By Brian Mahoney
Associated Press
SECAUCUS, N.J. ó The Chicago Bulls expected to be in the playoffs, not the lottery.
This will ease the sting a little.
The Bulls won the NBAís draft lottery Tuesday night, giving them the right to choose between star freshmen Michael Beasley and Derrick Rose.
iAfter this season, we needed a break, and I think we just got one tonight,î said Steve Schanwald, the Bullsí executive vice president of business operations.
Coming off a miserable season and still without a coach, the Bulls vaulted from the No. 9 spot, where they had just a 1.7 percent chance of landing the top choice.
iI certainly understand this was pure luck,î executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson said. iNow itís our job to make the most of it.î
Miami dropped to second, Minnesota will go third and Seattle fell to fourth. Memphis will pick fifth, followed by New York, the Los Angeles Clippers, Milwaukee, Charlotte, New Jersey, Indiana, Sacramento, Portland and Golden State.
The lottery settled the top three spots. The remainder of the first 14 picks are determined inverse order of their record.