Which players do you not want the Rockets to pick ?

haven- actually, I see a correllation between having a superstar big man and making the playoffs. Regardless, good point about rebounding. And I agree that Thomas has shown more promise at being a good rebounder than Cato has.

My point is, considering there are 16 guys in the entire NBA that grab more than 9 rebs, most of them All-Stars and franchise players, it's a pretty grandiose statement to say "I can see so-and-so grabbing 10 and 13." Not just any schmuck we pick up from the draft is going to do that. And certainly not some bench big-man we pick up from another team, with the exception of maybe Fortson.



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Woops! My mistake. I screwed up when I edited my typing on that. Those results are for true centers (not ones splitting time between C/PF necessariliy). The players posted are the ones averaging 12pts and 9 rebs or greater. The reasons I used a "true center" is because that's what I think everybody's thinking Mihm will be. Thanks Haven. I'll go back and edit it.

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rezdawg,

I have not seen Fizer play much. And yes, I am taking the word of a college analyst. You see, I find it very difficult to measure the value of any NCAA power forwards, much less the short ones. Those guys can just rock in college. But what does that mean. Nothing. Fact is, there are only about 1 or 2 superstars that come out each year. maybe two more solid PF/Cs after that.

I'm not really saying Fizer is not great; I'm just pointing out (and so was my friend) that I see special things in Kenny Thomas, that I just don't see in Fizer. Kenny's speed is tremendous, and he's a tenacious rebounder. And he always had those things. Fizer's explosiveness (people call it) is hard for me to value against the explosiveness of so many other NBA big men. In explosiveness I figure people mean a low post move straight to the hole. Look, that is not happening in the NBA. good luck becoming a star by trying split defenders and go straight to the hole from the low post as your signature move. Especially if you are undersized!

I recommend concentrating on moves that create space for you to shoot over NBA defenders like Kenny's footwork, Barkley's spin moves and leaping ability, Dantley's headfakes, dribbling and turnarounds...stuff like that. Not straight-to-the-hole expecting guys like Theo Ratcliff to just let you do that. Or hitting open jumpers from all over expecting that to not be stopped either.

not to say Fizer doesn't have what it takes, but man, he must bring something special to the next level because of his size.

I still say Fizer will drop to #9 anyhow...the NBA is usually very nervous of picking short PFs. Much of the NBA scouting reports about underclassmen are often exaggerated to convince them to come out. But come draft day, they can drop down a little.

[This message has been edited by heypartner (edited May 06, 2000).]

 

Heyparter:

Something you said gave me a moment of inspiration... this may seem a bit mundane or obvious... but I wonder if looking at taped segments of current college players, and then tapes of current NBA players would help one to gauge their relative ability. Would this simply not translate well? I really have no idea.

But yeah... one suddenly understands that way, why Elton Brand's game translated so well to the NBA, and why Antawn Jamison took a longer time to adjust.

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if Brand didn't have a 7'0''er's wing span, he'd be a tweener as well.



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No, Mihm is gonna be a Vlade Divac/Arvydas Sabonis type of center...can play out in the perimeter.

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I'd like to talk about the last 7 footer who went in the top three...LaFrentz.

In the two games I saw this year I found his ability to control the lane on defense impressive. While Kandi may have more potential, this guy is solid. And does have that chance to be a 15/10 defender that DoD and Nolen have shown to be rare. He's already at 13/8 in one and half years.

When you consider last year's draft to have produced zero good players above 6'10, you have to see that 7 footers who are smart defenders and skilled are worth reaching for. LaFrentz is so much better than Cato at playing smart defense, and his superior blocking stats tend to illustrate how he is around the ball more. He knows how to react to the ball better than Cato. As Dream always says, you have to learn how to take the shortest distance to the ball when you are guarding the lane.

I know nothing of Mihm. But, if he has skilled footwork, no fear, and desparately wants to own the lane on defense, his offense is probably good enough to warrant a #3. Not to say, I'd pick him. Depending on whether he can play sound defense like LaFrentz, he doesn't need Theo's athleticism to contribute in a big way.

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---duck----

 

Am I the only one who doesn't want to draft Mike Miller? We already have a SF who can shoot from outside but can't defend. And by the way, Miller's HORRIBLE shooting display in the NCAA tournament semi-final and final rounds didn't impress me!!! When the pressure was on against the best teams where was MILLER? AWOL!!! Miller isn't a good defender nor can he bang in the paint for rebounds, and we all know we need rebounding (because it is painfully obvious that Cato won't pull his weight rebounding). Let's hope the Rockets "just say no" when its Miller time!

