New Ford Mock Draft

ESPN’s Chad Ford released his latest mock draft this morning.  He’s now projecting that the Bulls select Wake Forest forward James Johnson with their first first-round pick, number 16 overall.  “There’s been talk that the Bulls may take a look at Tyler Hansbrough,” Ford writes of the projection.  ”He definitely is a John Paxson-type of player.  However, Johnson is a talent who could give the Bulls an offensive lift at the 4.  He’s temperamental, but at this point in the draft he’s probably worth it.”  I think Johnson would make more sense than Hansbrough at the four due to the team’s need for post scoring.

Ford also projects the team to select Georgetown’s DaJuan Summers with their second first-round pick, number 26 overall.   “Summers is an NBA athlete and a good scorer whose game really slipped toward the end of the season,” Ford writes.  ”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.  Based on talent, he could go much higher, and he’s a value pick for the Bulls here.”  These two players are very similar, so I’d be surprised if Chicago opted for both come draft day, but selecting one of them is definitely a possibility.

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Bulls to Make Push For Bosh?

The Bulls made significant progress this past season, especially in the last few months, but the team could be poised to pull off a big deal this summer in order to take their game to the next level.  An article by Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News says that the Bulls could pursue Toronto forward Chris Bosh this offseason.  Lawrence notes that Luol Deng would likely have to be included in any deal for the Raptors to pull the trigger.  Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo is supposedly warming up to the idea of trading Bosh in order to receive something in return for him as opposed to losing him for nothing next summer.

The Raptors are not in the strongest of positions as it’s likely that Bosh won’t re-sign with the team, and potential trading partners are well aware of this.  The Bulls would definitely be a major threat with Bosh on board and would probably be in a good position to sign the All-Star to a long-term deal.  The Bulls could offer a package that includes Deng and Tyrus Thomas, as well as a draft pick or cash considerations, and that may get it done.  With the money the Bulls would clear off their books by trading Deng and losing Ben Gordon to free agency, they’d have plenty to offer Bosh in an effort to team him with Derrick Rose for the next decade or so.

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