What does Houston need in the Draft?

[Francis3]

What do you see being the #1 priority for Houston in this years draft?

Getting best player available , if doesnt fit , just trade him????

Draft a Power Forward?????

Draft Center??????


I see alot of stuff in this years draft, especially if the couple of High Schoolers declare, then this years draft could be pretty deep. I would like to see the rockets grab a Center. But if no center is available then I would go after a SF or SG. I dont see Shandon Anderson coming back so I know Rudy will draft a sg/sf type player for sure in the 1st round.



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"Break off the block like Maurice Green" --- Steve Francis

President of the Moochie Norris fan club.

[Relativist]

Actually, I don't see Rudy going after a swingman. If not a pure SF, I bet Rudy would pick up a forward who can play 3 and 4 (i.e. - Austin Croshere) I don't think it's sure at all whether Shanderson will be gone or not. Rocks don't just bail out on someone whom they feel they have obligations to.

Anyone coming out who maybe fits that type?
Someone who can shoot the 3, guard other 3s better than Walt? Would have to have some size and at least a little interior toughness, maybe good rebounding skills.

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[Francis3]

Shane Battier, he fits this team really well. He isnt a star franchise player but very decent player.

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"Break off the block like Maurice Green" --- Steve Francis

President of the Moochie Norris fan club.

[Bay Rock]

While I've been a silent viewer here for the last year, this is my first post. Here goes.

I think this year has clearly revealed our lack of interior defense and rebounding. Hakeem, when healthy, can give us the type of production we need. However, given the stage of his career, we can't count on him to be healthy. The last 2 seasons serve as an example.

Cato has not demonstrated that he is willing to accept the challenge.

Therefore, I think Houston must use their draft pick to pick up a defensive minded center who will rebound and block shots. In my opinion, Ken Johnson is exactly what we need.

Drafting Johnson will give Houston the flexibility of trading Cato for Austin Croshere who can play along side Mo or CWebb.

Finally, Houston can still pick up a pure SF with Milwaukee's pick. Grizzard, TayShaun Prince, Joe Johnson (if they delcare) may be available here. Worst case, we should be able to pick up Morris here.



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[Timing]

I think we need size down low and an athletic tweener forward in the Shawn Marion mold. Jason Collier might fit some of the size requirement but we need an athletic forward really badly. Every time we play a team with good forwards we get stuck with mismatches there. Walt can't guard athletic 3's to save his life and Shandon has trouble with tall athletic 3's as well.

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"You have to think optimistic. I think it's never over till it's over." - Clyde Drexler after losing at home to go down 3-1 to the Suns in '95

[This message has been edited by Timing (edited March 25, 2001).]

[Achebe]

Bay Rock, welcome to the board.

Do you think that Cato for Croshere would be a sound trade? Croshere hasn't done as much as even Cato on the floor this year... and his contract seems worse. Plus, it seems that since the Pacers have Harrington and O'Neal up front that they wouldn't really need Cato.

I do like the idea of getting a Center in the draft this year w/ that first pick, if at all possible. If the pick remains at 13 and Loren Woods and all of the other popular phenoms have been picked (and the swingman Battier as well) would you guys use the 13 on Diop? He's young and inexperienced... but a summer w/ CD and the big man camp would certainly make him a better (certainly is strong... 'sounds as if it would make him better') option than Cato for the backup or heaven forbit starting Center for next year (should Dream not come back).

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[Bay Rock]

I think Cato for Croshere is a very sound trade. Croshere has better numbers than Cato with very limited playing time. Unlike Cato, Croshere's playing time hasn't been limited because he's been injured. Its been limited given Indiana's abundance of Forwards.

While we all know Cato is not Smits, he would free up Oneil to play his true position (PF) and he should be a better alternative at center than Perkins.

On a per year basis, the contracts are the same (RealGM)

I don't know much about Diop, but given he's a high schooler, I would assume he's a longer term project than Ken Johnson.

If Dream doesn't come back, I say pick up Mark Jackson.

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[RichRocket]

I would prefer Brendan Haywood for the Rockets. The kid works hard and has good talent. He is defensive minded and a big body.

Sure, Woods swats a few shots but he gets pushed around the rest of the time. Haywood is the all-time shot blocker at Carolina so he's no slouch in that area.

Admittedly, Woods runs the court better.

How about AZ's Edgerson for a Round 2 pick? The guy looks like a miniature Artis Gilmore!

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Time is a great teacher-- only problem is it kills all its pupils.
PowerbizOnline.com

[UT Baller]

Eddie Griffen is who the rockets should go balls out for. The guy is a 3/4 who could be the best player in the draft

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Calvin Murphy for President!

[Lil Francis]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by UT Baller:
Eddie Griffen is who the rockets should go balls out for. The guy is a 3/4 who could be the best player in the draft

</font>
AMEN.


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President of the Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford,Larry Hughes, and Charles Woodson fan club.

