I agree with your comments on Hill,but I don't think Patterson's jump shot is reliable to make him a stretch yet. I think Patterson will get most of his points in the paint.
His stats and size actually match up well with Carlos Boozers in College. He shoots a better percentage, averages a higher points per game career average and slightly a better rebounder for his career than Boozer. Same lngth of career too. Both juniors. Has some defense and shooting ability facing up farther out perhaps than Boozer but Boozer has better postups. So he could be one of those guys that develops into a real stud or just a solid guy.
Daryl Morey speaking to media(couldnt hear the questions): Excited to have Patrick Top guy when we picked Played C and F Can score in many ways - face up, step out, etc See him as a plus defender Versatility and work ethic; ability to play multiple spots; gives us flexibility; solid starter, maybe more Close to a lot of things Opportunities to move into top 5, went away hours before the draft. Didnt get as serious as last year Move up options quite a few. Wouldve moved up to get Patrick 9-13 range, order they went, order was fortunate Sometimes better to be lucky than good Very deep draft into 60th pick. Not starter level or key reserve but next level down. Aggresive to try and get players who could fit the roster. Prices were high; looking for future picks Still very thrilled, got the guy we wanted. Earliest we couldve gotten to was 9. Also 10 and 12 - serious chances there People see that need. We werent looking to address that in the draft. Top guys were like in the top 5. Went for best guy in our opinion. Solid player Yao will help, potentially someone else down the road in trade/FA Solid team defender; good man defender but not elite like Chuck Hayes might be. Out of the box, average defender. Work ethic is good. View him for his work ethic, athleticism Dont think it plays into it. Cant talk about targets That did factor in. I think factored in..in terms of how aggressive we could be. We were saving assets to be flexible this summer Appreciate you guys waiting
Budinger needs to stay at SF...at least for now. Hill Hayes Patterson Jeffries Battier Budinger Taylor Lowry Roster needs are meet.
So I guess we never had a chance to slip into the top 5. Not surprised though, not many teams are going to swap top 5 for 14th.
No offense to Patterson, but I hope his the main piece we trade in a Bosh deal, if we can get him interested in Houston... --RB
My biggest problem is I really don't see Patterson getting alot of minutes for us at least at the PF position and when you could have taken another Center to back up Yao which is a big weakness for the team when your backup center is 6'6, and give that person the minutes, I think it would have been a better pick for the rockets. They could have even moved back and would have been a smarter move imo and got someone later on.
Actually the best guy he compaires with is Jeff Green. In Body type and athleticism. As for skills he is a higher field goal shooter, higher scorer, higher rebounder in college. So he compairs real well to a guy who is averaging 15 points a game in the NBA currently. I am real excited about this pick now. He can turn out really good. I really didnt think he would fall to us so I didnt do the homework on him yet but the more I learn the more I am impressed to say he could have easily been a top 10.
What a great post. Teammates first, team second, himself last. And top it all off, no whining about dropping out of the top 10, just 'truly blessed'!!! Rockets fans will like PatPat.
My final thoughts for tonight: Morey's emphasis on "versatility and professionalism" says it all. Sure, Patterson is primarily a 4, but he also has potential to play a bit of 3 or 5 - depending on the direction they decide to take him in the weight room and also if he appears to have NBA three-point range (he developed into the college shot last year, not sure on NBA). That versatility, combined with his professionalism and high IQ - especially on defense - should have him ready to play immediately. Considering you're likely to have to surrender a lot of depth in a S&T for Bosh or someone like that, that's potentially very important. It's not to say Morey went for stability over potential - certainly, Patterson has very good potential. But that added bonus of year-one reliability is of particular importance if you make a major move this summer, imo.
Not a bad pick at all, people are just angry we didn't get who they want exactly. Think about how stacked that Kentucky team was (LOL AT Cal saying this was the biggest day in history for UK. I see his main focus is not on winning a championship but on having a guy in the top 5 every year.) now think about what Patterson was able to do on that stacked team.
First off, you don't reach that high for a guy you're hoping can turn into a backup center. People have done it before, and it's bitten them right on the ass. The Rockets were trying to trade up into the top 5 to get Patterson... and they got him at 14. That's a big time win. Plus, there were some decent big men that were bound to fall to the second round. The Rockets took the best player available, and then hoped they could buy into the second round. Unfortunately, the latter didn't happen, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Now they move on to free agency and try to answer their needs there.
Gersson Rosas: Tell me - I thought I heard Daryl say this doesnt impact FA wise. GR: I agree. This is a 3-4 yr decision. Hope it impacts first year but rarely does. Excited about Patrick. Not gonna be shortsighted about Patrick. Nowhere was Patrick a Top 10 pick; what was so special that the "experts" didnt? GR: Teams that do this on daily basis know how talented he is. He was our top guy for our pool of players at 14. Very mature in his game. Played inside and out. Early but excited. City will appreciate him. Will play both ends. Has winning qualities. High character guy. We do our job and scouting at a high level. Spent many miles traveling all over - I expected maybe foreign guys - what happened? GR: One of the benefits of deep roster. Had some interest but couldnt get in. In terms of what was available, wasnt strong this year internationally. Wasnt upgrades to our roster. Some guys we liked, interested in. Felt like what we needed to do, we did. Big summer development. Patterson was perimeter threat in college. As undersized PF, does it help transition to NBA? GR: Very versatile skill set. Value he plays both ends. Strong post player and can shoot a bit. Great rebounder, athletic, block some shots, finish above the rim. FAs - the moment draft is over, in NFL scouts are out signing. What about NBA? Sign right away or wait? GR: Very similar. Just got off the phones. List of priorities at diff. positions. We werent able to get in the draft, hope to confirm some committments perhaps later tonight. Appreciate it. Thanks.
Rocket's brass has said that Hill will be playing time at the 5. Jermaine Taylor has a ton of good reports coming out. Lowry Taylor Budinger Patterson Hill Run and gun...
HTML: That did factor in. I think factored in..in terms of how aggressive we could be. We were saving assets to be flexible this summer So, it sounds like overall, they really liked patterson, and he seems like a solid overall pick. It not only helps them with depth at PF, but the flexibility they like is both on the court...PF/C...and trade-wise b/c it opens up their roster possibilities for trades. Now, if they trade Hill / Jeffries, they still have some depth behind scola. And, eventually, he's probably more of a Chuck Hayes replacement than anyone else on the team. Seems like a good pick to me. It's always good hearing your team valued your pick as a top 6 and got them 8 picks later. The other thing I picked up from the quote above was that there wasn't anyone in the draft that they felt like moving up for due to what the teams were requesting. Because if they traded their assets away in the draft than they are alot less flexible fa/trade-wise and it seems like they favor that high enough to take the risk of patterson falling to them.
I really hope he does become a great player for us, just thought it might have been smarter to move back out of that pick and got someone later on and picked up additional picks but again I really do hope if he stays with the team and not traded he turns out to be really good.
