I read the same thing this morning. The Atlanta Hawks have also promised Sheldon Williams they’d take him at 5. Though the Bulls taking Thomas at 2 makes a lot more sense to me than taking Williams at 5, but what the hell do I know. In the end, I expect Pax to go with Thomas or Roy. LaMarcus is a better fit for their needs, but I think Pax & Skiles find him to be a bit flakey. On top of that, his combine workout was terrible. If he gets by the Bulls, he may slide surprisingly far.

If Jordon likes Roy stay away from him.

I think it will be Thomas but I would prefer Aldridge. I still want Brewer at 16.

If Pax is really smart, he is sending out the Thomas message in the hopes of getting a trade. I would have no problem at all if the traded to the second half of the top 10, took Brewer and then got a project at center like Armstrong or O'Bryant at 16.

If the Bulls somehow swing a second lottery pick in next year's draft Pax will be a genius.

Well Boers said his Bull "guy" tells him it's a lock they're taking Thomas.

I hope they don't. I see him as the next Stromile Swift.

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I don't mean to sound bitter, cold, or cruel, but I am, so that's how it comes out. - Bill Hicks

Let's do it for Johnny!

Getting both Aldridge & Roy would be tough. You'd either have to give up your Knicks pick in '07 or one of your young studs. Not worth it in my opinion. A combination of Aldridge & Brewer is a possibility though, by getting Portland to move up for Morrison. In addition to the #4, the Blazers have the last pick of round 1 and the first pick of round 2. If the Bulls could get the 4 and the 30 for the second pick, you might be in business. Aldridge may very well slip to 4, and you could package #16 & #30 to move up a few spots and likely land Brewer (possibly Carney if Brewer goes ahead of him).

Any combo of Aldridge/Thomas and Brewer/Carney to me is far more valuable than Brandon Roy and Hilton Armstrong (don't think there's any chance of O'Bryant getting by New Orleans).

I won't be kicking & screaming if they pick Roy. They could be SOL on a GF if they take a big at #2. Carney & Brewer will both be gone by 16 and the options in FA are scarce. Drafting Roy does work better in the big picture of the offseason. Then you can set your sight on guys like Harrington, Gooden, Nene, Pryzbilla, Mohammed, etc.

Gotta be Hanley or Shuster.

I think ROY of the year is going to be Roy or Morrison.....

What's interesting about Thomas is that his camp is projecting him to be a SF.....I wonder if the Bulls view him as a freaky/athletic PF however.

I'm with you though - I would take Roy. There are some decent free agent options. With the money the Bulls have, they could land 2 decent PF/C types to go with Chander, and then have the Hinrich/Gordon/Roy guard combo.

IF they do go with Thomas, I really hope Paxson/Skiles make a comittment to the Hinrich/Gordon backcourt though as their future. I really don't want to hear they are looking to sign a mediocre swingman/shooting guard all summer, which will probably happen if they pass on Roy.

Something's not quite right here. I smell a trade. Thomas may have received a promise for the #2 selection, but it's possible the team drafting him there will not be the Bulls.

That's exactly what I was thinking. I really don't want Thomas either Nas. I'm worrie this draft could end up being a bust. Ayone else getting those feelings?

I hope not. I would gladly give the #16 for Odom, but not the #2. I'd rather just keep it and take Roy/Thomas/Aldridge.

Keep an eye on the Warriors. I'm pretty sure Pax is interested in Troy Murphy, and I know he wants out of Golden State. I wouldn't give the #2 for him either, but I'd offer the #16 straight up or the #2 for Murphy and the #9.

In any case, a trade makes a lot of sense if they're looking for a post scorer. Rookie bigs take a while to develop, and most of the free agent bigs are post defenders, not scorers. You could make an argument for Harrington, but I don't really consider him to be a big. To me, he is Antoine Walker with a pair of testicles.

Murphy is better than that, Nas. He's not a world beater, but he's a decent player.

And at #9, I'd be looking towards Ronnie Brewer or Rodney Carney.

And for the record, I'm speculating on what may go down, not what I want to happen. I've been clear from the start that what I'd do is take Aldridge at 2, and trade up from 16 to land Brewer or Carney. Since I don't expect that to happen, I'm throwing out whatever else I can think of. Here's another possibility. Feel free to piss on it...

