Roman Modrowski of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that Jay Williams is saying all the right things. Listening to Williams during interview sessions Saturday for projected lottery picks, it was easy to imagine the grin spreading across Jerry Krause's face.

After every draft, Krause likes to extol the character and pedigree of his draft selections, and Williams has enough qualities in those areas to keep Krause beaming. Williams even wants to be drafted by the Bulls with the second pick, a desire not often found with recent lottery candidates, including Kenyon Martin and Darius Miles.

Unfortunately for the Bulls, Williams is a wanted man. It is expected that Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers will make strong offers to the Houston Rockets for the No. 1 pick to land Williams. The Rockets however, are focusing on Yao Ming and have just recently received permission to go to China to talk to Chinese officials about bringing him to the United States.

''It's hard to say what's going to happen with the draft because Houston's trying to figure out the whole Yao Ming thing,'' said Mike Dunleavy Jr., who has yet to commit to the draft and has until June 19 to make a decision.

Dunleavy's decision could be affected by Yao's circumstances because Dunleavy could be an attractive alternative at No. 1 if the Rockets feel strangled by the red tape surrounding Yao. If Dunleavy believes he has a chance to be picked first, his decision to leave school likely would be an easy one.

Williams has already worked out for the Warriors and will work out for the Bulls on Thursday. He is expected to work out for the Rockets as well. ''This would be a great situation,'' said Williams, who believes he can help the Bulls win immediately. "Chicago's fan support is great. And with Jalen Rose, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, there are a lot of pieces to the puzzle. I'd love to be here. It's a great fit.''

If Williams does end up as the No. 1 pick because of Yao's status, Dunleavy could wind up with the Bulls. Dunleavy has already discussed his situation with Krause, and the 6-9 small forward plays the position of most urgency for the Bulls. ''I've known [Krause] for a while, and he's been really helpful helping me make a good decision,'' Dunleavy said. ''The Bulls would be great.''