2012 NBA Draft: Chicago Bulls' Realistic Draft Targets

The Chicago Bulls are not alone in their pursuit of draft glory. What does separate them, however, is that they are one of the few teams who possess just one draft choice in the upcoming 2012 NBA draft. The question is, how will the team with the NBA's best record utilize their lone pick?

Fortunately for fans, scouts and general manager Gar Forman, I have a list of players that the Bulls can't go wrong with. Put these guys on your big board and just wait for what can only be described as a perfect fit.

Andrew Nicholson, St. Bonaventure Bonnies

Player Traits: Power Forward, Senior, 6'9", 225 pounds, 7'3" wingspan

Carlos Boozer has played admirably in the second half of the 2012 NBA season; his improvement from 50 to 55 percent shooting from the field is evidence of such. The fact is, Boozer has long felt like the odd man out when it comes to the Bulls rotation.

St. Bonaventure's Andrew Nicholson, on the other hand, is the quintessential Chicago Bull. He's a hard worker who isn't afraid to dive onto the floor for loose balls, throw caution to the wind in an attempt to haul in rebounds and possesses a wide array of low-post moves to score the basketball. While Nicholson is a bit undersized, his combination of skills and motor are hard to ignore for any team, specifically the Bulls.

Nicholson's nonstop effort would be the quintessential fit alongside Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah.

Season Averages: 31.63 PER, 18.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.0 bpg

C.J. McCollum, Lehigh Mountain Hawks

Player Traits: Shooting Guard, Junior, 6'3", 190 pounds

Lehigh's C.J. McCollum made a statement in the 2012 NCAA Tournament, leading the Mountain Hawks to a shocking upset of the Duke Blue Devils. In that Round of 64 upset, McCollum scored 30 points, dished out six assists, pulled down six rebounds and picked up two steals while guarding and being defended by potential lottery pick Austin Rivers.

Not bad for a kid who was overlooked by every major school in the NCAA.

Much like Nicholson, McCollum is undersized for his position. To make up for his size deficiency, McCollum utilizes his quickness and a reliable jump shot to drive by and rise above bigger defenders. He's also an intelligent defender who can force turnovers as well as any guard in this draft class.

Season Averages: 32.87 PER, 21.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 2.6 spg

Doron Lamb, Kentucky Wildcats

Player Traits: Shooting Guard, Sophomore, 6'4", 195 pounds

Doron Lamb was absolutely phenomenal in Kentucky's championship run, averaging 16.5 points per game on 55 percent shooting from the floor. He also shot 52 percent from distance, including a 5-of-7 performance in the Wildcats' third-round victory over Iowa State.

With Lamb's deserved reputation as a scorer, it's hard to imagine he won't be evaluated as a potential fit for the Chicago Bulls. After all, the Richard Hamilton experiment has been quite unsuccessful due to injuries. The obvious response would be to replace Hamilton with a younger player with a similar skill set.

The advantage Lamb has over C.J. McCollum is his efficiency as a scorer; despite taking four three-point field goals per game, Lamb is shooting 47 percent from distance. That's matched by a 47 percent field goal percentage, something that's certainly translatable to the NBA level.

Season Averages: 18.94 PER, 47% FG, 13.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 47% 3PT

Festus Ezeli, Vanderbilt Commodores

Player Traits: Center, Senior, 6'11", 255 pounds, 7'0" wingspan

With Omer Asik hitting free agency, it will be interesting to see what the Chicago Bulls will do to bring him back or replace him. Should they fail to re-sign the seven-footer from Turkey, a route of replacement could be drafting Vanderbilt's Festus Ezeli.

Ezeli shows quite a resemblance to Kendrick Perkins, both in build and style. His strength and physicality inside makes him a true message-sender on the defensive end of the floor. His willingness to put it all on the line in his pursuit of preventing points or grabbing boards make the similarities even more eerie.

What's most important about Ezeli's play, however, is that he doesn't need a lot of playing time to make an impact. His 2.0 blocks per game this season have come on an average of just 23.2 minutes per appearance. This is the type of player the Bulls need to back up Joakim Noah.

Season Averages: 19.61 PER, 23.2 mpg, 10.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.0 bpg

John Jenkins, Vanderbilt Commodores

Player Traits: Shooting guard, Junior, 6'4", 215 pounds

For fans concerned about Jimmy Butler's future with the Chicago Bulls, don't be; his role for Chicago is much closer to Ronnie Brewer's than that of a scorer. He's an excellent defender, intelligent offensive option and doesn't play outside of his skill set. In acquiring one of these shooting guard options, the Bulls would simply grant him a pure-shooting complement.

Luckily for the Bulls, Vanderbilt's John Jenkins might just be the best pure shooter in this entire draft class.

Jenkins has endless range, a high leap and a quick release that makes his jump shot near impossible to defend. He's also an unquestioned leader in the Commodores locker room and widely considered to be one of the best shooting guards in all of college basketball.

Season Averages: 25.43 PER, 19.9 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 44% 3PT