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"And with the 44th pick, the Rox draft Luke Walton"

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by basso, Jun 25, 2003.

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  1. basso

    basso Member
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    http://espn.go.com/page2/s/simmons/030625.html
    ----
    The force of Luke
    By Bill Simmons
    Page 2 columnist


    Editor's Note: This column appears in the July 7 edition of ESPN The Magazine.

    After the NBA Finals went over worse than Carnie Wilson's Playboy spread, we all awoke with a grisly hangover, a little like how you feel after a child gets trapped in a well, or when another David Spade movie is released. A shell-shocked country was left searching for answers. And no question was bigger than, "What can I do to make sure this never happens again?"


    Luke Walton isn't a savior, but he makes everyone else better. Doesn't that count?
    Here's one suggestion: Root for Luke Walton to make it.

    You may know him as the last of a dying breed of passers, or as the kid who gets to live out Star Wars episodes with Bill Walton: Luke, I'm your father. But even though the guy makes everyone else better when he's on the floor, NBA brains have him as a longer shot than Nic Cage's chance of staying with Angelina Jolie.

    To scouts, he's one of those "tweeners." Walton's college résumé doesn't matter. Neither does the collective success of the roll call of "question marks" who put their stamp on the recent playoffs: Bowen, Wallace, Rose, Parker, Prince. The NBA wants players brimming with Hubie Brown's favorite word: UPPside.

    I just finished reading Michael Lewis' Moneyball, the book about Billy Beane and his unconventional methods. The A's GM is considered revolutionary because he targets only productive college players, avoiding high school arms and workout wonders at all cost. In short, he sneers at UPPside. It's just the kind of thinking that won't fly in the NBA, where unproven players like Nikoloz Tskitishvili consistently get tabbed over proven studs like Caron Butler.

    The Los Angeles Times called Walton a "marginal prospect except for his exceptional floor game." That's like calling Jim Carrey a "marginal actor except for his ability to be funny." When you see plays before anyone else, when your passing is contagious, when you rise to the occasion ... I mean, doesn't this stuff count?

    An example: In March's double-OT thriller against Gonzaga, Arizona fell behind by two in the waning seconds of the first OT. Instead of hanging behind the three-point line like everyone else, Walton set up on the high post, ramming his butt into the defender and calling for the ball. Then he muscled his guy backward, spun around, double-pumped and basically willed the ball into the basket. Best play of the Tournament. I'm not kidding. Arizona needed a hoop, Walton got it. It was right out of MJ's playbook. I'm getting the ball HERE, I'm pushing you down to THIS spot, I'm making my move HERE and I'm either scoring or you're fouling me. A moment like that doesn't show up at those contrived private workouts, the ones that morph 7'5" Russian projects into lottery picks after 30 minutes of posting up the Invisible Man.


    Guys with upside will continue to dominate the draft. Right, Darko?
    Trust me, this isn't one of those "white guy defending another white guy" columns. I'm not casting Walton as a savior -- that's LeBron. (And, by the way, neither of them could have saved that Nets-Spurs apocalypse.) I just like the way Walton plays. There's an instinctive flow to his game. I felt the same way when I caught the White Stripes in concert recently; Meg and Jack White have chemistry like no one else in music right now. They stare each other down as they pound away in rhythm, their overstuffed personal baggage on display for everyone to see. It's magical.

    On paper, a two-piece rock band shouldn't work … just like on paper, Walton shouldn't be a lottery pick. By the time the draft ends late Thursday, somebody will have "gambled" on Walton, but probably no sooner than early in the second round. Because the way it stands now, NBA scouts value what you might do, not what you did. For every Shawn Marion who realizes his considerable UPPside, five Kedrick Browns are breaking hearts. And the Luke Waltons continue to slip through the cracks.

    If there's a Basketball God, Walton will be setting up Yao in Houston next season, or zipping no-looks to the boys in Sacramento. He won't be a superstar, but on the right team he'll be fun to watch. More important, a handful of teams will be kicking themselves for overlooking him.

