Swiss Sefolosha emerges to bring depth to backcourt

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Thabo Sefolosha is a relative unknown to many NBA fans because he has played exclusively in France, Switzerland and Italy, and his numbers weren't great on teams that weren't first-rate.

But Sefolosha, a 6-5 shooting guard, wasn't anonymous for long after he worked out for the Bulls, who acquired him during the draft Wednesday. Selected by the Philadelphia 76ers at No. 13, Sefolosha was traded to the Bulls for Memphis forward Rodney Carney, whom the Bulls drafted 16th, along with a 2007 second-round pick and cash considerations.

"He grabs your attention whenever you watch him," Bulls coach Scott Skiles said. "He's very long and versatile, has big hands, he deflects balls and gets out on the open court.

"He's the guy you'd want to play behind Kirk [Hinrich] and Ben [Gordon]. He'll do some ball-handling and allow the other guys to play off the ball."

Last season, Sefolosha averaged 12 points and 6.4 rebounds for Angelico Biella in the Italian Serie A league.

"I was in Italy," Sefolosha said of his lack of reputation, "and everything happened so fast.

"I really didn't have a chance to really realize what happened. But [being drafted] is just a dream come true. So that's great."

The 22-year-old native of Switzerland is the son of artistic parents, a white mother and black father who left South Africa because of the adversity of apartheid. His mother, Christine, is an artist whose work has been showcased by the Judy A. Saslow Gallery in downtown Chicago. Sefolosha's father, Patrick, is an accomplished saxophonist with his own band in South Africa.

Sefolosha was an early entry in the draft last year but withdrew when he was convinced he would not be a first-round pick.

Scouts say Sefolosha has improved his strength, dribbling, passing and intensity. He is a catch-and-shoot scorer who needs to sharpen his shooting. He also is considered a strong perimeter defender.

"Nobody stops LeBron [James]," Bulls general manager John Paxson said. "But he'll be a guy who can match up well defensively against opposing big guards.

"We thought he'd go earlier. So we're happy he was still available."

So was Sefolosha.

"I think it's great," Sefolosha told ESPN. "I'm happy to go to Chicago. I went there for a workout, and I'm looking forward to doing some good things there.

"I wasn't really sure I'd be a first-round pick. But I had some good workouts. I like to play defense. I play hard every game, and I'm going to try to help the Bulls as much as I can.

"I'm going to have to work on my body and adjust to the NBA style of play. But I think I can get to that level."