Chicago Bulls: Amare Stoudemire and 5 Huge Missed Draft Night Opportunities
Look, everyone makes mistakes—especially in sports.
And when it comes to evaluating young talent, it is really difficult to judge what will and won't be the best decision for their franchise.
Sometimes they are obvious, other times we cannot predict the future.
The Chicago Bulls have had their fair share of ups and downs on draft night. They have not always made the best pick, though.
This really is not the team's fault, as many of these players fell far in the draft. Looking back at it now, though, all we can do now as fans is wonder and laugh at how much of mistake the team made.
These are the five players the Chicago Bulls could have had on draft night, but instead we got something else.
These are in no particular order.
Honorable Mention: James Johnson over DeJuan Blair
1 of 7There is still some time to see if this will really be considered a bust, but Bulls fans know how things went with the No. 19 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, James Johnson.
DeJuan Blair has shown some excellent value to the Spurs coming off the bench and could potentially be starting in San Antonio when Tim Duncan finally hangs up his sneakers.
Blair was taken in the second round, dropping to No. 37. Blair was projected to be a first-round pick, but many teams turned away from the Pitt standout.
Blair had many injury issues, but he has proven those are nothing to be worried about.
Blair potentially could be a threat down low for years to come, so we will see if he becomes the player he was expected to be.
Roger Mason, Jr. over Carlos Boozer
2 of 7It is not like the Chicago Bulls were the only team to pass up on Carlos Boozer. The All-Star power forward actually fell to the 35th pick in the second round.
The Bulls selected Roger Mason, Jr. with the 32nd pick, but the Bulls had a shot at the great power forward, especially in his young form.
I know the Bulls have Boozer today, but I think they would have been happier with the young talent he was back in the day.
Boozer still has a chance to prove that he is still an excellent power forward in the NBA, but the Bulls could have been using him as a cornerstone piece of the franchise for years if they just drafted right.
Tyrus Thomas over LaMarcus Aldridge
3 of 7Well, the Bulls really messed up on this one.
The funny thing is, they actually had it right the first time.
When the Bulls took LaMarcus Aldridge with the No. 2 pick in the 2006 draft, it seemed as if the Bulls found their big man.
Only minutes later was the Texas standout traded to the Portland Trailblazers for the No. 4 pick Tyrus Thomas.
Let's just say the addition of Viktor Khryapa did not sweeten the deal that much. In my opinion, this could be considered one of the worst trades in draft night history.
Thomas never ended up being the player the Bulls hoped for, and I am sure they miss Aldridge and his 18 points per game.
Jay Williams over Amare Stoudemire
4 of 7I know Jay Williams was great in college. I also know his career was cut short due to his tragic motorcycle accident.
That being said, I don't think anyone would say Williams would have been a better player than Amare Stoudemire.
Amare went at the ninth pick in the first round of the 2002 NBA Draft. The Bulls drafted Williams with the second.
Williams had more credibility coming out of Duke compared to the high school phenom, but wow. Stoudemire would have been an incredible piece of the Chicago Bulls for years.
Eddy Curry over Joe Johnson/Zach Randolph/Gerald Wallace/Gilbert Arenas
5 of 7The Eddy Curry pick was just bad.
When the Bulls took Curry with the fourth overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft, they had extremely high hopes for the big man.
Well, those hopes vanished after many disappointing seasons.
By taking Curry the Bulls passed up on (Rd-Pick):
1-10 Joe Johnson
1-19 Zach Randolph
1-25 Gerald Wallace
2-30 Gilbert Arenas
Given that Randolph really has not come into his own until the last two seasons, he may have not been a better option then Curry. I think, though, any general manager would have taken any of those players—perhaps any player in that draft—over Eddy Curry.
If the Bulls would have drafted Johnson, they could have had the shooting guard talent he was during his young prime in Phoenix.
Jason Caffey over Michael Finley
6 of 7Michael Finley was taken just one pick after Jason Caffey, 21st and 20th respectively, but the Bulls sure missed a big opportunity here.
I know the Bulls had Ron Harper and Toni Kukoc, but Finley off the bench would have been the scoring to assist the Bulls when Michael Jordan hit the bench.
I know this is the season the Bulls went 72-10, but could they have perhaps done better if they had Finley and his 15 points per game over Caffey and his three points?
Who knows, but all I can tell you is that Finley was better talent, especially at the 20th pick in the first round.
Jeff Sanders over Vlade Divac
7 of 7In 1989 the Chicago Bulls took Jeff Sanders with the 20th pick. Vlade Divac went to the Lakers with the 28th pick.
Which of these names do you remember? Exactly.
The Bulls were already going to be good during the '90s, but could you imagine if they took the right center in the 1989 draft?
Perhaps Divac would not have been the dynamic player he became, but I could not imagine him hurting the Bulls and their eventual championship runs.
Divac went on to have a Hall of Fame, while Sanders was just another face in the crowd.
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