I would love to have a talent like him on this team, too. He reminds me of Ben Gordon. They are both explosive scorers with great dribbling skills and at shooting. I just wish we didnt have so many undersized PG/SG combos although I think Foye will be a good playmaker in the league as well as a solid defender. I would definitely not be upset if we did take him because he is such a great scorer and not afraid of anything.
If Foye is at the skill level of Mccants he is worth a look for the Rockets.We need talented,tough minded and smart players. If he fits the bill he might be the right guy.
Let's compare A potential Yao, Williams and McGrady frontcourt compared with the very solid pistons 05-06 frontcourt. Yao's stats are based on this season, tmacs are based on a healthy 04-05 campaign, and i have given williams very modest stats of 13ppg, 9 rebs, and 2 blocks. Pistons: 36.5PPG 22.3 REBS 4.3 BLKS Rox: 61PPG 25.4 REBS 4.4 BLKS This front court would be nasty, adding a scoring/shooting two guard will mak us even more dangerous. I've wanted Williams from the start, if he is there we should grab him.
If they draft Williams, the Rockets better have a plan to get a good SG, and get rid of Swift or Howard. I just think its too much hassle, since the draft comes first, what if the planned trade to get rid of one of the power forwards doesn't work? Then we're screwed with a whole bunch of money on the PF spot. I don't think they'll want to think that far, they will most likely draft a SG.
I agree that we will have too many power forwards should we draft Williams. But we don't have a single one who combines size, rebounding and shot blocking like he does. Stro is the odd one out unfortunately, the rockets would have to deal him-and i'm still a fan of the childress/jr smith proposals.
Yeah he would be, but I just fear we would find no team that wants Stro and we'd be stuck with 3 big money PFs. It's just going to be too much hassle. Unless we move Stro to the C position to replace Mutombo permanently. PF: Shelden/ Howard C: Ming/ Swift But even in that case, we don't have any trading pieces to obtain a starter calibur shooting guard.
I keep saying that stro would do much better in a fast paced offense.He's athletic,big,has a huge vertical...I think some team would bite on it(just like we did).And NO would be a good fit for him,'cause they have an excellent PG and they need a bigman badly,they give us JR who isn't happy in NO at all and they will likely trade him this summer.I think its a good opportunity for us to grab him.Hes' young,athletic and can shoot.Then in free agency we grab Fred Jones,or Bonzi Wells but i don't think he will accept a MLE.And finally,we draft a pure shooter in the second round,but i'm scared that the Rockets will waste the #8 pick on JJ....Rockets management,Shelden is a BETTER pick!!!!
Just wanted to say that SG Morris Almond from Rice would be a perfect fit for the Rockets. Sadly he probably won't be drafted by anyone because he is fairly unknown, and he will only stay in if he has an assured 1st round pick. Hopefully we could get in in 2007 late in the draft. Rockets need to somehow get (trade for) some 2007 2nd picks. We currently have none.
consider the possibility of 8th spot Shelden Williams should be the best fit for Rockets(of course we'd pick Roy over him if he is still available) Shelden Williams could be the best dirty worker playing aside with Yao. He could be 10-10 player if given sufficient playing time.
not being well-informed on our choices, I looked around, and this seems like the most informative scouting of possible picks I've seen so far... fwiw. It doesn't dwell enough perhaps on some of the negatives, but there's a fair bit of analysis. http://www.draftexpress.com/mock.php?y=2006 OK, did a forum search, am seeing now that this is old news. a thousand pardons.
