Dissecting Marquis Teague

With the 29th pick of the 2012 NBA Draft the Chicago Bulls selected Marquis Teague point guard out of the University of Kentucky. Mat was hearing plenty of rumors of Tyshawn Taylor and various amounts of small forward prospects, but the drafting of Teague caught this mouse by surprise.

Previous to the pick, Mat was very vocal in his displeasure with the possibility of his Bulls drafting a backup point guard to bridge the gap while Rose was out. He would have much rather seen coverage for Luol Deng's absence be drafted with the 29th pick.

However, the fact that Teague was the starting point guard on essentially a very quality D-League team in college has grown on Mat. His experience running the offense for the national champions falls right in line with what GarPax usually looks for out of their draft picks, which is reputable college and big game experience.

Teague is 6'2" in height and weighs 180 pounds. For his position and height he walks around with a very solid frame. He is a psychical specimen not to be overlooked. His explosiveness while running the point at Kentucky was another of his strong suits. Time and time again defensives couldn't deny him the ability to get to the rim. Similar, in some ways, to how Rose plays the game. Mat believes this will come in handy when speaking to the issue of fluidity without Rose on the floor this season.

His work on the pick and roll at Kentucky was lauded amongst experts. Mat noticed his ability to work with the likes of Anthony Davis and others which turned them into such a success. Imagining running this type of pick and roll with Boozer, Jo, or Taj makes Mat salivate. Hopefully that part of his game can translate well to the Bulls offense.

His defense is something of a project. Coach Thibs is the perfect person to take on this project as well. Teague has the psychical tools to matchup well with NBA PGs, but the question is how much will his size hinder his performance on that end of the court.

Mat believes his consistency is a huge question mark. His jump shot has been a cause for concern all through out his college career. A PG playing Thibs' system is usually asked to handle a portion of the scoring for the offense, and Mat believes this will be a key to the Bulls success without Rose on the floor. Considering Teague will most likely see plenty of minutes without the starting PG on the floor, this will be a huge issue as to whether or not he can adapt to a much longer schedule against much better competition night in and night out. If he can stay consistent, we may see something of a prodigy being molded right in front of our eyes.

Overall, Mat believes Teague is a project. A project that will see an increased amount of NBA time so he will literally be growing right before our eyes this upcoming season. As previously stated, a better pick could have been made at that position. Mat believes a small forward in that spot would have aided the Bulls in coping with the loss of a integral portion of their minutes and defense in reference to Deng. Signing a veteran point guard in the offseason made more sense from a stand point that PG means a lot more to the Bulls offensively.

Mat congratulates Marquis Teague and wishes him well on his endeavors with the Bulls, just as he would with any new member of the team. He looks forward to seeing him running the point hiding amidst the shadows of the Madhouse. Truth be told, he misses seeing his beloved Bulls play in general.

Go Bulls.

With the 29th pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, the Chicago Bulls select...Tyshawn Taylor?

Vin Parise, college basketball insider for NBC Sports, cites sources that say the Bulls plan to draft Kansas point guard Tyshawn Taylor with their first-round pick.

At 29, it's hard to argue with a best-player-available strategy. Still, Mat questions the logic behind drafting a fringe-first rounder that happens to play the same position as the team's franchise player.

Popular opinion has long held that the Bulls would draft a swingman with their first rounder and look to find a veteran stopgap to fill in while Rose was hurt, from pipe dreams of Steve Nash to more reasonable hopes for Jason Kidd or even the return of Kirk Hinrich. This plan, while perhaps not ideal, seemed to be the best way for the Bulls to cover holes in the roster. Mat thinks the drafting of Taylor would be a wrench in that plan.

If the Bulls still plan to sign an experienced point guard, it leaves few financial avenues to find someone to take Luol Deng's spot at the beginning of the season when he's out following surgery on his wrist, or to replace the potentially departing Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver.

If this move means Taylor is the team's primary backup to Rose to begin the season, it's almost a double-edged sword: Taylor will struggle, as rookies do, if asked to shoulder a significant load at the beginning of the season. By the time any rewards can be drawn from that experience, he will be limited to around 10 minutes per game backing up Derrick Rose

There, of course, also remains the question of Taylor's talent level. ESPN's Chad Ford and DraftExpress.com both project him to go in the second round. He struggled mightily with perhaps the primary responsibility of a point guard: taking care of the ball. Mat is not enamored with a four-year senior who turned the ball over 3.5 times a game with only 4.8 assists to show for it.

Taylor is certainly a capable scorer and a tenacious defender, which are both attributes the point guard in Tom Thibodeau's offensive system should possess. Still, even if the Bulls fell in love with those strengths and thought he was capable of overcoming his weaknesses, Mat thinks they should be able to trade back into the second round. It's possible that they could even buy a pick at the top of the second round, where Taylor should still be available.

Otherwise? Stick with the best player available at a position of need.