Bulls Want Rose, Heat Will Get Beasley

I am calling it now.

In fact, I called it the second the Bulls, with their 1.7% chance, got the top pick. They are going to go for Derrick Rose because he is the prototypical point guard and in case you haven't noticed these days, teams with good point guards perform well in the playoffs.

Rose is also from Chicago and how nice would it be to have the hometown kid stay in town to work professionally?

Then there is also the sudden distaste for Kirk Hinrich. Because to make the case to draft Rose, one would have to deal away Hinrich who is holding his spot. The fallout then means look for the Bulls to shop Hinrich around in order to make room for kid. Expect some insane trade ideas to start bubbling; cue Sam Smith.

What's that? He has already begun? Oh. Marion for Hinrich and Thomas? Too good to be true. The Bulls wouldn't be that dumb.

Look, the Heat don't need Rose. Sure, he is a fine point guard and has great tools, but to be honest who is going to have the ball in their hands at the end of games? Wade, the 2006 Finals MVP, or Rose a rookie from Chicago (like Wade) that helped push his Memphis team to the NCAA Finals this past season (where they folded in the final minutes)? Because last I checked, there is only one ball in basketball and even if you have two dynamic play makers, you can only have the ball in one of their hands at a time.

It isn't like Rose or Wade are known for their jumpshooting, either.

Again, Michael Beasley is a better fit for the Heat and if the Bulls actually do draft Rose it would be a blessing in disguise as perhaps Riley would be protected from Riley by the Bulls' selection. No, a Derrick Rose pick here in Miami doesn't make sense, but in Chicago it does because the Bulls are certainly fed up with Hinrich - that has run its course. They know what they got with Hinrich.

So if a deal for Hinrich can be had Miami would be better off pulling for that and drafting Beasley along the way. Regardless, it is obvious the Bulls like Rose which means Miami will get Beasley.

And that falls right into my diabolical plan.

Miami Heat Pick Number Two Overall

This could be a great thing, believe it or not.

I know that the Bulls somehow gumped their way into yet another good draft pick. Hey, they haven't done a whole lot with what they have brought together thus far...so why would they start now?

More importantly, the #2 pick for the Heat is good for two reasons: 1) the Heat will have their decision made for them, which, strangely, seems to work better for them and 2) they will pay a bit less for a legit #1 talent than the Bulls.

There is great debate about who should be #1. Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose? Well, there are points for either side and such a decision could plague a franchise forever. Sam Bowie or Akeem Olajuwon? Or Michael Jordan? Chicago could pick that player that might not pan out and Miami would be "stuck" with the other player. There is more pressure to pick 1st than 2nd for that very reason which in turn means less pressure for the Heat to make their pick. And the great debate essentially would be answered for them by Chicago. Think about how Caron Butler fell to them back in 2002 and how Dwyane Wade fell to them in 2003.

The other reason is that the #2 pick makes a bit less money than the #1 pick. Greg Oden got 4.6M last year while Kevin Durant received 4.1M. Over the span of their contracts, Durant will make 27.3 while Oden will pull in 30.3M (through 2011-2012). That is a difference of about 3M, which could be enough to sign a role player or two over that span.

So even though Miami still will not be making its first ever #1 pick, this may actually be a blessing in disguise.

Talk #2 overall with us.

Lottery Live!

Well, 14-4 have been selected and Miami is not among them. Somehow Chicago snuck up into the top 3 - makes you wonder how much Stern loves Chicago.

Beasley, Rose and Mayo guaranteed.

Bullsh*t. C'mon. How do the Bulls defy the odds and get the #1 pick? Well, whichever decision they make, the Heat can pick the other option. So the Beasley/Rose debate will be answered for them.

Do the Heat trade down? Hmm...

Lottery Fate for Heat Tonight

The thread is pulled and ready to be snipped. The fate of an awful 20th season for the Heat will finally be realized tonight. Will the spoiled fruits of their labors be rewarded with a #1 pick or will they slip down the slope to the #4 pick and force to rethink their quick turnaround?

