Good point. It does not help in our search for a 5 that we dilute our focus by looking at 3's. It may just be that it is not the easiest thing to find but if all hands aggressively seek out that 5, we may hit on something. Remember we should not be looking to find a Shaq. If we can consider Cato at this point to be average and we want to improve on that then there are somethings we should definitely be looking for and should be able to find. Take the Collins brothers for instance. They are slow but pretty effective for rookies. Good hands, take up space, not offensively clumsy, smart, set great picks, play good defense and rebound the ball. Put simply, if it is a consideration between Marcus and Dunleavy, I am taking Marcus, unless I can package Dunleavy or one of our SF's with something to get somebody better than Marcus. The ultimate goal would still be to upgrade the 5 spot.
I am fundamentally in favor of drafting MD Jr. because he provides something the Rockets sorely need - BBall smarts. That said, his presence probably means the end of both Langhi and Walt, makes the Rocks a very young team and (barring injury) makes for some difficult decisions regarding EG & TMo: 5 - Cato / Collier 4 - Mo T / KT / EG 3 - Rice / EG / TMo / MD Jr (based upon seniority) 2 - Cat / Oscar / TMo 1 - Steve / Moochie IMHO, the Rockets will be very busy fielding offers on draft day and the Feb. trade deadline.
I'm not really too high on Marcus. He seems like a slower, less-athletic version of Jahidi White with a little more size. The only players I would draft to help with the center position is Ming or Wilcox. I think it would be possible for Ming to be a starter next season, but there's a lot of risks involved with drafting a player like him. He's the only player I see the Rockets getting, who could possibly dethrone Cato from the starting center position. Wilcox is obviously a little undersized for a center, but I think he makes up for it with his superior jumping ability. He has great hands and runs the floor extremely well. He would backup Cato his first season, but would still get 20 minutes a game. Wilcox would be much better than having to move Collier, Griffin, or Taylor to play center when Cato is on the bench. And since there's a possibility that Wilcox will still be around at about the sixth pick, he's my choice for the Rockets.
If we got MD2 it would just further our trend towards being the worst defensive team in the league. I don't think he will come out because the pros will be smart enough to realize his game right now is largely a byproduct of a system and great college players around him. Physically he is not close to being ready for the NBA, right now a late lottery pick if that. Dunleavy will go back to college, if he is smart he will try to put on another 15-20 lbs of muscle, do coordination, jumping and reaction drills all summer, and focus on carrying the Duke team next year. I am not optimistic he will ever be a quality NBA player on both ends of the floor--he would have to become a lot better overall player next year for me to change my mind. I will keep an open mind about it, but he has a long long way to go--especially defensively and physically.
As far as the center position goes, all we need to do is work all off season with Cato to develop his offensive game. He needs to work on his free throws, develop a nice little hook shot & a mid-range jumper. If he'll do that & keep taking those little motivation pills he's been taking this year, we'll have our center.
Yeah, I agree. But what about our backup center? I think Wilcox would be able to come off the bench, because Cato will probably only play half of the game. I think having a good, strong backup center is one of the areas the Rockets are severely lacking.
DC, as a backup center we probably would rely on MoT. So why not take a flier on Soudamire? His upside appears superior to Wilcox and he could end up being a seven footer.
That's the thing. My point was trying to get another uh...<i>hard</i> big man to go along with Cato. I mean when we move Mo to center, then Eddie or Kenny will probably be PF. That is one soft front court. I think having at least another big man who is athletic and can mix it up inside would fill a void. And Stoudamire, I don't know. Its a lot different proving yourself in high school than it is proving yourself in college. And eventhough Wilcox hasn't finished proving himself yet, he's managed to do more than hold his own against the nations top college players (Jefferies, Dunleavy, Gooden), which is something you can't say for Stoudamire. I think Wilcox is less of a risk.
Dunleavy? DUNLEAVY? He is another Christian Laetner....he is not that great of a player. He does not even DOMINATE at the collegite level. Pass. DaDakota
I think Dunleavy has potential, but I haven't seen enough to convince me he is worthy of even a top 10 pick. I'm passing with Dakota.
All the reasons pointed out for drafting Dunleavy could be made for Odom, except for one major distinction.... Odom's a proven NBA player. (And don't even try to come with the "...and Odom is smoked out..." crap, either. Weak comeback, has nothing to do with basketball.) Might as well try to pry Odom from the Clips if ya'll are suggesting drafting Dunleavy, Odom is an upgrade in all areas except 3pt shooting (and that's not necessarily a bad thing).
Considering the fact that Rudy's offense requires the SF to consistently nail open 3s, that is a BIG reason not to get Odom. It would be comparable to bringing in a PG who can't dribble the ball. In our offense at least... All of our SFs have been asked to float around the perimeter and shoot. How many SFs have we had that had the ball in their hands for more than just catching and shooting? Pippen is really the only guy who did anything else but shoot open 3s, and looked how well he fit in... Odom is a nice player, but he's a square peg in the round hole known as our offense.
How many teammates of Jason Williams can dominate? Dunleavy was basically asked to do stuff away from the ball, with Williams dominating the handling of the ball. Thus, creating doubts from critics that he can't "dominate" because he is asked to be a role player in Duke's offense. When Dunleavy has the ball in iso situations, he displayed great dribbling skills to go with a great stop and pop. This makes him pretty tough to defend on the perimeter. Of course, this didn't happen every single play because Jason Williams was busy launching 30 ft jumpers.
The 'Odom doesn't fit the system' excuse is weak, as well. Maybe the Rocks are starting to realize this, being that they reportedly inquired about Odom just before the trading deadline. Or maybe the system will finally see some significant changes in the offseason. We all gripe about how, for example, Rudy & Co always promise to run more, but to his credit if he doesn't have the players to control the boards (critical to any running team) or the players don't make the effort to get out and run, who's to blame. Well,....I guess Rudy is to blame since he put the roster together , but you get my point.
How is it weak? Basketball is the one sport where chemistry matters the most. Moreover, as a Rockets fan, you should know that.
Odom's strengths will not be utilized well in Houston. Let's say we do give Odom the ball, that takes away shots from Francis and to a lesser extent Mobley. I'd rather have Francis with the ball than Odom.
KidRock, Well do you think that Dunleavy would get the looks here in Houston? Francis is worse then Jason Williams at passing the ball. DaDakota
Its weak because it sounds as if the Rocks should pass on Odom for Dunleavy because Dunleavy has more range, eventhough Odom is better in virtually every aspect. That's weak. And as far as taking shots away from Steve, I couldn't disagree more. If anything, Odom's presence could lead to even more touches for Steve, like allowing Steve to work off the ball, and relieve him of the pressure of having to initiate the offense and look for his own shot at the same time. Same goes for Mobley. Remember, they have already inquired about Odom, so maybe they have the same ideas, or an even bigger idea of how to fit a player with Odom's skills into their system. Gotta go, see ya!
I would love for the Rockets to draft Mike Dunleavy and bring back the old uniforms while they're at it. He's 6'9", can dribble and shoot, and is smart. The best part is his name is MIKE DUNLEAVY! This team needs some connection to its past. Nobody in Houston identifies with this team. I guarantee you he will be a better defensive player than Walt Williams. I see this as a safe pick.
