Miami Heat: What Would Team Look Like If They Had Drafted Derrick Rose?

The NBA without a doubt made positively sure that no team in the league can lose games on purpose just to obtain a higher draft pick.

Not even a team like the Miami Heat, who were only two years removed from their first championship, yet had just finished the 2007-'08 season an NBA-worst 15-67.

The team had Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal until it received the gift of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks in a trade near the end of the season. The team was in shambles and was a shell of the roster that had dominated the NBA for two seasons. With O'Neal causing disorder among the organization with his criticism surrounding the training staff of the Heat, and Wade only playing 51 games after another injury-plagued season, the team finished with the worst record and with the highest possibility of obtaining the No. 1 pick in an extremely talented draft.

Michael Beasley from Kansas State, Derrick Rose from Memphis—fresh off an NCAA championship appearance—and O.J. Mayo from USC all led an impressive class that also included the likes of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Love and Eric Gordon.

There was no shortage of talent in this draft and the Heat could pick and choose whom they wanted.

That is, until they received the second pick as opposed to the first. A Chicago Bulls team that had finished 33-49 in the regular season and only had a 1.7 percent chance of winning had miraculously found its way to the top of the draft order to take the No. 1 pick.

It left the Heat in a bind because they had their eyes set on Rose. The team already had a solid power forward in Udonis Haslem and could have really used a point guard to replace Jason Williams, or even a center to replace O'Neal. Beasley was regarded as the best athlete on the team, but he didn't exactly fit in with a team that already had a former All-Star at small forward in Marion and Haslem starting at power.

When draft day came around, the Bulls did the obvious and took Rose, with the Heat taking Beasley second. They still had the opportunity to draft a quality point guard in Westbrook or D.J. Augustin, but they elected to go with the best all-around player in Beasley. He wasn't the guy the team wanted, but they couldn't pass up a player that had just dominated the NCAA with double-doubles and having averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds per game in the only season he played there.

Beasley was a sixth man for most of his rookie season and was a solid contributor, averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game. His shot selection was dismal at times and he couldn't play much defense, but he was still an extremely athletic player with the most potential out of any player in the draft. Once the sophomore season came around, however, it was obvious that Beasley just wasn't going to fit in.

He was given the start and averaged 15 points on 45 percent shooting from the field and six rebounds per game. The problem with Beasley is that he's the type of player that can score prolifically when the offense runs through him and when he's the No. 1 scoring option. The team already had Dwyane Wade for that so there was no reason for another player who thrived on slashing and jump shots.

The Heat needed a point guard or center and they still need one to this day. If a few ping pong balls went their way, moves like 'The Decision' and obtaining Chris Bosh would have never happened and the Heat could be in a completely different position today. On a team with Rose and Wade, the Heat wouldn't have had the money to obtain James and Bosh and they would have gone after a few role players and a solid post threat.

Instead, the team might have completed a deal that would have brought in Bosh and could have also gone after a solid center in Brendan Haywood. They certainly would have the NBA's best back court—as well as the most electrifying—and all they would need to complement those two would be a solid post threat.

The team today still lacks a solid post threat as Bosh finds himself taking too many jumpers or not playing aggressively enough.

The team wouldn't have had enough money to sign max players like Wade and Rose and two more max-deal players, but it would have had the influence to bring in a number of role players to play in the front court that could fill in some holes. James and possibly Bosh would be on different teams, but the Heat would still easily be a championship contender with the back court they already possessed and the possibility of getting a few more quality players to fill out the front court.

Of course, the team would still face some of the same problems that it faces now. Rose might be a point guard, but he's the type of player that is more willing to take shots rather than involve his teammates. He and Wade are the same type of player with Rose being a pure point guard who has better court vision and awareness. After three seasons they might have learned to play together, but it could have been a problem that would arise.

They would also be in a situation where Wade would be the clear leader of the team and Rose would be the second option. It's tough to judge how Rose would play as a second option since he was thrown into a situation where he was the first option and has become accustomed to such for the past three seasons. He might have just been Michael Beasley on the team, looking for an identity and contending with Wade for shot opportunities.

Rose is a natural-born leader and he's not the type of player that's going to play the role of a sidekick. Over time, however, it seems Wade and Rose would have eventually learned to co-exist the same way Wade and James have learned to over one season.

If it was between having Rose on the team since 2008 and having a solid roster surrounding him and Wade going up against the current Heat team with Wade, Bosh and James, you have to go with the team that was actually created and already has success. It's tough to judge a team that wasn't created because you don't know all of the possible moves they could have made following the acquisition of Rose.

The team possibly could have gone after Bosh, but then it would have the same "big three" minus a small forward and plus a point guard. The Heat might have even looked for help prior to the 2010 free agency period and possibly traded for a Carlos Boozer- or Lamar Odom-type post player.

There were so many possibilities for this team and so much potential considering it would have possessed two of the most agile players as well as some of the NBA's best finishers around the basket.