Bulls make mistake passing on Beasley
Michael Beasley “falling” to No. 2 in the NBA draft is not an indictment of what he accomplished at Kansas State or even a product of Beasley being 2 inches shorter than his 6-foot-10 program height.
Derrick Rose, the No. 1 pick in Thursday’s draft, is not a better player than Beasley. Heck, I’m not convinced Rose is any better than Kansas point guard Sherron Collins, who — without being completely healthy — outplayed Rose in the national championship game.
The Bulls tabbed Rose with the first pick because he’s a talented player who happens to play the right position. The NBA is a pick-and-roll, point-guard league. Rose can dominate the basketball and play a two-man game with any of Chicago’s frontcourt players.
Beasley, a power forward, could potentially be the second part of a pick-and-roll game. He could be Karl Malone playing opposite John Stockton. The wisdom now is that you grab Stockton first.
New Orleans’ Chris Paul and Utah’s Deron Williams ushered in this new philosophy of going small before going big. Paul and Williams have elevated the play of their teammates while making the Hornets and Jazz huge threats in the Western Conference.
The Bulls believe Rose can be as good as Williams and Paul.
kansascity.com
6/27/08
Magnolia Tribune
