The Bulls have called it 50/50 as to whether they will pick Rose or Beasley. But the Bulls already know they want to bring in that player that will remind their fans of MJ even if Rose is not MJ. The Bulls just do not want to show their hand as to leave all options on the table. Expect Derrick Rose to be wearing that Bulls hat on draft night.
Derrick Rose may be a high flying shoot first point guard that wears number 23 (in college). He may end up getting drafted by the Bulls. But Rose is not the second coming of Michael Jordan! That is not just counting athletic ability. Jordan always displayed amazing discipline and heart that Derrick Rose knows nothing about.
Jordan made the game winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship Game verse Georgetown. In the 2008 Championship Game, Derrick Rose clanked the first of both free throws he needed to ice the win. The announcer was quick to point out that he backed up as he took the free throw. Then after making the second free throw, he independently full court pressed Kansas point guard Sherron Collins and he let get completely past him.
After going past Rose, Collins shovel passed the ball on a redirect pass to Mario Chalmers. Rose who had let up on the play for a split second, was the one whom Chalmers shot the game-tying (and essentially winning) shot on him.
Then with 2.1 seconds left his teammate elected not to pass the ball into Rose but to a 6-9 forward, Rober Dozier who was not going to make the winning shot. Shortly thereafter, instead of being disappointed in himself for the missed free-throw or lapse in defense, Rose pretended to have an ankle injury (Watch the play, at least Paul Pierce had a knee to stand on).
Even though it has came out that Michael Beasley is 6'7" and not 6'10", I would still consider him the best all around player in the draft. He is a 20-10 guy, with one of the best mid-range games we have seen in a long time.
Beasley is efficient and comes to work ready to get the job done. That is why Beasley went to Kansas State, while others like OJ Mayo was worried about "marketing" himself. In Beasley's first round match-up against Mayo's Trojans, Beasley's Wildcats won by 80-67. Beasley put on his hard hat and work boots, scoring 23 points on just 12 field-goal attempts. He also added 12 rebounds.
Teammates will likely love Beasley in the same way many Celtics' players love Kevin Garnett. Teammates will likely silently detest Rose in the same way some Lakers' players detest Kobe Bryant.
Beasley is the smart choice on the court. But there's more than the court. There's dollars and cents. The high flying Rose could mean more tickets sales, more merchandising, higher ratings and consequently more advertising dollars. On the other hand sometimes winning means more money. Beasley is definitely the player that will bring results faster.
Lastly, it's really not much of a reason, but the Bulls will want to take Rose since he fits in better with the Bulls current personnel. Current Bulls point guard, Kirk Hinrich should be a shooting guard and drafting Rose would allow him to move to the two spot. Also the Bulls also already have a possible all-star small forward in Luol Deng. Deng is softer than Beasley, but he has shown flashes of brilliance. He was good enough to be the center-piece in a possible trade that was going to ship Kobe Bryant over to the Bulls.
Rose will be the man in Chicago, but don't expect them to un-retire #23. Even if the Bulls do unexpectedly pass on Rose, do not expect the Heat, who hold the second pick, to un-retire Jordan's number for Rose!
2008 NBA Draft Coverage
Expect the Chicago Bulls to take Derrick Rose over Michael Beasley
ShotsHeard top three draft values, hold the Mayo
Best and worst selections
No comments:
Post a Comment