Ever since the NBA Draft lottery everyone has thrown in their two cents on who the Bulls should draft with the top pick, Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. With only a 1.7% chance to win the lottery the Bulls earned the top pick with the 2nd lowest chance to win in NBA history. Here's my personal breakdown.
Michael Beasley
Statistics
Kansas States super freshman was third in the nation in Scoring and led the NCAA in rebounding, racking up an NCAA freshman record 28 double-double along the way. Beasley led the Wildcats to the second round of the NCAA tournament where Kansas State fell to Wisconsin; the Wildcats beat USC in the opening round. Beasley was named the NCAA Freshman of the Year.
Playing Style
Beasley is a great interior scorer and can take the ball down into the paint and score. "B'Easy" has great rebounding ablility and everything you want in a big man, and he can shoot. Beasley shot 53.7% from the field and 39.5% from 3-Point range. These talents add up to a player that can score from anywhere on the floor, a superstar in waiting.
Plays Most Like: Kevin Garnett
For the Bulls...
Beasley gives the Bulls something they desperately need, low-post scoring. With his wide array of talents Beasley can be the go-to crunch time scorer that Chicago has been looking for. With his shooting ability, Beasley will easily fit in with this team of sharpshooters.
Derrick Rose
Statistics
This Chicago native Point Guard has turned a one-man draft into a legitimate race. Rose paced the Memphis Tigers with 14.9 Points, 4.7 Assists, 4.5 Rebounds, and 1.2 Steals per game. Rose led the Tigers to a #1 Tournament seed, an NCAA record 38 wins, and a berth in the National Championship game.
Playing Style
Rose is the superior playmaker that most teams dream of, Setting up scoring opportunities for the players around him. This young athlete can not only move the ball, but he can create shots of his own. Rose shot 33% from Three this past season and has the ability to drive into the paint for easy scoring oppotunities.
Plays Most Like: Dwyane Wade
For the Bulls...
As a homegrown product, Rose would immediately be embraced by Bulls fans, immediately becoming a face of the franchise for years to come. Rose's superb passing skills will create opportunities for this shooting squad, and will hopefully help create interior scoring abilities for this young team.
The Pick: Michael Beasley
The Bulls have a surplus of both Guards and Forwards, so the argument against taking either player because their position is an empty one. The arguement that Rose would be a great upgrade at Point Guard over Hinrich doesn't convince me. Lets not forget that just this past summer Hinrich became the Starting Point Guard for the USA Senior Men's Basketball Team. With the addition of a new young star via the draft the question is, who holds more trade value for the Bulls? Would teams be more interested in Kirk Hinrich, a player coming into a new 5-year deal, or Drew Gooden/Tyrus Thomas two young players coming into the ends of their contracts. I keep hearing how much of an "Upgrade" Rose would be at the Point Guard spot, but i don't believe that's what the Bulls need out of the #1 Pick. Michael Beasley isn't just an upgrade at the forward position, Beasley gives the Bulls an entire new dimension of scoring. Beasley turns the Bulls from a jump-shooting team to an all around balanced team. The low-post presence of Beasley will also create more opportunities for the shooters on this squad, giving the Bulls more open looks than ever before. Chicago has been searching for a low-post scorer for years now, and this is the opportunity they've been waiting for.
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