[MR. CLUTCH]

CHICAGO -- One day after the draft lottery and the debate still rages over whether the Bulls will take Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose with the first pick in the draft.

I spent the day in Chicago at Tim Grover's training center and the guys in the gym were split pretty evenly between the two. The hometown papers came out in strong support for Rose.

The more NBA executives I speak with, along with several Bulls sources, the less I'm convinced that there's a consensus in the Bulls' front office.

From what I can gather, the Bulls are big fans of Beasley's talent and think he fits a need. But they desperately crave the leadership and stability a player like Rose brings to the table.

Beasley is probably readier to come in and contribute right away. However, in five years, Rose has the potential to be the better player.

The position of point guard is growing more and more important in the NBA, but it's not as if young athletic power forwards who can average 20 points and 10 rebounds grow on trees.

One factor in the debate will be measurements. One GM told me he thought Beasley would measure small for the position and it could be a major problem when trying to guard the bigger forwards in the league like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Garnett. The only semiofficial measurement we have of Beasley is from USA Basketball. Last year at the Nike Hoop Summit he measured 6-foot-9 in shoes, with a 7-foot wingspan and a 9-foot-1 standing reach. While those aren't terrific measurements for the 4 position, they aren't terrible either. (By the way, Rose measured 6-foot-3½ in shoes with a 6-foot-7 wingspan at the same event).

Another major factor in the debate will be the interviews and background checks. Rose is likely to come out smelling clean. Beasley is more of a mixed bag.

As a high school student he ran into trouble from time to time with practical jokes, pranks and general troublemaking. However, over the past season, the word out of Kansas State was that Beasley was on his best behavior.

Bulls GM John Paxson has been a big believer in getting players with high character in the organization. The Bulls made a minor exception two years ago when they drafted Tyrus Thomas and it's come back to bite them. If they have any serious fears about Beasley … Rose will be the guy.

• Paxson told ESPN Radio on Wednesday that he would be open to trade offers for the No. 1 pick. Within hours we had our first rumor. The Blazers were willing to send LaMarcus Aldridge to the Bulls for the chance to draft Rose.

Ummm … not so fast. I contacted a source inside the Blazers. They haven't made an offer, and while certainly interested in finding a way to get the No. 1 pick, don't sound inclined to give up Aldridge.

Still, the deal would've been interesting. Aldridge would be a good fit on the Bulls. But the irony of the whole thing would be thick. The Bulls traded the draft rights to Aldridge to the Blazers for the draft rights to Tyrus Thomas. Trading back for Aldridge would be tantamount to admitting they made the wrong choice two years ago.

Expect other trade offers to flood Chicago over the next few weeks. There is a lot of interest in Rose and Paxson might be able to get multiple pieces if he's willing to give up the pick.

• Rumors of "promises" to draft prospects start flooding in this time of year. The theory is that a team will promise a prospect that it will draft him if he refuses to work out for other teams.

On Wednesday I heard several interesting "promise" rumors. The first said that Texas A&M center DeAndre Jordan has a promise in the top five of the draft. The two sources who gave me the information were NBA front-office sources in the lottery who said that Jordan's agent, Joel Bell, wouldn't schedule workouts with them.

Jordan getting a promise that high is a little bit of a surprise. He has the physical tools to be an excellent NBA big man in a Dwight Howard type of mold. But he struggled mightily the second half of the season and many scouts question his motor and work ethic.

If the rumors are true, the promise comes from one of three teams -- the Wolves, Sonics or Grizzlies. All three need centers so … I guess it's plausible.

I will say this for Jordan: He's the highest risk-reward player in the draft. If he turns into Andrew Bynum or Howard, someone will look like a genius. If he turns into the next Michael Olowokandi, someone will lose a job.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/draft2...ftNotes-080522