By Brian A. Lester

Yao Ming is expected to be taken as the No. 1 pick by the Houston Rockets in this month's NBA Draft.

That means, barring any sudden changes, the Bulls are officially on the clock.

Let the countdown begin Chicago.

It has been four painful years since Windy City hoops fans have come close to finding light at the end of a very long and dark tunnel. Hopelessness has hung over Chicago's once great basketball team like a storm cloud seconds away from unleashing its fury.

But this time Jerry Krause seems sincere in his desire to make the Bulls better. He wants to put a winner on the floor this season, not in 2085, and appears willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

There has been talk that he will indeed draft Duke's Jay Williams just as there has been talk that he will use the second pick as trade bait in the hopes of making a move that would bring Cleveland's Andre Miller or Charlotte's Baron Davis to town.

Sure, I'd love to see Miller or Davis in a Bulls uniform. Both players have proven themselves to be superstar material and could certainly make an impact in Chicago's quest to become a contender again.

What I really want to see, though, is for Krause to select Williams. It would be a wise move because Williams was one of the best to ever play for a storied Duke basketball team and his potential for making an impact in the NBA in his rookie season is unlimited.

Williams has even made it know that he WANTS to play for the Bulls and that statement should not be taken lightly because most high-profile rookies fear Chicago like the plague.

Taking Williams would make up for all of the bonehead moves Krause has made in the past. It would ease the pain of seeing Chicago's dynasty torn apart after the 1998 season and would make up for Krause trading Elton Brand to the Clippers for Tyson Chandler passing up Shane Battier in last year's draft.

Yes, some believe Williams will never reach his potential. His free-throw shooting is suspect, and his miss at the line against Indiana in the Sweet 16 buried the Blue Devils' dreams of winning a second national title in a row. Williams also misfired from the stripe against Florida State during the season, halting Duke's run at perfection.

But hey, Williams is human like everyone else. He makes mistakes and that should not be held against him because the good far outweighs the bad on Williams.

For starters, he is a good student-athlete and will graduate later this month with a degree in Sociology after just three years.

Williams is also a solid citizen. He never did any of the stupid things many athletes do in college such as drive under the influence of alcohol (Steve Bellasari) or throw his girlfriend down a flight of stairs (Lawrence Phillips). By taking Williams, the Bulls would have a player they could trust both on and off the court.

The bottom line is the Bulls would be wise to draft Williams. Putting him on a team with a proven veteran such as Jalen Rose and a promising supporting cast of Chandler, Eddy Curry, Jamal Crawford and Marcus Fizer, the outlook for the upcoming season would be much brighter than a winter day in Illinois.

Krause needs to go for it. A golden opportunity to restore hope in Chicago is staring him in the face, and it's time for him to make the right move.

Here's hoping he will make the move that puts Williams in a Bulls uniform.

Brian Lester is a sportswriter in Ohio and can be reached via e-mail at BAL4@hotmail.com.