Rose is a Chicago native and probably the sentimental choice of most Bulls fans, though both players would fill a strong need. Beasley's freshman numbers (26.2 points, 12.4 rebounds) were better than what Kevin Durant posted the previous year at Texas.

"They're both really, really talented kids," Bulls general manager John Paxson said. "Rose is a point guard with the ability to make other players better -- that stands out. Beasley, he's just a true scorer. He's got the instincts that enable him to score the ball really easily."

There have been plenty of predictions about what the Bulls plan to do, but Paxson will take his time and get to know both players as well as he can before making any decision.

"I watched the draft where Orlando had the option between Dwight Howard and Emeka Okafor," Paxson said. "They took it down to the end. They did their work. They gathered all the information, got to know the kids. Then last year with Portland, Kevin Pritchard did the same thing. They just went about their business evaluating everything."

SEASON HIGHLIGHT: For lack of a true highlight, it might be the 135-121 victory over Denver on Feb. 22. The game was played the day after Ben Wallace and Joe Smith were sent to Cleveland and before newcomers Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes were cleared to play. That night, the Bulls' core group of young players actually seemed enthused about sharing the ball and recorded a rare win over a good Western Conference team.

TURNING POINT: The only candidate is Oct. 31, a harrowing Halloween night in New Jersey that set the stage for a brutally disappointing season. The coaching staff felt the team looked terrific during the first two weeks of training camp. But by opening night of the regular season, top scorers Ben Gordon and Luol Deng had turned down the team's offers for contract extensions, Kobe Bryant trade rumors dominated the locker room and the Bulls lost in overtime to the Nets, the first of four straight losses to open the season. Things never got any better.