BJ Mullens

[No Pressure]

There are much better quality guys you can get with the 14th pick than Mullens.   Mullens won't even play much at all.  You do realize that Joakim Noah and Brad Miller are going to be subbing at Center don't you?  And please don't say that Noah will back up Tyrus or Tyrus will back up Noah becuase that isn't going to happen.  I would rather get a guy like James Johnson that is a 6'8 SF who can back up both the SF spot and the PF spot. 

[youngrazzle7]

There are much better quality guys you can get with the 14th pick than Mullens.   Mullens won't even play much at all.  You do realize that Joakim Noah and Brad Miller are going to be subbing at Center don't you?  And please don't say that Noah will back up Tyrus or Tyrus will back up Noah becuase that isn't going to happen.  I would rather get a guy like James Johnson that is a 6'8 SF who can back up both the SF spot and the PF spot. 

Like I said, If I'm the team I'm going for size / strength because they need it, a backup sg/sf would also be nice but with my pick I'm taking the 7ft 260 guy before I consider anybody else. How old is Brad Miller? Like I said this won't be a title team within the next two seasons, he's good but def is on the decline, he may not even resign with the Bulls so assuming he doesn't were once again stuck with Joakim Noah as the starting center, and having to give this slow *** Aaron Gray more playing time than he needs. Nobody knows if Tyrus will be around, and for somebody who got benched in favor of Noah / Brad Miller in the 4th quarters/overtime of the playoffs why would it be a bad thing if I said they were going to be splitting their time? Obviously the coaching staff didn't have a problem with it. Stop thinking about now and try to worry about 2years down the road when half this roster may not even be together.

[ChitownBulls]

Guys like Mullens dont come along that often....we forget he was projected top 3 before the year even started....he averaged about 5-6 shots a game and averaged 9ppg and only PLAYED HALF THE GAME....what if he got the ball 10-11 times a game? In the games at Ohio St. where he did get a lot of touches, he put up good numbers.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/player/profile?playerId=41747
Heres the stats of his year...

The Bulls have all the time in the world to wait on guys, were getting ready to make a major push in about 3 or 4 years when D Rose is ready...We have plenty of time to wait for Mullens and he would be a perfect fit for this young team...tons of athleticism and he can run great for a 7footer. Its much tougher pushing around a guy thats 260 then pushing 230 pound Noah. You can find a guy like James Johnson in next years draft if you want, or even take DeJuan Summers with the 26th pick...there not much difference between the 2 imo.

[Mild Sauce]

I agree with you Chitown on Mullens and the other guys. I think that Johnson is better than most other guys you'll find in other years, but you just can't pass up on an opportunity like Mullens if you get the chance with the #16 pick.

[ChitownBulls]

I mean even if he averages 10ppg and 6-7reb, i think at 16th, thats a great pick for us....not many centers can do that in the NBA these days.

[TradeMark]

Byron "B.J." Mullens hit the ground in Detroit yesterday and continues to work out for teams. The consensus on Mullens is he is more skilled than expected, but he's getting labeled as hot and cold; showing flashes of brilliance in some workouts, and showing less than impressive results in others. The Chicago Bulls are more than interested and several teams are intrigued by Mullens size and ability to shoot the ball. Any team that takes him will do so knowing he's a work in progress and that might make him attractive to teams in the 12 to 20 range that may want to stash Mullens for a year and develop him.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=12893

[Mild Sauce]

Hmmm, I like that, but I worry that someone might try to snap him up before us.

[ChitownBulls]

Mullens struggling really doesnt bother me....i see that as him just being a young player ,inexperienced. The guy has outstanding footwork and i really hope the Bulls walk away on June 25th with Mullens on our team...I think there is 1 thing the Bulls realized during the playoffs and that was, WE NEED SIZE!!!! With Mullens you get size and athleticism. Derrick Rose could get Mullens at least 6-8 points a game just by penetrating the lane. Playoff teams are big....examples Orlando,LA,Boston,Cleveland,Houston exc... and we just dont have the guys to guard most of those teams bigs.

[DDizzle08]

I went back and watched the game in played against Butler. Check it:

13:18
Mullens missed turn-around jumper.

12:54
Mullens disrupted Butler perimeter with agility, recovery, and length. Ultimately, it led to Butler getting a shot-clock violation.

