What me, worry? Paxson less than stressed over No. 1 pick

"I don't like throwing that out there because it's just not fair," Paxson said. "At this point, they've had one year of college. They've both had phenomenal years, Rose with his ability to lead a team to the national championship game and Beasley, in a tough, physical conference, stepped in and averaged 26 as a freshman.

"To label them as franchise players, I wouldn't go there."

Complicating matters is the fact that the Bulls have a need for a true point like Rose and a scoring big man like Beasley. The decision could come down to which position Paxson believes would be harder to fill by other means.

"You have a position, point guard, where it's difficult to find terrific players, someone who can lead your team and make others better," he said. "But you also have a kid (Beasley) that's a flat-out scorer and we see how valuable those guys are."

If Rose is the choice, Kirk Hinrich or Ben Gordon (or both) could be trade bait in a deal for a big man. If the Bulls opt for Beasley, Tyrus Thomas and either Hinrich or Gordon could be packaged for a point guard.

"It's always hard," Paxson said. "People want answers and specifics like right now. A lot of things will be determined through time and the course of the discussions we'll have. I feel we'll be able to address what we need to address to get ourselves better."

So far, the popular choice in Chicago is Rose. Besides being a Chicago native who starred at Simeon High School on the south side of the city, most fans are familiar with his game because he led Memphis to the championship game of the NCAA tournament.

Rose also has made it clear he would love nothing more than to be drafted by the Bulls.

"Every young kid who plays basketball dreams of playing in the NBA," he said. "The thought of being drafted by your hometown makes it extra special, especially when your team has a tradition like the Bulls and the great players that have come out of the organization.

"If it does happen, I promise to come ready and prepared to play, give it everything I have and do whatever I'm asked to do for the team."

For his part, Paxson says he's not feeling any pressure about having to choose between Rose and Beasley.

"I'm not going to worry about that to be quite honest with you," he said. "I think most people would be happy to be in this position, so I'll look at it that way.

"I'm sure Miami, sitting at two, is saying, 'We'll take whatever's left.'"

John Jackson is the NBA columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.