Sam Cicioni bears a striking resemblance to Phoenix Suns two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash. Until now, however, that has earned the Akron, Ohio, schoolteacher little more than a few second glances and one mistaken make-out session at a Cleveland bar when the Suns were visiting town. But thanks to the inept draft habits of the Chicago Bulls, that’s all going to change: Cicioni has been notified by the Bulls that he will be the team’s first-round draft pick Wednesday.
Players whose mere presence on the floor can swing the momentum of the game are tough to come by, especially in the draft. That’s why this year the Bulls are going for the next best thing: an imposter of Nash.
“Players the caliber of Steve Nash are extremely hard to find,” said Bulls GMÂ John Paxson. “Guys who look like him, thankfully, are all over the place.”
The Bulls plan to offer Cicioni a league-minimum salary, which they anticipate he’ll accept enthusiastically, given his current $35,000 yearly pay. Should Cicioni not pan out to be the MVP-quality player he looks like, the Bulls plan to trade him to the New York Knicks.