12:42
Turner penetrates and passes the ball to Mullens, it was a bad pass, eventually it resulted in turnover.

12:10
Mullens block shot.

11:01
Mullens rebound

9:06
Mullens prevent play by trapping guard with agility, recovery, and length. Ultimately, resulting in Butler turnover.

7:41
Mullens commit turnover due to baseline trap. Putting the ball on the floor isn't his strong component. He needs to approve that aspect.

7:15
Mullens pin man and reverse to finish a two hand slam.

6:47
Mullens pressured Butler's perimeter which results in him deflecting ball out of bounds.

6:47
Mullens took a seat on bench.

3:08
Mullens pressured Butler on inbound pass and it results in turnover.

3:03
Mullens traveled when forced to put ball on the floor in transition.

2:32
Mullens sizes his defender then score with a jump-hook. He showed poise too.

1:03
Mullens fade while attempting mid-range shot just inside the three-point line. Mullens shot a air-ball.

:53
Mullens emphatically block a shot that lands in the midst of court.

:02
Mullens display skill on low post. He scores with a drop-step, then spin to the middle, that allows a finger roll. Mullens got the complexity move off with less than a second in the half under poise.

:00
Mullens deflects inbound pass at end of half.

16:30
Mullens check in the game.

15:51
Mullens alters floater that was missed by Butler's guard.

14:49
Mullens uses a great screen that enables Lighty to shoot a uncontested shot.

14:10
Mullens pin defender on low post, then drop-step to go up strong. He's fouled but missed both free-throws.

13:45 Mullens commit foul.

13:31
Mullens attempt turn-around shot but misses.

12:57
Mullens commit foul.

12:02
Mullens air-ball jump-hook.

Analysis: His defense is great when it doesn't allow contact - sort of like Tyrus Thomas. His agility to recover to his teammates' man was impressive. He could defend out to the perimeter. His feel for his shot is rare for a guy his size. He seemed to get frustrated when stuff wasn't going his way which effected his effort. He commits turnovers a lot when he puts the ball on the floor. He has to learn to keep the ball up high because guards love swiping the ball from him. He rebounds in a "free-way" when he's not getting touches, meaning, he doesn't box-out a lot. He just lets the ball come to him during those moments. His offensive skills are polished. He has range out to the three point line. He loves to operate inside in finesse fashion. It was moments where he got up the court faster than everybody. Ultimately, I think the upside is there but his confidence is suspect at times. His mentally can be questioned too. Like I say, he like to get physical but you just have to catch him during the right time of his "mood-meter". He likes to catch the ball in positions where his man is on his back. Then, most times, he'll improvise a face-up or back-down. He uses the back-board very well. I think the NBA is more of his style because there aren't Centers in the league no more. It's basically a Forwards' game in the paint. Especially since the league is Guard oriented.

[Mild Sauce]

Out of someone that age, that's actually a pretty good thing to see. He's not going to be perfect, I mean, we're talking about getting him with the #16 pick, you're not getting anything perfect there, but he's still someone who has a chance to be something special.

[No Pressure]

I would rather get an Earl Clark or James Johnson and know that you will probably get at least a decent role player out of them instead of going after a BJ Mullens who will either be a fairly decent center in this league or a piece of crap.  Besides, i really hope Solomon Alabi enters next year becuase that is a center that at least already has a fantastic defensive game.

[youngrazzle7]

im a alabi better stay 4 years at florida state, and that's not a knock againist him it will do him alot just like it did for thabeet (even tho he was only 3 years)

[No Pressure]

im a alabi better stay 4 years at florida state, and that's not a knock againist him it will do him alot just like it did for thabeet (even tho he was only 3 years)

yea he would actually benefit a ton if he stays longer but it all depends on what he does next season.  He performs, he'll leave even though he shouldn't.

[DDizzle08]

Ohio State center B.J. Mullens was slated to appear but pulled out of the workout on Friday. His agent gave word to the Nets that he had a promise in the Top 16 and was shutting down workouts. We'll see if the agent is telling the truth on draft night. Luke Harangody has gotten a lot of buzz in workouts. It will be interesting to see what he decides to do on Monday. ESPN.com

[TradeMark]

So it appears we've given Mullens a guarantee. I'm still not sold on him.

For the good of the franchise, I hope he pans out.