Matt FoxChicago Bulls: Beasley or Rose
May 26th 2008 01:03
The Chicago Bulls had great expectations for last season. Some put them in the Eastern Conference finals and even the NBA finals. There season never really got off the ground. Just when they showed signs of turning it around, they would again falter. The Bulls fired their head coach Scott Skiles and made Jim Boylan an interim head coach. This change did not work. The Bulls then made a trade at the last minute of the trade deadline. The Bulls lost Joe Smith, Ben Wallace and Adrian Giffin to gain Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden. This trade did not turn the Bulls season around either. The Bulls missed the playoffs for the first time in three years. They ended up with a lottery pick which figured to be around the nine spot based on their record. They had a 1.7 percent chance of snagging the number one pick. The Bulls ended up with that number one pick. There is now a great debate on who they should take with the number one pick, Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose.
One option for the Bulls is Michael Beasley. Beasley left after having a dominating freshman year at Kansas State. He is 6’10” and weighs 235. Beasley is a post presence and has good range on his shot for his size. He averaged 26.2 points per game and 12.4 boards a game. The Bulls have been looking for a post presence like this for a very long time. They do have Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas, and Joakim Noah but Beasley would be an upgrade over at least two of those players, Thomas and Noah. The Jury is still out on both those young players. Thomas is a freak of an athlete and still 21-years-old. Noah is a hustler but doesn’t have much of an offensive game. Beasley would create instant inside offense for the Bulls. There are questions about his character and his defense. His character hasn’t come into question until now; there was no incident during his freshman year that would make one question his character. When it comes to his defense, the Bulls will improve his defense just for the simple fact that they are a defensive minded team and if he’s willing to put in the effort he could potentially be a great defensive player. Having Beasley working down low in the paint would help open up the perimeter for the shooters of the Bulls who were one of the best 3-point shooting teams when they last made the playoffs.
The other option is Derrick Rose. Rose is a 6’3” point guard. Rose played one year at Memphis and led the Tigers to the National Championship game. Rose’s numbers consisted of 14.9 ppg, 4.7 apg, and 4.5 rbg. Rose has been said to be a Jason Kidd with a jump shot. Some say that he can elevate the level of play of Tyrus Thomas as Chris Paul has done with Tyson Chandler. Those are big shoes to fill as a freshman coming out of college. Drafting Rose does create an even bigger log jam at the guard positions. The Bulls already have Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Larry Hughes and Thabo Sefolosha. Chris Duhon is also on the roster but appears to be on his way out. If the Bulls draft Rose they should trade one of these players for an inside offensive threat which isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do because those players are hard to come by. Rose would be an upgrade to Hinrich at the point guard position; this would allow Hinrich to move over to the shooting guard which many have said better suits him. If any player gets traded after drafting Rose the Bulls should look to trade the “me” first Larry Hughes. He openly admitted that he’d rather play and put up his numbers than do what the team needs him to do.
At first I thought the choice was a no-brainer, Beasley was the way to go I thought. Now I’m on the fence about who the Bulls should draft. There are positives to drafting each player. If the Bulls take Beasley what happens to Thomas and Gooden? If they draft Rose what happens with the over abundance of guards? These are questions the Bulls are going to have to answer. If the pick were mine to make I think right now I would take Beasley. Either way the Bulls are going to get a potentially great player that no one expected them to get.
At first I thought the choice was a no-brainer, Beasley was the way to go I thought. Now I’m on the fence about who the Bulls should draft. There are positives to drafting each player. If the Bulls take Beasley what happens to Thomas and Gooden? If they draft Rose what happens with the over abundance of guards? These are questions the Bulls are going to have to answer. If the pick were mine to make I think right now I would take Beasley. Either way the Bulls are going to get a potentially great player that no one expected them to get.
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