Pippen Ain't Easy
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Chicago Bulls’ Recent Draft Choices Are No Slouches

By Michael RENE KANOY

Mar 31, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Denzel Valentine is introduced as the national player of the year and is awarded the trophy by AP deputy director of sports products Barry Bedlan (right) during a press conference prior to the 2016 NCAA Men
Mar 31, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Denzel Valentine is introduced as the national player of the year and is awarded the trophy by AP deputy director of sports products Barry Bedlan (right) during a press conference prior to the 2016 NCAA Men /
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ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell tweeted about Gar Forman saying the Bulls love prospects from big schools who play at a high level for several years. Denzel Valentine, the Bulls’ first-round pick this year was AP Player of the Year, while recent second-round pick Paul Zipser was MVP of the adidas Eurocamp.

From Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah coming from Final Four college teams, to Doug McDermott, Bobby Portis and Denzel Valentine winning player of the year awards, the Chicago Bulls do make it a point to grab the top college prospects whenever they can.

Looking at the Bulls choices, starting with the most recent one: Denzel Valentine from Michigan State, who won the AP College Player of the Year this past season over Buddy Hield of Oklahoma.

Armchair Bulls fans might dismiss such accolades as meaningless at the NBA level.

Not so.

These awards recognize what kind of player an NBA team will already be getting: a high-performing basketball player.

If a team can build their game and winning ways around them and help their known stars strut their stuff, that is when they reap the rewards.

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That’s exactly what the Bulls need to tune up this summer and in the preseason.

During the 2016 NBA Draft’s broadcast on ESPN, Jalen Rose and the commentators were talking about Kawhi Leonard probably not getting to the level he plays right now if the Spurs did not bring him along and develop his game and take advantage of his natural skills and athleticism.

This is a way of saying the new high-risk, high-reward, draft projects are all a work in progress until they can play at the same level with the best in the league.

For someone like Valentine, who is a proven winner and all-around player at the college level, the learning curve should be shorter.

Doug McDermott, a former college player of the year, is still trying to be a serviceable defender even if he cannot be elite.

His offensive game is already really good (it was elite in college) and ready to burn opponents, only if he has someone to feed him shots.

Enter the Chicago Bulls’ new back court depth.

Valentine is a tall playmaker that just fits the designation point guard.

Heralded as a Draymond Green kind of multi-skilled player who can perform different roles really well, Valentine is a very astute ball distributor who can get his points during the course of a game while piling up his rebounds, too.

I myself got down on scouting reports that he was a weak defender and took his other skills and game for granted until the Chicago Bulls drafted him and I got a better look at who Valentine was in the eyes of the Bulls front office.

He’s a passing point guard who elevated the play of his teammates and helped his team win at a high level consistently during four years in college.

Valentine should also have a short learning curve as far as making plays (his primary skill in college) for the Bulls, but will learn how to adapt as an NBA defender.

That’s fine, being that the Bulls have more front court defense in the team this year.

Before Valentine, Doug McDermott won the AP, the John Wooden and Naismith College Player of the Year award in 2014 and was also a three-time All American; the first in 30 years.

I already know how much of an underrated offensive player McDermott is, but I missed out on checking Valentine carefully before panning on him and promise to never make the same mistake again.

Denzel Valentine is way more than real.

The Bulls now have two NBA-level players on their roster with high amounts of college recognition in Valentine and McDermott. That’s much more than other teams can even hope for.

The Bulls’ second-round pick, Paul Zipser, is an NBA-ready power forward who can be an impact player more than scouts and fans expect.

Next: Denzel Valentine can help the Bulls right away

He may seem too short at 6’8″, but is actually stronger than he looks as a wing defender. Zipser won the 2016 Adidas Eurocamp tourney MVP as the best player from among many European players vying for the NBA — better than Ante Zizic, Petr Cornelie and David Michineau — all of whom were also drafted either in the first or second round on Thursday.

Projected as a role player for the Bulls by those with knowledge of him, he looks way better than that. His game itself presents a high motor, high energy on defense and offensively, a very physical player for his size in the paint.

His 47 percent shooting from long range should help keep the Bulls from too many scoring droughts next year when the second unit comes on the court.

He can play as the defensive big wing alongside Nikola Mirotic, Doug McDermott or Bobby Portis in the front court. Zipser will help make Robin Lopez’s job protecting the paint and even the perimeter easier.

Losing Justin Holiday as a defensive wing just compensated for itself via the draft and Zipser.

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