Let’s look at the reasons the Chicago Bulls front office pairing of Gar Forman and John Paxson have given for past draft picks prior to Thursday’s night draft and see if we can understand.
Chicago Bulls fans have a tendency not to see the hard work that goes behind scouting, interviewing draft prospects and reviewing film of free agents to see which ones are the good players and which ones aren’t.
Understandably, Bulls fans have been spoiled by six championships throughout the 1990’s and eight straight playoff appearances until last season.
But, the Bulls front office may be one of the best in the NBA for not drafting clunkers with lottery picks, middle round picks and even late-round picks in the first round.
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Since Bulls lead scout Matt Lloyd recommended and got Derrick Rose with the first pick in 2008, when a small group of grumbling fans pointed out that the Bulls already had Kirk Hinrich at the time and they should have gotten Michael Beasley instead, the front office has steadily proven their smarts over the course of the past eight years and drafting whom they wanted.
Although Lloyd now works for Orlando (and was responsible for getting Victor Oladipo in 2013), Gar Forman has ably filled his shoes by getting players that are better than what most sports talks pundits give them credit for.
Let’s look at the other players on the Bulls roster who were taken in the first round and the thinking behind getting them.
Bobby Portis
No one else loves getting a steal like a lottery pick-quality player slipping in the draft until he suddenly becomes available.
Forman revealed in a post-draft review what they liked about Arkansas forward Bobby Portis:
"“Bobby’s a guy that we’ve watched play the last few years at Arkansas and our entire staff has really liked him. As a sophomore, he was SEC Player of the Year, one of three guys, I think it was (Jahlil) Okafor, (Frank) Kaminsky and [Portis] that had 600 points and 300 rebounds, a guy that we think really fits our team and the make up of our team. We’ve had people just rave about his work ethic, how hard he plays, his makeup, his character and we really like his game. He’s a big that can play inside, outside, 6-11, 250, 7-2 wingspan. So as a 19-year-old sophomore, we think he’s a guy that has a lot of potential to get better. As you guys know, as we prepared for the draft, we’re going to draft who we feel is the best player available. We had him ranked as a late lottery pick going into the night. As we saw him start to slip, we got excited about him and then we were surprised he was there.”"
Portis played some big minutes at times, he scored off plays breaking down and hoisting his jumper while scrapping for the rest of his points off offensive rebounds. Even Fred Hoiberg said he was a keeper and needed to be playing more.
Next year, with Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol likely walking and the Bulls potentially looking to trade Taj Gibson, Portis could be in the starting lineup sooner rather than later.
More bulls: Bulls trade Cameron Bairstow to Detroit Pistons for Spencer Dinwiddie
Cristiano Felicio
Cristiano Felicio (6’10”, 275 pounds) played for C.R. Flamengo of the NBB (Novo Basquete Brasil) before the Bulls international scouting team tracked down the young Brazilian as more than just a big.
The announcement on Bulls.com by Forman:
"“We’ve been impressed with Cristiano’s work ethic and potential, and we’re looking forward to working with him and having him come to camp with us this fall.”"
This announcement came when Felicio was playing on the Bulls’ Summer League team last summer in Las Vegas. It would take half a season riding the bench until later January-February this year when Felicio showed us his game when other bigs went down to injury.
Based on these two, Forman highly values upside and work ethic.
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Doug McDermott
Until now, no other player on the Chicago Bulls lineup has fans divided over what GarPax gave up to get him. Hindsight is always 20/20, yet looking at the trade now, John Paxson is a genius for grabbing one of the best shooters. The Bulls front office gave up two first-round picks to acquire McDermott from the Denver Nuggets at No. 11 overall.
Forman called McDermott one of the premier shooters in the country, but likes some of the other things he’s able to do as well.
From the Bulls.com archive, here’s Forman and Tom Thibodeau’s assessment of McDermott:
"“Our feeling is that he’s much more than a shooter,” explained Forman. “He’s got a lot of game. We’ve seen him play and we’ve studied him for years. He’s a guy that is crafty with the ball, can create his own shot and run into the post some, he’s good around the basket and has a quick release whether it’s from the perimeter or inside. We feel he’s a guy that will fit with the pieces we have.”“I think if you view him as strictly a shooter, you’re not casting the proper light on him,” Thibodeau stated. Doug played that summer as part of the Select Team of USA basketball scrimmaging with the US Olympic Basketball team. “He more than held his own in that setting,” said Thibodeau. “Every night that he went out there, his opponent knew exactly what he was trying to get to and he still found ways to get his shots and help his team win. That’s probably the most important thing, his ability to help his team win.”"
After a season where McDermott struggled defensively, he still showed his promise on the offensive end being a deadeye from deep.
More bulls: Bulls must think long-term options at PG
Nikola Mirotic
The former Grantland.com had an interesting story about the Bulls pulling one over Oklahoma City to grab Nikola Mirotic in the 2011 NBA Draft. According to the article, Forman prefers to personally watch workouts of anyone highly touted by Bulls international scout Ivica Dukan (a personal friend of Toni Kukoc for 20 years now) just to make sure they see eye-to-eye.
After reviewing Dukan’s reports on Nikola Mirotic, he went to the summer Nike Hoop Summit and saw “a 6-foot-10 shooter with tantalizing skills: elite passing, ballhandling, scoring ability.”
Needless to say, Forman loved Mirotic.
Unfortunately, Forman got a tip that the Thunder general manager Sam Presti were going to draft Mirotic at No. 24. The Bulls held a pair of first-round picks in 2011, 28th and 30th overall (which turned into Jimmy Butler).
Forman got to work with and managed to talk to his friend David Kahn, the Minnesota Timbewolves general manager at the time. Kahn dealt with the Houston Rockets to pick Mirotic at No. 23, then traded the Montenegro player back to Minnesota, who sent Mirotic — drafted one selection before the Thunder — to the Bulls for the 28th pick, the 43rd pick and cash.
And that’s how the Bulls got Mirotic.
For doubters of Mirotic’s game, the man has won six championships in the Euro and Spanish leagues. In the same article from Grantland, John Paxson mentions in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times that when he took over the Bulls front office in 2003, keeping Ivica Dukan as director of the Bulls’ international scouting was the best advice he got from Jerry Krause before the old general manager turned the reins over.
(Dukan may be the same scout who found Cristiano Felicio in Brazil.)
Regardless of rowdy fans complaining about not getting what the team needs, GarPax actually get the best players available who fit future plans of the Bulls. The fact that first-year coach Fred Hoiberg did not tank the season as bad as everyone expected, even going 9-1 against the three of the four conference finals teams this postseason (Cleveland, Toronto and OKC) speaks volumes about the players the Bulls have on board and the skill of the coach himself.
The 2016 draft
I have a hunch the Bulls could take a look at Michigan State’s Bryn Forbes if he goes undrafted. He may project to be like former Bull Ben Gordon, a microwave of a three-point shooter. Forbes was a big factor in potential lottery pick Denzel Valentine and his assist totals. He drilled 48 percent of his triples last season.
The Bulls may also take a flyer on any of several international studs available in the first round too, based on Dukan’s scouting recommendations.
Whoever the Bulls pick at the 14th or if they trade up for a higher pick in the first round, it will likely be a smarter choice than what most armchair fans may ever see beyond post-game stat sheets or popular opinion.
Next: The summer of 2016 marks a busy offseason for Gar Forman and John Paxson
McDermott and Mirotic are not “three-point specialist” role players, Felicio has amazing footwork for his size and Bobby Portis could have a ceiling of either Kevin Garnett, depending on how much he stays consistent on offense and how he improves defensively.