It has been a few days since the NBA draft so I have had some time to digest it.
My Chicago Bulls actually did the unthinkable... they didn't screw up the draft. The last time the Bulls drafted fourth, they made a humongous mistake and drafted an NCAA 6th ,man in Patrick Williams. They them exasperated the mistake by giving him the worst contract in th NBA when they bid against themselves and gave a guy no one else wanted $19 million per year for five years.
Well the asshats who did that are gone... or are they? Until I am shown solid proof otherwise, I will blame Jerry Reinsdorf and his son Michael for every mistake made over the past 30 years. But the 2026 draft seems to be missing those idiots' fingerprints.
First, the Bulls did not miss the two inch putt by drafting Caleb Wilson at number four. Everyone knew this was a four player draft. Any of the top four (or all of them) can be franchise players. So all the bulls had to do was draft whoever was left from, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Petersen, Cameron Boozer, and Caleb Wilson. Wilson was left so they took him. Not only am I happy the Bulls didn't screw this up, but I'm also super happy Boozer went third. Some say he may be the best guy in this draft. But after watching his dad be unable to dunk for the Bulls during Derrick Rose's best years, I'm more than happy to let other fans watch his son not dunk.
But he Bulls also had pick number 15. And in a shocking move, they did not mess this up either. Although Dailyn Swain may have seemed like a stretch to some, these Bulls actually have a strategy for once. They want SLAP(speed, length athleticism, and physicality). Swain is exactly that. Doe she need to improve his shooting? Yes. But he is big, fast and dynamic.
The Bulls starting lineup next year should be Nic Claxton (obtained for nothing before the draft), Caleb Wilson, Matas Buzelis, Dailyn Swain, and Josh Giddey. if that happens, the Bulls starting lineup will be 6'11", 6'9", 6'9", 6'7", and 6'7". That is a lot of size and length.
Will the Bulls make the playoffs with this lineup? God no!
But with the NBA's new "anti tanking" rules, they don't need to make the playoffs. They just need to finish with the fourth worst record (the worst three are punished for not having good players... by making sure thy can't get good players... but whatever). With this length, they should accidentally win enough games to not be punished. And sadly, this is the most excited I have been to be a Bulls fan in 5 years. We will be fourth worst! Hurray!
