Daaaaa Bulls

Image is from the Chris Farley page.

So there's hope again in Chi-town, and perhaps rightfully so. Did any team experience more disappointment than these Bulls? You could argue for the Suns or Hornets, but at least those teams made the playoffs. You could argue for the Warriors, but we all know they just got the short end of the stick on that one. There were calls for the Bulls to win the East this season or at least be a top three presence in the conference (guilty). Even at worst, they weren't expected to fall out of the playoff hunt.

But they did, and fast. Saying they sunk like a lead balloon doesn't even cover the half of it. I could hypothesize with you on the anatomy of the Bulls breakdown, but to be honest I'm not really sure there's anything substantial. The team has to be victim of some kind of hex or curse, doomed to pull the Windy City to the bottom of the East.

...until now. The Bulls channeled a little magic and outright stole the number one pick from
the teams that needed it most (Miami, Seattle/OKC, Minnesota). First I want to say that I'm tired of all the surprise surrounding one aspect of the draft lottery: it seems that viewers are flabbergasted when the team with the 'best chance of winning' doesn't win, and while that may seem reasonable, remember that the 'best chance' is only 25%. In that light, we should be surprised when those teams do win the lottery, after facing a 75% chance that they'll be left with something below the first overall. So should it be a surprise that Miami didn't win? No, not at all. Should it be a surprise that the Bulls did? Hell yes.

But what should they do with that pick? Rose or Beasley, Rose or Beasley, Rose or Beasley. I'm very excited for this year's draft because there's a lot more variance of opinion on that number one pick as opposed to last year. The Trailblazers said all the usual draft filler to the media about "keeping their options open" and "looking at all the players," but if you bought that they were going to take Durant over Oden you're a fool. The draft is an elaborate, thirty-way poker game, and no GM wants to show what they've got. They gamble, they bluff, and some walk out on top, but either way no team wants to give another the edge on their strategy. Unfortunately for the Blazers, the 2007 was one team playing Blind Man's Bluff, and the rest playing hold 'em.

This time around you've got the undeniable point guard potential of Rose versus an athletic power forward the Bulls need (kind of) in Beasley. Both seem to be a sure thing, but point guard is the second most difficult position to fill (although the Bulls already have Kirk Hinrich) and Rose is a Chicago product. On the flip side, the Bulls have been looking for a presence at the 4 for a few years now, and Beasley could be their big break. Does Paxson have the gall to ignore a player as talented as Rose who is from Chicago to finally grab that capable power forward?

But then there's another question mark. Is Beasley the player the Bulls need? He does play power forward, sure, but his game is more face-up than back to the basket. Beasley did a lot off the dribble in college, and doesn't have tremendous size or strength to let him be a dominant force of the low block. Make no mistake, Beasley will score. He will get his. The question is whether he is really what the Bulls are looking for in terms of a post-up presence.

And then, although Rose looks great, there are some worries. We could all be victim of the "last seen" phenomenon and while the media and blogosphere are sucking on Derrick Rose's teet Michael Beasley will dunk on us and wish we'd never been born. Plus the glaring problem of Hinrich. After last season, the Bulls are not going to get very good value for him, and his contract isn't all that friendly to begin with. An interesting note though: could the Bulls play with both? Assuming Gordon jumps ship (which if you shake up that eight ball, "all signs point to yes") you could play Hinrich at the 2 which he is capable of doing. Rose and Hinrich are both good defenders, and although you may say their lineup is undersized keep in mind that they were running even smaller with Gordon playing a chunk of the minutes. Rose and Hinrich in the back court with Deng, Thomas/Gooden, and Noah in the front. Not to mention Larry Hughes off the bench. It's not a wonderful team, but certainly a young and talented one, and capable at that.

It's going to be a long wait until the draft.

Let the great speculation begin!

Bulls are Taking/Should Take Rose Camp:
HoopsWorld
NBADraft.net
InsideHoops
Sporting News
Blog-a-Bull

Bulls are Taking/Should Take Beasley Camp:
Ridiculous Upside
MyNBADraft.com
Draft Express
HoopsHype
Chad Ford, ESPN