So, I was at the bar watching the lottery and praying for a miracle. As the picks rolled down, 12, 11, 10, a sigh of relief came to my face. Then I held my breath as 9 was announced. When we weren't nine I let out a girly yell of excitement at the bar. Then I patiently waited for the 3rd pick to be announced. I really didn't care about 1 or 2 but I knew I would slit my wrist if we drafted Lopez at 3. Well, we got the 1st pick, which unless Paxson decides to trade it to Miami I think we would have to use it on Rose. If Miami really wants Rose and they are willing to trade us some future picks or Wade in a package for their pick and some of our players then I say we should trade the pick. However, if they aren't willing to do that then we need to take Rose and say by to Captain Kirk.

Maybe we could trade Kirk, Gooden, Nocioni & a future 1st for Brand and a Maggette. That would leave us with:

Noah
Brand/Tyrus
Deng/Tyrus
Maggette/Gordon/Hughes
Rose/Thabo

But I'm torn. I think I'd rather keep Gooden, develop Tyrus and Noah, maybe add Diop in the offseason for a defensive force down low and trade Kirk for something else. Maybe an expiring contract and a future 1st pick?

The Clippers would have to be high on cocaine to do that trade. No way you get Brand AND Maggette without giving up one of Deng or Tyrus, if not both.

Hinrich + Tyrus + Gooden + Future 1st for Brand/Knight

Rose/Knight
Thabo/Hughes/Brown
Deng/Nocioni
Brand/FA/2nd rounder
Noah/Gray

You know it's not that I don't like Kirk. I think he was the right pick at the time for the bulls. But he's not a true point guard, that's the bottom line. And the Bulls kept trying to put that square peg in a round hole.

He played much better during those games in which Ben Gordon was out and Thabo took over the ball handling while he started. 38 at Indy, 31 at Phoenix, 27 at Minnesota. Hell, he wasn't even a PG at Kansas was he? Who was their little PG?

Kirk is a good defender, good combo guard to come off the bench for you. But not to start, and not at 11 million a year.

It's another one of Pax's fish ups. Drafting Hinrich works if next year you do a combo of Deng and Iguodola. But he went with another combo guard and it just didn't work.

Um, last I checked, Maggette is free to leave on his own will. He doesn't have to be asked to be traded. The only reason he's in a sign and trade is to get a bigger contract then the Bulls would give him otherwise. Thus, the Bulls really aren't paying for Maggette but they are still giving the Clippers a little bone to chew on.

Somehow I have a hard time seeing Pax trade the organization's man-crush, even if they can draft a guy that's way more athletic and will be considerably better. They've done the safe thing at virtually every opportunity (with the obvious exception of the Tyrus pick, which they're being ripped for so far), I don't really expect that to change.

I'm not saying I wouldn't do it, especially if it gets us Brand, I'm just saying don't be surprised if Beasley is wearing #30 in red next year with the same core around him. Considering the kind of talent Beasley has too, I don't think you can call that a terrible move for once.

Do you really think Beasley is the "Safe" pick here? I'd actually think Rose might well be the safer pick. Especially if you take in to account Pax's history of looking at college team success in drafting guys.

And while I may not like it for cap reasons, if there's not a good offer out there for Hinrich, Hinrich and Rose could well coexist for a year or two in the backcourt if one or two of the other shooting guards was moved. He's able to defend much bigger guards and would be a decent combo guard option off the bench. His contract doesn't expire for 3 more years so that's hard to move in the first place.

Given our roster, yeah, it's the "safe" move. Drafting Rose forces to make trades, which hasn't really been our strong suit.

Well, thats kinda questionable. We made a damn good trade with NY to get a ton for Eddy Curry. Unfortunately, we fucked up the draft picks we got.

That one was essentially a salary dump, getting something for someone we didn't want. We traded Chandler and Wallace too, but none of those involved trading valuable spare assets for a big upgrade somewhere, which we were in position to do for the last several years.

You know just as well as anyone that we didn't have the #1 pick to fall back on in those situations.

That's the thing that's going to be kind of difficult. I know we want to (and need to) trade away some guys to open up minutes, but if we can't get something worthy in return, then we can't afford to just give away a player like we did with Chandler. Then again, teams know we need to get rid of some guys, so they may use that against us. Kinda of a tricky situation.

