Mario Austin

Mario Austin (36th pick, 2003)

- Utah obtained Austin's draft rights as a silent part of the Carlos Boozer trade. As was the case with the Vladimir Veremeenko description above, such rights were arbitrary and mean nothing. They were traded only because something had to be. Chicago had long given up hope of either signing Austin or obtaining anything of value for him - although I guess getting Carlos Boozer in return counts as value - and thus the inclusion of Austin's rights was meaningless.

Austin is actually having a decent season. In recent years, he has trend towards becoming little else but a three point shooter, yet this season, he has taken only one of those per game. For the year, playing with Ukrainian team Dnipro, Austin is averaging 25.3 minutes, 12.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, shooting 49% from the field. However, with regards to his NBA prospects, this changes nothing.

Chances of making the NBA expressed as an arbitrary percentage: 0%

Mario Austin - 18 games, 34.4 mpg, 15.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 2.4 apg, 2.0 fpg, 1.3 spg, 0.4 bpg, 44% FG, 27% 3PT, 66% FT

[...] After he left for the second time, San German struggled to replace Walker. They first started with Marcus Melvin, a 6'8 three point shooting forward formerly of North Carolina State who was once in summer league with the Nuggets but who never made the NBA. After four fairly pedestrian games from him, San German changed him for former Bulls draft pick Mario Austin, a man who once had NBA talent without NBA opportunities but who now doesn't have NBA talent any more. Austin's jumpshot has improved over the years, but his penchant for using it has similarly increased, and his penchant for defense hasn't. Austin starred in Israel and the Eurocup (or ULEB Cup at the time) for a couple of years, but the last three years have seen a decline in his production. And this continued when San German released him after fifteen games in which he took 249 shots to score 279 points. Austin could use a bounceback year.

- Mario Austin

Austin, the Bulls' other unsigned draft pick, is also in Spain. He signed with Lucentum Alicante in the ACB this summer after splitting last year between Turkey and China. His transformation from post-up threat to perennial jumpshooter is almost complete; on the season he averages 11.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.1 blocks and 21.8 minutes, all while shooting more three pointers than free throws.

At various times during the six years since he was drafted, Bulls fans have wondered if Austin could be an option to help them out with some post-up offense. The answer would appear to be no, not any more. He never could defend, he never would box out, and now he doesn't even score much inside either. He still produces pretty well, but not in a style that suits any NBA aspirations. If you want Mario Austin, you might as well have Anthony Tolliver.