Shark, I agree with you wholeheartedly!!!! Some of these guys are so desperate for a superstar that they fail to see the forest for the trees. They just fail to realize that Dwight is injured and may never be the same. They also fail to realize he doesn't want to be here. These young guys have a ton of potential and are really fun to watch. I hope we keep them all.
I'm for trading for Howard but ONLY if he agrees to sign here long term. If there's no guarantee and it's a rental we shouldn't give up ANY of our rookies because of RISK factor. if Howard agrees to a sign and trade and is guaranteed to be here long term. I'd give up ALL of the rookies for that. I'm perfectly content with going the Rookie/Development route.
First of all, you can't just say that a player won't be a star just because they aren't a top 5 draft pick. Look at Kobe, he's isn't even in the top 10. Players can sometimes drop because scouts and teams makes mistakes or draft someone that they like over other players that are better than them. Some teams don't draft for the best talent but instead draft to fill the position needed. So you cannot judge a rookie based on where he's drafted, you will see his full potential usually around his 3-4th year. Plus just because Dwight Howard is a superstar, he isn't going to take this team anywhere in one season. The chances of him staying here anyway is highly unlikely. He doesn't want to be anywhere near Houston and Lin isn't going to make him stay. The Rockets are in a great position right now with great talented rookies, young players, lottery picks and cap room. Why do you want to give that up for a one year rental with Howard...
People focus to much on draft position. 12,16,18 doesn't mean anything. In any other draft ALL of our rookies would be top 10. This draft was deeper then usual due to the lockout. Lamb Top 5, Donuts Top 5, White & Jones Top 10!
I see your points, but I'd offer that these guys are still very young and while Lamb and White have some holes or rough spots in their games, its nothing that can't be fixed with hard work. For example, White didn't do too well in the first 2 games, got some coaching advice, adjusted his game and voila he's put on a show the last 2 games. He's got some work to do on his shooting, but his got some plus skill sets in other areas that are unique to his size,
I can live with this as Plan A (and I agree take it or leave it Orlando....I don't want the rest of their bad contracts). As a fall back Plan B, presuming we can't pull off a trade for a foundational centerpiece player, I do agree with the original post in this thread. Namely to keep all of our young talent and give them a chance to play/practice for a year and see who develops. Doing so would cause us to seriously tank it for a year but we then have a shot at some lottery magic (either with our or the Toronto pick) and can later pull off a trade with our cap space in largely tact. I also agree that it has been fun to watch the rookies in summer league, and I am really high on our draft this year.
Nice post CXbby, and good points. I also like that your points aren't just based on a small summer league sample, they are true to the scouting reports and college stats of the players you mentioned. I agree Lamb + White is the most likely combination of prospects to be sent out in a Howard or Bynum trade. Something like this: Howard Richardson Davis for Martin Lamb White Toronto pick Dallas pick
I, like many, just don't feel great about the prospect of getting /keeping Dwight. If he comes here, AND plays, the best we could hope for is a 1st round sweep in the playoffs. It'll take 4 years to get enough players around him to actually be a title contender. By that time Dwight will be on decline as he approaches 30. Maybe we get two more years of decent play and maybe contend...and then it all blows up again. I think many would enjoy the excitement that these rookies bring as they are really fun tow watch. I think Dwight has really rubbed everyone the wrong way with his dishonesty he displayed over his attempt to have the Stache fired. Do we relly need this mess in Houston? I'm not even sure his numbers would be as strong with him fighting the bigs in the Western Conference. I know DM wants to get a "Superstar" in Houston...I'm just not sure Dwight Howard or even Bynum are the right ones.