hahah - i'm not tooooooo sure about reddick, but yeah i see your points. before i go on, note that my 'roster' still allowed for 2 more players, which could be filled in with veterans. 1) Head can be a damn good 2 for sure, but i say we groom him to be our 1, b/c we're kinda stuck with Rafer [he's good, but not GREAT, hence the word 'stuck'] and Sura sure as hell will never come back, and the Rox don't have much confidence in JL3. V-Span, according to TaunTaun the Greek Poster, will likely stay for one more year for when Greece hosts the Euro Cup [or whatever it's called]. we will not draft a PG, and we're unlikely to find one better than Rafer in a trade. and Cassell will not come here for just the MLE. [sorry for the run-on sentences.] hence, i left Luther at the 1 with Rafer. 2) D-Wes is too short to defend, too old to play, and not at all able to consistently drain outside shots anymore. Bogans is decent height, decent age, decent defensively, but an average finisher and a sub-par shooter. obviously the 2 is our main spot of concern this offseason. we are either banking on Roy, Carney, Brewer, or a trade for someone else. barring a trade, we're left with rookies. i forgot what i was gonna say about Carney [i have a test soon]. [EDIT: here's the portion of the analysis of his weaknesses that kills him, IMO. "While Carney has a legit case to be considered the most athletic wing player in this draft, he really doesn’t take advantage of his athleticism as much as you would hope. The biggest issue here is the fact that he seems to lack the ball-handling skills and possibly the motivation to actually take his man off the dribble and create high percentage shots for himself. A player with his first step should take the ball to the basket strong to the hoop and either finish or get fouled a dozen times per game at the Conference USA level. Instead, Carney settles for too many mid-range or long range jump-shots, attempting twice as many 3-pointers as he did free throws (7 per game as opposed to 3.5 free throws), attempting more 3-pointers than 2-pointers, and only shooting 43% from the field. His shot-selection can be very shaky at times, as he generally appears to lack the type of feel for the game and understanding of situations you would hope for from a player with his physical tools. Making freshman mistakes were not out of the question for the senior Carney this year. His free throw shooting could also stand to improve at just 71%. You have to wonder what he is lacking in his game right now that prevents him from going all the way to the basket and just exploding off the ground for an athletic finish. Theories include strength, mental toughness, body control and physical toughness. These same all apply to his rebounding ability at the small forward position, where his natural physical tools should allow him to average more than just a paltry 4.3 rebounds per game. The other parts of the game that make up the boxscore, including his assists, steals and blocks are also not all that impressive, although much of this has to do with the fact that he doesn’t get as many minutes as most top 20 pick draft candidates. Even though he’s a senior, you still never quite know what you are going to get when Carney hits the floor each night. One game he’ll explode for 37 points and 10 rebounds as he did against Louisiana Tech, and in the Elite Eight he’ll shoot 2/12 from the field for 5 total points. If he misses his first couple of jump-shots, he’ll often just disappear from the game for the rest of the night, looking tentative and awkward out on the floor and not quite knowing how to get himself back on track." roy, though well-rounded and my #1 pick up until yesterday, has bad knees ALREADY. that leaves Brewer. check the March Madness section for the thread about him, as well as DraftExpress.com's analysis of him. i say he's our best bet. i will talk about denham brown and rashad anderson in part (3). taquan dean, IMO, is a great benchplayer to have; a 'sparkplug' if i've ever seen one. this guy is used to carrying a team, and even though he's kinda short for his tweener position, i say he's a younger, more talented version of David Wesley. in other words, if we feel the need to get a short SG w/ sub-par PG skills, i say we save money and pick up taquan as an undrafted rookie instead of paying Old D-Wesley whatever he's gonna get. 3) before i keep going, i know there are A LOT of rookies on my 'roster.' there's no way that we'll actually get even half this many, but all of the rookies i have are legit. the rookies i listed come from good programs, and to my knowledge none of them have behavioral problems; so they should get along with JVG just as well as luther did this year. i think brandon roy might be a little more mature than ronnie brewer, but the rest are alright. to back up t-mac, let's face it - we can't spend too much money b/c we don't have enough, nor can we really afford anyone. and the closest guys we could trade for are like eric williams of toronto or Gerald from Beantown. or, obviously, re-signing bogans. other than that, we're kinda low on options. and as i epitomized publicly last month, it's A LOT cheaper to rebuild using the draft than it is via trades. true, the trades will likely bring you more experienced players, but some might have maturity