I could definitely be okay with Hinrich still on the team even if we draft Rose. But it's gonna be hard for minutes to go around, especially if we keep Gordon this offseason.

No, but we had our supposedly great young core and the #2 pick in 2006 draft and the #9 pick in the 2007 draft. It seems like we've been unloading a lot more than adding of late even with a few opportunities to add a major piece without totally killing the roster. I just don't really trust us to massively overhaul the roster.

I think Kirk is staying no matter what. Bye Bye Gordon.

I agree if you switch the names around.

Interesting, I saw something about that (think on Soxtalk), but figured that came about AFTER we got #1. Haslem would be high on my list, but I'm not sure I'd take him straight up. Maybe Cook or a future first (I'd imagine they'd want it protected) as a secondary piece.

It's a safe move but not the right one (Usually a little risk brings a higher reward). Kirk's not going to lead us anywhere and Beasley is no leader in his own right. He scores but so does Melo. But the problem with both is they are not leaders. Rose is a leader. Even without adding an all-star post option, our team will be better and capable of making a huge run in the playoffs by simply having Rose b/c he will create shots for others (something Kirk never could do consistently). Rose will also bring that slasher to our team that we have been missing so you can consider all those layups (or dunks b/c he's a freak athlete) points in the paint.

Last I checked Gooden wasn't that bad. He's the best post option we've had in years.

Obviously the best thing would be if we could draft Rose and then turn Kirk/Nocioni & future picks into something like Brand, Okafor, or Kaman. We have the players on the roster now to be a playoff team. Everything just fell apart b/c we didn't have the right leadership on the team. Rose will bring the type of leadership that Paul brought to the Hornets and I can't wait until he's a Bull. It's not all about throwing up 30 points a night. The truly great NBA teams are usually the unselfish ones (The Spurs & Pistons).

PG is the toughest position to learn. I agree with you on that aspect. But we can't be like the Hawks and pass up on a franchise PG b/c we wanted a SF/PF that we thought could lead our team. I know Marvin is no Beasley but I think the same thing applies. If Beasley were a dominant center I could understand the argument a little better. But he's not. I'm not even sold on him being a stud PF and being able to defend other stud PF's. We definitely don't need another SF and we don't need a player who doesn't want to play PF which I'm sure he'll start saying after he's drafted.

I also wouldn't mind simply hanging onto Kirk and then trading him for an expiring contract in the 2009/2010 season. If we use that expiring contract and Hughe's contract in that off-season we could afford to sign Lebron or Wade. Imagine that. This team would be excellent with Rose even if Kirk left for nothing. It might take a couple of years but that's something we can afford since we are the youngest team in the league.

In no way am I saying don't draft Rose because of Hinrich, you just better have some kind of plan to upgrade your interior play if you do. Tyrus and Noah aren't exactly offensive players and Gooden is inconsistent and a subpar defender (and might be gone after this year). Expecting Rose to turn those two into double digit scorers is asking A LOT, he just doesn't look like he's on the same level as a passer as Paul or Williams yet. That frontcourt just screams first round out to me, which is basically just where we were before.

I really don't think we can just hang on to Hinrich, we need to move him and get something for him, otherwise it's just a waste of talent and another log jam. Rose is good, but he's not going to take a 33 win team up to the mid/high 40's all by himself as a rookie, or possibly even as a second year player, not without some other moves or a massive step forward from someone else. If you can't get the right deal for Hinrich or management is stubborn about keeping him around (which I don't think is the case anymore), taking Beasley and just dumping Noc or Gooden for whatever you can get makes more sense to me. A lineup of Kirk-Thabo (Gordon off the bench)-Deng-Beasley-Noah can still do an awful lot of damage and looks better to me than Rose-Thabo (again, Gordon off bench)-Deng-Tyrus/Gooden-Noah with Kirk playing more like 20 a game. This isn't exactly like the Hawks where they had Tyrone Lue and Joe Johnson playing out of position as their PG options and Josh Childress and Josh Smith already on the roster, the Bulls are still lacking inside and have a decent but not stellar option at the point. Beasley isn't exactly a project like Williams was either. True, Beasley's no Duncan inside, but he's still far better than anything we have and would immediately be our best scorer. Deng and Gordon could benefit quite a bit if they're no longer the first line on the opposing scouting report. He's also got more bulk than an awful lot of good big men (Garnett, Bosh, Aldridge, Rasheed to name a few). You need to at least get something like a Udonis Haslem (preferrably better) inside to balance things out more with Rose, otherwise you still lack interior production (Rose will help with that but won't totally solve it) and you put all the pressure on Rose to drive and either score or kick to the same old jumpshooters.

