The Chicago Bulls didn't get a lot of luck in the 2007-2008 season.
They lost out on Kobe Bryant, and everybody that was involved in the proposed trade became angry and didn't give their full effort for the remainder of the season.
The same thing happened with Pau Gasol, who the Bulls lost out on to the same LA Lakers that also have the same Kobe Bryant that the Bulls also lost on.
But tonight, the Bulls were finally given a piece of good luck. With a 1.7% chance of landing the top pick, the Bulls were able to snag the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
This gives them a choice on who they want to take with the first pick in the Draft.
They could take all-around beast Michael Beasley, who could solidify the post and take some offensive pressure off their perimeter players while adding even more rebounds to a strong rebounding team.
Or they could take local hero Derrick Rose, who came out of Chicago in high school to dominate at Memphis as a guard.
Rose could come in and help stabilize the guard position, which has been good but not great over the past few years.
The Bulls gain a great player regardless, who will help this team get back into the spotlight, but what will happen if they draft either player?
Ripple Effect of Michael Beasley
If Beasley is drafted a few major things will happen.
First of all, he comes into the center position and is able to dominate from day one.
Joakim Noah moves to PF while Drew Gooden stays on the team as a veteran presence to help keep the two young guns in check.
With the presence of an inside scorer, a lot of burdens are lifted off the shoulders of Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon (assuming he stays with the Bulls), who are able to start shooting more consistently because of less pressure.
The increase of scoring and rebounds (he averaged 26.2 and 12.4 respectively in his one year at K-State), that Beasley brings with him can help do what Ben Wallace was supposed to do.
Beasley could possible help send the Bulls to an NBA Championship within the next two years, and the city of Chicago would rejoice.
Possible Starters: Beasley C, Noah PF, Deng SF, Gordon or Hughes SG, Hinrich PG
Ripple Effect of Derrick Rose
With Rose thrown into the Bulls lineup, a few things could be made from trade stand points.
First, the Bulls are able to package Kirk Hinrich and Larry Hughes to a team (possibly Denver) for an inside presence to make up for the lack of a true dominant inside player.
With the extra money from Hughes' contract gone, they would also have more cash to re-sign Ben Gordon.
Lets say that the Bulls send Hughes and Hinrich to Denver for Marcus Camby. He is able to be the inside defender that Ben Wallace brought to the table for only one year.
Camby brings strong defense, reasonable scoring, and plenty of rebounds.
With the inside presence, the Bulls are able to be more effective because of a balanced team. And with more money, they are able to go after more free agents.
Possible Starters: Camby C, Noah PF, Deng SF, Gordon SG, Rose PG
These are only hypothetical scenarios, so don't get on me for being unrealistic. I'm a Bulls fan that is looking at possible scenarios. I'm also still on a high from the lottery victory.
The Camby trade is only a possibility.
For those who are curious, I think that the Beasley scenario will have a better outcome than the Rose scenario, seeing as it will be hard to package some of our guards and find a good inside player.
Feel free to leave comments with your own scenarios and who you think the Bulls will pick.
I'm Joe W.
Information for this article was found on NBA.com and ESPN.com
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2 months ago
Good article, I you're happy being from Chicago and all.
from 2 months ago
I'm so happy right now. I think that either way the Bulls are set for a long time.
2 months ago
Good article and analysis on who the Bulls will take. I'm personally hoping for Beasley since I think he makes more sense for the Bulls, plus I believe him to be a more dominant player. My only thing is I think he'd play PF and Noah would play center, since Noah does have a few inches on him at 6'11" to Beasley's 6'9". Either way, if the Bulls take Beasley, I think we're set.
from 2 months ago
PF and C really don't make a difference, I just threw them at those spots, they could be interchanged easily. And I agree with Beasley, plus he is a total BEAST.
2 months ago
I think Camby going to Chicago sounds pretty reasonable, but if it were up to me Tyrus Thomas would be included in the deal, as the addition of possibly Micheal Beasley makes him almost disposable.
Hinrich would solve the Nuggets point guard problem for the time being, and Larry Hughes would be a good fit.
However, then Denver would surely have to sign Emeka Okafor to make up for the hole left by Marcus Camby's departure or draft a big man.
My question is though, who says the Chicago Bulls won't take Derrick Rose?
Ben Gordon may not return as he is a restricted free agent, which would give the role to Thabo Selfolosha. Kirk Hinrich hasn't exactly performed the way they thought he would when he was chosen out of Kansas. Also, Chris Duhon is a restricted free agent as well.
Rose may end up being the #1 overall pick come June.
from 2 months ago
I entertained that possibility as well and it is a completely real possibility. For me, if Hinrich were included in the deal, Rose would have to be the number one pick. I think if Rose is picked, we possibly have more flexibility to re-sign Ben Gordon. I personally would rather have Beasley because I think he puts us in a better place barring that we can't make any big name trades like the one for Camby. I think that Hughes needs to be taken care of because I really don't think that the Bulls can win with him on the team because of the huge contract he has for the way that he is playing. But I think that the Hughes-Thomas for Camby deal would be huge, because we could then possibly have the lineup of Camby, Beasley, Deng/Nocioni, Gordon/Sefelosha, Hinrich, which seems really strong to me.
