NEW YORK -- Go first, and go home to Chicago. Fall to No. 2, and land in the Miami backcourt alongside Dwyane Wade.
Either one sounds good to Derrick Rose.
"I'm in like a win-win situation," Rose said Wednesday.
So are his hometown Bulls.
Chicago has the No. 1 pick in Thursday's NBA Draft and can choose between Rose, the point guard from Memphis, and Michael Beasley, the power forward who put up huge numbers in his one season at Kansas State.
Both said they would be happy in Chicago or Miami. But being chosen by the Bulls would be extra meaningful to Rose, selected as the 2007 Mr. Basketball in Illinois by the Chicago Tribune.
"It would mean a lot knowing all of the great players that they've had in the past," Rose said of the Bulls. "So if I go there and get picked there, hopefully that will have a positive side to it."
Rose and Beasley sit atop a deep freshmen class that could gobble up most of the spots in the top 10.
O.J. Mayo of Southern California, UCLA's Kevin Love, Arizona's Jerryd Bayless and Indiana guard Eric Gordon are among the other first-year stars who might already be earning NBA paychecks if not for the age requirement forcing American-born players to be at least 19 years old and a year out of high school.
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"We can have possibly eight players from our class in the lottery, so just hearing that I feel like we have a lot of star power in this class," Love said. "We're a pretty deep class as well, and I feel like hopefully we'll be able to step up our games and impact the NBA."
Beasley had the best individual year, leading the nation with 12.4 rebounds per game and ranking third with his average of 26.2 points. But if the Bulls opt for Rose, Beasley isn't even guaranteed to go second, with Miami possibly more interested in trading the pick and grabbing a guard to pair in the backcourt with Wade.
"One, 2, 3, 78, I just want to get there," Beasley said.
Hurting Beasley's chances of going first are questions about his height. The draft media guide lists him at 6-foot-10, and he said a doctor measured him at 6-8¾ in bare feet. Still, there are some concerns he may be smaller -- perhaps too small to play the 4 spot in the NBA.
