With the 26th pick...

Part I..

I sort of wish the Bulls didn't have the 26th pick. I want Thabo back. He had some good games in Oklahoma City last season, and I just feel like he'd fit this rotation well right now.

It's too late for that, though. For the record, I still think the Bulls can add a contributor at No. 26, even in a weak class. As any 90's Bulls fan would know, finding anything useful is tough at the end of the first round. Imagine how much stronger those dynasty teams could have been if at least one of those late first rounders (Travis Knight, Corey Benjamin, and Jason Caffey come to mind, just to name a few) had panned out. But the Bulls' have had some decent success with with late picks in recent years. You could do worse than Roger Mason Jr., Chris Duhon, and Trenton Hassell, right?

Well....trust me, you can.

I went through ESPN's first round archives today and am proud to report it seems like there's usually at least one pretty good player to come out of the end of the first round most years this decade. Tony Parker, Kevin Martin, Gerald Wallace, and John Salmons all turned out okay. The '03 first round even ended in Kendrick Perkins, Leandrinho Barbosa, and Josh Howard.

So the Bulls at least have a chance here. Below are a few guys I wouldn't mind them taking...

At 26

SG Marcus Thornton - LSU

What's to like: He seems like a good replacement for Gordon. Thornton might be able to shoot as well as any guard in the draft this side of Steph Curry. He finished 9th in the nation in scoring last year, averaging over 21 points a game and did it very efficiently. Thornton hit 39 percent of his treys, too. If nothing else, he seems like someone who could play about 15 minutes a night and knock down a couple threes.

Thornton on his NBA comparison over at The Baseline: "I will go with a combination of Gilbert Arenas and Stephen Jackson."

I think that means we'll see him on a FreeDarko shirt.


What's not to like: At 6'3, he's undersized for a two guard. He supposedly has trouble putting it on the floor and can't really create his own shot. He's not much of a defender, either.  But, you know, don't ask him to do too much and he should be fine.

PG Toney Douglas - Florida State

What's to like: Do you want Lindsay Hunter running the show while Rose catches his breath? A late first rounder seems like a good place to try to find a backup for Rose at point. Douglas has pretty good size for a point, and, again, was one of the most efficient scoring guards in the country last year at FSU. He's also supposed to be a great defender.

What's not to like: Douglas was the best player on a team that lost in the first round of the tournament when I picked them to go to the Final Four (yikes). While he can hold down the point, he's more of a hybrid guard.

Any tall foreign guy - any foreign country

What's to like: This late in the first round, it's basically a shot in the dark anyway. Why not take a chance on a high upside Euro? It worked out for the Bulls almost 20 years ago with Toni Kukoc. History would seem to tell us that at least one of the Victor Claver, Jonas Jerebko, Omri Casspi trio will pan out. Don't forget the Bulls nabbed a foreign big man last year in round two with Omer Asik.  

What's not to like: Take a look at Fran Vazquez. Sometimes these guys never even come over. And when they do, they often get dunked on.



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More draft: pinch hitting at SlowBreaker.