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Actually, quite a few people claimed that Brand was a tweener as well.... albeit fewer than Jamison.

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I don't think Mihm even likes basketball. What else are you supposed to do though when you are a 7 foot gifted athlete. He would still be playing tennis if it weren't for the fact that he out grew the sport. You definetly won't find Mihm out there with Steve and Cuttino over the summers working on their games together.

I don't want a guy who doesn't have a great desire to play. He'll end up being an average NBA player at best.

By the way, his offensive game around the basket consists of catching lobs over 6'7" college boys and laying them in. That won't work in the NBA.

[This message has been edited by Doctor Robert (edited May 08, 2000).]

 

I think I mentioned to HeyPartner that the Rocks should consider moving Kenny Thomas to small forward and look for a 4 and 5 somewhere else. I think Kenny is quick enough to guard the bigger 3's that are now the style in the NBA and he is also strong enough to abuse them.

In my most humblest of opinions, we need to forget about Fizer. I think the guy has very little left to improve on his game. And he is short. Not the right type.

Kenyon Martin is the only guy I can think of that we could sacrifice a high pick for, if he comes back all the way. He is the ideal length and size to play the 4 spot. He bulks up another 15 pounds and he will kill almost any PF out there in a few years. He has long arms that are flexible,he is versitile and can be used for the occasional trap defense during the course of the game.

There is my 3 cents.<-adjusted for inflation.

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Live Rocketball. Breathe Rocketball. Die with Rocketball.


[This message has been edited by Almu (edited May 08, 2000).]

 

You'd really rather have Kmart than Swift? I don't think there's much question about who's the better player right now, but I think there's even less question about who will be better in two years... and who doesn't have a certain injury ( the answers are Martin, Swift, and Swift, in case you couldn't tell ).



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No, you're not alone. I actually go to University of Florida and do think Miller is a fine player; however, he fits absolutely none of the Rockets' needs. If we do draft Miller, I would hope that we package him with the trade exception for a defensive minded big man.

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As far as Lafrez, he may be listed at 6' 11" 240 but he never seemed even that big to me. He definetly isn't a true 7 footer, and I think he is more of a PF than a center

But if there is a young 7 footer comparable to Smits, Divoc, Camby or Campbell out there by all means take him with a 3rd or 4th pick if you can. Just last year, a solid but unspectacular 30ish back-up one (Antonio Davis) went for the 5th pick in a very deep draft. That tells you the value of pretty good centers, even if they are getting on the older side. Mihm is way too good not to go in the top 4 picks, though I can see #1 being perhaps a stretch.

HP, we just see Fizer quite a bit different. I don't think he is Barkley's class athletically, but he is still pretty unique. If you ask me to compare him to a player, I would say Larry Johnson. And LJ was pretty effective until his back troubles. I see Fizer and a young Johnson as just far superior athletically than say Willimason or KT--and those two aren't bad players. You can teach guys footwork, moves and sometimes even shooting (Fizer is a promsing shooter anyway though), but you can't team a 265 pound guy the quickness, hops and body control. As long as Fizer measures at least 6'7" he will be a top 4 pick. If he is shorter than that, maybe he last another two slots.

I would be ecstatic if we could get Swift or Martin, but I would much rather have Mihm or Fizer than anyone else who might be there. Too get any of these guys we will have to be top 5 or 6. If we can't get any of the above, Miles, D Johnson, Moiso or Miller would be OK, but they are not in the class of the top 4.

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Granville Waiters

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Sir Scarjaval-

With all due respect, I think you made two errors in your post considering the Antonio Davis trade.

1. Last year, at the time, was considered to be a very shallow draft-read the literature at the time in archives. I even remember ESPN running an article in december along the lines of "not so shallow after all." The draft was supposed to have some decent guards, but that was it.

2. I think that Raptors thought they were one piece away from having a championship contender in the East. This trade, imo, is a great deal like the Randy Johnson trade for the Astros. I think it was very conceivable that Toronto could have won the East-they were loaded at every position except for the point, and that proved their downfall. In retrospect, they should have drafted Andre Miller.

Conclusion: a peculiar set of circumstances allowed Davis to be traded for #5. Houston does not have either of those circumstances. This draft should have decent picks 1-10 (although perhaps not much after), and we're more than one piece away from a title.

oh yeah, point #3... The Raptors made a mistake . Andre Miller would have made that team LOADED.

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