Devin Harris will be a lotter pick. I'm sure anyone on this board would rather have him over Duhon, but since the rockets only have a 2nd round pick I think people are just looking at who will be available (i.e. Duhon).
I forgot -- even if Duhon does slip to the second round (he won't), I'd rather have the latest prince of Gonzaga -- Blake Stepp. Having watched him in only two games, I am nevertheless impressed with his abilities. Also, he is 6-4 over Duhon's 6-1.
defensively Lue's size hurts him badly.... his hustle is great and his assist to To ratio is great but not sure he works as a full-time starter playing 30 plus minutes would JVG like his size???? sane really don't mind your thinking except the decent PG is key and not sure Lue is decent enough
whoa... see i was worried about the same thing. Mobley's already a little small. a backcourt of him and Lue might get muscled by a bigger backcourt.
I've never seen Howard play but I've seen many Uconn games. Okafor and Yao would be the toughest interior Defense in the leauge. Tougher than the Wallace's in Detroit. Okafor needs more offensive moves and to develop a more consistent jumpshot, but he should definitely be a big rebounder and shot blocker. I think he'd be great for Houston. I also like his hard work ethic and the fact that he's a smart kid.
We do need to look oversea with our second round pick. This year's draft is very weak and the domestic talent pool would have already been drained by the time we pick.
John Stockton was not "athletic" (how can you play professional basketball for 20 years without being an athlete?), but he was smart and knew the game. The same is true for Kevin Johnson, Mark Jackson, etc. etc. etc. Point guards don't have to be "athletic" -- they just have to know where the ball should go and when and then execute that vision.
I love Emeka as much or more then t next guy. I went to middle school and high school with him and he really is all that you hear about him: great kid, polite, respectful, smart as can be (he's graduating in three years with 3.7something). I understand that most of this is speculation but even hearing you guys talk about the possibility of drafting him excites me beyond belief but that's mainly for personal reasons... The only real concern I have is I wonder what exactly he would provide for the Rockets that Kelvin Cato doesn't? I mean I think he would be a more athletic version of Cato with a better attitude and perhaps slight upgrades in rebounding and blocking, but emphasis on the word slight. Personally I don't think the draft is the way to go to improve this team. Emeka probably is the one kid (I say kid, he's my age) that could come in and have some sort of impact, but at the same time I'm much more intrigued (like alot of people) by the Ray Allen possibility. I'd like to try to find a real, traditional point guard, but I look around and i just don't see one... In lue of that, someone who could shoot the lights out of the ball would be my second choice. But this has been debated as nausem and I'm getting off thread topic so I'll just end this by saying lets think long and hard and exhaust all other options before going to the draft to fix whats wrong with us...
Only Point i disagree with is Kevin Johnson. That boy was athletic as hell. later on he slowed down due to injury but when he was in his prime he was nice. I hate to bring it up but remember that dunk over Hakeem? Someone who wasn't athletic could not have done that.
Despite his injuries, he was still a great PG -- and that proves my point. Heck, even Mark Jackson might have been considered "athletic" in his rookie year but even dragging a cane at age 90, he will still be a capable point.
Yes, I realize now that the Rockets have only a second round pick. I only mentioned Devin Harris under the premise that so many people bought up earlier in the thread that the Rockets trade up. I think Harris would easily be the best PG in the draft, but wouldnt be likely to go until late in the lottery due to the plethora of prep players and other big men projected to go so soon.
Athleticism is one element of success. John Stockton, provided he was just as smart, would have been even better with more athletic ability. Some players can overcome athletic limitations - but to say it's unimportant is foolish. When you go for someone who's not athletic, it's even more of a gamble, since you're margin of error is less.
Any chance the Rockets can get Hakim Warrick? I think he could turn out to be a very good defensive player at small foward and maybe some at pf, perhaps an Andrei Kirilenko type player.
We would have to trade up. He is a sure first rounder right now. Even if it's a late one. But he is mostly all defense does't bring much on the offensive side. he will have to develop a spot up jump shot cause in our offense they will lax off of him like they do cato cause they know he can't shoot. So as long as he has that game then trade up.
Easy now Codell, we know you like your young asian men with a little more meat on their bones but for Pete's sake, let the guy's game speak for itself!
Yes, having phenomenal leaping, running, etc. ability is always a plus, but. given a choice, I'd rather have smart than phreaky at PG. Let the phreaks have the SG, SF and PF and center positions. The PG is the floor strategist/tactician, so IMO intelligence is more important. But, in deference to your position, a PG must also have a talent for passing, shooting and a thorough understanding of his teammates abilities, but freakish athletism takes a back seat here.
