Bulls Draft: John Paxson Weighs His Options in Chicago

While he would've liked to stay silent until draft night, Chicago Bulls General Manager John Paxson finally had to open his mouth.

For all the whispers, no marquee veteran is on his way to Chicago—because the Bulls are refusing to part with Luol Deng, and because salary cap restrictions prevented the club from wooing a third team into the mix.

"Right now I'm approaching it as we're going to have the (ninth) pick and use it on Thursday night," Paxson said in a press conference Tuesday. "Any talks I've had with anyone about the pick haven't gone anywhere and are on the surface level. Unless I think it will improve our team, I won't do it."

The question for Paxson and head coach Scott Skiles, then, would seem to concern which low-post player to take with the ninth selection in the 2007 Draft—a gift acquired from the New York Knicks in the Eddy Curry trade. 

The Bulls have had Florida forward Joakim Noah and Washington center Spencer Hawes to the Berto Center for workouts and interviews. The consensus is that they'll scoop up whichever of the pair falls to them on Thursday.

In Noah, the Bulls would get an extremely long player who runs the court like a guard, and whose high-energy motor on both ends of the floor makes him a definite 'Skiles guy.'

"We like size, and if it's athletic size you have to take a look," Paxson told Mike North on WSCR radio Tuesday.

Noah's title game experience may also be a factor in the Bulls' thinking.

"We drafted Ben Gordon (whose UConn team won the title) and Kirk had been to the championship game," Paxson said. "I do think it's important. He's a winner who plays with heart and passion."

Hawes, meanwhile, is an offensively-skilled big man with excellent shooting range. His footwork and fundamentals are sound, and he'll immediately be one of the best passing post-players in the league.

"He's highly skilled as a basketball player (but) physically he's not yet ready for NBA basketball so he needs to develop," Paxson said of Hawes during the radio spot.

The question is whether Hawes projects as a Brad Miller or a Shawn Bradley—whom superstars will line up to dunk over during the 2007-08 season.

"I see Hawes as being the next Chris Mihm, only if Chris Mihm was good," ESPN's Bill Simmons said in his recent mock draft. "I was pleasantly surprised by Hawes in college, his footwork was really good for a young center and it seemed like he gave a crap."

 
The only apparent certainty for the Bulls heading into Thursday is that they'll likely use the ninth pick instead of making a move. But even that prospect is more than Paxson will commit to.

"I do expect that as we get closer and teams want to get into the top 10 or 12 that maybe something will happen," he said.

If nothing else, it should be an interesting night.