Paxson will have some explaining to do

I cannot believe this. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, the Bulls organization decides to throw the city and just about every draft expert a curveball by selecting Michael Beasley. This will for sure be a sinker to the organization, and while baseball pitches are the talk of the intro, Pax and Jerry deserve a fastball to the head. Words cannot describe the outrage. The problem is, I don’t know who’s to blame.

John Paxson of all people should know the importance of a point guard, seeing as he was one in the early ‘90’s for the Bulls. Jerry Reinsdorf wouldn’t have signed off on this decision because he overstressed defense with Mike D’Antoni. Defense is a large reason why Rose is so highly touted. So the question is, who made this decision?

By taking Beasley and passing on Rose, the Bulls are going to take on more criticism than they thought humanly possible. Nearly every writer in the city, and many in the nation, felt as if Rose was the better selection. So by taking Mike, they are ultimately giving themselves a double-whammy. I say this because they are going to take the heat for a.) Not selecting the guy writers and analysts felt they should have but also b.) Had the Bulls selected Mr. Chicago and things didn’t work out, who would have the testicular fortitude to blast Paxson and Reinsdorf for the selection in the first place?  Even if Rose pulled a Jay Williams, a Jason Williams, or even a Jayson Williams, nobody would have the right to peg this one on the organization because nobody wanted the Bulls to select Beasley. This would have eased any pressure the management had in making the decision because across Chicago, Rose was the city's pick.

With that idea alone, more tickets would be sold for the sheer fact some fans may have believed “Hey, Paxson decided to listen me and my friends. He heard us calling for Rose and he delivered.” To further that, who is going to watch a team play when they have no faith in the organization?
It is not like the Bulls “settled” for Rose, the fourth or fifth best player available. Derrick Rose was at the absolute, very very worst, the second-most talented individual in the draft.

What’s worse is that not only did we not draft this phenom, but a fellow Eastern Conference team did. While we have spent our last two draft picks on forwards who could have guarded Beasley, who is going to stop Derrick? Hinrich? Lacks the athleticism necessary. Gordon? Not quick enough and doesn’t like defense anyway. Duhon? Don’t get me started. While the best “Rose Stopper” of the team may actually be Shannon Brown, I don’t see his minutes increasing anytime soon. So shoot, not only did we hurt ourselves, but we actually helped another in-conference team who probably wasn’t going to settle for B-Easy anyway. I am going to love hearing about the all-Chicago backcourt of Wade and Rose lighting up Bulls guards for a combined 65 points and 25 assists.

So we, Bull-dom have Michael Beasley, the new face of the organization. Beasley however, is an individual with less maturity than Cedric Benson, fewer brain cells than Ron Artest and a crazy ability to get himself in more trouble than those two combined. Can he score? Yes. Will he be an instant star? Ya. Can he be a formidable forward who can bang with some of the leagues elite? You bet. But these are all characteristics that we should expect out of a number one draft choice. Will anybody give this kid the time of day if he tries to pull some of the shenanigans that got him kicked out of multiple high schools. Absolutely not.

I give it a week before he gets caught in back alley of the Berto Center with Joakim Noah rollin’ a doobie. He was kicked out of Oak Hill when he got in a “tagging war” with Ty Lawson. Eli Saslow of the Washington Post wrote an article on him a year ago, explaining all his wrongdoings. While I will let you read the article, these acts of ignorance and immaturity should have been enough to steer any team with the top pick away. But not the Bulls. The savvy veterans are not going to put up with any of Beasley’s B.S. And Mike will have a lot of B.S. to put up with. What the vets will put up with is hard work, dedication and the desire to do whatever it takes to make his team better, all parts of Rose’s repertoire.


But the real reason, the true reason the city of Chicago missed out on something great was because Derrick Rose symbolized hope in a large area of the city that has seen none in quite some time. Parents have an example to show their children how good can come out of problem-riddled neighborhoods. And I don’t mean that just because he can play basketball.

He is a selfless, humble individual who shies away from the limelight. He plays basketball like it's something that is not important to just him, but almost as if he knows a community is riding on his shoulders. He plays like a role model should, something we don’t see quite as often anymore. He plays like, get this, he actually appreciates god-given talents and the love for basketball can be seen in his eyes.

Don’t get me wrong, he is still playing in Miami. But that kind of pulls some of the “feel-good” out of the story. It just kind of takes the uniqueness away and he is put in with a list of individuals who try to represent their hometown every night they are on the court, even though they are playing in their new hometown 2,000 miles away. Rose could have done this in his back yard.

So instead of becoming a true diehard Chicago Bulls fan, I will continue my refusal of pro ball in the city. This is truly one of the saddest days in Chicago sports history and will be a mistake the Bulls have to live with for the next 15 years. With a stud like Rose saying he would do anything to play for his hometown, you did the exact opposite of what you should have done. You have lost a fan today, and an entire city of fans to go along with it.