Some guesses on what Bulls will do with 16th draft pick

With the 16th pick of the 2009 NBA draft, the Bulls don't even know which players will be available, let alone which one they might select.

Maybe the Green Room can provide some clues. The NBA released the names of 15 players invited to attend Thursday's draft in New York.

The league's goal is to empty the Green Room before any prospect is wallowing in disbelief that he hasn't been chosen. But the list is only an estimate, so it's very unlikely those players will be the first 15 selected. A few others are bound to slip in.

It does seem interesting, though, that Gonzaga's Austin Daye and North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough were on the attendee list, while Ohio State's B.J. Mullens, Pitt's DeJuan Blair, Wake Forest's James Johnson and Louisville's Earl Clark were not.

Point guards Ty Lawson, Jeff Teague and Eric Maynor are not ticketed for the Green Room, while shooting guards Gerald Henderson and Terrence Williams are.

So what are the Bulls likely to do Thursday? Here are a few informed guesses:

• The player most likely to end up with the Bulls probably is among Williams, Mullens, Blair or Johnson - not necessarily in that order.

Williams, a 6-foot-6 guard from Louisville, could step in right away if the Bulls lose Ben Gordon or trade Kirk Hinrich.

The 7-1 Mullens has size and skills but is something of a project. The 6-7 Blair is a tenacious rebounder, while the 6-8 Johnson had some impressive scoring and rebounding games in the ACC last year.

• The Bulls probably won't take Lawson, Teague or Maynor at 16 because there should be some decent point guards available when they pick again at 26.

Florida State's Toney Douglas averaged 21.5 points last season and was the fastest player at the predraft camp. UCLA's Darren Collison led his team to two Final Fours.

If the Bulls opt for a big man at No. 26, USC's Taj Gibson is a possibility. He stands 6-10 with a 7-4 wingspan.

• Despite a preponderance of rumors, the Bulls do not seem inclined to move up in the draft. Trade talk usually heats up in the 48 hours before the draft, so anything is possible.

But they'll most likely hang on to the 26th pick and take whichever player is at the top of their list at 16. There is no evidence the Bulls are eager to move up and grab Henderson with New Jersey's No. 11 pick.

• What if none of the four players mentioned above is available at 16? It probably will depend on which players slip. Hansbrough is a remote possibility, as is Clark, who canceled his only scheduled workout for the Bulls on Sunday.

There were reports of a couple of interesting trades Tuesday. Milwaukee agreed to send forward Richard Jefferson to San Antonio for Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto and Kurt Thomas, then reportedly were set to move Oberto to Detroit for Amir Johnson.

This is a cost-cutting move for the Bucks, who acquired Jefferson less than a year ago for Yi Jianlian and others.

That means Milwaukee has little to show for the No. 6 pick of the 2007 draft.

Also, Washington was expected to send the No. 5 pick in this year's draft with filler to Minnesota for Randy Foye and Mike Miller.

This deal would give the Timberwolves the fifth and sixth picks Thursday, and one will no doubt be used on a point guard.