I would not do that trade. Would take a lot of years to get the Rockets anywhere with a team like that. Actually, that would be kinda like the Clippers . . . Here's my thoughts that get us decent today and possibly to a great level much faster. Step 1. Take Ming Step 2. Spend #15 for decent SF KT, Walt, Collier + 2nd rounder or Mid. Exception = Trade bait for veteran with good abilities, whoever the best available is. Hopefully the team gets back Taylor, healthy Francis, Rice. Plus you have a more experienced Griffin. No matter what you think of Rice and MoT, you must admit they help the rotation greatly - think of how we had to do it last year. Also, a consideration would be that Ming will help fill the seats in many arenas, Rockets may have some fans cheering for them at a decent level all around the league and at home - which would help a lot IMHO. Just my 2 cents.
Kev-Walt is a FA. We'd have to sign and trade him... Not sure if he's going to command a large enough salary to where we'd have to sign and trade. I also don't think that we'd be able to trade our mid-level exception. Besides, there aren't many teams who won't have it anyway. With the #15 pick, I'm not sure what SF would be available. There's a 90% chance that Woods, Butler, and Dunleavy will be taken before 15.
Kidrock8, This is a SF rich draft, more SF's in this than I have seen in a long time. Also, we could move up from #15 with a trade or combination of means. My point on the trading part of my comments were that its reasonable to think we could come up with a combination that would allow us to move up from #15 or bring in a nice quality veteran player. IMHO we leave #1 alone and work with #15.
<i>I"ve seen Ming play. I actually have three game tapes sitting in my den that I've had for about a year and a half. Dont preach to me about his game. I know exactly what his game is and I've known his game long before the last four months. If you believe in him, there's no way you'd trade the pick, period, but if you're like me and you have some very real reservations about his NBA future, you have to consider the other options. I was just putting this out there to see how juiced you guys were about getting Ming and I'm pretty surprised that most of you are so 100% behind the guy.</i> Ming tried to play at the University of Houston 3 years ago, but was declared ineligible by the NCAA (another in the long line of Drexler recruits that were'nt eligible), so he's not a new name to Houston in the last year or so. It doesn't matter what you or I think. The NBA scouts, coaches and GMs know alot more than we do. I'll repeat what I said before, I haven't seen one NBA talent evaluator say that he will be a bust. Based on that, I'd have to say that NBA people do believe in him, so you hang on to the pick. Even if we had doubts about Yao, there are better deals than #6, #8 and #12. Those picks have potential, but you are trading a potential franchise center for 3 2nd tier draft prospects. A move like that could help you with team depth, but now we're speculating on the potential of 3 guys. You simply don't trade a potential franchise center (which are rare today), for 3 players with lesser potential. Depth is great, but for the last decade, the teams that have won the championship are teams with a great players or two, not teams with alot of good players. We need a center, if your going to pass on Ming then you have to take Borchart at #6 or risk losing him to the Knicks. Of course, if we take Borchart at #6, then we've probably lost Butler. It's just not enough to trade for a potential franchise center. What it comes down to is Ming has the potential to fill alot of our needs. It's not a sure thing, but chance to be great is the too good to pass up. Especially, when the other option would be something like Butler and Marcus and others.
I like the cut of Kev's jib. The number one pick is a commodity you don't see often. All this BS about Ming not signing, and trading him... Uhh, trade him where? If the red tape is high then only GS, Chi town, the Wiz and NY are in the running. Krause would be an idiot to trade for the pick, he wins with J Dub or Ming. NY has nothing Houston wants. And GS? They suck, and they're stupid. Next! The Wizards? MJ for Ming? Cuz that's the only player Houston would want... The leverage isn't that high unless the Chinese want to play hardball and sour things for everybody. And since management is pretty high on molding a 7-5 prospect, there's no surprise here that most guys here want to keep the pick. So let's focus on the 15 and think of ways to trade up shall we?
Usually a wink means I am only joking. But, if you had not already seen, Shaq made a statement that degraded Ming over jelousy. Then he managed to talk about being an "American working class hero". Sorry but this is pitiful of him, especially after stating he would control his ego. Proof that you should think before you speak, Shaq!
Chauncey, I think the reason your trade wouldn't work out is because we're not looking to get THAT young. If we take Ming, thats one 21 yr old. If we take #6, #8, #12, and #15, then that's 4. We're not waiting that long. Ming can develop before those 4 guys all develop. It's very likely 2 of them won't even work out for our team, and we'll have to let them go as busts, or trade them. We have high hopes. Right now, Ming is supposed to be a lock. Then we have #15, CHi obligation, Moochie, and KT to move up in the draft. Just 3 places will make a huge difference. We can also stay at #15, and pick Frank WIlliams, then trade Mooch and KT for a pick next year and a filler. It's a good trade, but we're not in a position to take 4 picks. It's not important that we won't be more than an 7h or 8th seed this coming year, it's important that we'll be a 1st or 2nd seed in the LEAGUE after 3 years. Imagine this team in 3 years: Ming Griffin Who cares >> T-Mo, or anything we pickup till then Mobley Francis
At the top it's deep... However, there's a very good chance that Dunleavy, Butler, Jeffries, and Woods are gone by #15. Who do we pick then?
<i>No one said Shawn Bradley would be a bust either</i> That's not true. Scouts were pretty evenly divided on Bradley. He was considered a huge risk. He did have a huge upside and that's why he went #2. Ming isn't considered a risk basketball wise, only his availability makes him risky.
