From Chad Forde earlier this week, seems my theory is not all that far-fetched after all...

Vander Blue, G, Jr. Marquette

Blue had a breakout season as a junior, averaging 14.8 PPG. He is a terrific athlete who can guard multiple positions and exudes the sort of toughness we've come to expect from Marquette players. He's coming off a strong NCAA tournament run that helped carry Marquette to the Elite Eight. However, he still lacks a consistent perimeter jumper and is considered undersized for a 2-guard. Most likely, he's a second-round pick. But some scouts project him as a big point guard, so there's a chance he sneaks into the first round.

The farther the Bulls go in this post season, the better draft odds Blue has as far as I am concerned. The current emergence of Jimmy Butler in the Bulls system is a huge reinforcement of the type of player GMs hope to gain from the Buzz William's Marquette system: a tough, versatile defensive guard that plays within himself and contributes efficiently without plays being run for him. In short, the perfect glue player. This type of player is called out in Grantland's article this week Who Are the New Age Shane Battiers? and shocker, Matthews and Butler both make the list (with Crowder as an honorable mention).

Great teams that are normally drafting at the end of the first round are looking for these types of players that will compliment the stars already winning for their rosters. One could argue that the success of Matthews directly correlated to a team taking a late first round flyer on Hayward and Butler. Jimmy Butler's emergence (and Crowder's promise) have cemented our program as one that contributes a wanted player. Hopefully this correlates to someone taking a flyer on Blue...