#16 for Cleveland's #25 plus Drew Gooden in a sign & trade.

All this talk about Roy when Brewer is the better fit for the Bulls. Brewer can play and defend three positions. Most importantly he is a legitimate point guard. At 6-6, that gives the Bulls all kinds of versatility both with trading and keeping their existing backcourt players.

The Bulls will no longer be stuck in the traditional PG, SG, SF, PF, C paradigm (I know its a douchebag term). They will return to the days were multiple players have the ability to bring the ball up the court. Brewer would give the flexibility of making every player on the team expendable while also making those who remain better.

I want Brewer over Roy so if trading down results in getting Brewer, I am all for it.

My orgasmic draft would be Brewer and Aldridge.

Nas,

You’re my guy and I hate to sound like Buddy Ryan, but you are the king of stat manipulation. Here’s a few right back at you: D. Nowitzki – 48%, T. Duncan – 46%, R. Wallace – 43%, C. Webber – 43%.

And my personal favorite:

T. Chandler – a whopping 56%!

Also, when a player is in the league for only 5 years, and barely played his rookie year and had limited minutes in another year due to injury, his career averages are not the most accurate numbers to use when projecting his 2006-07 performance. He is a 15 & 10 guy. You may not like him, and I’m not asking you to anyway, but he is better than you’re giving him credit for.

That’s fine, Nas. We’ll have to agree to disagree. I don’t want this to turn into the pizza argument between Dolphin & Midget. Two final thoughts and I’m done with this: 1) Claiming Murphy as a 15 & 10 guy is not spinning numbers. That’s what he is and what he should continue to be. He’s no KG, but he makes you a better team. 2) If Brewer is not on the board at 9, it means somebody significant has slipped. I’d roll the dice on that. He is a great fit for what the Bulls need, but I don’t expect him to be that high on everyone else’s board because his offensive game is not that impressive. I think the 10th pick is a safe range to target him. Between 11 & 15, 4 of those 5 picks will be a definite possibility for a SG (Orlando, New Orleans, Utah, New Orleans again). Getting in front of those teams puts you in good position to land him. You might even be able to get him as low as 13, swapping with Philly, but that’s obviously taking more of a risk.

GS may actually be willing to deal Murphy for cheaper than you'd expect, meaning maybe the #16, and a player like Duhon (assuming he's healthy)....GS has some cap problems apparently, and some of their best young players are big men, meaning that they would like to get them on the floor.

What is Murphy's salary ? That would be the stumbling block if we're talking huge money here for Murphy.

Actually, his salary isn’t bad at all. He’ll make about $8 mil next season. In any case, if the Bulls were to pull off a trade of any significance, that deal would represent the majority of their cap space. They can’t go after Kevin Garnett or Jermaine O’Neal and then sign Al Harrington on top of that. Basically, they have room for 1 big signing & 2 draft picks or 2 decent signings & 2 draft picks.

There are a ton of options on the table, and I’m sure Pax is considering all of them.

Save that for who you crappin.

I wouldn't mind Williams, but obviously he isn't going to the Bulls with the 16...

Dear Miss Manners:

Do you find it difficult to ride side saddle on that high horse of yours?

Just wondering.

It was a joke. Lighten up, Francis.

There's something more than vaguely homoerotic about this phrasing...

"we're happy for ya!"

Good bump. Interesting read. I know I always wanted the Bulls to draft Gay in that draft(Gay/Tyrus/Aldridge was my preference) but knew Pax wouldn't take the risk, and we had Gordon, Nocioni and Deng at the time.

The Timberwolves really got to be kicking themselves for trading Roy for Foye.

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"Being a racist is just useless"
-some person

I also thought it was a good read looking back...The Bobcats have to be kicking themselves for taking Morrison...

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good dolphin wanted Brewer over Roy? That's great.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

can't remember who said it but i remember when they drafted him someone said, "Are the Bobcats trying to have the first all small forward starting five?"

Since I hadn't joined the board when this thread was started, I am going to weigh in.

Yes, I think the Bulls will draft Tyrus Thomas.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Where's Not Boilermaker Rick when you need him.