Jun 28, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; The Orlando Magic draft board displays their first round draft pick of Victor Oladipo during a press conference at the Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports
Well Pippen Peoples, every day gets us closer and closer to the 2014 NBA Draft. Pippen Ain’t Easy, your best choice for Chicago Bulls news, previews and reviews will be up on every NBA Draft rumor that we can leading up to draft night. Here’s the problem. With all of the potential trade rumors that are going on behind the scenes with Kevin Love, Arron Afflalo, or Carmelo Anthony, we don’t know if the Bulls may even have first round picks. So the staff and I have tried to put together a survivor’s guide together, so you can try to navigate your way through Thursday night.
Logistics:
The NBA Draft is Thursday, June 26th 2014 at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. The draft will start at 7:00 pm. The Cleveland Cavaliers won the draft lottery (again?) to earn the first overall pick in the in the draft that took place on May, 20 2014. This will be the fourth time in 12 drafts the Cavaliers will make the first overall pick. The players who were selected prior were Kyrie Irving, Anthony Bennett and LeBron James.
The stars on the marquee:
This is where the NBA Draft rumors start at…the top. This is considered to be one of the most hyped and deepest drafts since 2003 when the class of LeBron came to the NBA. The players that are being watched by everyone include: Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Joel Embiid, Julius Randle, Aaron Gordon, T.J. Warren, Marcus Smart, Gary Harris and Tyler Ennis. As of this writing, no one knows who is going to go as the number one pick. After Joel Embiid broke his foot last week and had surgery, we are down to two players that can get the number one spot. Those two are Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker. My money is on Andrew Wiggins.
Who on this list are the Chicago Bulls looking at: Gary Harris and Tyler Ennis.
Here’s where one of the NBA Draft rumors surrounding the Chicago Bulls start. The Bulls recently was reported discussing a trade swap with the Denver Nuggets giving up the 16th and 19th picks for their 11th pick in the draft. With that pick the Bulls were looking at two players, Nik Stauskas out of Michigan and Gary Harris out of Michigan State.
Gary Harris is intriguing to the Bulls considering that there is no guarantee that D..J Augustin will be back next year and most importantly, the Bulls have to have a decent backup in case Derrick Rose’s health goes by the waste side…again.
With that being said, don’t be surprised if Tyler Ennis is selected with the 16th pick if available. If the Bulls stand pat where they are, most mock drafts have Gary Harris long gone by the time the Bulls are on the clock to make their pick.
Speaking of picks, What picks do the Bulls have in this draft?
The Chicago Bulls own the aforementioned 16 and 19 draft picks in the first round. In the second round, they pick 49th. So don’t go to bed Pippen Peoples! Second round picks can pan out too. Ever heard of Manu Ginobli?
Who would Pippen Ain’t Easy select in the second round?
If available, which I think he will be, Russ Smith out of Louisville. He has championship cred winning a National title a couple of years back. Plus he can score the basketball. He might not ever crack the rotation as long as Tom Thibodeau is coaching but it’s a player worth taking a risk with. If the Bulls want to save a dollar, which is always on the radar of options, they’ll draft an International player from overseas you or I have never heard of and bury him there for the next three years.
What are the needs of the Chicago Bulls as of this moment:
Forget what everyone else says. Let me tell you what the Chicago Bulls need. SCORING! This is the reason why the Bulls are trying to move the entire franchise around to get in position to make a run at Carmelo Anthony. Let’s remind everyone that the Bulls finished with a grand total of 69 points in a playoff elimination game. At home. Where they have struggled mightily to win lately in the playoffs.
Other needs include a small forward, someone who can shoot straight and a point guard.
Over the next few days, Pippen Ain’t Easy will try to figure out the ins and outs of what the Bulls will be trying to do over the next few days. In the meantime, you can log on to the Pippen Ain’t Easy website and take a look at some of the players that will be in the draft and what we think of them in the coming days.