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Last June, the Bulls were happy to land point guard Kirk Hinrich with the seventh pick of the NBA draft.
But then first-year general manager John Paxson watched the guy at the top of his wish list, Marquette guard Dwyane Wade, lead Miami to the second round of the playoffs. Wade was selected with the fifth pick.
This time around, a small forward such as Duke freshman Luol Deng makes sense when the Bulls choose third because he can fill a hole in the lineup.
In the next few days, though, Paxson and his staff will be trying to decide if 6-foot-2 Connecticut guard Ben Gordon is this year's Wade - an impact player they can't afford to pass up.
The Bulls asked Gordon to return to Deerfield before Thursday's NBA draft for an individual workout that might help the team make a final decision.
Gordon's agent, Billy Ceisler, said Monday that it's possible another visit could be arranged, but the Bulls should already have enough information on his client.
Besides a group workout last week at the Berto Center, Bulls scout B.J. Armstrong attended a Gordon solo workout in New York timed to coincide with the draft lottery, and Paxson watched at least one Connecticut practice last season.
Ceisler went as far as to compare Gordon to Michael Jordan, in the sense that he thinks Gordon can do even more than he showed in college. Jordan averaged 19.6 points in his final year at North Carolina, then 28.2 points as a Bulls rookie.
"Is he Michael Jordan? No," Ceisler said. "Can he be a special player in the NBA? Absolutely. Like Michael Jordan, he played into the team concept in college.
"My impression is he's going to be rookie of the year next year. If it's in Chicago - terrific, fabulous, we'd love it. If it's in Philly - terrific, fabulous, we'd love it. He said he likes Chicago, said it's like a mini-New York."
Gordon, a native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 assists last season as a junior. He was especially impressive during the Big East tournament.
While teammate Emeka Okafor sat out two games with a back injury, Gordon broke Allen Iverson's scoring record with 81 points in three contests and hitting a runner that beat Pittsburgh in the title game to earn MVP honors.
Gordon then averaged 21.2 points in the NCAA Tournament as Connecticut won the national championship.
During the Final Four, UConn coach Jim Calhoun joked that he once nicknamed Gordon "Gentle Ben" - partially because he was a nice person but also because he needed to be more aggressive on the court. That was no longer an issue by the end of last season.
"He's not as big as Ray (Allen)," Calhoun said in November. "But like Ray, he does things that make you shake your head. Ben makes the game pretty. He's a beautiful player to watch and obviously a terrific player to coach.
"If basketball can be compared to ballet, which it is, he makes the game look like ballet at times."
A few days ago, Calhoun acknowledged that Gordon's stock seemed to be rising because of several impressive workouts for NBA teams.
"I'm getting calls from GMs saying what an incredible athlete he is," Calhoun told a Connecticut newspaper. "And Chicago is a team that seems to have the most interest."
If the Bulls did draft Gordon, then what? They already have Hinrich at point guard, expect to re-sign leading scorer Jamal Crawford and have their eyes on Lithuanian shooting guard Arvydas Macijauskas, who played in Spain last season.
One theory is the Bulls could pattern their backcourt after Philadelphia, which went to the NBA Finals in 2001 with 6-3 Eric Snow at the point and the 6-foot Iverson at shooting guard. Gordon is definitely undersized for a 2-guard but is slightly taller than Iverson.
Then again, maybe a better comparison for Gordon would be Bobby Jackson, who comes off the bench for Sacramento; Atlanta's Jason Terry, who has struggled to find the right position as a 6-2 scoring guard; or former Bull Jay Williams.
Gordon's vertical jump reportedly was measured at 37¨ inches at the NBA's predraft camp, one of the best efforts in this year's class.
Whether they keep Crawford or not, the Bulls could try to find a small forward in free agency.
Cleveland's Eric Williams should be available for less than the midlevel exception (about $5 million). The Bulls might even have an outside shot at Atlanta's Stephen Jackson or San Antonio's Bruce Bowen and Hedo Turkoglu.
In the draft, the Bulls should have their choice of Gordon, Deng, Stanford's Josh Childress and Arizona's Andre Iguodala. The Los Angeles Clippers and the Charlotte Bobcats swapped the second and fourth picks Monday, virtually assuring that Okafor and Dwight Howard will be the first two players selected.
For now, a Bulls trade does not seem likely. Another player the Bulls sought, shooting guard Kirk Snyder, will not visit Chicago, his agent Roger Montgomery said. Paxson will not comment publicly on the draft until after it is over.
