Bulls Select Denzel Valentine With 14th Pick In The Draft [VIDEO]
ANDREW SELIGMAN, AP Sports Writer
CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago Bulls drafted Michigan State small forward Denzel Valentine with the 14th overall pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday.
The 2015-16 AP national player of the year, Valentine joins a team that traded former MVP Derrick Rose to New York on Wednesday in a blockbuster. The deal that brought one of the most successful and disappointing periods in the franchise's history to an end.
Valentine averaged 19.2 points per game, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.8 assists last season. But a lingering knee injury might have raised concerns for some teams.
Chicago, which also held the 48th pick, is in transition after missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008 in its first season under coach Fred Hoiberg. The Bulls sent guard Justin Holiday and a 2017 second-round pick with Rose to New York in exchange for center Robin Lopez and guards Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant.
But more than anything, the deal was a turn-the-page moment. It signaled the official end to a feel-good story that went awry years ago.
With Rose at his explosive best, the Bulls soared to heights they had not experienced since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led them to a pair of championship three-peats in the 1990s. The South Side native went from Rookie of the Year to All-Star to the NBA's youngest MVP in his first three seasons.
But the story changed when he tore the ACL in his left knee in the 2012 playoff opener. He sat out the following season and had his long-awaited comeback cut short by a torn meniscus in his right knee. The old explosiveness never returned on a consistent basis, and Rose did not mesh on the court with All-Star Jimmy Butler. He also talked openly about becoming a free agent in 2017.
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