Homegrown Squad: The Bulls Edition

While watching an NBA pre-season game (Blazers vs. Warriors) yesterday, a crazy thought crossed my mind. What if a team was ONLY composed of players that they originally picked during the draft? Would the team be able to form a competitive squad? It was seemingly a good idea for a blog post and so, armed with several useful links from the web (Thank you basketball-reference.com!), I'm going to try to build an NBA roster based from a team's draft picks. But first some selection criteria that I  will use.

1. Only active players will be considered. Retired players and those who are already out of the league will not be included in the list.

2. Only players who came from a team's original draft choices will be included. This eliminates players acquired through trades during the draft day itself.

3. The squad would be limited to 12 players.

That's it! So then, let's start with the "Homegrown Squad" for my favorite team back in the 90's and to which my brother is a die-hard fan of, the Chicago Bulls!

THE STARTING FIVE

PG Derrick Rose

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 1 (2008)

Career Averages: 21.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 6.8 APG

Arguably the best Bulls player since you-know-who, Rose, the 2011 NBA MVP (and the youngest to win the award by the way), possesses one of the game's best combination of speed, quickness, strength, and hops enabling him to blow by any defender in the league. Driven by his unparalleled competitive spirit, he will be the unquestioned leader of this squad.    

PF LaMarcus Aldridge

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 2 (2006)

Career Averages: 17.8 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.8 APG

While Aldridge has blossomed as the face of the Blazers franchise, it was the Bulls who originally drafted the 6'11" forward back in 2006. Shortly thereafter though, he was traded to the Blazers for Tyrus Thomas and Viktor Khryapa. Oh, what could have been! In this line-up, he will be the main option inside the paint as well as create various pick-and-roll variations with Rose.

SF Metta World Peace (Ron Artest)

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 16 (1999)

Career Averages: 14.2 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 3.0 APG

Certainly one of the most enigmatic figures in the game today, Metta World Peace, or Ron Artest back in his Bulls days, has made a living in the league by being a lockdown defender against the opponent's star player. His presence on the defensive end will be valuable for this team as well as the ability to sink those dagger three's.

C Joakim Noah

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 9 (2007)

Career Averages: 8.9 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 1.8 APG

Providing the unmatched energy  for this squad would be Joakim Noah. With his uncanny knack and nose for the ball, he will be a constant source of hustle plays, offensive rebounding, putbacks and tip-ins. He will be this team's primary shot block and defensive presence inside.   

SG Kirk Hinrich

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 7 (2003)

Career Averages: 12.5 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 5.4 APG

Bulls fans will welcome back Captain Kirk this season as the prolific guard returns to the team that drafted him. Hinrich still offers solid defense at his position as well as a good range from outside. He also gives this team a veteran presence on the guard position. 

THE BENCH

SG Ben Gordon

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 3 (2004)

Career Averages: 16.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.8 APG

Providing the offensive spark off the bench will be prolific scorer Ben Gordon. The guy can string a bunch of points in a hurry and has shown the ability at times to completely carry a team on his back much like what he did on the infamous Bulls-Celtics series a couple of years ago. Simply put, this guy can score. Period.

PF Elton Brand

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 1 (1999)

Career Averages: 18.3 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 2.3 APG

Drafted in the same year as World Peace, Elton Brand was a surefire 20-10 guy during his peak years, basically what Zach Randolph is doing right now. After a myriad of injuries though from '07-'09, his performance has slipped together with age. He's still capable though of scoring 15 points and grabbing 8 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is a welcome sight for this squad's bench.

C Eddy Curry

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 4 (2001)

Career Averages: 13.0 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 0.5 APG

Once considered as an integral part of the "Baby Bulls" era alongside Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry has signed on with the San Antonio Spurs for the upcoming 2012-13 NBA season. He's still a big body (though he has lost almost 70 pounds) that this team can use to clog up space on the low block and be an able back-up to Joakim Noah.

     

PG Chris Duhon

Drafted: Round 2, Pick 38 (2004)

Career Averages: 6.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 4.6 APG

Chris Duhon was a nice piece in the the "mid-2000's run-back-to-respectability phase" of the Bulls, oftentimes providing a solid job at the point guard slot. His career 36.3% accuracy from behind the arc would be a good addition to this squad on top of being an able back-up to Rose.

PF Taj Gibson

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 26 (2009)

Career Averages: 7.9 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 0.8 APG

Born out of the same mold as Noah's intensity, Taj Gibson has gone on to become a solid player off the bench for the Bulls. He has a nice range for a big guy and is a consistent rebounder off the glass. He's a role player for this squad giving Aldridge and Noah time to rest while holding his own and providing value on the court.

SF James Johnson

Drafted: Round 1, Pick 16 (2009)

Career Averages: 6.6 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.6 APG

In what could be the "why is he on the team" moment, James Johnson makes the squad as a versatile option at the 3 and 4 spots. Now, I do realize that Johnson hasn't had the sort of name recognition as others on the list do but his last two seasons with the Raptors have molded him into a solid player, averaging around 9 points and 5 rebounds a game. I'd take that for a bench guy!

THE LAST MAN

PF Matt Bonner

Drafted: Round 2, Pick 45 (2003)

Career Averages: 6.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 0.8 APG

Now, apologies for I could not find a picture of Matt Bonner in a Bulls uniform. Which freaking sucks. Bonner though has a carved a nice career as an excellent shooter from the three-point range (career 3PT FG% of 41.5%). He will make defenders extend out to him opening up the lane for Rose and Aldridge to do some serious damage.

THE LAST CUTS:

Several okay players didn't make the team. These include Norris Cole (Rd 1, Pk 28, 2011), Sonny Weems  (Rd 2, Pk 39, 2008), Roger Mason Jr. (Rd 2, Pk 30, 2002), Kevin Seraphin (Rd 1, Pk 17, 2010), and Rodney Carney (Rd 1, Pk 16, 2006). Most of these players though were shipped off to other teams during the draft day itself.

"THEY PLAYED THEIR ROOKIE SEASON WITH THE TEAM"

Now, obviously there are players whom the Bulls acquired/traded for during draft day and thus played their rookie year with the team. This list is pretty solid too with the likes of Tyson Chandler, Luol Deng, Jamal Crawford, Andres Nocioni and Thabo Sefolosha.

AND THE BULLS SELECT..

While scrolling through the Bulls draft picks and rookie players, I found two familiar names. Jackson Vroman (Rd 2, Pk 31, 2002) and Eddie Basden (undrafted). As most of you may already know, both played for the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) with Vroman suiting up for the Brgy. Ginebra Gin Kings and Basden for the Petron Blaze Boosters.

Yeah, that's Basden!

Overall, I think the team has a good mix of offensive options (Rose, Aldridge, Gordon), defensive wizards (Noah, World Peace, Hinrich), outside snipers (Bonner, Duhon, Gordon, Hinrich), and muscle down low (Brand, Gibson, Curry). Aside from Aldridge though there are no real low-post threat in this squad and that's a cause for concern. Still, I think this is a solid line-up that can compete any given night.

Agree/disagree with the line-up? Share me your thoughts!