Bulls general manager John Paxson called Derrick Rose "a perfect fit"
Thursday, minutes after Paxson selected the former Simeon standout and Memphis guard as the top overall pick in the NBA draft.
Paxson chose Rose over Kansas State forward Michael Beasley, who was selected second by the Miami Heat.
"He's a very, very talented young man,"
Paxson said of Rose. "In this league, point guards are really hard to find, and he has a strength about him at that position that most guards don't have in this league. Great burst, very fast with the ball. He's going to make other players better, and he'll give us some leadership abilities as he goes on that we really need. So for us, it was the right pick."
Rose, 19, is the second No. 1 pick in Bulls history (Elton Brand, 1999) and just the third guard to go No. 1 in the last 30 drafts (Magic Johnson, 1979; Allen Iverson, 1996).
Rose said he will provide the leadership Paxson expects.
"Age really doesn't matter; it's about how effective you are,"
Rose said. "I'm getting better with my leadership skills."
The Bulls bypassed Beasley, who was listed as 6 feet 10 inches at Kansas State but 6-8 last month at the league's predraft camp.
"Over the long term they're going to have an impact on winning,"
Paxson said of Beasley and Rose. "You have to look long term. You have to ask yourself, how does this player help you two, three, four, five years down the road? If you say he's going to have a significant impact on what you're trying to build and winning, then you make that call."
The 6-3, 190-pound Rose led Simeon to back-to-back IHSA Class AA state championships in 2006 and 2007. As a freshman, Rose led Memphis to the NCAA championship game in April and a record 38 wins. He averaged 14.9 points, 4.7 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 29.2 minutes, and he shot 47.7 percent from the field, including 33.7 percent from 3-point range.
One negative was at the free-throw line, where Rose made only 71 percent and missed a key free throw that allowed Kansas to force overtime in the NCAA title game.
The addition of Rose should lead to a remake of the Bulls' backcourt. Ben Gordon turned down a five-year, $50 million contract extension at the start of last season and will be a restricted free agent July 1. Larry Hughes is owed $26 million over the next two years. Kirk Hinrich has four years left on his five-year, $48.5 million deal.
"I know everybody says we have a glut of guards, but we also have some issues with some contracts coming up,"
said Paxson, who also has forward Luol Deng set to become a restricted free agent. "Derrick's not a guy we're going to look at and say, 'Come in right away (and start).' He'll earn that if given the chance. But we're not going to throw him in this thing and say, 'You have to do everything right now.' We'll give him time. We'll be a little cautious right now. And we'll figure out our roster moving forward."
Paxson and Rose have dismissed worries that playing in Chicago could have a negative impact on Rose.
"We wiped that off the table right away,"
Paxson said. "More of it is how they've grown up, the influences on him, all those types of things."
Paxson also said he and new coach Vinny Del Negro would not tailor the team's offense for Rose.
"I would never put any pressure on building around a player unless it's a LeBron-type talent, a Kobe-type talent,"
Paxson said. "We're not in that position."
"I know Vinny wants to play with some speed; that's what he's comfortable with. (It is) the first step in how we go forward. We have to see how (Rose's) talent fits with our current group and then make some decisions along the way. Not every need we have will be addressed tonight. It's just the reality of it."
