Chicago Bulls: Mock draft scenarios edition

The Chicago Bulls select…hopefully, someone who is also good!

Best Case Scenario: The best player available is the best case scenario: This shouldn’t be a case of “Well, you know? We could use another shooter”, it should be a case of “We need more, good basketball players”. It’s hard to find good players in the second round of the NBA Draft (let alone the first round), but good players do exist in these parts.

I’ve always had a BPA mindset and honestly, look at this team. After Zach LaVine, Otto Porter, Lauri Markkanen, and Wendell Carter Jr., what real talent does this team have? Denzel Valentine is a jack-of-all-trades gunner with little else, Dunn is so incredibly average, and Cristiano Felicio is just not very good. Everyone else either barely moves the needle, is an unknown, or a fringe NBA player. Draft the best talent on the board because that’s how the best teams are built.

Worst Case Scenario: It gets traded away: I mean, come on. What else could you be expecting here? Do we trust the front office to make the right call here? Draft anyone here. Draft the ball boy from Loras College. I don’t care at all. A draft and stash isn’t the “sexy” strategy and you know what? That’s totally fine! That’s okay, you can do that (assuming it’s not a total dart throw, random guy from the Czech Republic that you could’ve signed after the draft).

I’m cool with a guy like Joshua Obiesie or Luka Šamanić. As subpar as Paul Zipser was, that wasn’t a terrible pick at the time. Moving the pick away for a vet (they can’t get any more cash considerations because they’re at the limit) would be dumb. However, trading back into the first round? Meh, I might be able to get behind that, but I’d rather just sit on my hands.

“Fit” Case Scenario: If the front office is dead set on adding players at a position of need…: …then assuming they don’t grab White at pick seven, St. John’s scorer Shamorie Ponds would be a nice addition here. He can heat up in a pinch and would be a great option off the bench, even with his lack of size. Ty Jerome might sneak into the first round or go early second, but this would be a fine value at pick 38. A quality passer, defender, and sharpshooter all in one. However, he comes with a lower ceiling given his age. You’ll never find a “perfect prospect” at this juncture in the draft, but these guys would be worthy additions to this team.

Wild Card: Honestly, I have no idea where you could go with this one: This could be the foreign player or draft-and-stash kind of play. Even with all the second round talents, the Bulls have been working out the last few weeks, I refuse to automatically believe that the front office will go the conventional route.

I wouldn’t be terribly shocked if the team found someone overseas and was willing to stash him away in hopes that he grows against professional talent abroad. I guess then they don’t have to pay him until he comes abroad? That would fit the mentality of the organization, I suppose.