Use our pick to get one of three small forwards: trade for Rashard Lewis (maybe inlcuding Thomas or Cato with the pick if necessary), draft Caron Butler, or draft Jared Jeffries. Use the Raptors' pick to draft one of three centers: Borchardt, Marcus, or Ely. These moves would give us a solid sarting five: PG Francis SG Mobley SF Lewis/Butler/Jeffries PF Griffin/Taylor C Borchardt/Marcus/Ely We would also have Norris, Cato, and Griffin or Taylor (whichever isn't starting) coming off the bench. Sounds like a good team to me.
Griffin has alot of filling out to do if he's gonne be banging in the paint with the likes of the Webbers, LaFrentzs, and Duncans at the 4 spot. I see Griffin (right now) as more of a big 3, like a Nowitzki or a Garnett who can really cause matchup problems with his versatility. If he's gonna be at the 4 next year, he needs to add about 15-20 pounds of muscle in the offseason. I think mass is the only thing stopping Griffin from being a real force on both ends of the floor. Also, if Griffin fills out this off-season, we don't have to draft Wilcox and we can draft my man Butler. Look out for the Rocks in 2003.
Also, I think drafting Jeffries would be a wasted pick since the air conditioning in the Compaq Center would blow him over. He has a game too identical to Griffin's to waste a lotto pick on him.
I forgot to mention that Dunleavy might be available, too. I admit Jeffries would not be the ideal, but I think he would be good enough for our needs at SF (if both Dunleavy and Butler are gone when we pick and we can't deal for Lewis).
i watched most of the Indiana games during the tournament, and Jared Jefferies looked like he did nothing but get in foul trouble and miss layups. He's not half the prospect Griffin is. I'd like to trade for Rashard Lewis for Toronto's pick and KT and start him next to Griffin. Rashard is 6-10, and willing to bang with the big boys along with Griffin. If we get the opportunity to keep our high lotto pick, i would go after either Quyntel Woods(if available) or Bordchardt. Woods is just plain nasty, and Bordchardt would be our lone low post threat.
I'm a huge MD fan in the metropolitan area, and everything I've heard so far (including from Gary Williams) is that Wilcox will return for his JR year. He really could use one more year to develope some more post up moves and some more range/consistency on his shot; plus he'd be the go to guy next year. However, if he decides to leave now, he should be a top 5 pick and would be a good choice for the Rockets, as you all have pretty much said. I can't help but think of Terrance Morris' sophmore year. If he had left then, he'd have been a top 10 pick, instead he stayed and surprisingly didn't improve much, thus dropping him to a second rounder. I still think if he gets more confidence and a mean streak, Terrance can be real good, or at least become a Robert Horry type, but that may never happen. Wilcox is stronger and has a mean streak in his game, so I think he won'y hurt himself by staying, but you never know.
I don't think any of those centers are starting material, except for Ming. Perhaps Sampson is a sleeper, but thats a risk. I'd rather trade the pick. If we get #6 or #7, and don't get a lottery top 3 ball, then here's what I'd like to see the Rockets do: 1) If Dunleavy comes out, and is still on the board, then pick him. 2) If Wagner is still on the board, then trade him to LAC for Odom. 3) If LAC doesn't want to trade Odom, then take Wagner, and trade KT and the Toronto pick to Cleveland for either Mihm or Diop. If they don't do that, offer them Cuttino. That would give us: Cato/Diop/Collier Griffin/TMo Taylor/Rice/Langhi Mobely/Wagner/Torres Francis/Norris Rebuilding done. Learning begins... 4) If Toronto, Washington and/or Miami move ahead of the clippers in their playoff efforts, and LAC ends up with the 10th or 11th pick, then I'd trade our pick to LAC for their picks, take Caron Butler and Amare Stoudamire. I'd still try to do the deal with Cleveland for either Thomas or Mobely. Cato/Diop/Collier Griffin/TMo/Stoudamire Taylor/Rice/Butler Mobely/Torres Francis/Norris ------------------------ IF we get one of the first two lottery ping pong balls, I'd take Ming. If for instance, we got the #2, and Ming was gone, I'd trade down twice, then do the other picks as described above, but possibly get another player or future pick. I don't think we need Williams, Gooden, Woods, Wilcox, or Jeffries. We have Griffin and Francis, and don't need those positions. I'd like either Ming or Dunleavy, or maybe Wagner and a trade for center.
I don't mean to rehash something, and I don't necessarily disagree with anything posted here, because God knows what we're gonna do in the off-season, but does anyone believe that maybe, possibly, we would trade our #6/7 and Toronto's #14 (fingers crossed) and, who knows, the Chicago draft pick obligation... ...for Kwame Brown? I have no idea if we could or should. I'm just bringing up what Clutch had mentioned weeks ago; that the organization might have interest in the guy (I would guess as a future center)?
Roxtxia that kinda of scencario is what I'm looking for the rocket brass in attempting to pull off come draft day. This team needs quality low post size and Kwame Brown is going to be a horse a in couple of years. I could also see Kenny Thomas involved in a deal like that as well. I would rather see the rockets build around some quality low post players then their backcourt or a Lewis or Odom. This team already has a ton of small forwards.
Keep in mind, the Clippers will likely have Atlanta's lottery pick (most likely #8 overall). It is only top-3 protected. They got it when they traded Lorenzen Wright to the Hawks a few years back. Therefore, the Clips might not be TOO anxious to trade up from #8 to #6.
I've seen alot of folks ridicule Rudy's system of play, and for the most part it has been correct. We can't progress unless we start playing a different game that best utilizes the players we have. In today's NBA, the team has to adapt to its players and Rudy T. just refuses to do that. So why did we getMobley, or trade for a Francis if we can't mold the best system around their qualities and styles of play. I like Rudy, so I want him to stay, but first we need to implement a new scheme that takes advantage of our run-n-gun, lightning backcourt (I really don't know the termonology, you fill in the blanks). Next, we need a small foward that can be a threat at and draw his man out to the perimeter to open things up for the guards, as well as the athleticism to run and jam with them on the fast break. We should package MoT, Mooch, and the Toronto pick(assuming we get it) and maybe an additional first rounder to Seattle for Rashard (a perfect fit) and PG Shaud Williams (nice floor general from what I've seen). Sonics could get rid of Lewis b/c remember, they drafted Radmanovic last season at the 3 spot. Next, and keep in mind this is my fantasy off-season, the Rocks, somehow get one of the top three lotto picks. We spend that pick on Jason Williams who can be our 6th man at the 1 or 2 spots, and also form a deadly small-man mismatch problem for teams when he and Francis and Cat are on the floor at the same time. We don't go after a center becuse there are none that will be ready when the Rocks finally put a winning team together. Instead, we trade Rice, Brown and Langhi for Kandi-man. This probablly won't work out EVER but here's our lineup for the next 5 to 10 yrs: pg: Francis/ J. Williams/ Shaud Williams sg: Mobley/ J. Williams/ Torres sf: Lewis/ TMO/ Griffin pf: Griffin/ KT/ Cato c: Olowakandi/ Cato/ Collier
