Unfortunately for the Bulls, lightening wasn’t going to strike twice in 10 years.
Even worse on Tuesday, they were basically left out in the rain.
The organization entered this year’s NBA draft lottery with a 5.3 percent chance to land the No. 1 overall pick, but instead the balls didn’t bounce in their favor at all, as they ended up actually dropping back to the No. 7 spot courtesy of Sacramento’s jump to No. 2.
It was back in 2008 when the Bulls entered that lottery with just a 1.7 percent chance to land the top pick, and then defied the odds by hitting No. 1 pay dirt, eventually coming away with Derrick Rose.
Not that the Bulls front office was feeling sorry for itself with the latest development.
They will not only have the No. 7 overall pick when the draft rolls around on June 21, but because of the trade with New Orleans for Nikola Mirotic, they also have the 22nd pick in that first round.
VP of basketball operations John Paxson has been very transparent with his team’s needs, pointing out that versatile forwards would be welcomed with open arms.
“We need to look at the wing position,’’ Paxson said last month. “That would be an ideal spot. Size and length at the wing, a shooting component, a defensive component would be something that if you’re looking at an area we would like to improve, that would be it.
“But depending on where we draft, it’s hard to overlook talent, even when you’re looking at maybe a specific need. … You need versatility. Our game has changed that much. We can use versatile players, guys that have length and size and shooting component, those types of things.’’