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Bulls Fri Jun 27 2008
Bulls Pick Their Rose
The Chicago Bulls picked Memphis Guard (and Chicago native) Derrick Rose with the #1 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
By the time the draft came around, Rose had become the consensus #1 pick and the discussion had shifted to whether Michael Beasley or OJ Mayo should go second. The newfound emphasis on speed in the NBA game and the instant success of young point guards like Tony Parker, Chris Paul, and Deron Williams made the pick non-controversial (beyond the usual questioning about whether it's ever a good idea to take a hometown player, and how much responsibility can you really give to a 19-year old). That Rose is often compared to Deron Williams is another good thing from the Bulls point of view!
What's next for the Bulls? One would have to think that it's the end of the road for one of the Hinrich-Gordon-Hughes troika, but GM John Paxson was customarily tight-lipped during his on-camera with ESPN at the draft. The NBA's free agent and trading season doesn't really kick off until July 9th, so we'll have to wait and see.
Notes:
- The 2008 NBA Draft will go down in history as having the most Freshman selections
- While the Bulls don't have a particularly rich history of point guard play, let's not forget all the great point guards that have grown up in Chicago over the past 30 years: Derrick Rose, Isiah Thomas, Doc Rivers, Quinn Buckner, Tim Hardaway, Mo Cheeks, and Dwayne Wade (ok, so not quite a PG).
