Chicago Bulls Draft Luke Babbitt With 17th Pick In SB Nation's 2010 NBA Mock Draft

The 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft is still(!) underway, with each SB Nation blogger making selections for their respective teams. your friendly BullsBlogger from Blog a Bull, SB Nation's Chicago Bulls blog, checks in to make the seventeenth overall selection in this year's mock.

With the seventeenth overall pick in the 2010 SB Nation NBA Mock Draft, the Chicago Bulls select Luke Babbitt, forward, Nevada Wolf Pack.

yfBB explains:  Clearly the Bulls have bigger prizes in mind this offseason than the #17 pick in the draft, and even the six players under contract for this coming season shouldn't feel safe in their chances of returning (outside of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah).

But that actually could make this draft ironically significant. Whether the Bulls sign LeBron James, or Chris Bosh, move others to somehow get both...or, more depressingly, sign Joe Johnson to the max: they're going to need bodies to fill out the roster. Ones that preferably can play immediately.

In Luke Babbitt could be invaluable in such readiness, coming from a big-minute (and high-possession) situation in college. And more importantly he comes in with a defined skill: shooting. The Bulls were amongst the league's worst offenses, not only specializing in attempting the least efficient shot on the court (the long two-pointer) but not even being that successful at it. Babbitt also tested out fairly well athletically, so here's hoping between that and new coach Tom Thibodeau, he'll become passable defensively to the point where he can remain on the court to stand and be open on the offensive side of the ball, while opponents figure out how to stop Derrick Rose and the future big-time free-agent to be.

While Babbitt may not be at the most needed position for the Bulls (Luol Deng and last year's draftee James Johnson already at SF, and a certain LeBron James possibly there in the future), the roster needs shooters in the worst way, anywhere. And nothing in this roster is set, so any apparent logjam at any position may not be the case heading into next season.

Ridiculous Upside reacts: Rec'd.

Ridiculous Upside's Top 5 remaining prospects: 1 - Hassan Whiteside, PF/C, Marshall. 2 - Gordon Hayward, SF, Butler. 3 - Damion James, SF, Texas. 4 - Solomon Alabi, C, Florida State. 5 - Larry Sanders, PF/C, VCU.

Sound off, SB Nation! What say you of the Babbitt-to-Chicago pick?

And please, remember to check out Blog a Bull for everything you need to know about the Bulls.