[4chuckie]

Draft the best available player who is not a guard. SF, PF, & C all need upgraded, assuming we don't sign a FA (Webber)

[DaneB]

I think Jason Collins or Richard Jefferson would be really good pickups at #13. Jason Collins is considered to be the most all around center this year and Jefferson is a 3 that has a good offensive game and is also defensive minded. It would also be a good move to pick up Ken Johnson. Hopefully we can get all three, considering we will have around 3 picks in the draft.

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""Minnesota and Phoenix, they're like the little teen-agers in the Friday the 13th movies. Jason is walking behind you. You know he's back there, but you don't see him." -Maurice Taylor

[No Worries]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Bay Rock:
... I think this year has clearly revealed our lack of interior defense and rebounding. ... I think Houston must use their draft pick to pick up a defensive minded center who will rebound and block shots. In my opinion, Ken Johnson is exactly what we need. ... Houston can still pick up a pure SF with Milwaukee's pick. Grizzard, TayShaun Prince, Joe Johnson (if they delcare) may be available here. Worst case, we should be able to pick up Morris here.
</font>

This is very similar to my thinking. There is one caveat. If there is a HSer with crazy potential and who does not play the 1, the Rocks should invest this pick in him. This is likely to be the best pick they have for the next few years.

Something else to consider is the worst case scenario with the Rocks FAs. Their roster could look like this (not considering the draft):

1 Francis
2 Cat, Francis
3 Walt, Langhi
4 KT, Los
5 Cato, Collier

Dream, NoMoney, Shandon, and Mooch could all bail. Note that the FA situation will not be settled until after the draft.

The worst case scenario leaves the Rocks with no low block offense (Dream, MoMoney) and no third scorer (MoMoney). In addition, the draft needs that Bay Rock mentioned are all still applicable.

The best chance to pick up a scorer will the Rock's first pick. The most likely front court position that this pick will be is the 3. If the Rocks get lucky, they may also find a scoring 3 who also plays good D.


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[RocketFan007]

With their first pick, barring a top 3 in the lottery, I think Battier would be a great addition to this team. He plays great D and can also step outside and hit the three pointer. And we all know how Rudy loves senior talent(Collier,Thomas,Drew, Dickerson,Rhodes). The Rockets will then have at least the Milwaukee pick and maybe a Dallas pick in the first round. Maybe try and package these picks to trade up to the top 15 where we could draft a guy like Ken Johnson to play the 5. Remember the Rockets have no second round(Langhi trade) pick so forget about Edgerson, altough I really love him.

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[Bay Rock]

No Worries - While I like your idea of getting a scorer with crazy potential, I think Houston already has enough scorers (Franchise, Cat, Mo, Walt) and I think there are numerous scorers in the draft.

This is why my first priority would be the best big man available at #13, then pick up a scorer at #21 or #22.

I also think that a large portion of NBA teams are looking for a quality 5 (especially in the east). Therefore all of the decent big men may go early.


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[saleem]

Diop is big and is a project,but if comes out, he will be chosen before the 12th or 13th pick.However if he is still available when the Rockets are on the board,they should pick him instead of Johnson.Diop is 7 feet tall and has good defensive ability as compared to Johnson who has good defensive skills and is more experienced but is not big enough to match up with guys like Shaq.Cato's poor work ethic and inconsistancies make him untradable at the present time.Getting a good combination player who can play the 3 or 4 like Croshere might be difficult by the time Houston is on the board,therefore I think picking up Richard Jefferson with the 12th or 13th pick would be a good idea,especially with Anderson not being able to play well at the 3 spot. Haywood is not a good post player despite being fairly strong and has bad hands, and is also quite passive like Cato.I would pass on him and draft Jefferson instead.I agree with RocketFan007,we should package the Milwaukee and Dallas pick if available and move up to get Ken Johnson,because he can back up Cato and Collier.Alternatively we could choose Jason Collins with our 2nd pick.

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[tacoma park legend]

I would pick the best player available at 13, like 4chuckie said, and with the late first rounder draft for size.



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[Dr of Dunk]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Bay Rock:
Therefore, I think Houston must use their draft pick to pick up a defensive minded center who will rebound and block shots. In my opinion, Ken Johnson is exactly what we need.
</font>

Does drafting another center tell Collier that he's not good enough to start here or "prepare for a life of back-up"?

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"So you say you want some intelligent responses? I say give me something intelligent to respond to." -- Dimwits beware, B-Ball freak tells it like it is. Sing it bro!

[Dr of Dunk]

Those of you asking about drafting Eddie Griffin. He's known to have a very serious temper problem. He fights with his own teammates. From others' posts (like oeilpere's), it seems that psychological evaluation and maturity are very important when it comes to the Rockets' pick. Taking that into consideration, would Eddie Griffin still rate as high? To me, Battier seems like a Rudy pick...

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"So you say you want some intelligent responses? I say give me something intelligent to respond to." -- Dimwits beware, B-Ball freak tells it like it is. Sing it bro!

[This message has been edited by Dr of Dunk (edited April 08, 2001).]

[No Worries]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dr of Dunk:
Does drafting another center tell Collier that he's not good enough to start here or "prepare for a life of back-up"?
</font>

Yes, but I expect that he knows this already.

