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Ok, so the Chicago Bulls lucked out in the NBA Lottery and took Derrick Rose with the first pick. A playoff-caliber team even without Rose, the addition of the talented rookie can only help the team bounce back in the upcoming season.

However, Chicago has problem, and his name is Ben Gordon. The Bulls' leading scorer for the past three seasons, Gordon remains unsigned with training camp about two weeks away.

The Bulls need to move one of their guards if they want to return to the Promised Land. While Gordon is talented and a valued asset to the franchise, he is one guard too many.

After all, with Luol Deng, Larry Hughes, Thabo Sefolosha and Kirk Heinrich all competing with Gordon and Rose for playing time, there is no way the Bulls can win in the up-and-coming Eastern Conference, especially when teams ahead of them -- such as Philadelphia, Toronto, Indiana and Cleveland -- all improving during the off-season.

True, losing him outright won't be too painful, since there is enough talent in the backcourt to absorb Gordon's potential departure.

Yet, while he may be expendable, Gordon's greatest asset to the Bulls is no longer his scoring. Instead, he is perfect trade bait.

Watching the Bulls last season, it's obvious there is just not enough offense in the Bulls' front court to counterbalance all the glutton in the backcourt.

Drew Gooden, Joakim Noah, Andres Nocioni and Tyrus Thomas all have potential, it is unlikely any of them will ever crack the top 10 among forwards in All-Star Voting, even in the Eastern Conference.

That being said, it only makes sense that the best thing for the Bulls to do is pull the trigger on a sign-and-trade involving Ben Gordon and a team who has a big man (or two or three or four) to spare.

One of those teams is the Miami Heat, who have one heck of a carrot in Shawn Marion. In the final year of his contract, Marion is expected to earn just under $18 million this year. Not only is he an expiring contract, but he is the man who can help fill the void in Chicago.

While Marion makes for a compelling player in a possible Miami triumvirate including Dwayne Wade and Michael Beasley, Pat Riley has to consider moving the lanky forward. After all, an expiring contract worth $18 million is as good as gold in today's salary-cap dominated NBA. If he can parlay the carrot of Marion into a sign-and-trade with Chicago, then Wade may have a new best friend to run alongside him.

Of course, the Bulls have more to gain out of the deal than the Heat. After all, they run the risk of losing Gordon for nothing, meaning it'll be tougher to parlay one of their other players for an effective, all-star caliber forward. With Marion, the Bulls should get the 20-10 player they need in the frontcourt to complement Noah, Thomas and Gooden.

Further, adding Marion in Gordon's place also maintains the team's depth, which worked out so well for them two season ago, when they last made the playoffs. 

Now, this could have all been a moot point. With the top pick in the 2008 Draft,the Bulls did have a chance to select Beasley to meet its frontcourt needs, albeit in the form of a talented-yet-to-unproven forward.

But the Bulls drafted Rose, meaning the Bulls went with an athletic guard instead of a strong forward who could've addressed the team's biggest weakness -- interior defense.

Last season, Chicago gave up 100 points per game, and looked abysmal on the road. A lot of those points came in the paint or by guard penetration.

It doesn't get much better on offense, as the Bulls are unlikely to get 20-and-10 from its loosely assemble forward-by-committee -- though Noah's shot-blocking and rebounding ability should not be underestimated.

With Gordon vowing never to play in the Windy City ever again, it only makes sense that the Bulls trade him for the big man that the team desperately needs. Why not send him to Miami for Marion?

Since the Heat selected Beasley and signed one-time all-star center Jamaal Magloire, Miami seems to be in decent shape in its frontcourt -- especially with Mark Blount, Udonis Haslem and possibly Alonzo Mourning coming off the bench. Besides, Pat Riley could use another scoring guard to play alongside Wade.

A speedy Wade-Gordon backcourt would complement a Beasley-Magloire-Mourning- Blount power game. If Beasley deveops his interior game, it'll open up the lane for Wade or Gordon to penetrate all day long. Not to mention, both guards see the floor well and can pass the ball.

Up north in Chicago, Marion would be an easy fit, as well. While a questionable defender, he can rebound. His mid-range game will draw big defenders out of the lane, allowing players like Rose, Heinrich, Hughes, Deng and Sefolosha to operate in a vertical game. Think of how well Marion fared in Phoenix with Steve Nash leading the way -- the same can happen for him in Chicago. Heinrich may not be on Nash's level, but he is quick and talented and enough of a threat at point guard to foster Marion's game.

Besides, whatever weaknesses Marion has in defense can be compensated by Noah, Gooden or Thomas.

Ultimately, a sign-and-trade involving Gordon and Marion won't place either team in the NBA Finals, but it should be enough to prove that the 2007-08 season was a fluke for both teams. Both teams are too talented to fall out of playoff contention that quickly.

With all the changes that happened in the conference -- Elton Brand joining the Sixers, Jermaine O'Neal going to Toronto, Washington retaining Arenas and Jamison, Mo Williams traded to the Cavs --  a playoff berth the East is no longer a gimme. Miami and Chicago both have to make serious moves if they want to add more trophies to its respective collection. For two of the last four Eastern Conference teams to win an NBA championship, the first step in the right direction may be in helping each other.