Bulls General Manager John Paxson and coach Scott Skiles got everything they wanted in the NBA draft Wednesday night and a little more.
Tyrus Thomas of Louisiana State sold the Bulls on his exceptional athleticism, and Thabo Sefolosha of Switzerland impressed them with his long, athletic 6-foot-6 frame that should fill a gaping need for size in the team’s backcourt.
The Bulls acquired both players through last-minute trades. Essentially, they made the No. 2 pick for the Portland Trail Blazers and selected LaMarcus Aldridge. The Blazers agreed to take Thomas at No. 4 for the swap.
The trade was attractive to the Bulls because they picked up an additional player from Portland–third-year forward Viktor Khryapa. He was a first-round pick two years ago who averaged 5.8 points and 4.4 rebounds last season.
The Blazers will get one of the Bulls’ two second-round picks next season.
The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to pick Sefolosha with the 13th pick, and the Bulls took Rodney Carney of Memphis at 16 with an agreement in place for a trade. The Bulls also gave up a 2007 second-round draft pick and cash.
In Thomas the Bulls have a 6-foot-8 forward. “We’ve loved him from Day 1,” Paxson said.
Neither Paxson nor Skiles could predict how much time Thomas, 19, will need to impact the Bulls. Thomas’ coach at LSU, John Brady, raised questions about the difficulty his star might have in adapting socially.
Thomas hasn’t traveled much out of Baton Rouge, La. Paxson has said the Bulls will have a support system in place for Thomas.
Sefolosha’s impact could be more immediate but perhaps not as entertaining. At 22, he is expected to be a role player to complement Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. He should give Hinrich a well-deserved breather from defending against taller shooting guards.
“We couldn’t have come out of this any better,” Paxson added. “We got three players that give us depth and give Scott the ability to play different ways.”
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THABO SEFOLOSHA
– Thabo Patrick Sefolosha is a 6-5, 215-pound shooting guard, born May 2, 1984, in Vevey, Switzerland. He spent his first three pro seasons in France, then played last season for Angelico Biella in Italy, where he averaged 12 points a game.
– How he fits: Perhaps not as much a ready-for-prime-time player as some of the other off-guard prospects, but measuring his experience is not as important as measuring to the top of his head. At 6-5, he’s the actual big guard at the big guard spot that the Bulls need to bump up against the shooting guards.
– And why he might not fit: He put up decent shooting numbers in Italy–50 percent shooting from the floor, 43.6 percent from the international 3-point line–but Web reports on his workouts produced a mixed reaction on his shooting range.
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TYRUS THOMAS
Thomas is a 6-9, 215-pound power forward who played just one season at LSU after redshirting his first year because of a neck injury. His 99 blocked shots last season was the fourth-best total in school history, and the best by anyone other than Shaquille O’Neal.
– How he fits: Assuming he puts on a little weight, Thomas provides them a massively athletic player who can guard three or four spots and has enough raw offensive gifts to develop into a versatile contributor.
– And why he might not fit? The Bulls need low-post scoring badly and Thomas averaged just 12.3 points per game in his lone college season. Whether the Bulls can expect consistent production is questionable, at least in his rookie season.
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1 Toronto
ANDREA BARGNANI,
BENETTON TREVISO
6 Minnesota B
BRANDON ROY,
WASHINGTON
8 Orlando
JJ REDICK,
DUKE
2 BULLS A
LAMARCUS ALDRIDGE,
TEXAS
7 Boston C
RANDY FOYE,
VILLANOVA
12 New Orleans
HILTON ARMSTRONG,
UCONN
3 Charlotte
ADAM MORRISON,
GONZAGA
8 Houston
RUDY GAY,
UCONN
13 Philadelphia D
THABO SEFOLOSHA,
ANGELICO BIELLA
4 Portland A
TYRUS THOMAS,
LSU
9 Golden State
PATRICK O’BRYANT,
BRADLEY
14 Utah
RONNIE BREWER,
ARKANSAS
5 Atlanta
SHELDEN WILLIAMS,
DUKE
10 Seattle
MOUHAMED SAER SENE,
VERVIERS-PEPINSTER
15 New Orleans
CEDRIC SIMMONS,
NORTH CAROLINA STATE
[ A BULLS AND PORTLAND TRADED RIGHTS, B TRADED TO PORTLAND FOR RANDY FOYE, C TRADED TO PORTLAND ]16 BULLS D
RODNEY CARNEY,
MEMPHIS
21 Phoenix F
RAJON RONDO,
KENTUCKY
26 L.A.
JORDAN FARMAR,
UCLA
17 Indiana
SHAWNE WILLIAMS,
MEMPHIS
22 New Jersey
MARCUS WILLIAMS,
UCONN
27 Phoenix E
SERGIO RODRIGUEZ,
ADECCO ESTUDIANTES MADRID
18 Washington
OLEKSIY PECHEROV,
PARIS BASKET RACING
23 New Jersey
JOSH BOON,
UCONN
28 Dallas
MAURICE AGER,
MICHIGAN STATE
19 Sacramento
QUINCY DOUBY,
RUTGERS
24 Memphis
KYLE LOWRY,
VILLANOVA
29 New York
MARDY COLLINS,
TEMPLE
20 New York
RENALDO BALKMAN,
SOUTH CAROLINA
25 Cleveland
SHANNON BROWN,
MICHIGAN STATE
30 Portland
JOEL FREELAND,
GRAN CANARRA
[ D-BULLS AND PHILADELPHIA TRADED RIGHTS, E TRADED TO PORTLAND, F TRADED TO BOSTON ]
