It's not like CD to just sit on one deal. He is known to have something worked out other than just what is being reported. I think the recent flurry of prospects was not plan B for Ming, but plan A for a trade.
Agree. Specifically, the 37 pick this year has value because of the depth of the draft. We can easily turn this pick into a late No. 1 for next year.
It's very possible. Stories have been coming out of Washington, Phoenix, Miami, and New York all considering moving up/down to nab a player. Milwaukee and George Karl have never been big for the draft pick thing. The Clippers seem to have already mortgaged off one pick for cash, and plenty of rumors point to the Cavs. There will be teams that are targeting a specific player, either by moving up or staying where they are. Teams will get dissapointed when their target is no longer there, and look to move down and/or out. That is where we can look to move up, if our target is still on the board. Remember, the Griffin trade wasn't planned-there was an opportunity, and we took it.
Nike, how do you know when the Griffin trade was put together? I don't mean that in a threatning or demeaning way, it's just that I have wondered about the mechanics of that deal for a long time. Well OK, about a year. What do you know? What do you know specifically?
My gut reaction to the Griffin trade is that it happened that night. Most people thought that Griffin would go higher than 7. I think he went 7 that night. The Rockets had Griffin rated #1 on their board (in other words they would have taken him #1 in the draft if they had the #1 pick). When NJ selected him I am sure the Rockets called them up and offered up the trade. Supposedly NJ liked Richard Jefferson and IF he was still available when #13 rolled around then NJ would do the deal and have the Rockets pick for them. He was the lynch pin in the trade. After that, the Rockets then choose the players that NJ wanted. So in other words, trades might happen on draft night when players fall or don't go when one thinks they might go. If a player falls (that a team did not think they had a chance to possible get) and a team sees a chance to only "move up a few slots" to get their player then they are apt to make an offer. We might see some of this on draft night. Chris
go to the bottom of this page and click on the "Rockets War Room" video section and that will show you exactly what the Rockets management was up to on Draft Day 2001 where we landed Griffin. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_Draft_2002-45979-34.html
There were actually reports two days BEFORE the draft that the Rockets had contacted New Jersey about the #7 pick AND that the Rockets were trying to make a push for Eddie Griffin. I specifically remember reading about both those issues before the draft.
that was a great link... very insightful.. thanks! it sounded like Rudy said that Les wanted to swap picks with Seattle... I didn't know owners had input in personnel decisions, unless their name was Jerry Jones.
