And the #1 pick goes to… the Chicago Bulls?
The Bulls defied the odds (1.7%) by winning the top pick in the lottery and now, with a good offseason, the team is poised for a big turnaround. The decisions start with Ben Gordon and Luol Deng, who are both restricted free agents this summer. It’s pretty clear that the team wants to keep Deng as he was seemingly the only player deemed “untouchable” in all the trade talks the past few seasons. Both players turned down extensions worth in excess of $10 million per year, so neither guy is going to be cheap.
So which direction should the team go with the #1 pick? They could take Chicago-native Derrick Rose, but that would mean fewer minutes for either Gordon or Kirk Hinrich, and a serious change in the direction of the franchise. It seemed like the Bulls were content with Hinrich and Gordon in the backcourt, but Rose has the potential to be a franchise-changing player like Chris Paul or Deron Williams. Do you really pass on that for a duo that didn’t play all that well last season? I say no. I would take Rose and eventually start him alongside Gordon, moving Hinrich to the bench or trading him altogether. Rose is 6’4” and is strong, so he could cover most opposing shooting guards, though his college coach John Calipari said that he’s going to have to work on his defense. Hinrich’s salary actually decreases over the next four years, so another option is to sign-and-trade Gordon for help elsewhere. The safe play is to draft Rose, sign Gordon and see how the trio plays as unit.
Another option is to draft Michael Beasley, which would give the Bulls the low post presence it has been lacking since their boneheaded move to trade Elton Brand for Tyson Chandler. A starting lineup of Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Beasley and Joakim Noah, along with a bench of Larry Hughes, Andres Nocioni and Drew Gooden, should be pretty formidable in another year or two, especially on the offensive end.
I think Chicago’s decision will depend on how the franchise feels about its current backcourt. The once promising Hinrich/Gordon duo had a disappointing season, so there’s no guarantee that either player will be on the roster come November. Both players hold significant trade value, so the Bulls’ best move may be to draft Rose and build around the Rose/Deng combo. I’d draft Rose, lock up Deng, and let Gordon test the restricted free agent market if he doesn’t want to sign a deal averaging somewhere in the $8-$10 million range.
