Follow Club Bulls on Twitter
Bulls have a winning chance of 1.9%
http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/lottery_preview07.html#Chances
Adam Fluck, Bulls.com
Team needs: It’s no secret that Chicago could use some help in the low post on the offensive end. Veteran P.J. Brown is not under contract for the 2007-08 season, and although players such as Andrés Nocioni and Tyrus Thomas could fill in at the “four” depending on match-ups, acquiring a more traditional power forward would be ideal. Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng make up the core that GM John Paxson is looking to build around. This offseason, whether it is on draft night, via a trade, or through free agency, he’ll try and locate the players that will propel Chicago to the level of an NBA title contender.
If the Bulls finish in the top three of the lottery… John Paxson will have an early lead as an NBA Executive of the Year candidate. Paxson, who orchestrated a complex five-player sign-and-trade deal with Isiah Thomas and the Knicks in October 2005, sent Eddy Curry packing in a deal that will provide the Bulls with a lottery pick for the second consecutive year. Chicago has the right to swap first round draft picks with New York this summer, and while landing in the top three is a longshot (1.9 percent), it beats picking at No. 23. Greg Oden would be the likely pick should Chicago land the top selection, while Paxson and the Bulls wouldn’t be too disappointed to “settle” for Kevin Durant at No. 2. Given Chicago’s lack of a prototypical power forward, Florida’s Al Horford might be an excellent third option.
Lottery luck: If you’re looking for a team to complain about the NBA’s draft lottery process, well… you probably shouldn’t look Chicago’s way. The Bulls have won it once (1999) and landed among the top three selections three times in the last five years (second in 2002, third in 2004, and second in 2006). More importantly, however, has been the success Paxson has had on draft night since taking over in the spring of 2003. Kirk Hinrich was selected seventh overall in 2003, and the following year, the Bulls added a pair of lottery picks in Ben Gordon (third overall) and Luol Deng (selected seventh overall by Phoenix and traded to Chicago). Last summer, Chicago selected LaMarcus Aldridge at No. 2, then dealt him to Portland for Tyrus Thomas (No. 4) and Viktor Khryapa before adding Thabo Sefolosha thanks to a second draft night deal with Philadelphia.
