Well, I read this earlier but dismissed it because it was the Sporting news, but pops thread in the NBA Forum also mentioned Drew Gooden. Therefore I guess he is someone that the Rockets are really looking at long and hard. If we are not going to draft Ming, I really wish we would go after Butler or Woods. I just don't understand what Gooden brings us. If we get him, then I guess it is safe to assume that both Mo and KT are gone. Is Gooden that good to step in and start & do a decent job at the 4 or 3? The reason why I ask is that the TSN article and pops both sorta implied that we needed someone who can contribute right away. Is Gooden really that good? I tell you...the more we get closer to the draft, the more excited and frustrated I get!
you know that sporting news article is like a month old right Manny? Gooden is a stud, but I doubt we would take him with the first pick. Maybe a trade down to get a lower pick + a sf and nab Gooden.
yea, I figured it was an old one, CK, but seeing pops' thread mentioning Gooden and that (the sporting news one) as well got me thinking about the question: How interested are the Rockets, really, in Gooden? I would rank my choices like this: 1) Ming 2) Butler 3) Woods 4) Tskitishvili 5) Wilcox I guess Gooden and Dunleavy are after those 5, but I would like to see us try to get those guys in that order, e.g. we bypass Ming and Butler, we then take Woods, etc.
I would take Gooden over all those guys except maybe Butler(and of course Ming, duh). Gooden will contribute pretty soon and be a star imo. Butler will contributer right away and might end up being a star. If Butler is only 6'6" or less, that would be a big deterrant. The rest might be good, but would take a while to develop. PS I think Dunleavy would contribute right away but will never amount to more than just a good role player.
if butler isn't 6'6"(and that's pushing it) i don't want any part of him. however at 6'7" he might be the best player in the draft except for potentially ming. after ming i like: 1.butler 2.dunleavy and that's it for top ten material atleast. i think gooden might be good but why do we need him? if we keep the 15 i want the stojacovic clone though.
As far as pure player, there are only maybe 1 or 2 guys I'd take over Gooden in this draft...He's fantastic, especially on the boards. It is sooo rare to find an athlete who can score, AND has that special feel for the boards, and he has it. Not crash the glass from behind kind of hops that McDyess has and Kemp had, I mean something a lot more hard to define, and a lot more consistent. He just has that special instinct about where to go when the ball is in the air, and the athletic ability to get there. It's very rare. As I said, as a player, he's right up there...as a Rocket? That's a little harder...He's a 4, no question. He is a bit of a combo F, and played with another versatile forward at Kansas, and might complement Griffin very well, but... Do we want to invest a top pick ( assuming trade) or THE top pick in a position we're already covered in for the forseeable future? I guess it's a matter of how you view Griffin, and how much value you put in Taylor, Thomas, et. al...To me, they're inconsequential to our future, as far as significant pieces go, and I wouldn't NOT pick Gooden because of them if I felt he was the top player available. However, I still vote for Ming, BIG TIME, assuming he's the player advertised.
First let me say i like gooden as a player. I think in 4-5 years he'll be a borderline all-star. I just don't see where we would play him. I've seen him a bunch and even have played against him, and i seriously doubt his ability to play the 3 in the nba. That leaves him as a four and we already have a logjam there. Not to mention i believe we already have a better version of him in eddie.
If we trade down Gooden would be my top choice. A quicker Jawon Howard who can play great man on man D and has longer range on his shot. He will start and perform well in the league for a long time IMO. Woods are Wilcox might have more ceiling but are far rawer and less of a sure thing, and I don't think Dunleavy stacks up at all with Drew in terms of talent. Butler might, but he also may be too short as a SF to spend a sub-4 pick on him. Besides, neither EG, KT or MoT are good enough power forwards at this point to specifically avoid drafting the best player available simply because you have some depth of relative mediocrity at the power forward. Besides, who is to say you couldn't put MoT, Gooden, and KT or EG on the floor at the same time as long as you weren't playing the Lakers. If course if Drew and EG pan out as well as expected KT or MoT would likely be traded, but that isn't so bad if it comes to it.