Last June, the Bulls were happy to land point guard Kirk Hinrich with the seventh pick of the NBA draft.
But then first-year general manager John Paxson watched the guy at the top of his wish list, Marquette guard Dwyane Wade, lead Miami to the second round of the playoffs. Wade was selected with the fifth pick.
This time around, a small forward such as Duke freshman Luol Deng makes sense when the Bulls choose third because he can fill a hole in the lineup.
In the next few days, though, Paxson and his staff will be trying to decide if 6-foot-2 Connecticut guard Ben Gordon is this year's Wade - an impact player they can't afford to pass up.
The Bulls asked Gordon to return to Deerfield before Thursday's NBA draft for an individual workout that might help the team make a final decision.
Gordon's agent, Billy Ceisler, said Monday that it's possible another visit could be arranged, but the Bulls should already have enough information on his client.
Besides a group workout last week at the Berto Center, Bulls scout B.J. Armstrong attended a Gordon solo workout in New York timed to coincide with the draft lottery, and Paxson watched at least one Connecticut practice last season.
Ceisler went as far as to compare Gordon to Michael Jordan, in the sense that he thinks Gordon can do even more than he showed in college. Jordan averaged 19.6 points in his final year at North Carolina, then 28.2 points as a Bulls rookie.
"Is he Michael Jordan? No," Ceisler said. "Can he be a special player in the NBA? Absolutely. Like Michael Jordan, he played into the team concept in college.
"My impression is he's going to be rookie of the year next year. If it's in Chicago - terrific, fabulous, we'd love it. If it's in Philly - terrific, fabulous, we'd love it. He said he likes Chicago, said it's like a mini-New York."
Gordon, a native of Mount Vernon, N.Y., averaged 18.5 points and 4.5 assists last season as a junior. He was especially impressive during the Big East tournament.
While teammate Emeka Okafor sat out two games with a back injury, Gordon broke Allen Iverson's scoring record with 81 points in three contests and hitting a runner that beat Pittsburgh in the title game to earn MVP honors.
Gordon then averaged 21.2 points in the NCAA Tournament as Connecticut won the national championship.
During the Final Four, UConn coach Jim Calhoun joked that he once nicknamed Gordon "Gentle Ben" - partially because he was a nice person but also because he needed to be more aggressive on the court. That was no longer an issue by the end of last season.
"He's not as big as Ray (Allen)," Calhoun said in November. "But like Ray, he does things that make you shake your head. Ben makes the game pretty. He's a beautiful player to watch and obviously a terrific player to coach.
"If basketball can be compared to ballet, which it is, he makes the game look like ballet at times."
A few days ago, Calhoun acknowledged that Gordon's stock seemed to be rising because of several impressive workouts for NBA teams.
"I'm getting calls from GMs saying what an incredible athlete he is," Calhoun told a Connecticut newspaper. "And Chicago is a team that seems to have the most interest."
If the Bulls did draft Gordon, then what? They already have Hinrich at point guard, expect to re-sign leading scorer Jamal Crawford and have their eyes on Lithuanian shooting guard Arvydas Macijauskas, who played in Spain last season.
One theory is the Bulls could pattern their backcourt after Philadelphia, which went to the NBA Finals in 2001 with 6-3 Eric Snow at the point and the 6-foot Iverson at shooting guard. Gordon is definitely undersized for a 2-guard but is slightly taller than Iverson.
Then again, maybe a better comparison for Gordon would be Bobby Jackson, who comes off the bench for Sacramento; Atlanta's Jason Terry, who has struggled to find the right position as a 6-2 scoring guard; or former Bull Jay Williams.
Gordon's vertical jump reportedly was measured at 37¨ inches at the NBA's predraft camp, one of the best efforts in this year's class.
Whether they keep Crawford or not, the Bulls could try to find a small forward in free agency.
Cleveland's Eric Williams should be available for less than the midlevel exception (about $5 million). The Bulls might even have an outside shot at Atlanta's Stephen Jackson or San Antonio's Bruce Bowen and Hedo Turkoglu.
In the draft, the Bulls should have their choice of Gordon, Deng, Stanford's Josh Childress and Arizona's Andre Iguodala. The Los Angeles Clippers and the Charlotte Bobcats swapped the second and fourth picks Monday, virtually assuring that Okafor and Dwight Howard will be the first two players selected.
For now, a Bulls trade does not seem likely. Another player the Bulls sought, shooting guard Kirk Snyder, will not visit Chicago, his agent Roger Montgomery said. Paxson will not comment publicly on the draft until after it is over.
