Posts tagged DerrickRose at FanHouse

Hey, it's the first day. It's the Summer League. It was one game. The first game. Of the Summer League. It's a long week, a long season, a long career. And I'm going to doubt any of that makes Chicago fans that were paying attention to the first day of the NBA's Orlando Summer League feel better, or Miami fans feel worse about today's little exhibition.

Michael Beasley was, in a word, brilliant. 28 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block in 22 minutes. He could have been playing against D-Leaguers, the Harlem Globetrotters, or Mrs. Wormtail's second grade class, those are some slick numbers. That he did it against No.1 overall pick Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls, in the midst of a 94-70 whupping made it all the more emphatic. The Heat dominated this game, even as Chicago started Rose, Joakim Noah, and Tyrus Thomas, who you may recognize as starters and heavy rotation guys. Not exactly a pretty start, even if its easy to brush off, given the absurd context of the Magic's practice facility in a meaningless exhibition in which D-League MVP Kasib Powell scored 15 and Keith Langford and Demetris Nichols led the Bulls. Beasley's game was in full effect today, as he worked his mid-range, long-range, post-work, and driving abilities. In a league that's meant to be used as a scrimmage clinic, Beasley put on one.

As the first overall draft pick, Derrick Rose has some big shoes to fill. Somewhat amazingly, he's already topped LeBron James in at least one category ... albeit an embarrassing one. In December, James was ticketed for driving 101 mph in a 65 mph zone, but Rose beat that indiscretion easily, getting caught going 106 in a 65 back in late April.

Wait, this happened back in April? Why are we just now finding out about this? That's a great question -- in the hype machine that is pre-draft coverage, it's actually quite amazing that Rose's camp was able to keep this under wraps. The only reason we found out about it is because Rose's attorney spoke with the media on Tuesday, admitting that his client will have a court appearance later this month.

At least Rose isn't following completely in LeBron's footsteps. In his first comments after the news broke about his ticket, LeBron admitted that it probably wouldn't stop him from speeding in the future, saying it's "not a big deal to me." Rose, on the other hand, showed far more poise by saying, "I know I did something dumb. I made a big mistake. I'm very sorry, and I can only promise that it will never happen again."

Last season, the Bulls went through two head coaches and were a huge disappointment to a fan base that expected them to make the playoffs. Somehow, none of the blame has seemed to end up falling on John Paxson's shoulders, although if his comments about Derrick Rose are an indication of how he plans to use the number one overall pick in the Draft, I imagine that will change.

Paxson said after the draft that Rose actually may not come right in and start, which, you know, would be kind of ridiculous.

"Derrick's not a guy we're going to look at and say, `Come in and right away [and start],' " Paxson said. "He's got to earn that given the chance. But we're not going to throw him into this thing and say you have to do everything right now. We'll give him time."

Um, I think being the top overall pick in the Draft and the fact that he led his college team to a record 38 wins shows that the kid might be ready. Call it a hunch. Oh, and if Paxson doesn't plan on starting Rose right away, he's got some explaining to do ... to Rose, who fully expects to start from day one.

I mean, don't you expect to be a starter right away? "Yes, yes, I do," Rose shot back. "Being a point guard and coming in and starting -- I have to show a little bit of leadership and let everyone know that I really want to be there." Translation: He's not sitting on any bench.

So that's great, isn't it Bulls fans? You get the good fortune of landing the number one overall pick, draft a likely All-Star caliber point guard, and your GM isn't sure if he'll start him right away. Paxson may be just trying to avoid putting too much pressure on his rookie's shoulders too soon, but hopefully he'll realize that someone like Derrick Rose appears more than capable of handling it -- sooner, rather than later.

The drama is finally over, as the Bulls make it official and select Derrick Rose with the number one pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. As the analysts have been more than happy to tell us, Rose is a very special basketball player (duh), and after the season Chris Paul just put up at the point guard spot, anyone with Rose's talent level at that position isn't going to be passed up by many teams. Or as it turns out, by any team.

The Miami Heat also went with the logical choice, selecting Michael Beasley with the number two pick. And really, there was no other option. Beasley was too much of a statistical monster in college to let him go past two, even if (as had been widely reported) Pat Riley had issues with him and really wanted O.J. Mayo. Besides, if that's still the way he wants to go, he can now trade Beasley for Mayo and something else, instead of jumping Mayo to number two.

There's already been plenty of movement around the league leading up to this draft -- including the Clippers/Sonics rumor and the Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee (sucka!) deal -- and no one really knows what's going to happen tonight. (Except the guy above, Rose, who's kicking it because he's going early, he's gonna be rich, and he knows it.)

