You all saw my take on the Bulls draft yesterday night, but what are the reactions of other far more qualified bloggers than myself?  Looks like most had a slightly less optimistic take than I did, imagine that?  Here are some excerpts:

Ball Don’t Lie:  Are these really two players that you want to hand guaranteed contracts to for the next two or three years? Johnson is athletic, no doubt, but at what point do we start to expect actual, you know, “production” out of athleticism when you’re 22? Gibson? You don’t draft 24-year olds. You don’t do it. Unless they’re 24 and absolutely dominating college ball, and he wasn’t. And you hadn’t heard of Gibson, either. Both players might make the rotation, sure, but with Blair still available?

Score: 4/10

Luol’s Dong:  [James Johnson]‘s a good fit on the team, doesn’t indicate we’re shopping anyone (good news) but I was hoping we could pacakge our picks and get a better low post option. Whatever, right now everything depends on whether we re-sign BoGo and if Deng still has any skills.

Blogabull:  No trades? Pass on Dejuan Blair twice? Gar Forman looking like a zombie on national television, amazingly talking while John Paxson’s lips didn’t move?

This was far from Amare.

I suppose July 1st is just around the corner…but that brings us just as close to Ben Gordon walking as it does to any blockbuster deal (after cap figures are announced, etc.).

By The Horns:  Johnson has been criticized for inconsistency, lack of focus (scouts say he occasionally takes possessions off) and weight problems. Sounds awful Eddy Curry-ish, doesn’t it? I’m just sayin’…..Over his three-year career at USC, Gibson set the Trojans’ all-time record with 253 blocks, which also happens to be third-best in Pac-10 history. His age gives him maturity (or so the Bulls believe), and his wingspan(seven feet, four inches) gives him some serious length and shot blocking ability. However, he’s a wee bit on the skinny side — at 210, he’s almost 50 pounds lighter than the shorter Johnson — and his offensive game is pretty raw. So don’t expect him to bang bodies with the big boys or put up a lot of points.

Pippen Ain’t Easy: The Bulls instead opted for the talented James Johnson from Wake Forest. The immediate concern is that he is a tweener. He also liked to play more like a 3 at Wake Forest. Like Blair, he has a long wingspan and an NBA body, but he is much more athletic. Will he fit in at the 4? He better hope so, at least in the near future because Deng and Salmons will man the 3 for the Bulls. He’s an all-around solid player. I like the pick and he likely has more potential than Blair…Initially I was not pleased with the pick of Taj Gibson. My 2 first thoughts were: The Bulls just re-drafted Joakim Noah and then the Bulls just re-drafted Corie Blount. I take that back a bit.

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Tags: Bloggers, James Johnson, NBA Draft, Taj Gibson