Chronicle: Rockets’ plans remain open to change.

“There’s a bunch of teams with multiple picks that can’t afford to have multiple picks who can’t afford that many young players on their roster, or financially don’t have the room to use the pick. There’s a lot of posturing. There’s a lot of teams that said early on ‘hey, we’re willing to sell our pick.’ They’re studying players now and liking guys and wanting to keep that pick. But anything can change on draft night.”

jonathan.feigen@chron.com


I think that this draft will actually be a lot of fun for the front office. The options are endless, the chances to get the better of someone are huge. The Rockets can sit back an wait for someone to panic and without a pick we aren't forced into any pick we don't really want.

 

I am probably mistaken, but while our interest in Roy and Fernandez has been well documented, I was never aware they had targeted Courtney Lee. If so, you can chalk that up as the latest evidence validating Morey's metric for predicting success. Though it could be hindsight revisionism, of course.

 

you know what, this draft, even though we dont even have a pick(not even a second rounder!), is one of the most exciting drafts that the rockets could have since 2007. I disagree that we can't move into the lottery.

Anyone, I mean anyone, can see that aaron brooks and/or landry is enough to get us a lottery draft.

 

My bet is if anything will happen in draft night, it will be the late Memphis pick. Chris Wallace is always your best friend in trade.

 

this is the list of VERY POSSIBLE draft pick purchases:



sac 23rd

okc 25th

chi 26th

memphis 28th?

I want us to buy all 4 hahah

 

As long as they can get someone productive, ( via the draft or trade ) the off season would be complete. The team knows their weaknesses and it is the time to work on it.

 

By most accounts, this is a weak draft. But the salary slots are the same as if it were a strong draft. They have been set during the time when the salaries were being inflated in a growing economy. The result is that there will probably be a bunch of overpaid busts from 2009. Anybody taken in the first round gets guaranteed money.

It will be interesting to see if if the owners come up with a way to duck this. Can they " not come to an agreement" with a draft pick? Is that an option?

 

No...the CBA is very firm about salaries due first round selections


or are you talking about just not signing a pick?

 

Don't think that's possible under the current CBA. Basically if you get drafted in the first round, you get guaranteed money. That's the reason why the Rockets think they have a chance to get a first round pick from a team that tries to cut cost.

 

Rockets’ plans remain open to change
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How about just abstaining from the pick ie. The Timberwolves come to the 28th pick, they already have 2 rookie picks they are obligated to pay big money to and they just don't see anybody at 28 that is likely to help, get reps or playing time so, they just don't pick?

Or if they make a pick, yeah, can they just not sign him? Could they arrange for a Euro team to sign the guy?

And if the Timberwolves don't want the pick who else would be willing to take on a guaranteed contract there? Maybe they trade the pick for $1.

The second round picks of course don't get any guaranteed money so they actually could be more valuable; for stashing players and getting a look at players for camp money.

 

But that would be giving something of some value away for nothing. Why would they do that when they could sell it?

 

No takers? I'm saying , everyone might want to duck the #28 with guaranteed money when a couple of picks down the contracts are not guaranteed.

But it is just a hypothetical question. Even in a bad draft, in a bad economy there is probably someone who would want the #28 pick for something; I just don't think it's worth much and I don't see anybody I'd want the Rockets to use cap space on

 

I think I remember hearing about going after Lee.

Something in the lines of trading for Washington 18th pick (Luther Head + our pick) to pick Lee.

Not positive.

 

It might teams are looking at other areas to cut costs. For example, instead of giving away talent or picks, they're firing advance scouts.

 

I see the Rockets buying a late first-round pick and that's about it. It's just my guess, but any blockbuster move involving Houston will probably come sometime after the draft.

With all this talk of the draft being point guard heavy, there may be a good chance that some solid non-PG players will slip through the cracks and be picked up late in the first round. I think that's what Morey will be looking out for.

 

lol. I don't think saying that this is the most exciting draft in 2 years is making much of a statement.