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Forget Oklahoma and Florida.

This is No. 1 vs. No. 2 Friday, and it’s in Memphis and it’s for the NBA Rookie of the Year award.

It’s really not more than a two-player race for anyone who is paying attention.

The Bulls Derrick Rose and the Memphis Grizzlies’ O.J. Mayo are the two top rookies in the Class of 2008, …

The first All-Star team voting returns were announced Thursday, and though Bulls rookie point guard Derrick Rose was eighth among East guards, he has a reasonable chance of being selected by the coaches among the reserve players.

It didn’t help Rose’s chances that Allen Iverson, who is having a poor season for him, was second in the East voting with …

Well, it looks like Larry Hughes isn’t going anywhere. And probably not Thabo Sefolosha, either, from his seat deep on the Bulls bench.

That seems to be the Bulls side of the three-team trade announced Wednesday that sends Memphis point guard Javaris Crittenton and New Orleans guard Mike James to the Washington Wizards. The Hornets get Wizards guard Antonio Daniels …

Start printing the playoff tickets? In outlasting the New York Knicks 105-100, the Bulls Tuesday moved to 10-11 on the season and into eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Of course, that also likely would mean a first round playoff matchup with the Boston Celtics.

Only 61 games to go.

“It is a different team (from last season),” said Bulls …

Mike D’Antoni is no different than anyone else. And not just because Stephon Marbury hates him, too.

No, D’Antoni admits he does occasionally have some of those “what if” thoughts, like what if he’d waited until the lottery and it was clear the Bulls had the No. 1 overall draft pick and perhaps the next Steve Nash in Derrick Rose …

I feel Derrick Rose’s pain, though it seems he’s fine and will play Tuesday with 10 stitches from inadvertently flopping onto a knife he said he’d had in his bed he was using to cut an apple. Of course, this is one problem Eddy Curry never had as you rarely suffer injuries eating Twinkies.

That was hard to resist, though …

It would be nice to be a good defensive team, but it’s not going to happen for these Bulls. It would be nice to be able to throw it inside and get some scoring inside/out, which is considered the tested NBA formula for success. But it’s not going to happen for these Bulls. It would be nice to get consistent …

It’s conundrum No. 2 regarding Larry Hughes

Hughes actually is having one of the best, or at least most efficient, seasons of his career. The 6-5 guard in his 11th season, now coming off the bench again with Luol Deng back starting, is shooting career bests in three pointers and free throws and shooting his second best field goal percentage.…

I am about to write one of the most frightening sentences in the basketball language.

As Drew Gooden goes, so goes the Bulls?

Yikes!

And this is not to blame Gooden for Wednesday’s Bulls 97-90 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, though going one of 11 shooting Wednesday after zero for five shooting in Tuesday’s overtime loss to the 76ers suggests …

And down goes Sam! Down goes Sam!

Yes, and it’s now three and counting as Toronto coach Sam Mitchell was fired Wednesday, already the third NBA coach to be slam dunked just over a month into the season.

I don’t even do my first leaguewide power ratings until 20 games in because I always felt you need 20 games …