outlaw By saying "should have drafted", are you basing that on what those players were doing in college, or what they are doing now? The popular pick in 1992 was Harold Minor, not Sprewell. Pretuska was a draft choice, Outlaw hadn't proved himself yet. The biggest example of drafting "hindsight" was everyone saying we could have had Drexler in 1983. Sure, we could have, but no one knew at the time that he would be a HOF. McCray was the logical choice at the time.
So if there was a true late round genious who only had late first round picks they would have a team of: Cassell (Van Exel or Mobes backing up) Sprewell (Shandon as back-up) Outlaw (Henderson backing up) Nesby (Othella backing up, Thomas as 3rd guy) Geiger (maybe Brad Miller backing up) Not a bad team, but no one has it. The Rockets have (or had) quite a few though, which is impressive.
Rudy drafts players who fit in and work in his system, not necessarily the best player(s). Just about every one of those players do well in Houston, many times being key players on the team. Sometimes these players become scrubs on other teams or aren't in the NBA anymore, but that doesn't really matter, because you are picking for you, not for someone else. for example: Robert Horry - very key member of the Rockets while he was here; good player in Houston, fairly mediocre since Cassell - no one will argue about his value to the Rocks or any other team Harrington - see Cassell Livingston - was a valuable player here when all the PGs went down in his rookie season. . . nothing amazing since, plays backup for Pho. Rhodes - had lots of potential and was a useful defender for the Rockets, a good passer and slasher; his demise is not Rudy's or the Rockets' fault, but his own laziness. Jacque Vaughn has been okay, but Rudy's pick wasn't that boneheaded. . . Rhodes has lots of talent and was useful to the Rockets Drew - Bryce Drew is a very good quality backup PG and this is arguably a good pick. . . very important player to the Rockets Turckan - no one knows how he would've been, so to say this is a bad pick is unfounded . . . if he ever gets to play, maybe he'd be a great player hindsight is 20-20, and so it's easy to criticize draft picks five years later after all the pieces have fallen, but we can't forget the good years and value that these players have had for this team, regardless of what has happened since.
I was really hoping we could have drafted Lee Nailon in the draft last year with the 44th pick. My cousin goes to TCU so I went to a few games and he had some skillz. Had great hands and a knack for the ball like Kenny does. Damn Hornets. Never even signed him. ------------------ I wanna be a member of Bill Worrell's Kenny Thomas fan club!
I just don't know why we never picked Drexler, Jordan, Barkley, Ewing, Magic, and Bird on the first try... I mean what's wrong with these people. Clearly anyone can see we shoulda got those guys.
I don't dislike Rudy. He *did* make me very angry at the beginning of the season with his insistance on the post-up offense with inadequate personell. However, I've liked what he's done lately (his substitution patterns are a bit odd, but I don't think they're VERY harmful). I think Rudy's a players coach, and does inspire people to play their best. I didn't mean people to think I was saying that the Rockets are a BAD drafting team. I've just heard alot of "CD and Rudy always find the best talent" lately. Sometimes they do... sometimes they don't. Let's be knowledgeable fans... not rabid idiots.
A question I posed a few days ago that got absolutely no response: How much did Bill Berry have to do with personnel moves (drafts, free agent signing, scouting, etc.)? Also, beyond the draft, look at what the Rockets have done with scouting the CBA, etc. Look at the number of players who got their first real look with the Rockets. I think the Rockets evaluate personnel better than most. The Rockets do more with less while other teams do less with more. Look at the teams that are entrenched in the lottery. LAC, GSW, DAL, etc. They always have high draft picks but always end up back int he lottery. Give the Rockets some credit.
Jscmedia...Im sure if he/she wanted to say the Rudy sucked, it would of been much much easier to just say that. Cmon Guys, are you really touting Kenny Thomas as a great selection after 3 solid games, and many more games in which he didn't even get into the game at all? R-Squared, was a horrible pick up. He was let go from a talentless Orlando team. And for a defensive stud, Larry Brown didn't seem to have room for him on his all D, on O team in Philly. Horry, minus one so-so season and one good playoff performance is an overpaid, overated player. Sammy, was a great pick up. Turkan was a waste. Hes been getting absoutely no time. Dickerson, was a so-so to pretty good pick. Mobley is a lifetime 40% shooter so far, and it isn't getting better. Hopefully he'll improve and make this a great pick up. Othella was a great pick Drew...A waste. gives the team nothing on O or D. E. Recasner...gets almost no time any where he goes. Chucky Brown...solid contributor. And lets be honest. The Rox stumbled upon the Francis lottery. Anyone think that if anyone knew Stackhouse would improve his game so much that it wouldn't be Detroit with Francis right now? Did I forget anyone?
I didn't remeber Elden as being a late pick. If he was it is another testament to West and the Lakers, who I argue might be the only club that has more mid-first and later pick success than the Rockets. I really was just thinking off the top of my head, I am sure I missed some other guys too. I really think Rudy is in the worse half of the coaches in the league in terms of being a game tactician and having a feel for the flow of game, but Rudy and Dawson have to be considered among the best in recognizing talent and getting good players to come here, which I admit is probably even more important than x's and o's.
In 1990, he was the #27 pick. That was the same year that the Rockets ended up with Herrera and Jamerson for Kessler. Felton Spencer went #6 that draft. Mango [This message has been edited by Mango (edited January 21, 2000).]