problems, injury problems, etc. with rookies, you're getting them fresh, unused, and VERY cheap. like RIDICULOUSLY cheap. there are no agents talking up their players, and there are no teams playing bidding wars. that being said, if we could get rashad anderson and denham brown for swingman spots in this draft, that would be our best case scenario. i'm not sure how much UConn ball you watched, but these players were H-U-S-T-L-E, big-time players. aside from marcus williams, these two were probably the MVPs of the team. gay has a lot of talent, but he has no passion. these two players would hit the killer 3s, would end up with the rebound amidst the fray, would get their hands on the loose ball, etc. they helped form a very mature supporting cast, and i have full faith that they will be consummate pros. these are the types of well-rounded players that can do everything decently that our team needs. yeah, they're kinda short (both 6'5'') for the SF spot, but they will make their presence felt and will make everyone else on the team better through their hustle. wow, that was a lot of typing. and bobby jones - frankly, he's RyBoCop with upside, athleticism, and crazy hops. from what i've read, he's like the swingman-defensive-stopper version of Kelvin Cato, except he has passion [he also is perfect for alley-oops]. i hate RyBoCop, and i hope we never have to see him running around on the court with his hands flailing. i [obviously JVG would never give up his lover] say we buy out RyBo, and ask for one of the Jazz's back-to-back 2nd rounders [46,47] for a future 2nd rounder, and pick up Bobby. 4) so who would you like better? maybe Judas Howard? i know i'm the biggest Rubber Chucky [Hayes] fan, but who else? if we can trade Juwan & Stro to Boston, that leaves only Hayes [and LaFrentz]. who would you rather draft? Shelden Williams? here's the part of his profile that troubles me: "He often relies too much on his strength to score around the paint, not having too much finesse to his game. Most of his points come off layups, dunks, free throws and short jump-hook shots around the basket. It’s unlikely that he will be able to maintain the same scoring production at the NBA level where everyone is bigger, more athletic and often just as strong as he is. The lack of legit size and skill in NCAA is a concern when you try to project him to the NBA, as he is truly a man amongst boys. At times will try to force his way to the hoop using his brute strength, either traveling in the process or being called for an offensive foul." millsap offers a great deal of the same qualities as Williams, but is a lesser rated prospect. he's more like an offensively-motivated Udonis Haslem. he can block shots when he's not going for pump fakes and is a big presence down low. perhaps the main reason i'm mentioning him is that, as a 6'8'' PF junior, this is the THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR he LED THE NCAA in REBOUNDS. that's a pretty big achievement. he's obviously not perfect, either, otherwise he wouldn't be around #23 on the mocks. here's what bothered me: "[he could only be able to play PF or C, and at 6'8'' he's wayyy too short for that... has no outside shot [much like Shelden]... On the other end of the floor, Millsap definitely is not an amazing man to man defender. His lateral quickness is just decent guarding big men on the perimeter, and he has a tendency to take possessions off as many players in his situation in college are forced to do because of the way their team relies on them on the other end of the floor. When he is playing with full intensity on this end he has a tendency to pick up cheap fouls, which is a clear recipe for disaster for Louisiana Tech if he has to sit out more than 5 minutes at a time. Like many good shot-blockers, Millsap has issues at times with trying to block every shot that comes his way and therefore being vulnerable to pump-fakes, head fakes and exposing his team on the glass once he bites... [and he sucks at free throws - shooting around 60%]. if we are to win a Top 3 pick, there's no way in hell we could trade it for a #7 [Brewer-range] & a #8 [Shelden-range]. so it helps that Brewer is ranked around #12 and Millsap is ranked around #23. we need shooters. we were successful when we had bench PF/SFs like Bullard and Padgett to open things up with their range, and i think we should return to that tradition. we will not likely be able to get a guard that can do everything well, including shooting - brandon roy is anyone's best bet for an all-around good guard, but even HE isn't a great shooter [or in great shape (knees)]. so we will have to use some of the other positions to address our talent needs. when i look at our roster and see players like Magic Lamp and Richie Frahm and Jon Barry, etc., sitting on our bench, i ask myself, why can't that be Steve Novak or Kevin Pittsnogle sitting... even if they never get off the pine [Barry,Bullard, & Padgett didn't get many minutes, due to their defense, except to spark the team if the offense was lagging - Novak/Pittsnogle could fit the same role], i'd prefer we have THEM then, say Magic Lamp for another year. wow - another long part. 5) i'm glad we agree on this. if we somehow get Raef and Gerald G, Raef could also replace Deke next year as Yao's back-up center. okay i'm done.
