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 be excited if we get a top 3 pick to get Shabazz, Noel, or Zeller.... After that though? Draft is really weak.
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'm more excited for the following draft with Parker. I think wiggins is in that draft. If he is, I like him more.
Different feeling about the upcoming draft for me. Not excited about it at all but that's not a bad thing because I think this team is full of talent and we have a super star in Harden to build around, and whoever they draft might not see the floor next year anyway. Now if Morey comes up with a diabolical plan and figures out a way to sucker the Wizards into trading first round draft picks _ then I would be excited.
would love to have a specialist or 2, a 3 point specialist ala steve novak, or maybe a defensive energiser like lee. I personally always think that a player with a specialist skill set have a much higher change to stay and contribute in the NBA if they do not possess superstar potentials.
No because of our current position as of today draft order for next draft is 1 WAS 0-11 .000 2 TOR 3-11 .214 3 DET 3-11 .214 4 CLE 3-10 .231 5 NO 3-8 .273 6 SAC 4-9 .308 7 ORL 5-8 .385 8 MIN 5-7 .417 9 IND 6-8 .429 10 PHX 6-8 .429 11 HOU 6-7 .462 12 POR 6-7 .462
I am not a Tanker guy. I would rather make the playoffs over tanking. I just cant stand not making playoffs then receiving the worst pick in the lottery. Its like ground hog day.
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.
Give me Michael Carter-Williams at the end of the lottery and I'll be happy. Averaging 11.5pts, 9.5ast, 3.7stl, and 6.5reb. Just needs to get that shooting percentage back up to his numbers from last year. Will be even happier if we don't have a first round pick...
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).
I would imagine we'll be taking a point guard to groom as Lin's successor. Or maybe a project center whom Asik can mentor (especially since we wouldn't need him to play right away). In all honesty, my guess is we trade our pick either at the deadline as part of a package, or ship it to Atlanta to end our debt.
Steven Adams. I think he could blossom in the Rockets system, a year in the D league, brought through slowly, work with Hakeem? Could be a star in 3-5 years, at worst 7 footers are always worth something
Zeller will be a good role player at best. Shabazz is all hype just like DeMar DeRozan was and plays just like him. Noel is going to be a bust. I'd rather have Marcus Smart to pair with Harden. I think they would fit great together.
It is all about ping pong balls. If the Rockets could roll into the top 3 they might have enough fodder to make a play on Kevin Love. Other than that I am not interested.
I'm very high on Archie Goodwin. Definitely a top 5 pick in my opinion and has NBA size/athleticism and skill set. <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ng1SYltU5FA" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Not sure about "definitely a top 5 pick", but I agree with the rest. I hate him for not going to Arkansas but it is what it is. He reminds me a lot of D-Wade. And Cal has him playing a lot of PG, too, so that will help his stock. He could definitely be a top 5 pick, but I don't think it's a lock. Lock for the lottery, though. I'd be all for drafting him. He'd be great next to Harden and Lin could come off the bench. He's probably better suited for that role anyway.
I think it's another great draft for our likely draft position. As is often the case these days, it's a draft of largely untapped potential. That only increases the odds of a gem falling to the Rockets. There has been as much early success from draft picks outside the top 10 picks as there has been from within over the last 2 drafts. Aside from Irving, Klay Thompson & Kawhi Leonard have been more valuable than anyone drafted top 10 last year. Marcus Morris looks better than Derrick Williams or Tristan Thompson . It's just not necessary to have a top 5 pick to make an impact. Looks to be a great draft for high upside front court players. Certainly a weak guard class. Isaiai Austin or Rudy Gobert are my ideal, high upside 4's that will need time, but both will likely be gone before we pick. Tony Mitchell has been a bit disappointing, but he's still a great NBA prospect. Josh Smith type 3/4 tweener. C.J. McCollum- The more I watch this kid from Lehigh, the more I can't ignore his skill. Undersized 2, but I see him as an explosive 6th man for someone. Doesn't matter who he plays, or how much focus the other squad puts on him. He'll hit jumpers, leaners, fade-aways, turn-arounds, tear-drops, free throws... Michael Carter-Williams - VISION. Love this kids awarness on the court, just needs to work on shot and selection. I'm just rambling now...