Bulls want to draft a good fit

The good news, for the Bulls, at least, is general manager Gar Forman feels confident the team will land a couple of useful players with the No. 28 and 30 picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft.

No one is expecting a superstar that far back in the draft, but a couple guys who can contribute someday is the goal.

“Our feeling is really at the back end of the draft, there’s going to be some good players there for us,” Forman said Tuesday. “More times than not, it’s not going to be an impact guy.

“We want to get someone who fits us, we can get in our building and work with our coaches on a daily basis and in two or three years, if nothing else, have a chance to be a rotation player.”

The bad news would apply to anyone chosen by the Bulls with the No. 43 overall pick in the second round. Since Forman expects the two first-rounders to stick with the team next season, he doesn’t think a third rookie on the roster makes much sense.

There are several options, however, for that second-round selection. The Bulls could use it on an international player who might stay overseas for a few years, trade it or just draft someone and release him in training camp.

Forman held a predraft media availability at the Berto Center, which contained no specifics about the draft. He didn’t mention any specific prospects, but confirmed the Bulls brought in about 40 to 50 players for workouts.

The Bulls’ greatest need this summer is an upgrade at shooting guard. Forman reminded everyone that needs can be filled through free agency and trades, so it’s not set in stone the Bulls will draft a two guard.

“I’ve always been a huge believer that you draft the best player available,” he said. “We’re not necessarily going to go for need.

“We’ll go for two guys that we think will fit the culture we’ve created and be part of our rotation. Guys that are workers. Guys that have been a part of winning. Guys that will accept roles. More times than not, we’re going to go with makeup and character.”

Of course, with two picks at the end of the first round, it would be natural for the Bulls to select one guard and one front-line player. As mentioned before, there should guards available who appeal to the Bulls, including Butler’s Shelvin Mack, Georgia’s Travis Leslie, Duke’s Nolan Smith, Hofstra’s Charles Jenkins, and Michigan’s Darius Morris.

Some other possibilities are Purdue forward JaJuan Johnson, Richmond forward Justin Harper, Marquette forward Jimmy Butler and Oakland center Keith Benson.

Forman was careful not to talk about what will happen if the league imposes a lockout on July 1, as expected. More than likely, those late-night, one-on-one workouts with coach Tom Thibodeau will be suspended indefinitely.

To help prepare for the lockout, the Bulls held a free-agent camp last week at the Berto Center. The Las Vegas summer league has already been called off, so that was a chance for the Bulls to meet and watch some players who might have joined their summer league squad in a year without labor negotiations.

“We’ve had a number of (current players) in the gym already,” Forman said. “Guys are already into their off-season program and working. The coaching staff has already laid out plans as far as workouts.”

Regarding his overall vision for the team, Forman doesn’t see any drastic changes on the way. The Bulls jumped from 41 to 62 wins with eight new players in the rotation and a brand new coaching staff last season.

“We want to give this team a chance to grow together,” he said. “I see a team that we think can be competitive for years to come.”

The most obvious tweak would be using the team’s midlevel exception to try to lure a shooting guard such as Orlando’s Jason Richardson or Denver’s J.R. Smith. But with a new collective bargaining agreement being negotiated, there could conceivably be a hard salary cap and no midlevel exception by the time negotiations end.

Nine of last season’s players are still under contract. The Bulls have a contract option for guard Keith Bogans that is supposed to be exercised by July 10, but that transaction will likely be on hold until the presumed lockout ends.

Forman is hoping center Omer Asik, who suffered a broken left fibula in Game 3 of the Miami series, will be back to 100 percent by July.