Say what you want about Butler's size and such, the guy is tough and competitive, qualities that are in short supply on the Rockets.
Look at the last few NBA champions and their small forwards: 2001 - LA - Fox -6'7" 2000 - LA - Fox -6'7" 1999 - SA - Elliott - 6'8" 1998 - Chi- Pippen - 6'8" 1997 - Chi- Pippen - 6'8" 1996 - Chi- Pippen - 6'8" 1995 - Hou- Elie - 6'5" 1994 - Hou- Horry- 6'10" 1993 - Chi- Pippen - 6'8" 1992 - Chi- Pippen - 6'8" 1991 - Chi- Pippen - 6'8" 1990 - Det- Aguirre - 6'6" 1989 - Det- Aguirre - 6'6" If Butler is really 6'7", then I'm not concerned. He's very strong and plays good defense. Looks like teams have had great success winning title for the last decade with guys of similar size.
I didn't say the Langhi choice was a great decision -- I just gave you the rationale for making it. Second, Butler was a great college player but mostly against SFs that were his size. He now has to compete in the N-B-A. Woods is a question mark awaiting an answer from our player evaluation. However, at this moment he seems to have more upside.
The chink in the armor of this argument is the dominant center factor (O'Neill, Robinson, Cartwright, Olajuwon and Lambier) to plug up the defensive holes. However, 10 years ago 6-8 was tall for a SF -- look at Alex English at 6-6. I'm not saying there were never any small SFs. I am saying that the trend is toward tall SFs.
Tall players that caught some minutes at the SF this season (KG, Dirk, R Wallace, Rashard etc) are currently watching the playoffs, so don't they also need a <b>dominant center</b> to plug up the defensive holes? Mango
I would pick woods because we can afford to bring him along slowly because Glen is gonna start. I think that woods won't be too effective until rice leaves or until he learns how to play d and shoot the 3 consistently. Butler would be the safe pick because i believe that he has the chance to win ROY next year and make the rockets much better, but that said i would still take woods over butler in the long run. Francis Mobley Woods Griffin Perkins (Kendrick) (next year we will find a way to trade taylor for him ) Sick future
I would take Butler over anybody but Jason Williams, Yao Ming, and Drew Gooden hes one of the best defenders in the draft yet has a good jumper and can penatrate he could help steve as another option.
I think when you get a chance to control your destiny in a draft ,and I think you do with a #5 in a draft this deep you've got to hunt for the potential super-star. They aren't always taken in the top 3 but usually at least in the top 10. Obviously,we on this board aren not privy to as much scouting and evaluation as the pro scouts but if I could advise them I would say "look beyond the physical stats and find me the player with the most heart, the most will, who only wants to be the best basketball player alive, and who will do whatever it takes to achieve that. I think that is the difference in a young Olajuwon, MJ, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Barkley , Moses Malone, Kobe Bryant and yuk! Karl Malone. Is that Butler or Wilcox , Woods or maybe Stoudemire?
Take neither. Look beyond the iron curtain, look into the future and pick from good Eastern European stock. Take note of names with lots of consonants, few vowels. Look at where Rudy T has been spending his energy and efforts. Take a hint and get a clue. No more hen houses and foul mouths. Time for roosters with claws, and chest thumping at birth our new dawn. Look Yoa below and hello Nachbar. Goodbye Mo, Glen, Walt, Kevin, Dan, and Collier - you big rascals you, giddie up and giddie out. Freddie, you ole' soothsayer, has spoken.
Butler easily. Apparently Woods hasn't heard of defense, so he'd fit right in with SF, Cat, Moochie, and Maurice. We could change our name to the Matadors. We have enough guys in love with being on Sportcenter highlights for their one good offensive play of the night. Bring in someone who wants to play D. I agree with Gene Peterson, Butler plays with fire. We already have a couple of guys who get fat in the offseason and don't dedicate themselves to the game - see Cato and Maurice. We don't need another one showboater. SF and Cat have had years to learn to play a little D. Show me the money, and how this Woods guy is going to be a faster study. Rice sucking up playing time r****ds the progress of our young forwards, and he couldn't hit the side of the barn the games I saw him play. Hopefully Rice will get the courtesy start and someone else will play for 40 minutes. It's only one game, but the Lakers almost stole that second game from the Kings purely on desire, they got alot of rebounds that the Kings didn't use fundamental bb skills to block the Lakers out of. A couple of times the Lakers got rebounds from their own missed free throws which indicates a plain lack of fire in the belly of some of those Kings. Come playoff time, unless you're playing a Don Nelson team, most all that easy scoring of the regular season goes away and you have to play D, in order to just keep up with the other team.
