Has Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune worked out the perfect draft for two teams at least?  Smith writes that Ming is a match made for a team like the Houston Rockets, which would leave Duke?s Jay Williams, the player many consider to be the best in this draft, to the Bulls.

With the way things have panned out thus far all the Bulls have to do is send Krause on a vacation until June 27, the day after the NBA Draft, let someone else take Williams for the Bulls, then have Krause sign two veteran free agents to help Rose.  Smith continues that this will not ensure the Bulls make the playoffs next season, but they will have a shot at phenom LeBron James then in 2003-04 ?seventh place, here we come?.

?Getting the No. 1 pick for the Bulls might have proven a disaster because Krause then could have outthought himself and taken Yao, thereby pushing the Bulls' rebuilding back another four years,? writes Smith.

?But Yao is the ideal choice for the Rockets, whose last No. 1 overall pick was Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984. The Rockets play in the West, where every contender has a great inside player and considerable size. The Rockets' power forward is 6-5 Kenny Thomas. Houston has terrific perimeter players in Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Moochie Norris. They can play 2001 draft pick Eddie Griffin, essentially a perimeter threat, at small forward. They're getting Maurice Taylor, a poor-rebounding power forward, back from injury.?

Sounds like a match made in heaven to us.