Like the majority of posters, I hope we can claim Ming with either #1 or #2 or Woods with #3, 4 or 5 or Stoudemire with #6, 7 or 8. However, I hope that, if we can't use the Toronto pick to improve our first selection position, then we draft Dan Dickau with it. (Stoudemire, Butler, Marcus, et al, will be long gone by this pick.) According to Draftnet, for instance, Dickau is a "sweet shooting point with absolute breakneck quickness. Has another gear which he shifts into to blow by defenders. His combination of deadly accuracy from deep and quick first-step make him a nightmare to defend. Very skilled ballhandler, with great penetration ability. Pushes the ball up the court with great speed. An intense competitor with a great knowledge of the game. Has a scorer's mentality. Flashy yet fundamentally sound. Fearless. Incredible anticipation and creativity." My sources say the Jazz are waiting to pounce on him at #19 as the second coming of John Stockton. I'm told they even have the same build and features. Nothing would please me more than to get a skilled push-push point guard to back Steve up in case of continuing migraines while frustrating the Jazz at the same time (bonus points!).
thumbs - I think a 14/15 pick is a little high for Dickau unless he has some good workouts. It wouldn't upset me if the Rocks traded 14/15 for a higher # pick and a vet and the pick turned into Dickau. A proven vet and a guy with a some real BBall smarts - I like the sound of that. If we can't move down or don't evaluate Dickau that highly, another option is Roger Mason (assuming no solid big men are available at 14/15). Mason is 6'5" and could play either PG or SG.
Gater: First, I'm assuming we somehow fail to use our picks to get a first line SF or center. That is the preferable option. I see your point with Mason, but he is one of those tweeners -- is he a SG or is he a PG? -- who never achieve real success at either position. Even though Dickau is a stretch at #14 / #15, I'd rather have someone who knows what his position is and does it with all his heart, soul and physical skill than to have another rookie caught in limbo like Eddie Griffin (SF or PF?). Let's just hope we draw #1. Ming knows what he is and exactly what position he will play.
Having not seen Mason first hand, I can only comment from what I've read. And what I've read is that he is a SG with great ball handling ability. The Rockets are definitely a team which seeks to create mismatches and they have a history of drafting the type of players who can play multiple positions. This is not out of necessity, but by design. Cato, Moochie & Rice may be the only "pure" position players on the Rockets. And Moochies presence probably means the Rocks won't go after another "true" PG. Now if someone offers a deal for Mooch.....hmmmm...
I think we have with Tierre a very good 3rd option,who could step up when Stevie or Moochie is out!So we could use the #15 to package him with KT and Collier to sent them to the Clips for Odom and their #12 to pick up stoudemire!
Gater: All we really need is a true center to compete next year. Once Ming is gone -- hopefully to us -- Marcus will be the next center to go. If Memphis drafts #5 and Ming, Williams, Woods and Wagner are gone, I'll lay a quarter that Memphis picks Marcus in the biggest draft day surprise of all. If they don't, the Knicks will take him at #7. Borchardt will fall because he is 6-11, 230 lbs and has bad feet (same as Marcus but who is 7-1, 280 lbs.). Now, that explanation is to emphasize that center is our biggest need and all the rest of the cast is one cast away from being solidity. Drafting Dickau would make both Moochie and Thomas expendable for a decent draft pick to ease the way toward acquiring Rashard Lewis or at least Brendan Haywood from Washington.
My Rootin' Teuton Rocket friend, I agree. T-Brown will remain the third option. Acquiring Dickau just makes Moochie expendable to package (with Thomas) in a trade for a pick or player that will be amenable to Seattle when and if we grab Lewis. I don't think the Mooch wants to go back to Seattle and he would be in a position to exact revenge if he did.
How about drafting Dickau with the 15th pick and trading him to Washington for Haywood. They need a PG and we need a center, all while screwing the Jazz in the process. On another note, I was thinking what if we had kept our draft picks last year and drafted Richard Jefferson, B. Haywood / Randolph, and Tinsley. How much better would we have been?
Part I: I could go for this scenario, although I'd prefer to send Moochie and keep Dickau. Part II: I don't think we would have been any better, and we would have had to cut players like T. Brown. Richard Jefferson has had his moments, but he will settle into an average NBA career. The only player I wish we had picked up is Haywood, and we had our shot at him in after draft trades. I'm still happier that we have Eddie Griffin.
