Chicago Bulls Win 2008 NBA Draft Lottery

Wow, the Chicago Bulls have to feel pretty lucky after winning the 2008 NBA Draft Lottery tonight.

They moved up from the 9th pick to the number 1 pick in the draft and will now have their choice of either Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose. Now I know I have been saying that Derrick Rose should be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft for a while now, but I have to say that I think since the Bulls already have Kirk Hinrich at the point guard, they should probably draft Michael Beasley.

The Bulls biggest weakness the past few years has been the lack of an inside scorer and Beasley would fill that need perfectly. If the Bulls match any offers to restricted free agents Loul Deng and Ben Gordon, then they could feature a starting lineup of Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon, Loul Deng, Michael Beasley, and Joakim Noah. Off the bench they would have Andres Nocioni, Aaron Gray, Drew Gooden, Tyrus Thomas, and Larry Hughes, not bad of a bench at all. They could also start Hughes and being Gordon off the bench if they want a bigger guard playing with Hinrich.

The Miami Heat had the worst record in the league but I don't think they particularly mind missing out on the # 1 pick, since the team that got that pick is likely to choose Michael Beasley. The Heat are said to be focused on Derrick Rose, so it looks like they will get their man regardless.

This is good news for the Eastern Conference because a revamped Bulls team with Michael Beasley and a Heat team with Dwayne Wade, Shawn Marion, and Derrick Rose should mean that both teams will be improved next season. I definitely think the Bulls can make the playoffs if they keep both Deng and Gordon and Miami should be right there too. That means Toronto, Philadelphia, and Atlanta should all be looking to improve their teams if they want to make the playoffs again next season.

Here are a couple of mock drafts, updated with the new draft order:

ESPN Mock Draft

DraftExpress Mock Draft