I think that Hinrich hasn't been playing up to par, but if you look at Rose's raw stats, they aren't spectacular (about 15 ppg, under 5 assists). Those aren't great, although he runs the team better than almost anybody, I just don't like those stats for somebody in college going to the pros where points and assists are even harder to come by.
For somebody that has the offense filtered through him, I think that Rose should be getting more assists.
Beasley really brings everything to the table (as far as rebounds and an inside presence is concerned) and seeing as I completely overlooked trading Tyrus Thomas because we still have Aaron Gray, Joakim Noah, Drew Gooden, and Beasley potentially, I really like where the Bulls stand and I think that there are possible trade deals with Denver to be done that could really improve our team and help Denver prepare for the future and begin the rebuilding process they definitely need.
2 months ago
However, Rose averaged over 20 PPG, 5 RPG, 6 APG in the tournament, if that doesn't say anything about what kind of player and caliber Rose is than what does?
He also dismantled arguably the 2nd best point guard in College Basketball, D.J. Augustin in the Elite Eight holding him to 16 points on 4-13 shooting while scoring 25 points of his own.
Beasley, lost in the 2nd round of the tournament. Also, who has the real size advantage in the NBA between the two, Beasley or Rose?
The answer is Rose.
How many 6-4 200lbs+ point guards are there in the NBA?
Only one: Jason Kidd and he no longer has the speed to keep up with the younger crop of guards.
How many 6-9 230lbs+ Forwards/Centers are in the league?
There's a handful.
from 2 months ago
I usually get my stats from ESPN and those where the full season stats. Like I said, Rose can manage a team better than probably anybody and has great intangibles that don't show up on stat sheets that deserve a #1 or #2 spot in the Draft. I just think that Beasley is a better pick for what the Bulls need to do. Also, the Bulls would have possibly the best rebounding tandem in the NBA with Beasley and Camby if the trade were made. If not, Beasley can still get up and grab tons of rebounds. Also, he would give the Bulls an inside scorer, something they haven't had in a long time. Beasley and Noah would also be a decent combo if Noah can have more of the great nights and less of the "what is he doing" nights. Rose would certainly be a huge addition for this team, but if we can't make a trade happen, we would be stuck in a bad situation with way too many guards. I don't think you should pick a player based on what trade bait he could give you, especially in the Bulls situation where they are possibly on the brink of something great. I think you take Beasley to sure up the biggest hole that has been a big problem for you, not something that could possibly work out, take the sure thing.
2 months ago
If any other team went first, Rose would have been the pick, but the Bulls got it, and Hinrich is/will be a 17-6 guy next season, they wont get rid of him, they will take Michael Beasley, and finish 6th in the east. (Still Underachieving)
2 months ago
Wow I was really gonna right an article on this, but it seems like 4 or 5 people already have, I really need to start sooner next time...
from 2 months ago
I started as soon as I saw that the Bulls had the number one pick, you gotta get there early.
2 months ago
Beasley is THE BEST player for the Bulls, just what they need, and he will be future hall of fame superstar, Rose is not that good as Beasley but he will be good player no doubt
from 2 months ago
I completely agree, but I think that Rose will also be a great player in the NBA. Beasley will just be better.
2 months ago
DONT LISTEN TO THIS KID! HE DIDNT EVEN WATCH THE LOTTERY, but thats why hes got me to tell him what happens! Right lil bitch ? ;)
Joe, you can finally go out this weekend now that your getting a D- in Physics!
from 2 months ago
Hell yea dude, looking forward to it. Is lil bitch getting added to my nickname repertoire, because I'm on overload right now.
2 months ago
I don't envy the Bull's position at all. The number one pick is extremely over-rated in my opinion, especially in the NFL. They are practically forced to pay $30 million to some kid who hasn't played a minute of pro ball. And nobody wants to trade up to number one overall...
It's just not a good situation. I'll take my Timberwolves 3rd overall any day of the week.
from 2 months ago
So you're saying that you wouldn't want the Timberwolves to get Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley?
from 2 months ago
Ehh, it's tough to say in the NBA. The bonus' are just way too high in the NFL. I would rather have the second overall pick than the third, though. :D
from 2 months ago
I agree with you that football pay is completely insane. The deal that Matt Ryan got should be outlawed. But in basketball it's not nearly as bad, I would say that they are behind football and baseball on the crazy contract level.
2 months ago
Nice article Joe. I was ecstatic when I found out about the number one pick and I think that either player will be a great NBA talent and either could be great with the bulls. I originally was all for Beasley and think he will be a solid 15-20 points and 10 boards a night guy in the NBA.
But something keeps on pulling me to Rose. Sure what I remember of his season was mostly from the tourney when he was superb and maybe the rest of his season was not as spectacular but I think he is going to be a superstar.
Just take a look at what players like CP3 and Deron Williams have done as young point guards and Rose is an incredible combination of their strength and speed with leadership stills that go beyond either of those guys.
Beasley - the safer pick - most likely will be the pick because as we have seen in the past with Gasol, Bryant and now Mike DiAntoni, the Bulls - and especially Paxson - cannot pull the trigger on anything remotely risky.
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