Beasley v Rose

By: Eli Kaberon

The Bulls lost a lot this season. They lost 49 of the 82 games they played. They lost two head coaches in the span of four months. And they lost a lot of respect by botching the chance to sign former Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni. Yet thanks to the NBA Draft Lottery that took place on last Tuesday, the Bulls season immediately became a success.

That’s because despite odds longer than Lake Shore Drive traffic in rush hour, the Bulls came away with the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. The chance of that happening, 1.7 percent, is the second lowest of any team to ever win the lottery in the events 23-year history. Yet there was Steve Schanwald, the team’s executive VP of business operations, holding a giant card with the team logo on it, giving thumbs up to the camera and telling the national TV audience the best way to order season tickets.

But now comes the vital question for owner Jerry Reinsdorf, GM John Pasxon and a head coach still to be determined: Who do the Bulls take? Will it be Kansas State forward Michael Beasley, the scoring and rebounding machine that was a first-team All American last season? Or how about Memphis point guard Derrick Rose, the Windy City native who took his team to the brink of the National Championship? Perhaps a trade, maybe swapping the pick for Denver’s Carmelo Anthony or Dirk Nowitzki from Dallas.

The old school thinking is go with Beasley. He’s 6-9, a dominant low post scorer, a beast at getting rebounds, and fills a position of need for the team. Since the trade of Elton Brand at the 2001 draft, the team has been looking for a dominant player in the paint. Eddy Curry was that for a while, but due to laziness and a heart problem, he was traded. Tyrus Thomas was taken fourth in the draft in 2006, but with the exception of put-back dunks and ally-oops, he has no offensive game whatsoever. And there’s Drew Gooden, Joakim Noah and Aaron Gray, all of whom have impressive parts of their games, but none of them include putting the ball in the basket. Beasley, teamed with perimeter players Ben Gordon and Larry Hughes, would automatically be the inside-out presence the Bulls have lacked since the triangle offense days of the late ’90s, when Michael Jordan would post up a helpless defender and either shoot that smooth fade away or kick it out to a wide open Steve Kerr for a three-pointer.

Making a trade also has its benefits. After each team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs this year, both the Nuggets and Mavericks have been the focus of rumors about trades for their All-Star forwards. Anthony will be 24 when the next season begins, yet he already has five years of NBA experience. And teamed with Luol Deng, the Bulls would have a great one-two punch in the frontcourt. Nowitzki is a bit older, he’ll turn 30 this summer, but also has the added of experience of winning. The recipient of the 2007 NBA MVP award, Nowitzki has been to the NBA Finals before, putting his team on his back during the ‘06 playoffs. Each player would be the go-to scorer the Bulls have lacked and wouldn’t need the learning curve that a rookie would.

Both of those options, Beasley and a trade, are good. But only one is great. And that would be taking Derrick Rose. The alum of Simeon High School on the city’s south side, the one-year wonder at Memphis, the guy who would have been MVP of the Final Four if he could just make a free throw, Rose is the perfect player for the Bulls. Never mind that the team already has a point guard or the fact that drafting a hometown player causes great pressure (See: Curry, Eddy), selecting Rose is the biggest no-brainer Paxson will ever have as a GM. One peek at his numbers at Memphis should be enough. But then taking into account the current state of the NBA, and he essentially can already write out the card to hand David Stern on June 26.

The Memphis Tigers were a good team before Rose arrived on campus. They had been to consecutive Elite Eight’s and had won the Conference USA title two of the previous three seasons. But Rose put them over the top. His quickness and strength was nearly impossible for anybody to defend, proved in the NCAA Tournament, when he scored 27 points versus Michigan State on 10-for-16 shooting and then had 21 points, 9 assists and 6 rebounds in the Elite Eight versus Texas. The Final Four was no different, as Rose averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists against UCLA and Kansas. And let’s not forget he won back-to-back state titles while at Simeon, meaning he has played for a championship his last three seasons of competitive basketball.

Drafting Rose would mean one of two things. One, the Bulls trade either Gordon, Hughes or Kirk Hinrich, most likely for a post player. Or they would go with a three-guard lineup, teamed with Deng and either Gooden or Noah. Whatever Paxson has to do to make it work, I suggest he do it. Every intangible goes Rose’s way, from background (Beasley went to six high schools in five states in four years) to marketing (Rose wore #23 at Memphis and has a built-in fan base in Chicago). Add to the fact that the NBA these days is dominated by perimeter players and Rose looks to be the league’s next great point guard.

As little as ten years ago, the point guard’s job in the NBA was to call out the play, make the proper pass and play good defense. But then guys like Steve Nash, Baron Davis, Tony Parker, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul came along, and everything changed. Now point guards drive in the lane all day long, crossing over big men like they’re on the playground, and either laying it in or throwing a pass to an open shooter. These guards are their teams leading scorers and MVP candidates, and it’s almost like the passing brilliance of Magic Johnson was combined with the scoring abilities of Dr. J to create this new hybrid point guard. And Rose is on that level, impossible to defend with one guy thanks to shocking end-to-end speed and bruising strength. His shooting still needs work, and maybe a change in his diet would be helpful. (At Memphis, it was reported Rose’s daily lunch included Starbursts and Sour Punch Straws) But if the Bulls pass on him, they will be passing on the league’s next dynamic superstar.

The last point guard to be taken #1 overall was Allen Iverson by the 76ers in 1996. He was really the first of these hybrid points and has been a force in the league ever since his first day on the court. Derrick Rose has similar potential, but is bigger and stronger than AI is. Michael Beasley fits what the Bulls need more and a trade would give the team an instant impact. But Rose, the hometown guy, is the perfect player for the modern NBA. His arrival would produce success both immediately and in the long term. It’s a bit of a risk, but just look at the Bulls season: What do they have to lose?

Tags: #1 Pick, Ben Gordon, Carmelo Anthony, Chicago Bulls, Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, Kirk Hinrich, Larry Hughes, Luol Deng, Michael Beasley, NBA Draft

Eli Kaberon is a 2005 graduate of Evanston Township High School and currently is attending Columbia College in the loop, majoring in print journalism. A life-long fan of the Cubs, Bears and Bulls, Eli also works as a seat vendor at Wrigley Field and has sold hot dogs to everyone ranging from Bears tight end Greg Olsen to Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich. Eli can be reached at ekaberon@yahoo.com.

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