POSTED 8:51 a.m. EDT, April 29, 2006 SAINTS TAKING BUSH? ESPN reports that the Saints presently plan to select USC tailback with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2006 draft. But Sal Paolantonio of ESPN correctly acknowledges that the Saints might be putting that word out in order to maximize the trade market for the pick. Indeed, if the other teams in range to get Bush don't believe that the Saints will take him, there's no reason to give up anything to get him. Seven years ago, the Saints gave up their entire slate of draft picks, along with a first-rounder and a third-rounder in 2000, in order to get Ricky Williams, whose NFL career arguably came to an end just a couple of days ago. Now, the Saints hold the rights to a guy who likely has greater potential than Ricky ever possessed. But, of course, the Saints already have Deuce McAllister on the roster. McAllister fell to the Saints in 2001, even though Williams was still on the roster. Still, the Saints jumped at the chance to phase Ricky out. Now the question is whether the Saints take Bush despite having McAllister. Given that the Saints selected McAllister two years after coughing up so much to get Williams, we think that it's a no-brainer. Take Bush. (By the way, McAllister is represented by Ben Dogra, who also represents Mario Williams. Could there be an awkward conversation or two in Ben and Deucie's future if the deal Dogra negotiated with the Texans makes McAllister the odd man out in New Orleans? Dogra did absolutely nothing wrong by getting Williams signed by Houston -- but there's no guarantee McAllister will see it that way.) Of course, it might cost a lot of money for the Saints to sign Bush, and as owner Tom Benson observed in 2005, those are indeed "real dollars." In an effort to erase the diss dealt out by the Texans, Bush might try to get as much or more than Mario Williams received at No. 1, with or without a new agent. Another possibility here for the Saints is to pull an Eli Manning, drafting McAllister and then swinging a trade after further picks unfold. Speaking of Eli, we heard last night the agent Joel Segal was considering taking the position that Bush won't play in New Orleans. If that's what Segal and Bush ultimately opt to do, there could be all sorts of new intrigue once Saturday gets rolling.
