It would be great if the Bulls got the #1 lottery pick

[rthomas]

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 just a little funny and 10 being fall down funny...How funny would it be if the Bulls got the #1 lottery pick tonight?

For me it'd be a 10...I think Isiah Thomas would keel over dead since he traded Chicago the lottery pick for Eddy Curry and to me...that would be pretty damn funny.

[feldspar]

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 just a little funny and 10 being fall down funny...How funny would it be if the Bulls got the #1 lottery pick tonight?

For me it'd be a 10...I think Isiah Thomas would keel over dead since he traded Chicago the lottery pick for Eddy Curry and to me...that would be pretty damn funny.

For it to be a 10, the Bulls would have to get the #1 pick, the Hawks the #2 and the Celtics the #3. Then we could continue the tradition of the Hawks squandering away their lottery picks and the tradition of Boston getting royally screwed come lottery time.

[madscavenger]

Scott Skiles would probably owe his soul to you know who. Fun, but not too funny, for him.

[nicktonyg22]

I'd love to see the Bulls get the #1 pick from a selfish perspective as a Duke fan wanting to see Deng and Duhon win a championship... Adding Oden to that team (finally a low post scoring option!) would be perfect and I think the Bulls would be a shoe in for making it to the NBA finals next season.

Starters:
Ben Wallace
PJ Brown
Luol Deng
Ben Gordon
Kirk Hinrich

Bench:
Greg Oden
Chris Duhon
Tyrus Thomas
Andres Nocioni

Thats a really good team right there...deep at all positions, great defensively, and finally able to score in the paint!

[phaedrus]

Sorry, but if I was John Paxson, I would fire Scott Skiles the second after he started PJ Brown over Greg Oden.

[nicktonyg22]

Touche...haha I just used their starting lineup from this year without even thinking. Good call phaedrus. Oden may need some development time, but you're right, he would definitely start.

[mr. synellinden]

I'd love to see the Bulls get the #1 pick from a selfish perspective as a Duke fan wanting to see Deng and Duhon win a championship... Adding Oden to that team (finally a low post scoring option!) would be perfect and I think the Bulls would be a shoe in for making it to the NBA finals next season.

Starters:
Ben Wallace
PJ Brown
Luol Deng
Ben Gordon
Kirk Hinrich

Bench:
Greg Oden
Chris Duhon
Tyrus Thomas
Andres Nocioni

Thats a really good team right there...deep at all positions, great defensively, and finally able to score in the paint!

If the Bulls were to get the #1 pick, I think you might see this as their starting lineup next year:

Oden
Thomas
Deng
Gordon
Hinrich

I can't see Oden coming off the bench for any team in the league, much less the Bulls. Perhaps you would see Wallace start instead of Thomas, with Wallace playing PF. That would be a scary defensive team. I think it's safe to say they would have a good chance to lead the league in blocked shots.

[DavidBenAkiva]

Now that the lottery has been drawn and Atlanta has the #3, I could see the Bulls and the Hawks making a trade. The Hawks don't need another 3/4, but those are the players available to them at the #3 pick: Al Horford, Brandan Wright, or Yi Jianlian. Could you imagine them picking one of those three after selecting Marvin Williams and then Shelden Williams? The logical thing to do for them is to trade down and get Acie Law or Mike Conley, Jr. Then again, logic and Billy Knight haven't been in the same room in a while... The Bulls, on the other hand, need a 4 and their options are much better at the #3 pick than at #9. Here's my suggestion for two possible trades, one of which is more wishful thinking (I like to see Duke players in Bulls uniforms...)

Trade #1: Bulls get #3 pick and Shelden Williams for #9 pick, Andres Noccioni and Tyrus Thomas

Trade #2 (more realistic): Bulls get #3 pick for Chris Duhon and Andres Noccioni

What do you guys think?

[Travi_K]

I would hate to see Duhon leave the Bulls, I think he is the type of player that needs to be in the right spot to succeed and he seems to have a solid niche in Chicago that I wouldn't see him getting on a lot of teams.

[madscavenger]

"Trade #1: Bulls get #3 pick and Shelden Williams for #9 pick, Andres Noccioni and Tyrus Thomas

Trade #2 (more realistic): Bulls get #3 pick for Chris Duhon and Andres Noccioni"

Never happen. Skiles loves them both.

I do think Conley will do well in the League, especially after his rookie year.

The Bulls are at a point where the next move upward requires not only increased scoring and good defense from the 4, but also no rookie mistakes. They are no longer a team putting together parts to compete - they are positioning themselves for a multi-year run as a championship contender. If Skiles is coach, he will demand constant defensive pressure, consistency on O (transition O will be imperitive - this demands quickness without losing control of the resultant benefits of such), and a minimum of mistakes. Maybe they'll try to get an qualified 4 with experience for some combo of the #9 pick, P.J. and next year's #1, or maybe they'll stand pat and see who is released. Skiles will use the bench in lieu of a superior starter, as long as they fit his concept and produce some.