25. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls own the 25th pick and are represented by:
Christopher Gattuso .
With the 25th pick in the draft the Chicago Bulls select:
Rex Walters, SG, 6-3, Kansas
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Team Needs
Regardless of a three-peat, the Chicago Bulls will be rebuilding in the
next year. Jerry Krause will finally do some house cleaning and replace
the veterans with some youth. The Bulls finished with a 57-25 record,
and were considered a disappointment. The team didn't play well in the
regular season, but has shown they still have the ability to kick it
up a notch in the playoffs. The Bulls have a strong nucleus, they
just need to surround the veteran with youth.
Center:
Cartright is all but done. His knees are aching, and have reached the
point that he needs help getting out of his car. I believe the Bulls
will buy out his last year and let him retire gracefully. Where does
that leave us???? Will Perdue and Stacey King. Perdue has shown some
signs of being a decent center, but he can only play well against the
pure big men. A center like Pervis Ellison or Mr. Robinson seem to
beat him on the first step. King has been a bust, but during the
playoffs he has shown some life. Next year, Kings contract jumps to
$2 million a year. He could be traded....why??? Because if traded,
it would only count for $800,000 under the salary cap. In short,
the Bulls need either a free agent or keep Perdue and King.
Power forward:
Horace Grant becomes an unrestricted free agent in 94-95. Look for
the Bulls to sign him to an extension for big bucks. Again, by signing
an extension it will keep his salary for the cap low. Grant has played
very well this year. He has had nagging injuries, but those will clear
up in the off-season. Grant, in the past, has claimed favoritism to
Jordan and Pippen, and has felt the Bulls haven't given him the respect
he has deserved. If the Bulls come up with BIG bucks, look for him to
sign. Scott Williams has played well as his backup. William will come
in and give you 10-15 minutes of HARD basketball, and he will use ALL
his fouls!!!! (the same problem he had in college) If he could reduce
the fouls, he could be a big player next year. Another scenario, has
the Bulls trading King or Perdue, moving Williams to center, and drafting
a young power forward. This would also be insurance if Grant decides to
leave Chicago.
Small Forward:
Scottie Pippen has emerged as a true superstar. Year after year, he
has been forced to defend the fact. First, the migraines, then poor
shooting....blah, blah, blah. Fact is, he is a star. First team, All-
Defensive team, Dream Team, All-Star. Pippen has a very quick first
step and drives extremely well to the hoop. Not many 6'8" forwards
are asked to bring the ball up and run an offense. Pippen has one minor
weakness....getting physical. X-man proved that last year. He has
gained more courage, but it seems teams can take him out of his game
by getting physical. Rodney McCray is a huge bust. He doesn't have an
outside shot and could adjust to the triangle offense. He is gone
next year. If the Bulls sign Toni Kukoc (which is almost a done deal),
Toni would fill in great here. Kukoc is 6'10", but a tad on the skinny
side. He has excellent passing skills, great shooting, and good
defense. He can fill in at the 1, 2, or 3 positions. Kukoc will
begin as the sixth man, but his role will increase as he adapt to the
NBA.
Shooting Guard:
Michael Jordan...enough said. Developed his outside more and continues
to amaze everyone. Shooting percentage was down to 48%, but his dunk
total was also down. Starting to become a major three-point threat.
Whoever backs up Micheal must able to play 10-15 quality minutes. This
just wasn't present in 92-93. Trent Tucker, Darrell Walker, and a host
of others just couldn't cut it. Again Kukoc could fill in here, or a
free agent like Craig Ehlo, might fit in well. The shooting guard
should be a good ball-handler (for the triangle offense) and good
defensive skills. Also, attempting to develop a youngster behind MJ is
quite difficult. Look for the Bulls to take a young veteran or attempt to
further develop Corey Williams. Either way, some youth must be added
to this position.
Point Guard:
This position caused some controversy in training game. Paxson was
out early (knee surgury) and BJ Armstrong was asked to fill in. Some
of the team grumbled that they couldn't rely on BJ for the open jumper.
Paxson was reinserted, but his knee couldn't handle it. Back to BJ,
and he responded. BJ finished as the best three-point shooter
(percentage-wise) in the NBA. The corner threes are nearly automatic,
and Jordan has obvious confidence in BJ...that is very important. This
position is safe. I see BJ starting next year, with Paxson coming off
the bench as the role player. Paxson, IMHO, has accepted his role on the
Bulls.
