ClutchFans Rockets Draft Thread (Rockets select Luther Head at 24)

I think the Rockets will pick Julius Hodge.

Hodge seems like a JVG type player to me. Very tough, plays hard, high BB IQ and can play multiple positions.

 

It'll be...

Sean May.

 

Three predictions:

Rockets will make a trade

They'll draft Julius Hodge

They'll draft someone who's name none of us will be able to pronounce and will never don a Rockets jersey

 

I don't know if the Rockets will trade up to get Warrick, but I sure hope they do

 

wayne simien and jarrett jack

 

Trade up for Warrick or Diogu

OR--

See if Taft falls to #24

If you end up with any of those three, not a bad draft day.

 

Clutch, being from Pittsburgh i've followed the situation closely. This is nothing more than a plea to Taft to stay and propoganda to use against him if he leaves. The people of Pittsburgh aren't used to seeing NBA prospects come and go, they're used to guys like Brandin Knight, Julius Page, Vonteego Cummings, Ricardo Greer, etc who were good college players that they fell in love well yet can't play on the pro level.

Pitt's in a position to lose 3 starters, the team will be left to the wolves if Taft leaves. The people that realize this are the ones trying to get Taft to stay, everyone else with a clue knows it does him no good to stay and its time to leave.

 

Jarrett Jack 6-4 198 PG Georgia Tech Jr.

 

A few weeks back, I said Joey Graham, but that was before he shot up the charts. Now, I predict a trade for Hakim Warrick.

 

if gerald green is still on the board, we'll take travis diener.


otherwise, i think we pick garcia.


and even though he's undersized, i still just really want warrick.



and for clarification purposes, if we pick someone #24 and then trade him for someone else, do we have to guess the guy we picked, or the guy we traded for? i'm saying the guy we pick.

 

I would select Sisco Garcia or Chris Taft if they they were there. I believe the Rockets will draft a SG/SF who is athletic. The PF and PG in Free Agency seems pretty deep and the Rockets also seem pretty high on Spanloius and Badiene. Winston or Hodge may be the pick.

 

Other than Hodge, one other name I want to throw out there as sort of a sleeper. And it probably is a REACH at #24 but another guy that fits the bill as a JVG type player that has been turning some heads lately is Alan Anderson. Just like Hodge, his potential ceiling might not be that high but his work ethic and desire can make up for a lot.

 

Rockets should trade their first round pick for two second round picks considering this draft is very deep. Lakers and Jazz have 2 second rounders.

 

If Rockets select Alan Anderson with their 24th pick, someone needs to get fired because he will be thier in the second round.

 

Trade down for Alan Anderson and Dwayne Jones

 

Taft definitely could have used another yet at school but that simply wasn't happening. He has an NBA body with all the skills needed to succeed, it's just a question of attitude. It's not work ethic attitude problems, he actually practices very hard and has improved in a lot of regards that people give him no credit for due to his lackluster sophomore season. It's just more or less, he needs to snap out of this cocky "I'm better than everybody else" attitude he's had going on. I think it would be funny if he we took him & he showed up to training camp with that attitude since its VERY easy to become a humble man when practicing against the likes of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming.

I hear ya on your concerns and drawing the Eddie Griffin comparisons. Only difference is Taft isn't a complete bonehead like EG. He's not the kind of guy that carries a gun around, tries to knock out teammates and shoots at ex-girlfriends. I just think he needs a slap in the face and sort of a down-to-earth experience to make him realize he's the low guy on the totum pole once he enters the NBA ranks.

He has a bright future ahead of him if he wants to embrace it. I see a lot of a younger Antonio McDyess in him. He's not as explosive as McDyess used to be but he can dominate around the basket the way he used to. His post game continues to improve, he's already a solid post defender and rebound that has great hands and he's not the kind of guy that will let you push him around.

 

From the mouth of Chad Ford:

Illinois guard Luther Head is still operating in the afterglow of a great performance at the predraft camp. A number of teams, including the Pacers (No. 17), Celtics (18), Grizzlies (19), Rockets (24), Pistons (26) and Heat (29) have him in the mix for the first round.

 

I hope we don't select Luther Head, he is too short to solid SG and can't handle pg duties. His defense is also suspect.

 

A lot of the same things were said about Cato pre-JVG. IMO JVG got everything he could out of Cato, and I think he may be beneficial to Taft as well.