As the 2008 NBA draft countdown enters its final hours, the Chicago Bulls remain extremely tight-lipped about who they will take with the number one pick. Many insiders believe the Bulls are leaning towards Derrick Rose of Memphis, but nobody is ruling out the possibility of Michael Beasley being the first to shake David Stern's hand.

So who should the Bulls take – Rose or Beasley?

To most NBA experts, the choice is obvious. Rose has the skills and body to be the next Deron Williams. He has the potential to instantly transform an NBA team and make it a contender, ala Chris Paul and the aforementioned Williams. But how can you ignore Beasley, who led the entire nation in rebounding at 12.4 per game and 26.2 points per game?

Beasley began his freshman year at Kansas State as the most touted prospect in the country, and he lived up to those expectations. There is little doubt that he is highly talented and will be a solid NBA player. But, will he be franchise player or a future Hall of Famer?

Reports recently have portrayed Beasley as a bit of a goof-off, maybe a bit immature. Remember, he is still only a teenager, but does he have the heart, the drive, or the leadership qualities to lead his team to an NBA championship? Win an MVP? Probably not.

If you ask those same questions about Rose, all of his lofty accomplishments would be a definite possibility. As the last couple of years in the NBA have shown, the point guard is back (thank you Steve Nash!), and Rose possesses all the qualities of a player who can turn around a franchise. Yes, the Bulls already have a solid point guard on the roster. Yes, Beasley would fill more of an immediate need and may have more of an impact his first year.

However, the number one pick is not where you start filling in your roster. It's the place where you start building an NBA championship team. If you find yourself in the NBA draft lottery, it's a safe bet you are more than one roster spot away from making a championship run. If you are lucky enough to have a chance at a potential franchise player like Rose, you take him no matter what. It doesn’t matter if you have four point guards, that's what the trade market is for. Yes, there's a possibility that Rose won't be the Bulls savior, make 10+ All-Star games, win a championship, an MVP, etc.

However, barring an injury, there's no way Beasley ends up having a more illustrious career than Rose. They may have equally fabulous careers, but that’s the worst case-scenario if you take Rose. In poker, they call that a freeroll: A chance to win, a chance to tie, no way to lose. It is a fantastic situation to be in.

Surely, Bulls John Paxson, and the rest of the Bulls front office, already knows this. Hopefully, they don’t make things too complicated, get into some kind of third-level thinking and blow a golden opportunity by taking Beasley.

Some times in life, choices are obvious for a reason. This happens to one of those times.