1. Bulls- Derrick Rose  PG 19 years old; 6′4″; 180 lbs. Memphis, Freshman

Beasley would give the team the kind of frontcourt scorer the team has lacked the past few years, but Rose can run the show and elevate those around him. I have to believe when it is all said and done that the guy who can not only be a star himself but maximize the abilities of Deng, Gordon, and Nocioni will be the direction Paxson goes with the #1.

2. Heat- Michael Beasley  PF 19 years old; 6′9″; 220 lbs. Kansas State, Freshman

If Riley is serious about shopping the pick, then I do not imagine him having a hard time finding a suitor. Memphis has three young point guards and the fifth pick that they can package. Seattle, New Jersey, and Sacramento have strong desires to add a frontcourt scorer along with pieces to put together an impressive package. Regardless as to who ends up with the pick, Beasley will go no lower than second.
3. Timberwolves- Brook Lopez  C 19 years old; 7′0″; 260 lbs. Stanford, Sophomore

O.J. Mayo or Jerryd Bayless are possibilities should they go with a guard, but Foye and McCants are capable guards. As pleased as they must be with Ryan Gomes and Craig Smith, they force Al Jefferson to play the center spot. One can stand to reason that Kevin McHale will try to get help for Al Jefferson up front so he can play more at his natural position.

4. Sonics- O.J. Mayo  PG/SG 20 years old; 6′5″; 195 lbs. USC, Freshman
Much of the drama that surrounds him overshadows the fact that he is a tremendous basketball talent. A Durant-Mayo combination on the wing could give them a formidable duo for the next decade. The rest of the roster, however, will still be a work-in-progress.

5. Grizzlies- DeAndre Jordan  C 19 years old; 7′0″; 260 lbs. Texas A&M, Freshman

Even before the rumors started circulating that he has received a top five promise, Jordan-to-Memphis made sense to me. They are sitting in what really is point guard/combo guard row with Bayless, Gordon, Westbrook, and Augustin probably being the most impactful players on the board. With Conley, Lowry, and Crittenton on their roster (as well as Juan Carlos Navarro being a restricted free agent meaning they can match all offers), the last thing they would need is another smallish guard. Jordan, while not ready to play right away, could develop into a big time center. They could work him into their rotation slowly like the Warriors did Andris Biedrins. Given that they are in the loaded Southwest, they are going to need to be patient anyway. If they don’t go Jordan, I can see them take Randolph.

6. Knicks- D.J. Augustin  PG 20 years old; 5′11″; 175 lbs. Texas, Sophomore

I am going to throw caution into the wind and bank on the Knicks making the right decision. If they are going to commit to Mike D’Antoni and his system, then how can they pass on the best pure point guard on the board who is tailoring his game after Steve Nash? They could go with Eric Gordon or Bayless, but I do not believe that either would fit as well as Augustin.

7. Clippers- Jerryd Bayless  PG/SG 19 years old; 6′3″; 199 lbs. Arizona, Freshman

With Shaun Livingston’s knees in question and Corey Maggette able to opt out, the Clippers need to upgrade their backcourt. If Bayless is still available, the explosing scoring guard should make their decision easy. If not, then they will probably either go Gordon or Russell Westbrook

8. Bucks-  Eric Gordon  PG/SG 19 years old; 6′3″; 215 lbs. Indiana, Freshman

With John Hammond and Scott Skiles taking over the Bucks, I expect the team to try and change the culture. The team does not lack for talent or scorers, but they have been an extremely poor team defensively. This will likely result in a number of players being dealt this summer or in the next year. A talented and versatile player who will get after it defensively like Gordon will help the transition.

9. Bobcats- Anthony Randolph  SF/PF 18 years old; 6′11″; 220 lbs. LSU, Freshman
With the Bobcats sitting in the middle of the lottery once again, I would not be surprised if Michael Jordan and Larry Brown decide to deal the pick for a veteran like the team did last year. Charlotte fans are not as patient with the Bobcats building as they were with the Hornets the first time around, and getting to the playoff next year is the goal. If, however, they get stuck with the pick, I expect them to go with a versatile wing who can defend bigger players on the perimeter meaning they can either go with Randolph of Darrell Arthur. Randolph’s length and athleticism often draws comparison to Chris Bosh, but is not expected to be a major impact player right away. Arthur is more NBA-ready, but not his ceiling is not as high. For the moment, I’ll go with Randolph.

