Still noone has explained why Dallas didn't just pick Flores at 50. What did they get with this trade? Some money?
They now have a very deep roster after the Washington trade. My guess would be that they didnt want a player who had a legit shot at making a roster spot or getting a contract???
I hope that EVERYONE reads the title of this thread.... because we will see some version of it every three months for the next 2 years ! ... btw - has anyone heard from Malick Badiane ?!?!
well AEK had an off year this past season, but they, and the other two teams i listed, have routinely played well in the eurobasket competitions of the past decade. aek made it to the semis of the euroleague tournament in 2001 and made it to the finals in 98. they also won the saporta cup in 2000. it's sort of irrelevant though b/c the point i was trying to make is that there are 3 or 4 very good Greek teams that normally are around the top of european basketball, and that maroussi is unfortunately not one of the premier teams in the league. it wasn't until this past year with spanoulis that they were able to do something, which i would posit is a good sign for his talent and abilities.
my business partner is Greek....... please stay in Europe Vassili! I can only take his rants for so long! the greatest Greek basketball player was a PG named Nick Gallis (former Seton Hall). He's retired now, but he led Greece to a Euro Champ. by beating the Russians. Never heard the end of it! EVER! "this guy staying in the air for 5 seconds when jumping. Faster than Jordan better shooter... blah blah blah!" Saw him play..... had some skills but milk turned faster than Gallis. OPA!
Freaking Carroll Dawson and Les Alexander and their love for Euro scrubs. Last time we traded a pick with Dallas we ended up with Dan Langhi and they took Eduardo Najera. I just don't understand this mentality to let guys develop in Europe for a few years. Who in the hell has developed of the Euro's we've drafted??? At least Luis Flores could have competed for a spot on the team, and I think he proved himself on the big stage in the NCAA Tournament the past two years. For christsakes, its not like we have a depth problem on our roster
I'm not sure you solve your depth problems with second round picks. Mobley and a few others are exceptions but most of these guys are about as good as a walk-on.
maybe not with our team, but how do you think Peja made it to the NBA? he was drafted in '96 and didnt come over until '98. so there is some history of developing players in Europe working out, just not for the roxs unfortunately.
Detroit was supposedly very interested in Vassilis. That's probably a good sign given their foreign scouting. That's probably why Houston had to make a move for him. He'll stay overseas and develop. Maybe he'll never be anything, but he could end up being much better than the players drafted around that spot. Those are the kinds of guys you should take in the second round. Good pick for the Rockets.
Dude's name sounds like a Harry Potter spell. Maybe we could give him a wand and put him on the bench to cast spells against the opponents.
ESPN INSIDER GRADES--- When we still had Luis Flores--The Rockets Draft Grade was a C - When we switched to Vasillis - our grade went up to a B+ --- even though we may have to wait one year for him until his contract is up in Europe.
i wonder what grade we would have gotten if we have to wait two years for him... a B or B+? Or drafted Harry Potter, for that matter..
You also don't solve your depth problems by signing over the hill point guards. I just think that if Mike Wilks gets some playing time then you can stand to keep a guy like Flores. There as many "diamonds in the rough" as there are "sure things" in the lottery. I think that second rounders can most definetely contribute to a team. There's a chance you could always find that Bobby Jackson player. I just don't trust the Rockets when it comes to trading their picks. They took a shot at Eddie Griffin, and I was happy about that, but they've made mistakes more often than they've gotten it right. In this teams recent History the top three "finds" have been Mobley, Cassell, and Horry. However, guys like Badiane, Pryzbilla, Langhi, Drew, Turkcan, Rhodes, Zwikker, Meek could not have been the best guys available. I just remembered Pete "Chili Pete" Chilcutt. Where's "Chili Pete"?
Spanoulis might be a fine player and all but I would have rather seen the rockets take blake stepp from gonzaga with their pick. I know Stepp can play.
Not only was he a 2nd rounder, but a BOTTOM of the second rounder. Guys drafted that late don't have any chance usually to catch on but since he's a Euro, who knows these days. I would never expect anything from a 55 pick.
So, did the Mavericks just forget about Flores when they picked at 50? Why would they trade for a guy later instead of just picking him...did the Rockets throw some cash in with this deal? I don't get why the Mavs would do this. Spanoulis sounds better than Flores...while Spanoulis could develop into a nice backup PG or maybe even a starter, Flores sounded like a deep bench guy at best that would come in just to bring some energy.
