Who the Chicago Bulls should’ve drafted in each first round since Derrick Rose
2008, No. 1 overall. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Point Guard. Derrick Rose. 1. 24
There might not be a more impactful pick in the past 12 years by any team in the Central Division than the Chicago Bulls had with D-Rose. When the Bulls picked Rose with the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, it seemed like the perfect pick to bring a rising team out of the mud in the post-Michael Jordan era.
The next two picks in this draft after Rose didn’t do themselves any favors in the long run. The next pick after Rose was forward Michael Beasley, who landed with the Miami Heat. Beasley actually wound up with Rose and the Detroit Pistons throughout Training Camp and the preseason but was later cut.
After Beasley and Rose in the 2008 draft was shooting guard O.J. Mayo, who landed with the Grizzlies. But Mayo had even less longevity throughout his NBA career than Beasley.
While you could argue that the next two picks after Rose had more going for them in the long-term, that was not foreseeable when he was picked in 2008. Those next two picks are solid right now, though, between Houston Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook and Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love.
There wouldn’t be much to change for the Bulls by picking Rose first overall, we should just wish his knees stayed healthier.