The Heat are a playoff team right now, let's face it. A healthy Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion and a solid supporting cast can get them back to the postseason. But this is not just about getting back, but about getting back on top.

The top pick would assure the Heat of a better chance of getting there.

The Heat also have limited financial options. Sure, after this season they will be rid of Shawn Marion's contract, but if they want to keep him they have to pony up. Getting a young stud at a reduced rate for a few years would help greatly in their rebuilding efforts. Even if rumors of Carlos Boozer's desire to play in Miami are true, the Heat cannot be realistically expected to make a big splash in the trade market.

Then again, no one thought Antoine Walker's contract could be moved. Or Shaq's for that matter.

So, the Heat will find out what fate awaits their draft this year. Finally, we can end the speculation about what pick the Heat will have and start focusing on the talent that is available and what effect it could have on this team. I still say with the number one pick the Heat should draft...Michael Beasley. Tonight, we find out if that is even a possibility.

Discuss with us.

If Heat Get First Choice, It Should Be Beasley

Derrick Rose, are you serious?

Don't get me wrong, I love the kid's game. But if the Heat get the #1 pick overall, are we seriously going to draft Derrick Rose?

It is the age-old question, practically, of most-talented vs. most-needed. Should the Heat draft the most talented player in the draft or the position they need the most?

Well, if the answer to that question was not the same then what is the point of picking #1 overall? More importantly, if the question must be asked if a player is the most talented or not, again, what is the point of picking #1?

In either case, it should be clear cut.

Michael Beasley is the most talented player in the draft. That is really not an argument. There are some who think Rose is a #1 caliber pick, but more talented than Beasley? At best it is a debate.

Regardless, Miami - if they are fortunate to get the #1 pick - need to go with the best talent available. Just ask the Trailblazers if they made a mistake going for need instead of talent back in 1984.

New Miami coach Erik Spoelstra would agree. "At this point, it's too early to say and a lot depends on where that lottery ball bounces. We'll do our due diligence and the history of the draft shows, you need to take the best player available." I also picked Beasley for the Heat, should we get the first pick, in a previous article.

The reason is simple, draft history shows that you get the best talent available, not the most pressing need. If that were the case, the Heat, by Riley's own admission, may have gotten Chris Bosh instead of Dwyane Wade if it had received the #4 pick in the 2003 draft. In fact, they beat the Raptors to end that season and if they had not, who knows - maybe the Heat draft at the fourth spot. Did the Heat really need another power forward at that point?

Michael Cunningham, at the Sun-Sentinel, throws his hat into the ring for Rose in the following way, "But there's no need to look at Rose's March Madness or Wade's wishes to see Rose is the answer for the Heat. These NBA playoffs suggest it, too. Ask perplexed point guards Rajon Rondo, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Rafer Alston and Bobby Jackson."

Sounds reasonable, except for one big thing - Dwyane Wade is the Heat's de facto point guard. At the end of games, he is going to have the ball in his hands. That worked in 2006 and truthfully, is there anyone on that list Cunningham just gave us that is better than Wade? Another reason why Rose should not be drafted - he is not better than Wade and Spoelstra is going to be putting the ball in the superstar's hands at the ends of games, not a rookie's. No matter how high his draft pick was.

Because at the end of the day, this team will be built around Dwyane Wade. You also have to keep him happy and drafting a guy to give the ball to for the end of games won't work for Wade. It isn't necessarily an ego thing but has more to do with style of play, Wade needs the ball in his hands to be effective. He is a playmaker and sets up his teammates. One of the reasons why he is among the league leaders in turnovers is because he is involved in more offensive plays than most in the league.

You take the best player available - that is Michael Beasley. You can argue on a given day that Derrick Rose is first pick caliber, but you can't realistically make an argument for Beasley being the 2nd pick.