10. Nets- Kevin Love  PF 19 years old; 6′9″; 255 lbs. UCLA, Freshman

Another pick that could be on the move if the rumored deal that would send Carmelo Anthony to New Jersey goes through. Given that I have a difficult time believing the 50-win Nuggets would deal their 23-year-old superstar, I am going to assume the Nets still have the pick come draft night. New Jersey has not had a big man who could score on the block since Derrick Coleman was playing so Kevin Love figures to fill a need.

11-60 accelerated…

11. Pacers- Russell Westbrook PG/SG 19 years old, 6′ 3″ 187lbs. UCLA, Sophomore
12. Kings- Darrell Arthur  SF/PF 20 years old; 6′9″; 215 lbs. Kansas, Sophomore
13. Trail Blazers- Danilo Gallinari  SF 19 years old; 6′9″; 209 lbs. Armani Jeans Milano
14. Warriors- Donte Greene SF 20 years old, 6′ 10″ 220 lbs. Syracuse, Freshman
15. Suns- Chase Budinger  SG/SF 20 years old; 6′7″; 190 lbs. Arizona, Sophomore
16. 76ers-  Marreese Speights PF/C 20 years old, 6′ 10″ 245 lbs. Florida, Sophomore
17. Raptors- Kosta Koufos C 19 years old, 7′ 1″ 245lbs. Ohio State, Freshman
18. Wizards- Joe Alexander SF 21 years old, 6′ 8″ 200 lbs. West Virginia, Junior
19. Cavaliers- Brandon Rush  SG/SF 22 years old; 6′7″; 211 lbs. Kansas, Junior
20. Nuggets- Nicolas Batum  SG/SF 19 years old; 6′8″; 214 lbs. Le Mans
21. Nets- Roy Hibbert  C 21 years old; 7′2″; 272 lbs. Georgetown, Senior
22. Magic- JaVale McGee PF/C 20 years old, 7′ 0″ 237 lbs. Nevada, Sophomore
23. Sonics- Ty Lawson  PG 20 years old; 5′11″; 175 lbs. North Carolina, Sophomore
24. Jazz- J.J. Hickson  PF 19 years old; 6′9″; 242 lbs. N.C. State, Freshman
25. Rockets- Ante Tomic C 21 years old, 7′ 2″ 220 lbs. KK Zagreb
26. Spurs- Bill Walker  SG/SF 20 years old; 6′6″; 225 lbs. Kansas State, Freshman
27. Hornets- Chris Douglas-Roberts  SG/SF 21 years old; 6′7″; 200 lbs. Memphis, Junior
28. Pistons- Robin Lopez PF/C 19 years old, 7′ 0″ 250lbs. Stanford, Sophomore
29. Grizzlies- Victor Claver SF/PF 19 years old; 6′11″ 217 lbs. Parmesa Velencia
30. Celtics- Luc Richard Mbah A Moute SF/PF 21 years old, 6′ 7″ 224lbs. UCLA, Junior
31. Timberwolves- Serge Ibaka PF 18 years old, 6′ 10″ 220 lbs. L’Hospitalet
32. Sonics- Alexis Ajinca PF 19 years old, 7′ 1″ 210lbs. Hyeres-Toulon
33. Trail Blazers- Nathan Jawai  C 21 years old; 6′10″; 282 lbs. Cairns Taipans
34. Timberwolves- Nikola Pekovic  PF/C 22 years old; 6′11″; 243 lbs. KK Partizan Belgrade
35. Trail Blazers- Jason Thompson  PF/C 21 years old; 6′10″; 235 lbs. Rider, Senior
36. Clippers- Keith Brumbaugh SF/PF 22 years old, 6′10″ 215lbs. Hillsborough CC, Sophomore
37. Bucks- Joey Dorsey  PF 24 years old; 6′9″; 260 lbs. Memphis, Senior 
38. Bobcats- Mario Chalmers PG 21 years old, 6′ 2″ 170lbs. Kansas, Junior
39. Bulls- DeVon Hardin  C 21 years old; 6′11″; 250 lbs. California, Senior

