The Bulls selected 22-year old power forward James Johnson with the 16th pick in the NBA Draft last night. Johnson is a pure power player as he doesn’t venture outside the paint much. He played in 61 games in his two years at Wake Forest and he averaged 14.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Johnson gives an all-out effort every night on both ends of the court and that could earn him a starting job with the Bulls as a rookie. But, he will likely have to beat out fellow first round pick Taj Gibson for the job.

The Bulls acquired center Omer Asik out of Turkey from the Trailblazers on draft night for three future 2nd round picks. If the Bulls can talk Asik into coming to the U.S. this will turn out to be a good trade for the Bulls. Asik is 7′0″, 255 pounds and he’s a good defender and rebounder. He has played in 77 games in his pro career in Turkey and he has averaged 9.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocked shots per game.

The Chicago Bulls couldn’t resist picking hometown hero Derrick Rose out of Memphis State in the first round. The Bulls are loaded at guard so Rose will have to earn all of his playing time but there is little reason to think that he won’t. He’s a little skinny at 6′3″, 190 pounds and he’s a little young at 19, but his talent on the court is undeniable. Rose played in 40 games (39 starts) at Memphis State in his career and he averaged 14.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He also shot very well as he shot 47.7% from the floor which shows that he’s not a selfish gunner. This was a solid pick but he will be compared to forward Michael Beasley his whole career.

The Bulls selected JamesOn Curry in the second round (#51 pick) out of Oklahoma State. The shooting guard has a nice game but he’s had problems with the law and that’s why he lasted so long in the draft. Curry is a little on the short side at 6′3″, 190 pounds but he’s a tough little guy like Ben Gordon is. He’s not in Gordon’s class as a player though. He played in 101 games at Oklahoma State and he averaged 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steal per game. He’s a decent shooter as he hit 43.7% from the floor, 40.4% from three point range and 75.8% from the free throw line.

The Bulls wanted to get a legit backup center in the draft and they are hoping that Aaron Gray out of Pitt can be that guy. The Bulls used the #49 overall pick in the draft on Gray who is a big man at 7′0″, 277 pounds. Gray played in 113 games for the Pitt Panthers and he averaged 9.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. Gray shot an impressive 55% from the floor in his career at Pitt, but most of that came on putbacks and dunks. He needs to improve his free throw shooting as he only hit 59.5% from the line.Â