if you listen to it. :-)

With a certificate and everything. Or the local dunces could write something complimentary about a basketball player not named Diener, Scheyer, or Nocioni for a change.

Save us from the insanity, John. Save us from the insanity!

Pishaw. As if.

yikes. that’s simply stupefying in its absurdity.

These blogs are informative, interesting, state good ideas. The writers read these, and probably feel like they have to say something “smarter”, “more informed” than what’s here, because hey, they ride the team bus.

Luckily Johnny boy reads these too. Wouldn’t you, if you were him?

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftNotes-080522

Everytime I read an article, there’s always something about Beasley’s questionable character could cost him etc etc, but no one ever elaborates. Is he the next Marcus Fizer? I need to know!

If we could acquire a) Kobe Bryant, or b) LeBron James, by all means trade that pick. Since that is never happening, I strongly suggest all Chicago columnists to maintain some semblance of intelligence and logic until the draft.

Overall Pax has done a very good job with the picks.

PS: It is day 2 and I still cannot get the smile off my face.

I was confused before we got # 1. I’m just as confused now but the possibilities have exploded. Did a confluence of factors occurr to cause the players to have a bad year? or Was last year an indication of their lack of talent? Do we need a missing piece – Beasley or someone who can make this team jell, particularly at cruch time – Rose?

I’d like to correct one myth going around right now, that I saw several dozen posts up the page by JSlakov:

“Everyone is enamored with him because of Memphis’s run (forgetting to include his missed free throws and inability to sustain a 10 point lead as the point guard) “

Unless you’re writing of his missed FTs during the regular season, during which he shot 71.2% from the line, that point is non-existent. In the Tourney he was 34 of 44 (77.2%), and his only bad game was against Miss St (4 of 9). Other than that, he only missed one FT in each of the other 5 games, including 3 of 4 in the Final and 11 of 12 in the semifinal.

Also, the notion that Rose couldn’t hold on to a 10-point lead single-handedly in the Championship game is foolish. By that same view, if Beasley were so dominant he wouldn’t have let his Kansas State team get blown out in the second round against a Wisconsin team which was in turn blown out by Davidson. There’ve been plenty of examples of a dominant college player willing his team to Tournament success (Danny Manning in 1988 comes to mind), and Beasley clearly wasn’t one of those stories.

I’ve written this before, and I’ll write it again: What does every Lottery pick (other than Thabo) by John Paxson have in common? Hinrich, Gordon, Deng, Thomas, and Noah were all Most Outstanding Player of their regional bracket in the NCAA Tournament. Derrick Rose was the MOP of the South Region this past tourney. If the past holds true to form, Derrick Rose is the pick.

But all this prognosticating is meaningless. The only way for Pax to make the decision is to have Rose and Beasley in at Berto Center to play against current Bulls. If Beasley can dominate Drew Gooden and Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah, then maybe the Bulls should take him. If Gooden, Thomas, and/or Noah school him, then Rose is the clear choice.

I always thought the hype about a ‘low-post scorer’ was a bunch of hooey. The Bulls have needed a low-post PRESENCE, and that’s much different (think Bill Cartwright in the early 1990s or Tyson Chandler with Chris Paul). With Derrick Rose, the Bulls current stable of Noah, Thomas, and Gooden will all become better.

I’ve just seen other 20 & 10 NBA players who don’t dominate a game at all (Elton Brand comes to mind), while seeing many college 20 & 10 guys not work out in the pros (on the continuum from Derrick Coleman to Marcus Fizer and Stromile Swift). If Beasley were 6’11, I’d think differently. And if he played defense with a passion, I’d like him even more. But he’s 6’8” and he plays lackadaisical D by all accounts.

I think Rose is the clear-cut choice right now, and Beasley has to earn the top pick in practices against the Bulls current front-line.

Rose from what i seen..He can finish a fast break …Something we lacked ..Ive lost count how many times we blew an easy fast break…It was pitiful to watch..Ive watched other teams and they finished it with ease and better coordination..But not this team…

chin on the rim thing…and said it twice for emphasis, just like before.

He’s putting a lot of pressure on Rose at the pre-draft camp next week. You just know everyone’s gonna want to see it.

If true, this makes Rose one of the best jumpers…ever. I’ve never heard of anybody going over 50”.

When does Pre -draft camp starts?

I got a feeling Rose will amaze Paxson with his athleticism and upside…We all know he is a sucker for that :)

HIs response:

“There’s a very good scenario for picking Beasley…it’s making the pick, then Paxson resigns the next day.”

i don’t even understand how this isn’t a unanimous decision for Rose. The guy was hands down the best player in the FInal Four. His O is sick his D has mad potential. He’s a pass first ‘true point.” Something our team hasn’t had in a long ass time. K. Hinrich is an over-paid scrub. Worth 6-7 mill a year MAX. Don’t defend Pax’s man crush. We’ve put up with Pax’s bs and Hinrich’s mediocrity for far too long. It’s time for Pax to make up for all his bs and give something back to the city of CHICAGO. Bring back the hometown hero. If this genius doesn’t draft him i wouldn’t be surprised if a riot didn’t break outside the united center. Look what CP3 did this year with NO. He made his whole team better, and those pick and roll alley-oops fired up his team/the crowd and put a lot of points on the board. The bottom line is everyone was crying about the low post before we got Gooden. With rose Gooden/Thomas/Noah all get at least 2x alley-oops a game. But what about our lack of a ‘true point’ that pick and rolls? Or a point that can take the game winin shot or throw up the game winning alley? Why cant we hav wat ohio has with a all-star that defends home because it is HOME?

as a result of winning the lottery.

A week ago we needed a guy who could mold a bunch of equal parts into something greater than simple the sum of its parts.

Now, we need a coach who knows who to build a team around a superstar…because that’s what I believe Rose will be. (I don’t think there’s a chance in hell Paxson takes Beasley.)

He is a Natural PG...Scouts compare him to CP3,Baron Davis and Dwayne wade…He gets to the basket and lane with ease…

If you wanna develop our players right…Players like Deng..Thabo..Tyrus and Noah…Rose is the way to go…..Because Kirk has already reached his ceiling..Wont get better..and isnt a Natural PG…

I didnt say Baron or Wade are natural PG’S….That would be crazy now..Im just stating what scouts compared him to

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2008/insider/columns/story?columnist=ford_chad&page=DraftWatch-080523

However, listening to Paxson during the podcast closely, it sounds to me like the theoretical guy he’s describing - the player who is a leader, who makes people better, has great character and can be a franchise player - sounds like it’s Rose. Paxson denied it on the interview, but more and more people in the league seem to be coming to the conclusion that this is Rose’s pick to lose.