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[No Worries]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Bay Rock:
No Worries - While I like your idea of getting a scorer with crazy potential, I think Houston already has enough scorers (Franchise, Cat, Mo, Walt) and I think there are numerous scorers in the draft.
</font>

I guess I did not make my point clearly. If Dream and MoMoney who are FAs in the offseason both decide to leave, the Rocks need a third scorer. Without a third scorer (Webber would count http://bbs.babitze.com/ubb/smile.gif), the Rocks will struggle to be a 500 team next year.

If the Rocks are sure that Dream and MoMoney are both leaving, they should be able to find a third scorer in the draft at the 3 position. If Shandon leaves too, let's hope a scoring three who can also play D is still on the board.

My point was that next year FA situation, especially resigning MoMoney, may force the Rocks to not draft the best wide body still on the board.


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[RichRocket]

Rudy and Battier are made for each other-- both Michiganders! What a dream come true for this Duke and Rocket fan. I doubt we can get JWill but I think we'll have a shot at someone like Boozer or Dunleavy.

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Time is a great teacher-- only problem is it kills all its pupils.
PowerbizOnline.com

[NIKEstrad]

We do not necessarily need a 3rd scorer. Philadelphia does it all with Iverson being practically their entire offense, If Mo and Hakeem leave, and we miss out on Webber, what we should focus on is bring in guys that would basically be like Philadelphia's front court-smart, strong, tough, and poised, with great defense. I have a feeling we'll know Mo and Hakeem's direction by draft time, which will affect what we do, in terms of picking or perhaps trading the pick. Once upon a time, the #13 landed a very good center, Vlade Divac in a trade. (Of course, the pick went on to become one of the top players in the NBA by age 23, but oh well).

I agree with DoD-Eddie Griffin has a past history of a very violent personality, and if we were in a position to get him, that's great, but I don't think we'll trade up for him.

It's going to come down to what's available. IMO, if Battier, Woods, and Murphy were available, I think they'd go with Woods. Center is top priority, but the Rockets tend to draft any position where they have any sort of a hole (ie: anything but PG, and probably SG)

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"That's been a lifelong dream of mine." -Vince Carter, after laying it in on a breakaway, much to the Vancouver crowd's displeasure.

[saleem]

If Boozer and Dunleavy come out both of them should be available around the 13th pick if Jefferson is gone.I would choose Boozer because he is a pretty good player in the post and could replace Taylor if he decides to leave.With the second pick then we could pick up Jason Collins or Ken Johnson and with the 3rd pick get Morris even though I would prefer to have Jefferson at the 3 spot instead of Morris.

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[tacoma park legend]

Mike Dunleavy won't come out....

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[RichRocket]

I don't think and didn't mean to reply that Boozer or Dunleavy were coming out. I simply want them as future Rocket selections! The ultimate in dreamcasting....

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Time is a great teacher-- only problem is it kills all its pupils.
PowerbizOnline.com

[RocketFan007]

If you want to dream cast imagine this...
During the offseason, the Rockets resign Dream,Moochie and Shandon(or bring in a free agent woth his abilities), then sign C-Webb as a free agent. As well as dumping both Cato and Walt Williams.
In the draft the Rockets either Battier or Rodney White with their first pick, Jason Collins with their second pick, and trade the third pick for a future pick.
Our line up would look like this;
PG-Stevie/Moochie
SG-Cat/Shandon
SF-Shandon/Battier or White
PF-Webb/KT
C-Dream/Collins/Collier

Wouldn't this be great?



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[aelliott]

If you want to dream cast imagine this...
During the offseason, the Rockets resign Dream,Moochie and Shandon(or bring in a free agent woth his abilities), then sign C-Webb as a free agent. As well as dumping both Cato and Walt Williams.
In the draft the Rockets either Battier or Rodney White with their first pick, Jason Collins with their second pick, and trade the third pick for a future pick.
Our line up would look like this;
PG-Stevie/Moochie
SG-Cat/Shandon
SF-Shandon/Battier or White
PF-Webb/KT
C-Dream/Collins/Collier

Wouldn't this be great?

Yes, that would indeed be great. Due to the salary cap, it would also be impossible.

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[This message has been edited by aelliott (edited April 09, 2001).]

[emoreland]

in replying to the topic...I think the Rockets should take a gamble on Yao Ming. Teams are scared that he isnt coming out this year. Well, he will come out evantually, just like Wang ZhiZhi did for the Mavs. Sometimes you got to take a risk to get where you want to go in life.

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Don't EVER underestimate the Heart of a CHAMPION!

[aelliott]

in replying to the topic...I think the Rockets should take a gamble on Yao Ming. Teams are scared that he isnt coming out this year. Well, he will come out evantually, just like Wang ZhiZhi did for the Mavs. Sometimes you got to take a risk to get where you want to go in life.

Yao Ming is not old enough to be automatically be included in the draft. If he doesn't declare for the draft, then he's not eligible to be drafted.

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[This message has been edited by aelliott (edited April 11, 2001).]

[This message has been edited by aelliott (edited April 11, 2001).]