NBA Draft 2012: Playmakers Chicago Bulls Must Target in Derrick Rose's Absence

With limited cash available, the Chicago Bulls must look for immediate help in this year's NBA draft to fill the void left by the injury of star point guard Derrick Rose.

The Bulls are known for their depth, but they must now build upon it to find a playmaker that will be able to put up numbers that could make up for the loss of Rose's production.

While it is unfortunate for Bulls' fans that their team faced an early exit in this year's playoffs, they will now be able to get a better idea of where they stand when their superstar is out. Given that Rose will miss so much time, the Bulls now know what they must address, and what they may have to do to make sure they can get a player who can cover the loss.

The Bulls will have to move up in the draft to land one of these playmakers, but given the potential damage going into next season, it may be worth it for them to move up for one of these players.

The following players could fill Rose's void.

Austin Rivers

The former Duke freshman is either loved or hated by fans, with nothing in-between. There is a ton of upside to his game, and perhaps most importantly, he can play behind Rose once he returns.

At 6'4", Rivers is mostly a shooting guard, but he can handle the rock if needed. It would also give the Bulls that youth at the two, something they could really benefit from considering there is no guarantee that guys like Rip Hamilton will stay healthy.

Rivers is raw, and his maturity is in question, but a coach like Tom Thibodeau could whip him into shape, as well as likely having a relationship with him already from his days of working under his father in Boston.

According NBA.com's David Aldridge, one scout was unsure about how mature Rivers is.

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"He's got a lot of maturing to do," said a Southwest Division scout. "It's gonna be interesting to see how he handles an NBA locker room. Guys aren't gonna care who he is."

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It may mess with the Bulls' chemistry, but it may just be the spark they need with Rose out.

Damian Lillard

Really hard to imagine the small-college star slipping far in the draft, especially if the Phoenix Suns find a need at point guard with the potential departure of longtime guard Steve Nash.

If Lillard does reach the latter half of the first round, or if the Bulls try to move up, they would be foolish not to pull the trigger.

At Weber State this past season, Lillard averaged 24.5 points per game, as well as dropping 27 in his final game of the season against Loyola Marymount.

Lillard is a playmaker and would be an incredible compliment to Rose's game once he returns. The two combined would make one ridiculous backcourt.

Quincy Miller

If the Bulls decide that guard isn't their thing or address it with a veteran in free agency, they may decide to add some depth to the forward position.

Baylor Bears freshman Miller is definitely raw, but the guy put up solid numbers this season. He averaged just over 11 points per game, but the cause of concern was his disappearance during the NCAA tournament.

He averaged barely over six points during the tourney, bringing into question how ready he will be at the next level.

Considering he'd fit behind Luol Deng, taking a guy with potential may be worth the gamble for Chicago.

Note: To those of you returning, I forgot to mention that these are idea picks for the Bulls to get if they decide to move up if they want to chase a playmaker. My apologies, and thanks for reading.