MINNEAPOLIS — “With the fourth-overall pick of the NBA draft, the Chicago Bulls select … Marcus Fizer.”

With those words, a lifelong dream was accomplished.

Long hours in a Louisiana gym, three-hour practices that never seemed to end.

All the awards, accolades and achievements were topped by this one announcement from NBA commissioner David Stern.

The Bulls made Fizer the fourth pick overall for Chicago, where he will join fellow power forward Elton Brand, who was last year’s No. 1 draft pick, to form a very solid front court.

Fizer said he was excited at the prospect of rejoining Chicago Bulls head coach Tim Floyd. Floyd recruited Fizer and coached him during Fizer’s freshman season at Iowa State.

“It will be great to be back with Floyd. I know his style very well, and I know that if I continue to improve under him, I’ll be one of the best players in the NBA,” Fizer said.

While many sports experts believed Fizer would go to the Los Angeles Clippers, high school sensation Darius Miles was drafted instead, becoming the draft’s third-overall pick and leaving the 6-foot-8 forward from Arcadia, La. for the Windy City.

Fizer said he isn’t worried about how he will mesh with Brand, who shared co-Rookie of the Year honors with Steve Francis of the Houston Rockets.

“I’m sure that we can fit on the court at the same time,” he said. “I believe I can play either forward position at that level. We have to see how it all works out.”

He also said he would be willing to play center, something he did on occasion when he was with the Cyclones.

“If Coach Floyd asks me to play center, I’m not going to look at him like he’s speaking another language,” Fizer said. “He might think I’m crazy to take on that challenge, but I’ve never been a person to back away from one.”

Floyd said he’s not concerned about bringing Fizer and Brand together.

“We drafted Marcus with the feeling that he could play either position, and we expect them both to be able to help us for a long time,” he said.

While many people had predicted Fizer would go higher in the draft, he said he wasn’t shocked at being selected fourth.

“I really wasn’t surprised at all. The people picked before me all have great talent, and I have no ill will towards them or the people who picked them.

“I’m just very happy I was able to be picked.”

Fizer had worked out with the Bulls prior to the draft, but he said the workout wasn’t all about basketball.

“I didn’t even talk to Coach Floyd about things on the court. We talked about [Cyclone players] Stevie Johnson and Jamaal Tinsley and everything going on back in Ames,” Fizer said. “He knows what I can do when I step on the floor.”

Fizer’s coming off a season in which he averaged 22.8 points and 7.7 rebounds for a 32-5 Iowa State. He led the Cyclones to their appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.

The Cyclones fell to eventual champions Michigan State in the Midwest Regional Finals, causing Fizer to make the tough decision to forego his senior year at Iowa State and declare himself eligible for the NBA draft.. He was immediately projected as a top-five pick.

He said he believes the Bulls have a bright future after a rough two seasons in the post-Michael Jordan era. The team has had a combined 30 wins in the past two seasons.

“We have Elton Brand, Ron Artest, and now we have a couple of good, young draft picks. I see a tremendous upside to our team,” Fizer said.

The Bulls took Texas center Chris Mihm with the seventh pick in the draft but traded him to the Clevland Cavs for Michigan guard Jamal Crawford.

Fizer said he thinks the adjustment to the NBA will be made easier because of the emphasis on defense placed on him in college.

“All I’ve done all my life is play defense,” he said. “In college with Coach Floyd and Coach [Larry] Eustachy, we didn’t even have balls in the practices for a couple of days, so I’m used to that.”

Fizer’s dream has come true and it’s only a matter of a few months before he steps onto the floor as a member of the Chicago Bulls.

“I’m glad the Bulls picked me, but I would have been happy to go anywhere,” he said. “I feel very blessed today.”