According to Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN.com, the Bulls would like Jerryd Bayless going to Chicago as part of that rumored three way trade for Carlos Boozer.

One source close to the process on Friday identified two main obstacles to the aforementioned three-way deal. Concerned about the quality of its backcourt rotation if it has to surrender Hinrich with Thomas after losing Ben Gordon in free agency, Chicago would insist that the Blazers surrender young guard Jerryd Bayless, which Portland is reluctant to do.

If it can’t get Bayless, Chicago might still be willing to substitute Tim Thomas for Tyrus Thomas in the deal, but sources say Utah would likely balk if Tyrus Thomas is not included.

I don’t think the Bulls should make it an absolute sticking point to get Bayless back in a trade. The trade, as is, is a good deal for the Bulls. Getting Bayless back on top would just be gravy.

Bayless only averaged 4.3 points a game this past season on 48.7 TS%. That is not the type of player that you hold up a trade of this magnitude for. Bayless was highly heralded coming out of college, but when players do as poorly as he did in his first NBA season, they usually don’t end up amounting to anything significant.

Bayless is a tough player to judge, because while his season average, and scoring efficiency are horrible, he did have some explosive scoring games throughout the season, so there is some reason to believe that he has the potential to be a good player in the NBA.

This article states that if the Blazers are not willing to give up Bayless, then the Bulls will no longer want to give up Tyrus Thomas to the Jazz. The only reason I could see this, is if the Bulls would like to keep Thomas going forward, and just want to use Boozer as a one year guy to keep fan interest up, in what otherwise would be a tough year, and then just let Boozer’s contract expire, while keeping Thomas, and signing a max free agent in 2010 with the rest of the cap space.

The 2009 NBA Draft has come and gone. We did three mock drafts on our site, the final version which can be found here. How did our mock draft stack up against the big three’s mock drafts?  (The big three being Draft Express, Nbadraft.net, and Chad Ford’s mock draft for ESPN.com).

Dabullz.com

Correct Picks: 8/30 (26.7%)
Average Deviation: 4.7
Lottery Picks: 6/14 (42.9%)
Lottery Deviation: 1.07

Draftexpress.com

Correct Picks: 14/30 (46.7%)
Average Deviation: 5.03
Lottery Picks: 8/14 (57.1%)
Lottery Deviation: 1.43

Nbadraft.net

Correct Picks: 10/30 (33.3%)
Average Deviation: 5.5
Lottery Picks: 7/14 (50%)
Lottery Deviation: 2.71

Chad Ford

Correct Picks: 12/30 (40%)
Average Deviation: 3.77
Lottery Picks: 9/14 (64.3%)
Lottery Deviation: 0.57

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A few days ago, a tweet was made on what appears to be the twitter page of B.J. Mullens, which stated that he got a guarantee from M.J. town, which is obviously Chicago.

It is unclear of whether the twitter page is actually B.J. Mullen, as it does not have the verified button on it. However, this does not mean it is not his page, as other confirmed stars also do not have this verified button.

Also, the Chicago Tribune says that B.J. Mullens told Charlotte reporters that the Bulls and Pistons have expressed the most interest.

It is said that Mullens has received a top 16 guarantee, and Chad Ford means that probably means it is from the Bulls.

Sam Smith stated on Bulls.com, that while the Bulls have interest in Mullens and may draft him, no such guarantee was made.

Even if the Bulls did give Mullens a guarantee, they are going to deny it.

If the Bulls do decide to take Mullens, I like the pick just based on the principle behind it. The Bulls already have a host of quality big men in Brad Miller, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah. They could add another using the MLE, or get a different style big man, simply by trading one of these guys. The problem with these three guys, is while they’re quality, none of them are destined for stardom. I have no clue as to whether Mullens will turn out to be a good player or not, but he at least has star potential.

If the Bulls deem that a player like Dejuan Blair will be nothing more than a quality role player, why take him if there is a player you believe can become a star still left untaken?

Mullens certainly has the physical gifts to become a star. He stands at roughly 7′1′ and 260 pounds. His maximum vertical reach is 11′11.5″, the highest of this draft class. The question with Mullens will be whether he can get his skills up to speed.

Mullens has the physical tools to become a star, and for this reason, Mullens would be a good pick. When you’re picking at 16, there is a high chance that you are going to draft a bust, so why not try to get a potential star with that pick?

Chad Ford, in his most recent ESPN chat, said that both the Thunder and Pistons are said to be interested in Ben Gordon.

Mitchell (Chicago): Please tell me Ben Gordon is staying in Chicago.

SportsNation Chad Ford: If he can find a team willing to give him the money he wants … he ’s gone. I’ve heard OKC has interest. And the Pistons do too if they can find a way to pay him and a big man like Boozer.

This is bad news. If the Thunder are interested in Gordon, I think he is probably gone. Oklahoma City has the perfect groundwork to build a championship team.

If the Thunder sign Gordon, they will have plenty of offense between Gordon and Durant. With that in place, in the draft, they could go for UConn’s defensive center, Hasheem Thabeet.

The Thunder seem like the ideal fit for Gordon. The Thunder’s situation is somewhat similar to the Bulls in 2006. In 2006, the Bulls were pretty much set at every position except power forward and center. They had capspace and the second overall pick in the draft. So they drafted a power forward, Tyrus Thomas, to fill the power forward void, and signed center, Ben Wallace, to fill the center void. The Thunder could do the same with Ben Gordon and Hasheem Thabeet.

According to Chad Ford, the Bulls will be Chris Bosh’s first choice come summer of 2010.

Chad Ford: A few weeks ago the Bulls finally got bold, attempting to work a complicated three-team deal that would land them Chris Bosh. The problem was, the Raptors and Suns weren’t willing partners.

In comparison, the Bulls trade for Brad Miller and John Salmons seems pretty underwhelming. How is the addition of Miller and Salmons the change that the Bulls really need? The answer, I think, is that it isn’t. Miller was once a force in the low post, but his best years are far behind him. Salmons is a good, versatile role player, but doesn’t really address their weaknesses in the front court.

However, another shoe could be dropping in Chicago. League sources continue to insist that the Bulls might not be done. As Marc Stein reported this morning, the Bulls and Wolves have talked about a Kirk Hinrich trade that would send back some more cap relief (Jason Collins and either Rashad McCants or Brian Cardinal) to Chicago. If the Bulls pull the trigger on that deal, they’ll have only $25 million in committed payroll coming into the summer of 2010. They could have even more space if Salmons opts out of his contract in the summer of 2010.

That would make them serious players in the 2010 free agent market for — you guessed it — Chris Bosh. A source close to Bosh told me this afternoon that Chicago would be his first choice as a free agent destination that summer.

While another year and half of mediocrity might be too long for some Bulls fans, a core of Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, and Chris Bosh might be worth the wait.

If the little tidbit about Chicago being Chris Bosh’s first choice is true, then it is imperative that the Bulls trade Kirk Hinrich for Minnesota’s expiring contracts. That is if they are unable to land Bosh or Amare Stoudemire in a three way trade before the deadline.

If the Bulls do choose to unload Kirk Hinrich in a salary dump, the Bulls would suddenly have a 2010 plan that involves them retaining Ben Gordon. With the Derrick Rose, Ben Gordon, and Luol Deng on the roster, one would have to imagine that the Bulls would be an attractive team to free agent big men. But one big question remains, will Bulls management finally part ways with Kirk Hinrich?