Chicago Bulls Win Opportunity to Pick a Rose in the NBA Draft

It was no surprise when college freshmen Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley decided to forgo their last three years of college eligibility to enter this year's NBA Draft. The surprise came Tuesday night when the Chicago Bulls won the right to select between the two vaunted college underclassmen. The Bulls were a heavy underdog in the annual Draft Lottery with only a 1.7% shot at securing the top spot.

At first glance, it would appear to be the perfect opportunity to secure the inside scoring presence that the Bulls have lacked since trading Elton Brand. Beasley is a 6-10 scoring and rebounding machine who actually shot 3-pointers with more accuracy than the point guard Rose. He's big, strong, and athletic. He might be exactly what the Bulls need at the first pick.

Then you think about Rose in a Bulls uniform. A Chicago-bred athletic guard who wears the number 23 playing in the United Center. You think about the potential and athleticism that Rose possesses. You think about a calm freshman helping to lead his Conference USA team to the National Title game. You think about Chicago having a real star guard again. With all due respect to Ben Gordon, that's something the Bulls have not had since their last NBA Championship.

John Paxson, the General Manager of the Bulls, has a enviable, yet troubling task ahead of him. He has one month to choose between these two college freshmen. It's an honor to be able to make that choice, and a curse. The decision will be revisited for years to come and will undoubtedly determine Paxson's future with the organization. Paxson will be adding a probable superstar to a team that underachieved this past year, but still has talent. But, if he makes the wrong choice, Paxson will be gone and best remembered for passing up the other guy for the first pick.

It may seem like a slam dunk that both of the players will be stars. It's not. I think back to the first and second picks in the draft and come up with names like Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Darko Milicic, and Stromile Swift. There is not the room for error that may seem intuitive.

So, here is my unsolicited advice for John Paxson. Take the hometown boy who showed the maturity and poise needed to help lead a winner. Build the Bulls around an athletic and competitive guard. If you're going to miss, miss big!