Is anyone excited about the 2013 NBA Draft?

It seems to me that this is likely to be the last draft for a while where the rockets will have an opportunity to do anything other than roll the dice. With the fact we probably lose our pick in the first for '14 and would likely be out of the lottery by then anyway, it seems this is our last chance best chance to acquire a talent at a reasonable salary for some time. It's obvious that the star we are searching for is likely to be acquired via free agency or a salary dump type move, but I don't see a Jefferson or milsapp pushing us past the likes of Okc or possibly even Minnesota down the road. Understanding that the draft is the best chance to acquire a tier 1 type without giving up the farm in assets or salary, who do you guys like? Starting with the way I see our roster:

1: for better or worse Lin is the guy for the next few seasons unless an unforeseen opportunity like Chris Paul or rondo became an unlikely possibility. Machado being groomed as a backup in RGV probably precludes us looking at a point guard early in the draft though I suspect we'd take a flyer on one who dropped unexpectedly.
2: obviously harden is the man but I think finding a backup for him via FA or the draft is highly likely. Maybe look at Xavier Henry as a reasonable FA? I think he makes sense as a defensive backup with the ability to spot up? I could see a combo guard being looked at high in the draft to though as on e harden sits there is little in the way of offensive firepower in our backcourt.
3: even before his recent explosion offensively I think parsons has been viewed as quite the steal from the second round. If his shot keeps falling anywhere close to where it has recently we have found a guy who'll be plugged in to this spot for a long time. Morris has been a very nice surprise coming off the lpine and if he can continue to work on his shot could be a long term contributor as well. Doubt we look here for an upgrade unless there is regression from one or both of these guys.
4: easily the most frustrating part of our roster. Patterson is solid but doesn't scare anybody, jones hasn't gotten enough burn to know what he's capable of and DMo, while possessing a tantalizing skillset, appears to be at least a year away. Barring an obvious difference maker being on the board (poythress or maybe austin) i can't see Morey going power forward again this year
5: asik has been everything we could have hoped for and more in my opinion. Statistically speaking, is there a better center in the league through the first dozen games? Smith appears to be a competent backup at best and 6 fouls at worst so he's not a problem. Same goes for Aldrich (who I see as a guy we let walk during the summer)

Hopefully my view is not too pie in the sky or pessimistic. Assuming it is the view of the guys at the helm that means we are likely to be looking for (in order) a difference maker at the 4, a combo or shooting guard a la Jason terry or Jamal Crawford, and depth at the 5. We certainly will get one, two or all three of these needs addressed during free agency, but assuming we are drafting around 8 the following guys might be available, thoughts?

Guards/wings: Tony mitchell (Shawn Marion 2.0?), Otto Porter ( plastic man-ish?), Archie Goodwin (JR smith type?), Dario Saric (detlef shrempf on O, matador on D?), Marcus Smart (top combo guard/ flavor of the month?) or BJ Young (Jason Terry with slightly better D?)

Posts: Alex Poythress (Amare potential?), Rudy Gobert (Shawn Bradley with athleticism?), Alex Len (Asik size with an offensive game?), Steven Adams (athletic,almost 7' with a chance to be a franchise player?) or Isaiah Austin (best case scenario: dirk on o, Camby on D?)

Long post I know, but any major disagreements other than with my very best case assessments of the prospects? Also could see Morey grabbing a second rounder for a guy like patric young. Anyway, thoughts?

 

I'll agree that beyond buzz, seller and Noel there are no cant miss perennial all stars, but there appear to be a lot of guys able to be role players at worst that can add a dimension to a team in need. Prior to the harden acquisition we needed a guy to build around so there was no point in looking for a role player type accept for stockpiling assets. This team is now filling in the roster around the core (harden, asik, Lin, parsons and an as yet unknown free agent). Finding a guy who can bring something your team lacks for stretches in games in crucial and I think this draft ha intriguing prospects in that regard.

 

I don't think we are tanking this year its just that we are so young and play in such a difficult division in a beastly conference. I think there is a legit chance Portland pulls away to the dreaded 14th spot and we fall below Indiana, phoenix , and Minnesota. We will have a top 10 pick when all is said and done I am almost certain. That's a hell of a chip to use to move up or trade for an established player.

 

Agreed on carter-Williams. The more I think about it the more sense it makes to go the josh smith route during FA and pg in the draft. Smith would form a great defensive front line with asik and parsons. We would almost be set up to go with a grind it out d starting lineup with those guys, harden and a pg that fit with Lin leading a more uptempo bench. Carter-Williams has elite size for the 1 and while he lacks elite range his profile gives the indication he is decent off the ball. Would need to see him play some more to determine if he's a guy that could supplant Lin (or if any of the pgs in this class could for that matter).