I really think you can build a really strong team with either player as the main piece, the only reason I'm saying Beasley right now is it's a lot easier to shoe-horn him into our lineup at the moment. If we get even an above average big man for Kirk I'll help him pack his bags and stitch the name on the back of Rose's jersey. Otherwise we're stuck with a $10 mil backup PG that will be difficult to move while still hoping that Thomas figures things out at PF. Remember, Nash has Stoudemire, Williams have Boozer and Paul has West. We can't touch that just yet, which will make life more difficult for Rose.

regardless of who is picked, you can bet there will be a move or two afterwards!

I understand where you are coming for on the whole no big man thing. Anyway, we were a mid 40-50 win team last year and we still have the talent without Rose to get back there. But we didn't play as a team and there was no leadership anywhere to be found.

I think that's the one thing Rose can bring. Then we need a coach who is going to establish roles on this team. As for the 20 mpg for Hinrich if we draft Rose that's a joke unless we trade Gordon & Hughes. Anyway, Rose will be a stud. That I can assure (barring any Jay Williams injury). As for Beasley, I'm not doubting he'd be our best scorer but it won't be b/c he dominates. He dominated players in college b/c he was much bigger. I think that the fact that Durant dominated at all 175lbs of him was more impressive. Anyway, Beasley is going to be a great pro but I don't think things will come as easy as you think at the next level.

I'd love to see him match up with KG. Just b/c he looks strong doesn't mean you should start saying he's stronger than players like KG. He could eventually be but I don't think he's anywhere close yet. With that said, I think that even David West would put him in his place for the first few years. Now on the PG front there aren't many PG's with the size, strength, and speed as Rose. Billups & Kidd are stronger but not even close in speed or athletic ability. Williams is probably the closest thing although he's not as athletic and not as fast. But for his size Williams is damn fast and super strong.

Paxson should be working those phones and there should be a deal or 2 before the draft. There is no reason with the #1 pick that we would wait until after the draft to make trades. If we had the 2nd pick then maybe I could understand Paxson wanting to wait b/c he would know whether he was getting Beasley or Rose. But the Heat know who they want and Paxson can easily get a deal done with them if they really want to make one. Don't wait until the Heat gets a PG from another source. Baron Davis could be traded for Marion if we wait too long. If we want someone like Marion we better pull the trigger before others do. If we want Brand or Okafor we better also do that before the draft so that those teams can fill any voids left before the draft.

Rose shouldn't be getting any less than 35 mpg and if so than its a damn shame. Rose, if he's our guy, will be our "Franchise" player which we haven't had since Jordan and that means he's expected to be apart of our franchise for a very very long time. We won't attract many free agent point guards unless they just want a backup role, and this makes Hinrich more expendable.

And I also think Rose's leadership ability is being very underestimated. eddog is right when he says we had trouble holding the team together. If a team is cohesive throughout all 82 games, who knows what can happen?.... I actually think that with Rose, we could potentially get rid of Gordon as well to get a guy that will be able to shoot and defend because we don't want Rose guarding 2's all the time.

Well, we were a 40-50 win team when the East still sucked with roughly the same roster. Things have changed a bit with Boston and Orlando this year, Atlanta and Philly got better and could be in for a bigger boost as Horford and Young improve respectively, and Miami could conceivably be back with Wade, Marion and whoever they get at #2. Yes, Rose has the ability to make a big impact, but if the only move we make is replacing Hinrich with him I wouldn't exactly bet the house on the conference finals. Yeah, Hinrich could easily get 20 minutes as a backup, that's basically what Duhon got, and even if Rose plays 35 that leaves 13 more backing up there, and you KNOW they'd still play him a bit at SG.

