So what do you think Lowry along with the NYK & Dallas draft pics are worth? A top 10 pic maybe? Could that package be enough to snag a draft pic with franchise player potential type of value?
Thoughts on Austin Rivers? http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=217725 Kevin Garnett is high on him
Rivers is an interesting guy for the DAL pick, surely wouldn't want him with the Knicks pick, or ours should we miss the playoffs.
Even if Barnes is available I wouldn't select him. He isn't fulfilling a need or significantly increasing the production from the position he would play.
Ulitmate wishlist would be either Davis, Gilchrist, Sullinger or Barnes - but its highly unlikely. And Im not really high on Drummond or Perry Jones. So Im keeping an eye on these guys. Bigs - Leonard, Both Zellers, Fab Melo, Festus Ezeli, PFs - Henson, Moultrie, Furkan Aldemir, Tony Mitchell SFs - Jeff Taylor, Royce White, Harkless, Miller SG - Lamb PGs - Dion Waiters, Tony Wroten (really high on this guy - combo guard with good size)
Superstar potential Anthony Davis Andre Drummond Harrison Barnes All-Star potential Thomas Robinson Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Brad Beal Jared Sullinger Austin Rivers Jeremy Lamb Arnett Moultrie Perry Jones James McAdoo Quincy Miller Good to decent starter Kendall Marshall Fab Melo Tony Wroten Terrence Ross Terrence Jones Meyers Leonard Festus Ezeli Surprises Tony Mitchell Tony Wroten William Buford
I hear Harrison Barnes does not have the athleticism to be a superstar. http://www.nba.com/2012/news/features/scott_howard_cooper/03/20/mock-draft/index.html
If he is drafted to a team with a solid pg then yes as an off guard he will flourish. As a primary ball handler & floor general he will have to develop this more seeing he is a scorer by nature.
What makes you say Barnes will be a superstar? Can you rely on him to turn you franchise around? Can you build your franchise around this guy? I love Sullinger he just reminds me of a more polished Chuck at this point in his career. Don't have much Barkley film in my mind but for some reason he reminds me of a Barkley/Hayes type player. Maybe even Derrick Coleman. You have to add Hollis Thompson to your surprise list, the man is silky smooth, with a pure jumper extending from free throw extended. Ever other player I agree with where you categorized them.
I'll be happy (most likely) if the Rockets re-sign Dragic, but you're asking a lot to "spend whatever it takes" for him. Your bolded statement seems to indicate that you think Dragic is a franchise player. I wouldn't get too carried away there. If anything, re-signing Dragic at the price tag he'll likely command will PREVENT (or at least hinder) the Rockets in their attempts to land a real franchise player. Morey traded Aaron Brooks (a very good young PG who had actual playoff success against the eventual champion Lakers) rather than pay him. The reason? He was not going to be worth the money he was going to get on the open market. Morey rolled the dice on Kyle Lowry in free agency, primarily because (a) he was a restricted free agent AND (b) he was the backup at the time of his free agency (and didn't have nearly the spotlight that Brooks had or that Dragic now has). Unlike both Brooks and Lowry (and Lee this summer), Dragic will be an UNRESTRICTED free agent. Morey has gone on record as saying that once a player hits unrestricted free agency, you are essentially always going to have to overpay for that player. Given my personal preference for the Rockets to make the playoffs this year, I was pretty happy that they kept Dragic through the trade deadline. However, over the long-term, they will probably lose him to free agency (rather than salvaging, say, a future first rounder for him in trade). For a playoff berth, it was probably worth it (you weren't going to get a lottery pick for his expiring contract). At this point, barring a trade of Lowry, you're probably going to have to hope Gogi gives the Rockets a huge discount to stay in Houston. Just my two cents.
Dragic could be a franchise player, though. It seems more likely than with Lowry. With every step forward Lowry has taken, I have found myself second guessing "...is that sustainable?" I don't feel the same way about Dragic. He has elite size, wingspan, and athleticism for his position. He looks like your prototypical star point guard. I love Lowry, but he looks more like a runningback playing basketball.
And would it be so bad to trade Lowry for something really good & then overpay for Dragic, anyway? What's so wrong with trading Kyle?
