The draft hype machine can convince people that even the frailest players in the draft are more than they truly are. We want to believe that the next Dream, Magic, Bird or Jordan is with in our grasp so bad that we sometimes see greatness where it just does not exist. Will Perdue, Shawn Bradley, Joe Smith, Michael Olowokandi, Pervis Ellison, Danny Ferry were all 1st or 2nd picks and all are busts. The biggest bust of all had to be Shawn Bradley. Now the Hype machine is back in full force and this time it is promoting Yao Ming. Yao has had no extensive competition against the best talent. Yao worked out in an environment that was controlled by the Chinese and in such away to protect Yao from any real competition so Yao did not get embarrassed. Yao is a project. Period. What's worse is that Yao will probably not even be allowed to participate in any training camps or off-season programs with his new team. Just ask the Mavricks how hard it has been to get Wang Zhi Zhi in uniform for even part of the season. Please Rudy look the other way if this guy is still on the board when it is our turn to draft. If we just have to have someone that is 7'5" lets just give our pick to Dallas for 7'6" Shawn Bradley. At least he would make it to training camp. This is one year that I hope we stay with the safe pick. We don't need another superstar just a great player that can fit in. We need Mike Dunleavy.
I think we should pick Drew Gooden because he has the lateral quickness to guard the 3 and he can gain the muscle needed to be a four. Pair with Eddie give us potent forward combo. Look at New Jersey Martin (power)- Van Horn (stroking the3) Think about it . Both have skill for both position. They both run the floor well.
let somebody else take that risk. trade the picks for a 3 or 5 and some cheaper beer for the compaq center.
I don't think we will be picking anywhere in the top 10. I don't think we want any more young lpayers to add to our core. We're now looking for missing pieces to the playoffs.
First, Olowokandi isn't a bust. Second, all of the great players HAVE come through the draft, and most of them in the lottery. If you don't pick there, you more than likely won't get a great player, nor will you fill a hole on your team. Third, you could also say the same thing about Dunleavy, especially now that he's come into the draft. I like him too, but look around and you'll find a lot of comparisons to Bird & company there too. Who's to say he's not a part of the hype as well? To win big, you usually have to think big, pun intended. All of the top teams have at the very least a capable center, and most of them have one of the better centers in the league. While SF is a need for the Rockets, can you pass up Yao Ming, even if he's just the next Rik Smits? History shows good, if not very good, SFs can be had later in the lottery. With two picks this season, if the Rockets draft smartly, both C and SF can be filled with those holes. Especially if the Rockets hit it big. Of course, more than likely, the Rockets won't even have the chance to pick Ming - and maybe not Dunleavy - rendering all of this moot.
