Would the Houston Rockets take Courtney Alexander over Demarr Johnson?

I think DerMarr Johnson would be a better fit for the Rockets than Courtney Alexander. I am very leery on Alexander not b/c of his off the court history but because of his style of play. When he has it going, the guy is incredible and can put up points in a hurry. However, when he's off his game, he isnt exactly the type that can do many other things to help the ballclub, he's a scorer and shoots A LOT. What concerns me is his "jacker" mentality which does not always translate well into the NBA game. Some scorers are capable of keeping those tendencies under control and finding other ways to make an impact which Alexander may, but that still remains to be proven.

DerMarr Johnson on the other hand is a tall and versatile player as is pointed out. I absolutely love wing players that are 6-9 that can shoot, score, dribble, penetrate and can play multiple positions. Alexander does not strike me as the type that would swing to the 3 spot. Also, despite how some people knock Johnson's defensive abilities, I personally think he will develop into an above average defender. He wont be Latrell Sprwell or Eddie Jones, but wont be terrible either. I like the fact that he moves well laterally, has some athletic ability and has long arms. If I was picking, I would take DerMarr Johnson over Courtney Alexander any day however some NBA GMs probably will not see it that way.

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I see Alexander being another Chauncy Billups or Antonio Daniels; players that did well on mediocre college teams but haven't done much since. Besides, the last thing the Rockets need is another guy to fill up the backcourt.

Add me to the list of Johnson fans. I really like his game and think he would fit in well with the Rockets. Of course, I'm still in favor of trading up and taking a power player (Martin, Swift, Fizer), but if we stick with the 9th pick, Johnson is the man.

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Always take the better player regardless of position. If you need a certain position, trade down.

I may be the only pro Alexander player on this site.

reasons to draft him over Dermarr.

1) Better man to man defense
2) lethal scorer.

I see him as a Mario Elie type on the rockets. Can't hang with the big boys at the SF, but will kill the lil ones.

Alexader can be traded for a SF if needed.

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"You've got 6 fouls, use them well" -Derrick Coleman

 

I'd take Johnson over Alexander mainly because Johnson CAN play the SF and Alexander really cannot. I like Alexander too, but he may be gone anyway by #9.

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Rudy has said publicly on the radio that they will not select a player that plays the same position that Cuttino Mobley plays. They dont want Cuttino thinking another player is going to eat into his minutes on the court. The rockets need to make sure he re-signs.

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I think Dermar gets downgraded for several reasons, some legitimate, some not:

1. Cincy players like Florida players end up with less than stellar looking stats because of their coaches aggressive rotation schemes which don't spotlight specific players.

2. He's on the same team as Kenyon Martin. As the second best player on his team he is always standing in Martin's shadow. I bet if he had been able to return to Cincy, he'd have been regarded much more highly.

3. The one true fault I see in his game is that sometimes he seemed passive, though that can hardly be held against him. I mean, imagine being an unproven college freshman attempting to assert yourself on the Bearcats. I think that the only thing that says about Johnson is that it may take a while before he really shines in the NBA.

On the otherhand, while Alexander looks great at first, and he does have alot of genuine positive attributes, the thing that scares me about him is that he seems to be a guy who is going to get his shots, no matter what.
The same mentality which allows him to dominate the college ranks may relagate him, somewhat like Jerry Stackhouse, to several years of low FG%, inconsistancy, and conflict with coaches and other players. In other words, the same rose colored glasses that provide him the confidence to dominate, will blind him to the areas where he needs to adapt his game to be productive in the NBA.

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[This message has been edited by Ottomaton (edited May 25, 2000).]

 

Very well said Ottoman. That is the exact reason I am very leery about Courtney Alexander. I just do not like players that shoot a low pct from the floor and take a ton of shots. Those kinds of things can really rub teammates and coaches the wrong way. Also, those kinds of players are just bad for team chemistry.

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Coming off an spectacular freshman season, you would think that Demarr Johnson would be rated higher, exspecially do to the fact he can play three backcourt positions(sf,sg.pg).

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Alexander has an average FG% at 44 if I remember correctly. And this is with taking 20 shots a game. 33% from the 3pt line and 78 from FT. I haven't heard of his problems with fellow players and coaches. His FG% shouldn't go down if his shoots go down.

I actually think Kenyon will have a harder time adjusting to the NBA than Alexander if Alexander gets to play SG. He will have decent height for position. Good shot.

The thing I like about Alexander is his agressiveness. He scores. He rebounds with same fierceness. He gets assists. He plays man to man defense.

I hate Dermarr's passiveness. He doesn't rebound even though he a Cincy "6'9". What's his real height or did Huggins only lie about Martin? He is not ready. Darius is probably more ready. more turnovers than assists.


Jumpshooter,
thks for the info. I hadn't heard that, but I don't think Rudy thinks Alexander will be there.

Jeff,
I am from a different mold. Drafting the best talent. Who do you think is better regardless of situation? You are right in thinking Alexander shouldn't be there.

Ottoman,
I wasn't impressed with Dermarr when Kenyon was hurt. I think Kenyon may have made him look better. I only saw 10 minutes worth of game though, so he could have been dominate the other 30.

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"You've got 6 fouls, use them well" -Derrick Coleman