Wow. Those are VERY modest stats to expect from a rookie? Well, I think I'll disagree and offer a few comparisons. Last year, Troy Murphy averaged 14 ppg 10 rpg and .30 bpgs. Kenyon Martin averaged 12.9 ppg, 6.4 rpg and .93 bpg. Channing Frye was one of the very few rookie of the year candidates this season for averaging 12.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg and .72 bpg. Charlie Villanueva, the other star rookie power forward that got a few votes for rookie of the year, averaged 13 ppg, 6.4 rpg and .78 bpg. Marcus Camby just had what was probably the best season of his career; he averaged 12.8 ppg, 11.9 rpg and 3.2 bpg. Remember the case people were making this season that Chris Kaman has emerged as one of the top centers in the league? The numbers that lead to those arguments are the following: 11.9 ppg, 9.6 rpg and 1.38 bpg. PJ Brown has been a quality starting power forward for a very long time. Over the course of his entire career he has never averaged more than 11.4 ppg or 9.8 rpg. His career high in blocks for a season is 1.69 per game. And to wrap things up, remember when Amare Stoudamire edged out Yao to become rookie of the year? His numbers that year were 13.5 ppg, 8.8 rpg and 1.06 bpg. Yeah. A difference of +.5 ppg -.2 rpg and -.94 bpg from the very modest figures you project for Shelden Williams in our starting lineup. With the exception of Kenyon Martin, I think most Rockets fans would be thrilled if we could draft a player that could have a similiar impact as any of the players I've mentioned, but you expect Shelden friggin' Williams to basically match (and in many cases exceed) the production of these guys? Do you really consider the numbers Amare Stoudamire won the Rookie of the Year for to be VERY MODEST for Sheldem Williams? This guy must be a stud. Sign me up.
Wow, ease up there i didn't realise i had insulted you in there somewhere. Firstly, i think Williams is more than capable of 2 blocks per game given his length and the fact that he could block shots from the weak side. Rebounding is one of his strong suits and he has a knack for knowing where the ball will be and and hustling mentality. If J.Howard could average 7 rebounds for a season then i'm pretty sure the 6'9 245lbs with rebounding instincts could grab a couple more in his place. And as for the 13pts well, a quick pass into the post from T-Mac or Rafer would give him two, a couple of put backs from offensive rebounds is another 4, four free throws a game could give him another 4, and maybe a three point play from his ability to finish around the basket. 13pts. It's possible-man just chill out.
I'm not personally offended, (and I apologize if that was the appearance I gave) I just think it's an absolutely ridiculous expectation. Players like Amare Stoudamire don't grow on trees, and your expectations of Shelden Williams exceed the performances of well, every single player taken in last years draft, Chris Paul included. That seems more than a little far-fetched to me.
I still think they're reasonable for a player who has played four seasons of college, and who would play in place of Juwan Howard. I might have gone a bit far on the points production, but i think the blocks and rebounds are reasonable numbers. Just seemed like you were really pissed from the tone of the post, but i can see your point as well. What do you think he is capable of if he played for the Rockets?
Well, I probably wouldn't have commented had you said that 13,9 and 2 were your best case scenario numbers for Shelden Williams. I'd have considered it a stretch, but I would have left you your fantasy and perhaps even joined you in it! Certainly I'd love to see the Rockets draft a player that could make that kind of impact. In fact, being the Rockets obsessed nerd I am, there is very little I'd love more. I just don't think it's very possible. Assuming we draft Shelden Williams, I'd be THRILLED to see him equal the first year production of Channing Frye. I don't think he's gifted as offensively as Frye and I do agree he's a better rebounder. That being the case, we'll call matching the production of Channing Frye putting up numbers of 10.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg and 1.3 or so bpg. And to be clear, I think that's basically your best case scenario with a guy like Shelden Williams. I suppose I just don't expect us to find a rookie that will make a significant impact on our team. It didn't happen to many teams last year, and this year isn't supposed to be any better. I really think it's more likely that the draft will improve our depth than that it will provide us with a new starter. That may be pessimistic, but none of these guys make me salivate. Here's to hoping you're right and I'm wrong though.
If we draft Williams, we'd have the slowest starting PF/C combo in the NBA. There's a chance Williams could become a very good 4 in the NBA, but I don't think it's fair to say that would be a given or even close to it. The guy he's often compared to, Okafor, was worlds quicker on his feet and he still seems a bit slow for a 4.
