(Best E Casino) - Chicago made the most of its 1.7 percent chance of landing the top pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, winning the lottery to claim the No. 1 overall selection.
The Bulls, who finished 33-49 and did not qualify for the playoffs this past season, have a lot of tough decisions to make during the offseason. Forward Luol Deng and shooting guard Ben Gordon are restricted free agents, and reserve guard Chris Duhon is unrestricted. Gordon led the Bulls in scoring (18.6 ppg), while Deng averaged 17.0 points and 6.3 rebounds.
Bulls executive vice president-basketball operations John Paxson has to make difficult financial decisions on all of the above, but those choices will be overshadowed by his decision on which way to go in the draft. The top two prospects are forward Michael Beasley of Kansas State and guard Derrick Rose of Memphis. Both have excellent all-around games and should have an immediate impact during their rookie seasons.
Beasley is the power forward the Bulls need, while Rose has a bright future as a point guard and would cause Chicago to have to reshuffle its roster. Drafting Rose would most likely mean the end of Kirk Hinrich's stay in the Windy City. The 27-year-old Hinrich averaged 11.5 points and a team-high 6.0 assists in 75 games in 2007-08.
Chicago acquired power forward Drew Gooden and guard Larry Hughes in a blockbuster three-team deal prior to the trade deadline. If the Bulls go with Beasley, Gooden would most likely be on the move once again.
Forward Andres Nocioni was the only Chicago player to play in all 82 games. He averaged 13.2 points and 4.2 rebounds. Tyrus Thomas continues to be a disappointment, while the Bulls will be looking for more from big man Joakim Noah, who had an average rookie campaign.
2007-08 Results: 33-49, did not qualify for playoffs.
Key Player(s): Luol Deng (Forward), Chris Duhon (Guard), Drew Gooden (Forward), Ben Gordon (Guard), Kirk Hinrich (Guard), Larry Hughes (Guard), Joakim Noah (Center), Andres Nocioni (Forward), Thabo Sefolosha (Forward), Tyrus Thomas (Forward).
Team Needs: Consistency and rebounding.
Draft picks: 1st round (1st overall), 2nd round (39th overall).
