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Bulls welcome Rose, Italy’s Gallinari met with catcalls

Milwaukee Bucks forwards Yi Jianlian, left, and Bobby Simmons, right, look for a rebound against Denver Nuggets forward Yakhouba Diawara in an NBA exhibition game in Denver, Colorado, on Oct. 23 last year. The New Jersey Nets traded Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee hours before the draft on Thursday for Yi and Simmons. PHOTO: AP

The Chicago Bulls welcomed the return of hometown hero Derrick Rose, but New York fans showered Italian Danilo Gallinari with boos at this year’s National Basketball Association (NBA) entry draft.

The Bulls used the first overall pick on Thursday to select Rose, who grew up in Chicago before leading the Memphis Tigers to a runner-up finish in his lone season of American college basketball.

“Point guards are really hard to find,” Bulls general manager John Paxson said. “He has a great burst. I think he’s going to make other players better.”

Rose quickly put on a Bulls hat before shaking commissioner David Stern’s hand on stage at Madison Square Garden.

“I was a little nervous when they came back out, but I always had that in my mind that I want to be No. 1,” Rose said. “So, it was great hearing my name and being the No. 1 pick.”

Forward Michael Beasley was the second overall pick by Miami and guard OJ Mayo rounded out the top three by going to Minnesota.

Seattle used the fourth pick to take guard Russell Westbrook while Memphis chose forward Kevin Love with the fifth pick.

The first non-American player picked got a boorish welcome from the Garden crowd.

The New York Knicks used their sixth pick to select Gallinari, who plays for Armani Jeans Milano.

The 19-year-old Italian was jeered when his name was called and Knicks fans continued to boo as US broadcaster ESPN interviewed Gallinari on the stage.

“I’d be more worried if they’re booing him next year,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said. “But I don’t think that’ll happen.”

A visibly shaken Gallinari tried to placate the angry mob during his interview by saying: “I will help the team to win. New York is best city in the world.”

Gallinari’s father, Vittorio, was a teammate of D’Antoni when they both played in Italy.

Gallinari is the third international player chosen by the Knicks in the first round.

The Bulls, who had a 1.7 percent chance of landing the top pick in last month’s lottery, selected Rose over Kansas State’s high-scoring forward Beasley, who averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds as a freshman last season.

Beasley did not fall past the Miami Heat, who chose the 2m forward with second.

Miami had the worst record in the league last season at 15-67.

The Minnesota Timberwolves also chose a freshman, selecting Southern California guard Mayo with the third pick.

It is the first time in draft history that three freshmen were chosen with the top three picks.

The Milwaukee Bucks dealt former first round pick Yi Jianlian of China to the New Jersey Nets just hours before the entry draft. The deal also includes the Nets getting Bobby Simmons, while Richard Jefferson goes the other way.

“We feel that Yi can be a very special player,” Nets president Rod Thorn said. “He is a 20-year-old seven footer who shoots the ball extremely well, and he is an excellent addition to our frontcourt.”

Playing in a major North American market is something the giant Chinese forward Yi had hoped for when he announced his intentions to join the NBA.

The Bucks drafted Yi sixth overall in the NBA entry draft last year.

The 20-year-old Yi has been compared to Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki. As a rookie he averaged 8.6 points and 5.2 rebounds last season.

The prize for Milwaukee would be getting Jefferson, who averaged a career-high 22.6 points last season.

“Richard Jefferson is a hard-working, proven, dynamic performer at the forward position,” Bucks general manager John Hammond said.
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