We think Chicago is going to take Derrick Rose, but really, with the loose cannon that is John Paxson running that ship into the ground they might not. As for number two, Pat Riley could do anything. He's been posturing all week and acting more like Phil Helmuth than the GM of an NBA team, pretending to have "secret workouts" and such, in an attempt to scare Chicago into doing whatever it is that he wants.

Which is anyone's best guess. Anyway, I'll be hear live blogging the event with some special guests* throughout the evening, so swing by and drop your comments in the live blog.

The draft starts at 7:00 pm but we'll try and get things going a little earlier for everyone's sake.

Heading into Thursday's NBA Draft, one question that's on everyone's mind is who will be taken with the top pick, Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley? Should the Bulls, who draft at No. 1, pick a future star who can run their offense in Rose, or should they go after a forward who can dominate the glass and score from anywhere on the floor in Beasley?

Well, strong cases can be made for both players. And they have. From GM's to coaches to writers to bloggers to fans, everyone has weighed in on the decision.

Everyone, that is, except for the guys who are going to be in the green room with Beasley and Rose tomorrow night. So during Wednesday's media availability here in New York, I talked to the Class of '08 about who they'd draft with the first pick if they were the Bulls. Read on to see what Kevin Love, D.J. Augustin and others had to say about the Beasley vs. Rose debate.

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

The Miami Heat was a team that finished the season in virtual chaos. Just about everyone with any level of talent finished the season on the sidelines due to injury, and their head coach skipped out on them mid-season to scout players for their pick in this year's draft. Well, Miami, here's the good news: you just have one pick to wait for Thursday night until you're on the clock.

Picks: #2, #52.

Needs: The Heat could use help in a lot of areas, but let's be honest: they're going to draft one of two players, and that's Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley. At least if they stick with the number two pick, that's what's likely. But there's also the possibility that O.J. Mayo might be selected, regardless of whether or not the Heat can work out a deal with the Timberwolves, who select third.

Best case scenario: That the Bulls select Beasley, and the Heat get Rose. That's the player they really want, and if somehow the Bulls went with Beasley, there would be a lot of smiles on the faces of Heat executives.

America (and the Interwebs) is great because you can bet on anything. And since you can bet on anything, it should be no shock that there are a slew of various proposition bets available for the NBA Draft. BoDog has been kind enough to appease the Jones in all of us.

What will Miami do with the #2 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft?
Draft Michael Beasely and Keep him -- 5/6
Trade Pick or Draft Michael Beasley and Trade him -- 5/6
Draft O.J. Mayo -- 2/1
Draft Any Other Player -- 5/1

Now, Beasley seems like the sensible player to take here, no? But Mayo at 2 to 1 odds (note they were a whopping 5.5:1 yesterday)? With Pat Riley in charge?

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

Ah. The Land of Lakes. Where anything can happen. The first rounder could be O.J. Mayo, it could be Michael Beasley, it could be Kevin Love, it could be Larry Bird or it could be traded straight up for Joe Smith a few first rounders. Seriously, Kevin McHale could do anything. But ... oddly, the Wolves might be set up to have a pretty freaking good draft this year if they play their cards right.

Picks: #3, #31, #34

Needs: Assuming they think either Randy Foye or Sebastian Telfair will work out (and they'll probably go through with the experiment anyway even if they don't) at point, they'll look for frontcourt depth (and defense) to compliment Al Jefferson. They also need a legit scorer to keep A's in the seats, though, and that's something they might address first.

Best case scenario: McHale stays away from the phone lines and ends up with either O.J. Mayo or Michael Beasley. Mayo gives them a safety net if Foye/Telfair fail and Beasley would be a pretty nasty tandem with Baby Al down low and allows them to look for frontcourt help (Roy Hibbert?) late in the first round when they package 31 and 34 to move back up.

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. The Sporting Blog: Shoals' excellent response to Shaq and his, um, question of taste.

2. Part Mule: And photos of the posterior that Kobe is more likely to actually be, uh, linked to.

3. Dave D'Alessandro, The Star Ledger: Is drafting European players a thing of the past?

4. The Pyramid of Excess: Sure you've seen mock drafts. But of the third round?

5. Boston.com's Celtics Blog: Kendrick Perkins is hocking memorabilia on QVC. Already?

6. Chicago Sun-Times: Rose or Beasley? Vinny Del Negro's not talking.