Summary:
The Bull's biggest need is a big man, except this year's draft doesn't
have many big men and with the 25th pick, we would never see them. So,
look for the Bulls to go with a PF, SF, or SG. The Bulls will then have
insurance for Horace leaving and more youth.
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Our selection:
Rex Walters - Kansas
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Other possible moves:
The lack of big men at the twenty-fifth pick, forces the Bulls to
choose the "best available athlete". Look for the Bulls to sign
someone like AC Green or a Robert Parrish to satisfy the C and PF
positions. The Bulls will sign Toni Kukoc, this is all but
completed. The main problem is the bevy of slow big men on the
bench. It is time to clear out some of them. McCray, Tucker,
Walker, and Nealy will be released. Cartwright will be bought
out. The center position leaves us with King, Perdue, and Williams.
Look for the Bulls to move King or Perdue for draft picks, or trinkets,
or anything!!! Also, the Bulls will put more youth on the bench
and attempt to develop them. Jerry Krause is determined to get a
championship caliber team in place to off-set the blow of Jordan
eventually retiring...good luck. The Bulls could attempt to trade up
for a better quality player, but if the Bulls three-peat, no one
will listen to them.
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Draft Summary:
1. Orlando
GM: Tom@Orlando
Pick: Chris Webber, PF, 6-10. University of Michigan
2. Philadelphia
GM: Dave Meeks
Pick: Shawn Bradley, C, 7-7. BYU
3. Golden State
GM's: Mike Moore
Terry Wong
Pick: Jamal Mashburn, SF, 6-8. Kentucky
4. Dallas
GM: Curtis Hill
Pick: Anfernee Hardaway, SG, 6-7, Memphis State
5. Minnesota
GM's: Kevin Hansen
Toni Morgan
Pick: Calbert Cheaney, SF, 6-7. Indiana
6. Washington
GM's: The Crossjammer
Jim Nagle
Pick: J.R. Rider, SG, 6-5, UNLV
7. Sacramento
GM: TODD FURESZ
Pick: Rodney Rogers, PF, 6-7, Wake Forest
8. Milwaukee
GM's: Brian Saunders
Morgan Edwards
Pick: Malcolm Mackey, PF, 6-11, Georgia Tech
9. Denver
GM's: John Exby
Rick Grubin
Pick: Ervin Johnson, PF, 6-11, New Orleans
10. Detroit (from Miami in John Sally trade)
GM: Rob Skrobola
Pick: Alan Houston, SG, 6-6, Tennessee
11. Detroit
GM: Rob Skrobola
Pick: Acie Earl, C, 6-10, Iowa
12. L.A. Lakers
GM: Cliff Slaughterbeck
Pick: Bobby Hurley, PG, 6-0, Duke
13. L.A. Clippers
GM: Cliff Slaughterbeck
Pick: Vin Baker, SF, 6-10, Hartford
14. Indiana
GM: Doug Mraz
Pick: Scott Burrell, SG, 6-7, UCONN
15. Atlanta
GM: Kevin Metz
Pick: Terry Dehere, SG, 6-4, Seton Hall
16. New Jersey
GM: A. Borges Sugiyama
Pick: Douglas Edwards, PF, 6-9, Florida State
17. Charlotte
GM: Bren Bailey
Pick: Chris Mills, SF, 6-6, Arizona
18. Utah
GM: Michael Wendt
Pick: George Lynch, SF, 6-7, North Carolina
19. Boston
GM: Orin Day
Pick: Greg Graham, SG, 6-4, Indiana
20. Charlotte (from San Antonio for J.R. Reid)
GM: Bren Bailey
Pick: Lindsey Hunter, PG, 6-2, Jackson State
21. Portland
GM: Mike Northam
Pick: Luther Wright, C, 7-2, Seton Hall
22. Cleveland
GM's: W. Scott Klingensmith
Brian Young
Pick: Joe Harvell, SF, 6-7, Mississippi
23. Seattle
GM: Christopher Beck
Pick: Rodney Dobard, PF, 6-9, Florida State
24. Houston
GM: Brian West
Pick: Thomas Hill, SG, 6-5, Duke
25. Chicago
GM: Christopher Gattuso
Pick: Rex Walters, SG, 6-3, Kansas
Next up:
26. Orlando (from NY in Mark Jackson, Stanley Roberts trade)
GM Tom@Orlando
Craig Simpson - Usenet Draft Commissioner