We definitely need a solid backup with agility,speed and size for Yao. There are no Shaq rumors. Fran is just giving his opinion. I seriously doubt if Shaq will want to come to Houston anyway. Court sprints and lane agility doesn't necessarily translate to the NBA game,otherwise Art wouldn't be projected as a 2nd rounder. His skill level and size is pretty decent.
Terrico White, is a combo guard that can create of the dribble for himself and others, while also having the ability to slash to the rim and finish. As well as having great NBA 3 point range. -Currently projected as a early 2nd rounder- He would be a great up grade from Jermaine Taylor at the back-up SG ... IMO Position PG/SG | Age 20 yrs old | Height 6-5 | Wingspan 6-9 | 40 inch vertical <object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vYfZYt9aomg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vYfZYt9aomg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object> --RB
Jeff Foote from Cornell. Obviously he stock wouldnt be high since hes from an Ivy League school... but he went from one of the worst big men in div 3 basketball (according to Cornell's coach) to one of the legit big men playing for a sweet 16 team... went toe to toe vs cole aldrich and demarcus cousins... has legit size at 7'0 and is definitely one of the best passing big men in the country.. look at the highlight video and you know this kid can be a solid rotation player a few years down the road (none of the draft sites have him being drafted even in the 2nd round).. u can never teach height! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U3nas2uLyc
I liked what I saw in that video. I dont think those passes would work on the NBA level though but he looked like a good second round pick to me. Terrico White from the video above looked pretty bad. Definitely does not have the hands or handles to be an NBA point guard right now. His height and length are awesome, but lord did he look underwhelming in that video.
Craig Brackins, I think he would be an absolute steal in the 2nd round. He would be a great fit with the Rockets. He's 6-10, 230 with a max vertical of 35" at the combine. He might have been a lottery pick if he declared last year. He had a bad season on a bad Iowa St. team, his stock began to fall. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G0nafh0EvlY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G0nafh0EvlY&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
Darington Hobson. He has a very high Basketball IQ. He kinda reminds me of a Left-Handed Brandon Roy, but less athletic.
I am going to stick with Mikhail Torrance and Greivas Vasquez. These two have been tearing it up in workouts going neck and neck as two of the top in PER(player efficiency rating). Combo guards are the thing now in the league and these are two of the best. One of these guys will be a Rocket.
Elliot Williams, Craig Brackins, Terrico White, Jarvis Varnado, Greivis Vasquez, and Latavious Williams for me.
Whoever Morey picks. But seriously, I agree with you guys about Elliot Williams. He was an elite defender his freshman year at Duke and basically turned into a Gerald Henderson clone at Memphis. He works on his shot and he'll be a better player than Henderson (who btw was taken #12, you can say it was a bad pick but still that would make E-Will a major sleeper). Greivis Vasquez will be an interesting case. Most efficient PG by PER in the NCAA's, good height at 6'5, he certainly has a shot. My money is on him taking on a Jared Dudley role, but for sure he'll contribute to whichever team he gets on. This year is deep on PF's so I'd be inclined to say whichever PF falls out of the lottery by virtue of depth. Whether that's Cole Aldrich, Ed Davis, Patrick Patterson, or Ekpe Udoh, that'll be my sleeper pick also. Finally in the second round I'm looking at a hard-nosed big man that rebounds and plays good defense, someone that could develop into a Kendrick Perkins or type. No it's not Derrick Caracter or Brian Zoubek (and I KNOW how much some of ya'll love him!), it's Jerome Jordan of Tulsa. The only knock on him I can think of is that Tulsa disappointed this year when they were supposed to dominate the C-USA, and you can attribute some of that to Jordan's perceived lack of progress. But he's only started playing basketball since his junior year of high school and big men always take longer to develop. He's got the frame and all the tools though to be a solid backup if he ever gets good coaching. We're not lookign for the next superstar here, just a Kendrick Perkins who honestly if he had not been wrecked by Bynum's over-the-back foul would probably have joined Boston atop the podium after Game 7.
actually he hasnt made up his mind yet... and according to cornellbasketball.blogspot.com, even if he does sign with them now, his contract would automatically be terminated should he get drafted by the nba.. im a cornell graduate and have seen most of the games, and trust me this guy is foreal... also u guys should keep an eye for ryan wittman, son of wizards assistant coach (and former timberwolves head coach) randy wittman.. this guy is deadly from 3 (broker the league record for most 3s in a season.. hit like 110 this past season) and has decent size at 6'7. think of him as a kapono / korver type of guy... teams can always use a shooter...
Draft Sleepers: PG:Mikhail Torrance SG:Jordan Crawford SFa'Sean Butler PF:Latavious Williams C:Jerome Jordan