40. Nets- Courtney Lee  SG/SF 22 years old; 6′5″; 200 lbs. Western Kentucky, Senior
41. Pacers- D.J. White  PF 21 years old; 6′9″; 230 lbs. Indiana, Senior
42. Kings- Lester Hudson  PG/SG 23 years old; 6′3″; 190 lbs. Tenn. Martin, Junior
43. Sonics- Davon Jefferson  SF/PF 21 years old; 6′8″; 195 lbs. USC, Freshman
44. Warriors- J.R. Giddens SG 23 years old, 6′ 5″ 200lbs. New Mexico, Senior
45. Kings- Trent Plaisted PF/C 21 years old; 6′11″ 240 lbs. BYU, junior
46. Jazz- Jamont Gordon  PG/SG 21 years old; 6′3″; 225 lbs. Mississippi St., Junior
47. Spurs- Omri Casspi SF 19 years old, 6′ 8″ 220 lbs. Maccabi Tel Aviv
48. Wizards- DeMarcus Nelson  SG 22 years old; 6′4″; 200 lbs. Duke, Senior                                                                                                                                                                 

49. Suns- Pat Calathes SF/PF 6′10″ 210lbs. Saint Joseph’s, Senior
50. Sonics- Omer Asik  C 21 years old; 6′11″; 230 lbs. Fenerbahce Ulker
51. Mavericks- Derrick Caracter  PF/C 19 years old; 6′9″; 265 lbs. Louisville, Sophomore
52. Heat- Kyle Weaver  PG/SG 22 years old; 6′6″; 201 lbs. Washington State, Senior
53. Trail Blazers- Rudy Mbemba PG 20 years old, 5′ 11″ 176lbs. Deutsche Bank Skyliners
54. Jazz- Giorgi Shermadini PF/C 7′1″ 220lbs. Makkabi Tbilisi
55. Rockets- Shan Foster  SG 21 years old; 6′6″; 205 lbs. Vanderbilt, Senior

56. Spurs- Rodrigue Beaubois PG 20 years old; 6′3″ 180 lbs. Cholet
57. Sonics- Deron Washington SG/SF 22 years old, 6′ 7″ 205lbs. Virginia Tech, Senior
58. Pistons- Gary Forbes SF 23 years old, 6′7″ 220lbs. Massachusetts, Senior
59. Lakers- Sonny Weems SG/SF 21 years old, 6′ 6″ 201lbs. Arkansas, Senior
60. Celtics- Malik Hairston SG 21 years old, 6′ 6″ 200lbs. Oregon, Senior

With the Bulls coming up winners in the lottery, the entire direction and hope for the franchise changes. It really is amazing the way one night in Secaucus, NJ can have such a major impact on the Bulls future. So the question now is… Rose or Beasley?

Two schools of thought. First, if Paxson still believes in the core that he assembled going into the 2007-08 season, then Beasley is the pick. He might not be the kick it into the post player from day one, but he has the potential to be a big time front court scorer. If he develops into a star, then the Hinrichs, Gordons, Dengs, Nocionis, and Noahs can fall into the roles they are supposed to play. They are supposed to be complementary pieces who support a star. On a really good team, Deng is a 3rd or 4th option. Gordon does not have to be the go-to guy. Hinrich does not have big men zoning off making it difficult to drive because the Bulls big men don’t need to be guarded. This would be the optimistic door.

The second door is that the core was exposed and that even if they get a frontcourt scorer, Beasley would effectively be David West without Chris Paul. Rose has all the makings of a franchise point guard who can elevate the games of those around him. The guy who gets Gordon, Deng, and Nocioni the ball in rhythm or throw the alley-oops to Tyrus Thomas. But if they draft Rose, will the lack of a scoring big man still be the missing piece keeping them from being a championship contender?

It is a question without a right answer, and if there is a problem it is a good one to have.

I have no problems Jerry Reinsdorf as an owner. In my little world, owners are just businessmen. The greatest trait of most good businessmen is that they know how to bring in smart people to make them rich. While Reinsdorf may be the face of the ownership group, he has long deferred to his basketball people for better or worse. For many years and through much turmoil, he allowed Jerry Krause to run the basketball side of the organization. Since 2003, he has allowed Paxson that same level of autonomy. So it really surprises me to see that Reinsdorf would step forward and make the statements he did following Mike D’Antoni deciding to take the Knicks job. In today’s Tribune, he expressed his disappointment in D’Antoni’s handling of the situation and stating he was “misled” and even called his behavior rude.

