While talk about this year’s NBA Draft hasn’t reached full fervor yet, the debate of Derrick Rose vs. Michael Beasley has already begun. Much like last year’s draft in Greg Oden and Kevin Durant, this year’s class features two can’t-miss talents at the top. If we’ve learned anything so far this postseason, it’s that these lottery teams need an elite point guard to turn around their fortunes. That someone is Derrick Rose.

Lets rewind back to 2005, when elite college talents named Deron Williams and Chris Paul were taken 3rd and 4th overall. Three short seasons later, both Williams and Paul find themselves six wins away from the NBA Finals. Meanwhile, the guys taken before them, Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams, have “carried” their teams to a whopping four postseason wins between them. Bogut is closely toeing the line of “bust” status and Williams’ raw potential is still just that…potential.

As for Williams and Paul, they’ve now brought their teams to the brink of “elite” status. In the last eight months, Paul has appeared on the cover of NBA 2k8, finished 2nd in MVP voting and triggered a 17 game turnaround for the Hornets. Not to be outdone, Williams helped the Jazz advance to the Western Conference Finals a season ago and is now giving the top-seeded Lakers all they can handle.

What’s this all mean for the team selecting 1st overall? It shows that with a great point guard, the effort of rebuilding becomes a lot more bearable. Lets take a look at the three teams with the best chance of landing the top pick: Miami, Seattle and Minnesota. The Heat boast a pair of veteran stars in Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion and could find themselves back in the postseason with Rose in the backcourt. The Sonics already have Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. If the ping pong balls bounced their way, Rose could find himself in Seattle with the daunting task of helping save basketball in Seattle. Minnesota? Well, with young guys like Al Jefferson, Corey Brewer and Randy Foye, Derrick Rose could be the backbone of a dangerous nucleus in the Twin Cities.

There’s no doubt Michael Beasley will be a very good NBA player. But in the end, he’s still another talented 6′9 guy that can score from everywhere. Beasley can score 20 points and 10 rebounds a game in his rookie year. But Derrick Rose can turn around a franchise as soon as he holds up a jersey and shakes David Stern’s hand. Easy choice, right?