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Butler guard an option for Bulls

Jerry Krause once thought there was so little chance of finding a useful player with the final first-round pick in the NBA Draft, he chose Connecticut center Travis Knight in 1996 and declined to offer him a contract.

Today, however, with so many young, unproven athletes on the draft board, the unpredictability has seemed to help teams choosing late.

The Bulls demonstrated that in 2009 when they found a more helpful player with the No. 26 pick (Taj Gibson) than they did at No. 16 (James Johnson).

This past season, the all-rookie first-team included one second-round pick, New York’s Landry Fields, and one player who wasn’t drafted, San Antonio’s Gary Neal.

Two years ago, Gibson and No. 21 pick Darren Collison made all-rookie first team, while the second team featured three second-rounders — DeJuan Blair, Jonas Jerebko and Marcus Thornton.

So as bleak as it seems, the Bulls have to feel there’s a decent chance of finding at least one helpful player with picks No. 28, 30 and 43 in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

The Bulls’ own pick is the last of the first round, thanks to posting the league’s best record. They added Miami’s first-rounder in the trade that sent Johnson to Toronto, and they have one second-round selection from Utah.

At the top of the draft, Duke guard Kyrie Irving is expected to go No. 1 to Cleveland, and Arizona forward Derrick Williams No. 2 to Minnesota.

At the Bulls’ end of the draft, the possibilities are endless. But here are five names to watch when the Bulls go fishing, roughly two hours after Irving and Williams leave the stage.

Shelvin Mack, 6-2 ½ guard, ButlerCollege basketball fans know this name well. No one contributed more to Butler#146;s incredible NCAA tournament runs over the past two years.In their playoff loss to Miami, the Bulls were crying out for someone who could hit a shot or make a play while the entire Heat defense swarmed Derrick Rose. Well, no one hit more big shots in college than Mack the past two years.Even better, he tested well at the predraft camp with a vertical leap of 39 inches. A jump of 40 inches is in the elite class. His wingspan is 6-feet-7.Maybe Mack isn#146;t a true point or shooting guard, but it hasn#146;t stopped Jason Terry in Dallas from being a big scorer.Travis Leslie, 6-4 guard, GeorgiaOne impressive note from this year#146;s class is that six players recorded a vertical leap of at least 40 inches at the Chicago predraft camp. There was just one who could do it in both 2009 and 2010.Kansas freshman Josh Shelby and Georgia Tech#146;s Iman Shumpert, who#146;s from Oak Park, are two strong leapers likely to be gone by the time the Bulls pick. Fast-rising shooting guard Marshon Brooks of Providence, who stands 6-5 with a freakish 7-1 wingspan, also figures to be out of reach.Leslie, who jumped 40.5 inches and has a 6-10 frac12; wingspan, might have the best chance of being around at No. 28. He#146;s a muscular, athletic guard who improved his outside shot during three years of college and has a chance to become a cross between Memphis#146; Tony Allen and the Lakers#146; Shannon Brown.Leslie raised some eyebrows by suggesting he#146;ll be better than Allen in an interview with DraftExpress.com, but that#146;s probably a good sign if believes his offensive skills will outshine the Grizzlies#146; defensive specialist. Leslie averaged 14.4 points and shot 49.2 percent from the field last season at Georgia.JaJuan Johnson, 6-10 forward, PurdueWhile averaging 20.5 points and 8.6 rebounds, and being named both Big Ten player of the year and defensive player of the year, Johnson still flew a bit under the radar.At the predraft camp, his vertical jump measured 38 inches, incredible for someone his size, and he ran the floor with the speed of a guard.Despite a thin frame (220 pounds), Johnson clearly has the tools to be a strong front-line defender in the NBA. With a few reliable offensive moves, anything is possible.Justin Harper, 6-9 forward, RichmondIf the Bulls are looking to add depth at small forward, along with another long-range shooter, Harper would be a good candidate. He shot 44.8 percent from 3-point range last season on 172 attempts.He had a hand in Richmond#146;s run to the third round of the NCAA tournament, producing 22 points and 9 rebounds in the Sweet Sixteen loss to Kansas.Keith Benson, 6-11 center, OaklandHere#146;s a late-bloomer with intriguing skills. More than anything, he needs to add bulk to his 217-pound frame.As a junior, Benson was named the Lou Henson mid-major player of the year. As a senior, he averaged 17.9 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.6 blocks. He has the skills and athleticism to be an NBA contributor and could add to the Bulls#146; depth on the front line.Euro deals: There are a couple of European players still under contract who will likely be chosen late in the first round by teams that don#146;t want to add to the payroll this year. With the lockout and a possible hard salary cap on the way, the Bulls may fall into that category.Seven-foot Nikola Mirotic, 20, of Montenegro, wouldn#146;t be a bad gamble, since he#146;ll be playing in a good program with Real Madrid. Davis Bertans, 18, from Latvia may also get a nod.mmcgraw@dailyherald.comBKC26674000Georgia guard Travis Leslie may be available when the Bulls use the No. 28 pick in the NBA draft on Thursday. His size and athletic skills are remarkable.Associated PressBKCBKC,T2523714000Despite a thin frame, Purdue forward JaJuan Johnson (25) has the tools to be solid forward in the NBA, and he runs like a guard.Associated PressBKC,T25BKN,FILE,ADV21852859Richmond’s Justin Harper, here shooting over Kansas’ Mario Little during the NCAA college basketball tournament in San Antonio, could provide depth for the Bulls at small forward.Associated PressBKN,FILE,ADVBKC26452305With more weight and muscule, Oakland (Mich.) center Keith Benson could have a long career in the NBA.Associated PressBKC