2010-2011 NBA Preview: A Look at The Bulls Underrated Forward, James Johnson

How many 6'9", 250 pound men can do this?  I would imagine, not too many.  Even in the NBA, there aren't a lot of players who combine size and athleticism as impressively as James Johnson.

James and I went to high school together in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  We played basketball together from the time we were 14 until we were 18.  We were co-captains of our varsity basketball team my senior year.  I've seen how athletic this guy is, first-hand.

Back then, my teammates and I were in awe of James as he would do backflips off the wall, throw down flashy dunks and talk about his latest martial arts conquests.

James is a black belt, and at times seemed more interested in a future in professional fighting as opposed to one in basketball.  His martial arts background gives him extremely quick hands and feet for a player his size and helped him lead the state in blocks for multiple years when we were in high school.

Even though he lived in a small town whose athletes were rarely recognized, James was good enough to get the attention of a major program like Wake Forest.

He did not touch the ball nearly enough in college as he played alongside shot-happy point guard Jeff Teague.  Even with few opportunities to shine, Johnson still averaged 14.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game over the course of two seasons with the Demon Deacons.

James was drafted by the Chicago Bulls following his sophomore year, and I was excited that he would finally get to play with a point guard that would pass him the ball.  However, that excitement was short-lived as then Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro was reluctant to give James the minutes all his fans back in Wyoming felt he deserved.

He wasn't given the opportunity to start until March 1, even though Taj Gibson, who was drafted behind James, had been starting since early November.

In his first NBA start, Johnson scored nine points on three of five shooting in just 23 minutes.  He would start 10 more games over the remainder of the season.

In his 11 starts, Jame averaged 9.5 points per game on 52 percent shooting.  For the season, he averaged 12.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2 blocks and 1 steal per 36 minutes played.

I think James may break out this season, and might even cause the Bulls to entertain the notion of trading Luol Deng and his big contract.

He's been working with hall of famer Scottie Pippen on his all-around game.  He's also lost weight (30 pounds), which could help him move quicker and jump even higher.  He seems dedicated to improving as a player.

Another reason he could break out this year, is the fact that he has a new coach.  Del Negro and Johnson never really seemed to click last year, and Johnson's playing time was evidence of that.  Now, he has a chance at a fresh start with a new coach.

For me, I still look at James as one of my old teammates.  We were always around the same size in high school, and we had plenty of one on one battles in practices and open gyms.

James was the kid who led the rest of us East High Thunderbirds in points and rebounds on the court, and then led us in raucous freestyle sessions on the bus trips home.  He was fun to be around, a great basketball player and had a big heart.

I'll always remember one practice where James showed us the kind of kid he was at his core.  Our coach had a policy that you had to run up and down the bleachers of our gym once for every minute you were late to practice. 

On this day, due to miscommunication, James, his brother Scott, and one other player named Naji, did not get the memo that practice had been moved to an earlier time.  

Naji showed up about 15 minutes late, was berated and then sent up to the bleachers to run.  James and Scott showed up about five minutes later.  James was taken aside, privately scolded and told to go stretch with the rest of us. 

He sat down in the circle and began stretching, but when he saw Naji up in the bleachers, still working on his 15 sets of stairs, James ran over and joined his teammate without saying a word.

That's just the kind of person James is.  He had all of our backs.  I hope (and I'm sure the rest of the great state of Wyoming is with me) that he'll be able to truly put his talent and athleticism on display this year for the Chicago Bulls.