Size matters: Gray a Bull

Former Pitt center Aaron Gray was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft on June… Former Pitt center Aaron Gray was drafted in the second round of the 2007 NBA Draft on June 28. The Chicago Bulls, a team that finished fifth in the Eastern Conference in the 2006-07 season and lost in the Eastern Conference semifinals, selected Gray with the 49th pick in the Draft.

The Bulls also drafted Florida forward Joakim Noah with the ninth pick in the first round and Oklahoma State guard JamesOn Curry two picks after Gray in the second round.

At 7-feet, 270 pounds, Gray possesses the NBA-ready post presence the Bulls desired with aging center P.J. Brown, power forwards Michael Sweetney and Malik Allen and enigmatic but talented Martynas Andriuskevicius all entering free agency as unrestricted free agents.

Allen, Andriuskevicius, Brown and Sweetney helped All-Star center Ben Wallace and a scrappy crew of wing players lead the NBA in rebounding. Gray amassed 790 rebounds in four years at Pitt, an average of seven rebounds per game and believes his rebounding is his No. 1 asset.

“I like to play physical, and I consider myself a smart basketball player,” Gray said in an interview on Bulls.com. “Rebounding is not about who can jump the highest or who’s the strongest. Like Bill Russell says, it’s about positioning and timing.”

With the selection of Noah, the Bulls add an athletic, hard-working power forward to their roster. Noah joins developing talent Tyrus Thomas, a 6-foot-8 high-flyer whose game is still far from polished, and rebounding machine Ben Wallace.

But Noah, Thomas and Wallace are not reliable post scorers, and NBA analysts point to the Bulls’ struggling inside offense as the reason the Bulls are 1-2 in playoff series over the past two postseasons.

Gray’s bevy of post moves and sheer size help his chances of making the team and contributing in a reserve role. Gray can use his body to push bodies in the paint and set up in the post rather easily.

Still, Bulls coach Scott Skiles possesses multiple wing players who fit his preferred style – run and gun. The NBA’s ever-changing image is shading toward a fast-paced league where big, stationary post players might not fit into offenses.

And Gray knows it.

“The biggest challenge for me will be keeping up with the pace of the game,” Gray said in the interview.

But Gray is confident his work ethic, and an NBA workout schedule can whip him into shape for the NBA game.

“I know I’ve got to elevate my energy level, and I’m going to do everything I can,” Gray said. “I sat down with management and the coaching staff and we started as soon as I got to Chicago. Between now and October, I’m going to continue to work on my body and train to improve my conditioning.”

One of Gray’s biggest conditioning issues is his body fat.

“After the [Pitt] season, I was at 16 percent [body fat] and now it’s about 10.5,” Gray said in the interview. “It’s easy when you have a lot to cut down but once you get trimmer, it gets tougher. You’ve really got to work hard. We’ll do a lot of drills here working on my agility and speed and conditioning.”

The Bulls brought their youngest prospects to the Pepsi Pro Summer League in Orlando, where Chicago will play five games in five days.

Gray and his fellow draft picks joined other young Bulls players and summer league invitees for the first game of the Pepsi Pro Summer League Monday night.

Gray started at center, playing 21 minutes. The third team All-American scored eight points on two-for-two shooting and hauled in four rebounds. He made four of his six free-throw attempts.

The Bulls played Charlotte last night and will face Miami, Orlando and New Jersey over the final three days. After the completion of the Pepsi Pro Summer League, Chicago takes its youngsters to Salt Lake City July 13-20 for the Rocky Mountain Review, another summer league, for four games.

Gray looks forward to showing the rest of the league what he can do.

“I’m excited to see all the players who were drafted ahead of me and I hope to show the 29 other teams that they made a mistake [by not drafting me],” Gray said in the interview. “I’m very fortunate to be here and I’m very glad to be here, but I’m going to be playing with that chip on my shoulder.”