  ”It appears that they don’t see him fitting into their long-term plans as he’s too similar to Joakim Noah, and they aren’t interested in giving him a long-term deal that would put them over the luxury tax.  It’s possible the Bulls look to package Thomas and Hinrich together and land a big time power forward.”

The similarities between Noah and Thomas are plentiful, and this kind of move could make sense for Chicago.  One option the Bulls should surely revisit is some kind of swap for Amare Stoudemire.  Thomas had his best season as a pro in 2008-09 and could be viewed as a potential star in the making.  Around the trade deadline it was reported that Phoenix GM Steve Kerr was very high on Thomas.  Hinrich would also be a good fit in the Suns’ run and gun offense.  Moving Thomas and Hinrich for a reliable scoring threat inside could do wonders for this team’s offense in the half court set.

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Ford Projects Blair to Bulls

The NBA Draft Lottery took place last night, with the Clippers nabbing the right the draft Blake Griffin, and Chad Ford has released his initial first-round mock draft.  Ford is currently projecting that the Bulls will select Pittsburgh power forward DeJuan Blair.  “I think the Bulls will do backflips if Blair falls this far,” Ford writes.  ”They have the athleticism of Tyrus Thomas, the energy of Joakim Noah and the skills and size of Brad Miller on their front line.  If they could add Blair’s toughness and offensive rebounding, the Bulls would have an answer to every front line in the league.”

This time one year ago the Bulls’ frontcourt was one of the team’s weakest points, but the addition of Blair would seriously change that.  Like Ford said, the Bulls are only missing one component in the frontcourt, toughness.  Blair seems like a great complement to the rest of the Bulls’ big men.  It’s no guarantee that Blair makes it to the Bulls at 16, though it is definitely possible.  Team workouts could change that, though, as teams have a tendency to fall in love with particular players and there’s a lot to like about this guy.

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Ford Notes Bulls as Blair’s Floor

NBA Draft guru Chad Ford recently watched Pittsburgh big man DeJuan Blair work out.  Ford affirmed this blogger’s speculation that the Bulls will likely target the bruiser if he makes it to them at the 16^th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.  Ford said that the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns are the lottery teams that will likely take a look at Blair.  “If all five of those teams pass, I doubt the Bulls would at No. 16,” he added.  ”Adding his toughness to a front line of Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah could pay big dividends for the Bulls down the road.”

Blair seems like he could be the best fit for Chicago as far as players who could be sitting on the board at number 16 go.  His toughness is what makes him such a great fit, as Thomas and Noah don’t have the kind of big body that this kid does.  Blair is a bit undersized, though we won’t know exactly how tall he is until the combine, but he helps make up for it with his long wingspan.  Supposedly undersized guys like Paul Millsap have succeeded in this league recently, which also helps Blair’s case.

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Playoff Performer

This blogger found a clip of Bulls point guard Derrick Rose’s playoff highlights that is worth a look.  I can’t stress enough how impressed I was by Rose’s performance in the playoffs.  He has the look of a guy who really steps things up when it matter most, and if he can continue to do so, Bulls fans will be elated.  Rose played extremely well in the team’s hard-fought series with the Boston Celtics in the first round.  It seems that Rose does something even more impressive every time you think he can’t wow you any more than he already has.

Rose may be a quiet, humble kid, but he looks like an assassin on the floor when it comes down to crunch time.  These are the kinds of players that become great in this league, not good but great.  It’s unclear whether players like Ben Gordon are a part of the Bulls plans going forward, but one thing is for sure, Rose is.  The kid’s potential is nearly limitless, and if he develops a reliable jump shot he’s going to be unstoppable.  Sure, the young man still has plenty to learn, but the natural talent and poise he’s shown bodes extremely well for his future, and thus, the future of the organization.

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Rare Rose

ESPN’s Gene Wojciechowski recently wrote an interesting article about Derrick Rose.  Unlike so many of the articles that praised the Bulls rookie’s play on the court, Wojciechowski spends most of the article touting Rose’s character and his demeanor off the court.  “Emerging young stars such as Rose don’t need to be perfect, they just need to be true to themselves and, if possible, true to sports fans,” he writes.  “We have enough Mannys [Ramirez]being Mannys.  We need more Derricks being Derricks.”

Wojciechowski described a scene he witnessed in the Bulls’ locker room after the team’s playoff run came to an end where Bulls radio play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky approached Rose.  “Swirsky shook the point guard’s hand, told Rose what an absolute joy the rookie had been to watch this season, what a gentleman he was, and not to hesitate to call if he needed help with anything, including Rose’s summer camp,” he wrote.  “Then he handed Rose his business card, shook his hand again and was off.  You don’t see that very often.  You don’t see longtime NBA announcers peel back into a locker room, seek out a rookie, compliment the player on his season and his class, and then offer to help him any way they can. At least, I’d never seen it before.”  Rose receives a lot of praise for his play on the court, but we should appreciate his humble demeanor off it as well.

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