Here is quick look at what we have on this team so we can determine what we need with the lottery. PG Steve Francis/Bryce Drew Okay, Stevie is coming along at a good pace. He still dominates the ball a little too much, but he clearly has all the skills. No, Bryce Drew is not a world beater, but I think he's shown enough to be a serviceable backup point guard. SG Shandon Anderson/Cattino Mobley Anderson has taken over the vacated Mario Elie role on this team. No, he doesn't have the three point shot that Mario had, but he does the things that don't show up on the box score: namely frustrating the other team's shooting guard. Cattino has found a home in the 6th man position. He is among the three or four best 6th men in the league. SF Matt Bullard/Walt Williams You have a slow shooting specialist who hustles as best he can on defense but is deficient. Then you have a shooting specialist who has more physical skills but mysteriously doesn't use them. PF Carlos Rogers/Kenny Thomas Carlos and Kenny both have games where they show up and play great and games where they just seem out of it. Carlos has great leaping ability and has a knack for being around the ball, but has limited range. Kenny shoots well from the outside, but has shown a tendency to be soft inside on occasion. C Hakeem Olajuwon/Kelvin Cato/Thomas Hamilton Hakeem is hurt and probably will play for only one more season. Kelvin is a lot like Rogers in the fact that he is really athletic and has great leaping ability. He hasn't shown consistency yet during this season. Hamilton is the pure definition of the word "project." He has demonstrated good skills, but his extra pounds have him stuck in slow motion. Now, take a look at these positions. Which one sticks out as the weakest to you? If you ask me, small forward is by far the weakest position we have. Yes, with Hakeem and Charles out we have had inconsistent production from the power forward and center positions. However, the small forward positions has contributed little or nothing all season. The other key is that every player playing power forward and center has potential. What kind of potential do Matt Bullard and Walt Williams have? This being the case, I think we have to set our sights on Terrence Morris as our number one priority in the draft. He is a player who is a lot like Steve Francis in the fact that it is worth the gamble to trade up to get him if you have to. He has a number of skills that will make him an impact player in the NBA. I've been hearing a lot of people mention Kenyon Martin's name. I like Kenyon Martin. He's a tenacious defender, but I will bet anyone five bucks that this guy isn't a top five pick. In fact, I would probably say ten is about as high as he will go. That being said, if he is around and we have Detroit's pick I wouldn't mind taking him there. Simply put, if we were lucky enough to win the lottery or even make the top three, we would be laughed out of the arena if we took him. Martin will probably be a lot like Danny Fortsen (a former Cincy product). They are both undersized, but are high energy guys. Fortsen has carved a decent spot in the NBA for himself as a tenacious rebounder, but he was picked tenth overall and he was a more gifted college scorer than Martin is. ------------------ Rockets When? Rockets When?
I will bet you Martin will be a top 5 pick. Martin is the man.. He is the real deal. Did you see when he dunked the ball tonight after he got down he showed off his biceps right by the camera. He was sending a message to rudy.. SAYING PICK ME... IM STRONG!!!! Yeah but looking at that I think we need the small forward more than the power forward position. Name some good small forwards you college experts.
The best college small forwards, according to the NBA Talk... Chris Porter Auburn Kevin Freeman Connecticut Pete Mickeal Cincinnati Morris Peterson Michigan State Chris Carrawell Duke Harold Arceneaux Weber State
LOTTERY! The season isn't even halfway over with yet. What the hell are you talking about that so early. Anyways, we don't need more rookies we need maybe 1 or 2 veterens then let the young guys develope around them.
Spencer has a good point although he spells his name funny. with Minnisota playing crappy, its still not out of the realm of possibility to get into that last playoff spot. But seriously..... Of course if I were coach, I'd tank every game and hopefully get the first pick. Then I'd bribe some Chineese official to allow Yao Ming to come to the states to play in the NBA and I'd pick him first. Then I'd sprinkle some heroin into Dream's rice and convince him that he's all washed up so he'll retire and take a nice cozy office job within the organization. With his money I'd go get Grant Hill through free agency and he'd want to play for us because I'd give him what was left of Dream's rice. I then sign Sam Mack to a three year deal by convincing him that it's really the same thing as the four year deal that he wanted last year since a year has gone by and the contract ends at the same time. Sam of course is esstatic to hear this. Finally, I'd take Karl Malone out for a night on the town in Salt Lake City and convince him how crappy the night life is there and I'd tell him how me and Shandon go out every night in Houston. Whereupon he'd immediately demand to be traded and stating that his reasons were that he couldn't be effective in Sloan's slow,methodical half court offense. When the Jazz refuse to trade him, Malone viciously attacks Stockton saying that they are no longer friends because Johhny boy doesn't allow Karl to sleep with his wife anymore. When Stockton demands an apology Malone states that he wouldn't give him an apology at gunpoint. The Jazz, seeing no other alternative, trade Malone to Houston for Cato, Walt Williams and Carlos Rogers and then declare Kelvin Cato to be the future of the NBA and give the unproven youngster a ridiculous contract extension. so now our starting lineup looks like this- C-Ming PF-Malone SF-Hill SG-Anderson PG-Francis with Kenny Thomas, Mack, Bullard, Drew, Mobley, Hamilton(on IR), Maloney(because he can hold his own in any quarters game and will keep the bench warm for us for a measley 1.8 million a season) and Brent Price (because we miss his cheerful outlook on life and Vancouver gave him to us for Mirsad Turksan whom we retained rights from philly for a number one draft pick) all coming off the bench. I, being coach of the year, sleep through the season because I dont have to do anything because my post up, inside out system is so simple and boring it runs by itself. "Just dump it in to Yao Ming guys. He'll take care of the rest." Dont worry about it guys-I've got it all figured out. [Note: This message has been edited by Administrator]
Sorry dude, the CCP probably will not give up Ming for USA-NBA draft. In this particular case, Cold War politics actually come into play - China will not be willing to give up its best center in the 2004 Olympics, because it wants to make a strong showing there. They know they won't win (it might agitate them that this is an American game), but they will want to challenge at every corner... (that last was translated from Tsun-Tzu) Guarantee: Ming will not be available until 2005. By that time the dialogue will be sufficient to allow him to attain US citizenship (and draft status apriori). Ming is 18 now. They will use his best years relentlessly, as they do others...
They're Communists. Those pictures you've seen of that young student facing off against a tank in Tianenmen Square ten years ago was no fake. That guy didn't die, but thousands of others did... Remember who you're dealing with. They will not let Ming go until they're done with him.
treeman, Obviously you didn't catch the sarcasm in my post. I know we dont have a shot at Ming. I dont think we can get Malone or Hill either. Of course I'd never slip Heroin into Dreams rice and I think its obvious that I wouldn't want to pay Maloney 1.8 million to come back. Wake up dude.
