The Rockets drafted forwards because they think they may need forwards. Lets look at what we have at the forward positions. Players coming from the Dalembert trade: If any of these guys are any good then they wouldn't have been included as filler in a trade for Chase Budinger. Scola: Still a productive player, and our only player that we know can produce in the low post. But, Scola is not a long term solution at PF for the Rockets. I expect the Rockets to trade Scola within the next 12 months. Motiejūnas: We really don't know what we have in Motiejūnas until he starts playing against NBA talent. I understand he likes to play away from the basket, so the Rockets may not see him as the inside force we need. I believe McHale has worked a little bit with Motiejūnas, so they know a lot more about him than we do. I have high hopes for Motiejūnas, but the Rockets may fear he isn't going to be the the player we all hope he can be. Parsons: Good player and we all like him. However, if the Rockets do try and pull off a huge trade for star players, then Parsons is probably the first player that other teams want in return. I would hate to lose Parsons, but the Rockets may lose him in return for a superstar. Morris: Jury is still out, but he may be a bust. We traded Budinger, so maybe the Rockets will get him some playing time. But, at this point we can't really say he is likely to be a solid starter in this league. Patterson: He has no low post game. People say he was coming off an injury last year, but it's clear to see that he is not comfortable with his back to the basket. I've given up on Patterson being a big time player in the NBA. He may be part of an eight or nine player rotation, but that's probably about it. Patterson is no longer a rookie, he needs to make a huge leap forward this year to be considered as a future starter. So when we look at the forward positions we see that we have a lot of question marks and players that stand a good chance of being included in a trade for a superstar. I think I can now see why the Rockets wanted to add a couple of more prospects to the mix. If Motiejūnas, Morris, or Patterson were sure bets to be a starter then the Rockets probably would have picked differently.
Um, the player we got in the Budinger trade was Terrance Jones aka the 18th pick. I do agree though, we these picks looks like Parsons is probably gone. He will be packaged in a trade I feel. Sad thing is, teams know we are extremely over stocked at PF and know that we are the desperate team to fill holes in our roster. We absolutely have to make trades to balance this roster and teams know this, which will lead to us not getting a great return on our "assets" I think Scola is gone and of all the rookies, the player I am still most excited about is Dontas.
The Rockets are sort of like a bar in an airport. All the players are just patrons hanging out until it's time to go to their final destination.
Woops, you are correct. I meant the Dalembert trade, not the Budinger trade. Thanks for the correction, I will edit. Yes, we have a lot of trades in our future. The next few months will be interesting.
This all has to do with that kid who said there's 13 positions instead of just 5 in basketball. In Morey's mind the other 8-9 are forwards.
