By Anton Miller

As we look at the draft class of 2008, the sheer talent and upside is impressive. However, upside is a dangerous word and many draft prospects full of it are quickly out of the league.

The most press has gone to the 1st pick for the Chicago Bulls. Although Michael Beasley was the consensus pick earlier, now the thinking is Derrick Rose instead. The recent success of Chris Paul and Deron Williams have made teams convinced of the need for a franchise point guard. Rose certainly fits the billing, with excellent size, athleticism and vision. However, it is rare for a team to win a championship without an all-star point guard. Short of Michael Jordan’s greatness, most of the recent champions have an all-star or a Hall of Famer in the paint (Tim Duncan, Shaq, Kevin Garnett). The Bulls have a greater need for an interior scorer and Beasley fits the billing. He is a made for NBA talent who can score from anywhere on the court. Either way, the Bulls should be getting a future all star.

The rest of the draft lottery is full of early entrants brimming with potential. OJ Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon and Russell Westbrook are all combo guards with questions about their ability to play the point. This group of players will all likely be gone before the 10th pick in the draft. Mayo has not quite lived up to the hype that preceded his first year in college, but he has a silky smooth jump shot. If teams can look past his reported character issues, he is very NBA ready. His poor assist to turnover ratio and decent height and length suggest he fits in better at shooting guard. Bayless has lightning quickness and great scoring ability. He could go as high as 4. Westbrook is an intriguing prospect with dynamite athleticism. He is a very adaptable player who can play both guard spots. Gordon has NBA range on his jumper and great length and athleticism. He could prove to be the third best player in this draft.

There is a plethora of big men in the draft, but none with the “can’t miss” status of Beasley. Brook Lopez has good size and advanced offensive game, but he is an average athlete and is thought to have defensive and rebounding weaknesses. Roy Hibbert and Kosta Koufos fall into this category of big men. DeAndre Jordan has as much talent as anyone in the draft, but whether he can add skill and desire to his repertoire has been questioned and that is his stock has fell so far. Javale Mcgee shares his athleticism, but has been less than impressive in workouts.

The rest of the lottery candidates are swingmen. Danilo Gallinari is the token tall foreigner who can shoot.  is a complete player with big game experience. Nicolas Batum is an athlete who has questions about his ability to be a go-to player. Finally, Joe Alexander and Anthony Randolph are great athletes, with Alexander the more likely to pan out.