By BRIAN A. LESTER

Another miserable basketball season in Chicago is finished. The Bulls wrap up the year with a 21-61 record and finish in a tie with equally lowly Golden State for the worst record in the NBA.

It's true, Chicago was even more pathetic than the Memphis Grizzlies. And believe me, it doesn't get any worse than seeing the Bulls wind up as bigger losers than some transplant from that large, leftover piece of land better known as Canada.

Yes, it's tough being a Bulls fan these days. Losing happens so often for this once-proud franchise that it's hard to remember what it was ever like to win.

Personally, I've seen enough bad basketball out of the Bulls. It's time for a change, and I believe I have the answer to their problems. However, it's going to take one more atrocious season for Chicago to be a success again.

You see, come 2003, Lebron James will declare his eligibility for the NBA Draft. Now, in case you haven't heard of James, although I don't know how that is humanly possible, he is the top-rated prep player in the nation and out of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in Ohio. He has already graced the cover of Sports Illustrated and is being touted as the heir to Michael Jordan's yet-to-be-filled throne. And the word in basketball circles is that he might actually live up to that billing, unlike past 'next Jordan's' such as Harold Minor.

So, if James is truly a younger version of No. 23, it would only make sense for him to become the next greatest player of all time in the same city as Jordan did.

But in order for the Bulls to put themselves in prime position to snare the top pick in the 2003 NBA Draft lottery, they have to be as bad as they have ever been. I'm thinking a cross between the Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Tigers will do just fine for next year.

The bottom line is Jerry Krause has to make sure that Chicago wins game about as often as it snows in Hawaii, and that can be done by making some drastic roster moves. This is where my basketball expertise comes into play.

I've spent hour after hour after hour on the Internet this past week searching for the players who would best be suited for Chicago's master plan for failure during the 2002-03 season. Some names are familiar, others are not. Either way, Chicago will be downright atrocious if it follows my plan.

First, the Bulls need to rid themselves of Jalen Rose. He's too good of a player, and could easily help Chicago win 24 or 25 games next season. That's too many in my mind, and I'm thinking Krause could probably swing a deal with the Timberwolves in which Chicago gives up Rose in exchange for William Avery and Felipe Lopez. Avery and Lopez have yet to meet expectations, and in Chicago they will remain mediocre.

Marcus Fizer needs to go, too. Like Rose, he has a lot of promise and talent, and if the Bulls are going to be bad next season, they can't have Fizer on the team. I really like the idea of sending Fizer to Milwaukee for Ervin Johnson. Johnson once gave himself the billing as the next Magic, but that has never happened and it never will. He'll do just fine playing for a woeful Bulls team.

Eddie Robinson, Trenton Hassell and Jamal Crawford also need to find the next train out of town. Those players have mad skills and extending their stay in the Windy City could make the Bulls a better team than they need to be next season. If I was Krause, I would send Robinson to Dallas for the infamous Danny Manning, send Hassell to the Lakers for Jelani McCoy and give Orlando Jamal Crawford so that the Bulls can have Jud Buechler back. Oh, how we've missed him in Chicago.

The only other two Bulls who pose a serious threat to my plan are Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. But they have potential and it would probably be wise to have them stick around and help James adjust to the jump from high school to the pros. However, because Chandler and Curry have shown promise at times this season, I suggest relegating them to another year of holding down folding chairs on the Bulls bench. Once James arrives, though, Chandler and Curry can play again and make the Bulls the professional version of the McDonald's All-American team.

As for the other players who occupy space near the bottom of the Bulls' stat sheet, Krause can keep them on the roster if he wants because I hardly doubt the likes of A.J. Guyton, Fred Hoiberg and Norm Richardson are going to wake up one morning and find talent hiding under their pillows.

Yet, if Krause must trade those guys, I have a few suggestions. Eric Montross -- I'll never understand why his jersey his hanging from the rafters of the Dean Smith Center -- Kirk "I should have stayed at Indiana" Haston and Adonal Foyle (I didn't realize he was still in the league until last week) are on my short list of players who could help Chicago fashion the worst season in NBA history.

I know. You are thinking my plan is so far-fetched it would be foolish to give it a try. But the Bulls need James if they expect to return to the glory days it once knew when Jordan played, and the only way to get him is to make sure nothing goes right next year.

And if for some reason James turns out to be a bust, well, it's no big deal. Bulls fans are used to losing by now.

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