Point guard Derrick Rose of the University of Memphis was taken by the Chicago Bulls with the first pick of the 2008 NBA Draft on Thursday, and the Miami Heat followed with all-around forward Michael Beasley of Kansas State. Rose averaged 14.9 points per game and 4.7 assists in leading Memphis as a freshman to the finals of the NCAA Tournament and the 6 ft 3 ins (1.91-meter) guard was thrilled to be joining his hometown NBA team. “It feels great to be back at home,” Rose told reporters. The Heat, who auditioned some guards in the days leading up to the draft, ended the suspense by taking consensus All-American Beasley, who averaged 26.2 points and led major US colleges by averaging 12.4 rebounds a game. “Anything can happen in a draft,” said Beasley, adding that he was happy about going to Miami. The Minnesota Timberwolves selected University of Southern California guard O.J. Mayo with the next pick, the third successive freshman taken in the draft. Guard Russell Westbrook of UCLA went to the Seattle SuperSonics with the fourth pick, followed on the list by college team mate Kevin Love, a 6ft 10in (2.08-meter) center, who was chosen by the Memphis Grizzlies. Danilo Gallinari of Italy became the first international player selected when he was taken by the New York Knicks with the sixth pick. Knicks fans packed into the Garden booed the selection of the 6ft 8in Italian forward, disappointed that the Knicks failed to address their need at point guard. Nets send Yi, Simmons to NJ The Milwaukee Bucks traded forwards Yi Jianlian of China and Bobby Simmons to the New Jersey Nets for forward Richard Jefferson on Thursday hours before the NBA draft. Milwaukee has been looking to rid itself of several bloated contracts and decided it was worth trading the rookie that former general manager Larry Harris selected with the sixth selection in last year's draft along with the rest of Simmons' contract. Simmons has two years and a little more than $20 million left on his deal. Harris was let go in March, and new general manager John Hammond is looking to fill several spots as the team tumbled to a 26-56 finish. Jefferson provides veteran leadership to a team desperately seeking winners in the locker room. “Richard Jefferson is a hardworking, proven, dynamic performer at the forward position,” Hammond said. “He's an aggressive player with terrific credentials over his career. He's been a winner, having gone to the playoffs in six of his seven seasons, and we're excited to bring him to Milwaukee.” The Nets get room under the salary cap and rid themselves a large contract, too. Jefferson, the second leading scorer in Nets history, averaged 22.6 points last season and has three years and more than $42 million left on his contract. Yi could also develop into a powerful presence, and finally gets to go to a major city with a large Chinese population and more marketing opportunities. Yi took his time signing with Milwaukee after being selected in last year's draft and wasn't swayed to join Milwaukee until a contingent that included owner and US Sen. Herb Kohl traveled to China to complete the deal. Yi made 49 starts and played in 66 games, averaging 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds. He vied with Charlie Villanueva for playing time.