Beasley isn't THAT much bigger than most college PF's, that's a BS argument. He's 6'9" 240, that's not exactly freakishly big, he just wasn't a twig like Durant so he should have a better chance of carrying that over to the league. He dominated because he's strong enough to bang inside when the matchup favors him but can also hit jumpers out to the NBA 3 and drive on the bigger guys that guard him. I don't expect him to average 25 a game from day 1, but he can EASILY put up 17 a game with mid-40's shooting (maybe better, depends on shot selection) even on the Bulls, and more on a weaker team.

I'm not saying he's better than KG by any stretch of the imagination, he plays with reckless abandon and has ridiculous length. However, based on pure strength Beasley is better. KG is a 7-footer that weighs 220 pounds and plays in the mid-post an awful lot. Same thing with Bosh and Aldridge, they're a lot more long than strong, that length and their good skill level lets them succeed, just like Beasley's overall package will.

I'm not arguing Rose's physical package, he's clearly very impressive in that area (I'd probably say Baron Davis has the best combined package of strength/quickness/leaping now). Big guys can get away with just that though, PG's can't. Other guys are better shooters/passers/ball-handlers right now. Could he be an elite PG? Absolutely, but he's not going to come in and totally blow the league away either.

I'm not trying to knock Rose by any stretch, he's going to be a very good player. My only point is that I don't see him as SIGNIFICANTLY better/more talented than Beasley, who's very good himself and seems to have a better fit on the roster. We need to turn Hinrich and whatever other parts into more help if we're going to go that route.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2-wiF5LsiU

Jay Bilas says take Rose b/c those type PG's don't come around that often. Says don't give up on Tyrus just yet.

And theres no reason to give up. Hell it took Tyson 6 years before he became a borderline all star. Patience is a virtue, especially with a guy like Thomas.

Correction...6 years and a couple years with a great PG.

Eh, if you look at the numbers Tyson hasn't really played THAT much better the last two years than he did for long stretches for the Bulls, the difference is he progressively got more minutes than he did back then largely because of his greatly reduced foul rate. In 02/03 he manged a 15.89 PER, in 04/05 he put up a 16.4 PER, the last two years he's been at 17.06 and 17.56. That means that in 2 of his 4 seasons with the Bulls (not counting the one straight out of HS) he put up a PER above league average, which is saying something for an offensively challenged player, and if not for some very high foul rates that have come down the last two years they would have been even better (2.9 in 24 MPG in 02/03 and 3.4 in 27 in 04/05 compared to 3.3 and 3.1 in 35 in New Orleans so far). Basically all of that was because of an improve FG%, which I'd largely credit to Paul. Yes, most of that was blatantly taken from John Hollinger. Anyways, what I'm getting at is Chandler had a monstrously productive second half of 02/03 where he did basically what he's doing in New Orleans now and a pretty solid 04/05. Those are years 2 and 4 and he was injured for most of year 3. Unfortunately he had a down year in season #5 (a monstrous 3.8 fouls in 27 MPG that year) and his contract and the availability of Wallace altered our plans and we sold him off cheap.

This is a big year for Tyrus, we really need to start seeing some significant progress considering we'll have to start thinking about an extension after this year. If he doesn't figure things out relatively soon we might have to deal him to someone while he still has value to us or risk losing him to a Darko-like offer from another team taking a chance on his athleticism that it wouldn't be smart to match.

Kirk makes sense in places like Miami (where Wade dominates the ball), Portland (where Roy does), etc. With a contract that actually declines in value over the years, it might be an apetizing deal.

Good point, I forgot that the deal was front-loaded. IIRC it goes down to $8 mil towards the end of it, which is much easier to swallow.

Wasn't the problem with Tyson that he couldn't catch either? He seems to do a hell of a job catching anything Paul throws at the rim. The difference is that Paul lobs it up there whereas Kirk didn't know what the hell he was doing. Kirk would either throw it at the wrong time when Tyson wasn't expecting it or he'd bullet it up there. That didn't work for Tyson.

I think a big part of Tysons foul troubles was gordon and kirk taking off on before he could set his screen.

Like hammerhead used to say... Tyson's biggeset asset was his shot altering which is hard to see on a box score... playing with Paul isn't making that any better.


Biggest issue I have with Beasly are the rumors about his attitude. He is a player I would love to draft 2nd to put a chip on his shoulder, but if he is taken first I think the attitude crap is more likely to start.