The reason I am surprised is that there is no point in crying over spilt milk. D’Antoni is gone. The degree to which the Bulls were willing to commit to D’Antoni’s style will now never be fully known. They have to move on to Avery Johnson, Tom Thibodeau, Michael Curry, Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson or whoever else may be on their radar. If they want to run, Keith Smart is in the process of being groomed by Don Nelson in Golden State and is probably more willing to accept a defensive-minded assistant. Regardless, D’Antoni will now always linger over the next Bulls coach. He will always be viewed as the 2nd option. While college football is not the same as the NBA, I would think part of the reason Tyrone Willingham and Mike Shula were so quickly fired was that they were the 2nd choices at Notre Dame and Alabama. Every fan and media member knew that they were the backup plan. Any media member looking for an easy story that will sell papers could write an article saying that Coach X is the wrong guy for the job, Team Y deserves better and not some fall back. So-and-So is the solution. Well, the problem now is that the Bulls are without a coach, and missed out on two coaches they interviewed. Rick Carlisle was hired by Dallas, and any interest in him will be forgotten tomorrow.  The headlines of being “misled” and D’Antoni being “rude” will live on. When the Bulls face the Knicks, it will be brought up over and over again.

For that reason, I am not sure how attractive the Bulls job would be for a coach with a solid track record like Avery Johnson or Jeff Van Gundy. Will they have a fair shot? What if Mike D’Antoni is able to draft Derrick Rose or D.J. Augustin and show marked improvement with the Knicks playing a highly entertaining style of basketball? Is the comparison always going to be there in the eyes of the media? If constantly brought to their attention, how will the players - who were rumored to like the idea of playing in D’Antoni’s system- respond when they are playing a traditional half court style. I tend to think that Johnson and Van Gundy will be able to see that they are highly regarded enough that they should not have to take a job where they are viewed as a backup option. While coaches who have no head coaching experience will not have that luxury, they will still have to overcome the spectre of D’Antoni. With the Bulls coming off a season where they lost their identity and played every game at a pace dictated by the opposition, this is not going to be an easy job. I just tend to think Reinsdorf could have made it a little easier by simply allowing D’Antoni to pass in the night. It would have been good for business.

With news of Mike D’Antoni being allowed to talk to other teams, the Bulls coaching search is starting to get interesting, and we have the Western Conference to thank for it. The Suns and Mavericks were knocked out in the first round not because of bad coaching, but because their teams ran into bad matchups. The Spurs have been the Suns kryptonite since D’Antoni was brought to the desert. It just so happens that is the team they drew. The Mavericks just so happened to run into a younger version of themselves in the Hornets. Luckily for the Bulls, the Suns and Mavericks overreacted opening the door to the Bulls landing two very good coaches.

Obviously, the decision will center on what kind of style Paxson wants to implement. If he wants to go back to being a defensive-minded half court team, then Avery Johnson should be the guy. If, for whatever reason, Johnson wants to take a year off, then Tom Thibodeau might be their next logical option. Most of the Bulls core have played in this style and even had success, but they fell flat on their faces this year. Could bringing in Johnson or Thibodeau and spending the summer bringing in another big men who can run the high screen and roll as well as a point guard to pair with Hinrich get the Bulls back on track? It is possible, but not necessarily likely.

D’Antoni bringing in his seven seconds or less style would be the sexy choice. It would cater to young bigs Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah whose best games came against teams who played up tempo styles. The problem would be Kirk Hinrich is not Steve Nash and with what will likely be the #9 pick in the 1st round, Derrick Rose will not be in the Bulls’ future either. D.J. Augustin would certainly be an interesting pick in D’Antoni’s system if he is still available. A true point guard who can get anywhere on the floor could go a long way in reviving the careers of Nocioni, Deng, and Gordon.  

In the end, the Knicks and Raptors might end up making the decision for Paxson. If either Bryan Colangelo or Donnie Walsh are more aggressive than Paxson, which does not require a stretching of the imagination, then D’Antoni could be off the market in a week or two. The team has already been beat to Rick Carlisle who was the first to interview for the Bulls job. Can Paxson and Reinsdorf get all their ducks in a row and reel in D’Antoni before Colangelo or the bright lights of MSG sweep him away? Either way, this should be a very important week for the future of the Bulls.