    Then, maybe they'll approach the draft a little differently next summer
     
    #1 basso, Jun 25, 2003
  2. land_sharks

    land_sharks Member

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    ho-hum...i guess if we HAVE to pick someone at 44, he's as good as any. He or Perkins (who'll be gone by then) will be fine by me. A little summer league action for John-Boy...err...Luke...and IR next season.

    This pick has a snow ball's chance of cracking the roster, much less JVG's tight rotation. So it doesn't really matter who we pick...ho-hum.
     
    #2 land_sharks, Jun 25, 2003
  3. brentdapmp

    brentdapmp Member

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    I don't think he will last that long.
     
    #3 brentdapmp, Jun 25, 2003
  4. HoRockets

    HoRockets Member

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    Will he play behind Yao and Cato or will he be in wait behind Griffin and Taylor? Ahh, forget about it.
     
    #4 HoRockets, Jun 25, 2003
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2003
  5. LAfadeaway33

    LAfadeaway33 Member

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    I know everyone's foregetting about him in their mock drafts and nbadraft.net has him deep in the second round, I think there's little doubt he'll get drafted before our pick.
     
    #5 LAfadeaway33, Jun 25, 2003
  6. matrixReloaded

    matrixReloaded Member

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    If he was still available at #44, why not draft him. Granted that he's a SF on a team loaded with SFs, he's a very good floor leader. He's able to create shots for the team, but not for himself, hustles and does the little things that contributes to winning. Overall not great talent, but i'm pretty sure he picked up a thing or two at Arizona and being the son of Mr. "throw it down big man", something's gotta rub off on him. I definitely think that with his "knowledge" of the game, he can show our group of players how the game should be played.
     
    #6 matrixReloaded, Jun 25, 2003
  7. coonhunter

    coonhunter Member

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    that would prolly make bill walton happy
     
    #7 coonhunter, Jun 25, 2003
  8. basso

    basso Member
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    he's a shane battier type- perfect for us at the three...
     
    #8 basso, Jun 25, 2003
  9. steddinotayto

    steddinotayto Member

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    If he's avail, I hope we get him. He seems to know the game pretty well. And having a banger kind of SF doesn't hurt either.
     
    #9 steddinotayto, Jun 25, 2003
  10. rainmaker

    rainmaker Member

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    draft him only if we get Bill Walton to replace Calvin as the analyst during TV broadcasts. I could listen to him say "Yao, throw it down" all day.

    :)

    j/k. I like Calvin. Luke Walton is the "best passer in the draft" according to some "experts"... I never have high expectations for 2nd round picks... but I'd be happy if he was still available for the Rockets to take.
     
    #10 rainmaker, Jun 25, 2003
  11. Toast

    Toast Member

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    If he were available at 44, I think the Rockets would at LEAST consider him. I don't think on a team with SF, Yao, et al, he'd be any sort of "floor leader" but I think he'd be a pretty good role player ... at an affordable price. Giddy up.
     
    #11 Toast, Jun 25, 2003
  12. jev5555

    jev5555 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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    How about bringing in the SUPER TWIN TOWERS. imagine 7'5" Yao Ming and 7'6" Slavko Vranes. WOW!
     
    #12 jev5555, Jun 25, 2003
  13. garthomps

    garthomps Member

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    Ya 2 Shawn Bradley's would win the title, GO FOR IT!

    Obviously jev(whatever) knows more than the Rockets mgmt
     
    #13 garthomps, Jun 25, 2003
  14. Doctor Robert

    Doctor Robert Member

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    I think Luke would be an amazing pick if he were still available when our turn comes.
     
    #14 Doctor Robert, Jun 25, 2003
  15. garthomps

    garthomps Member

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    Anyone out of U of A that played under Lute Olson would be a good pick.

    Let's think of the the most recent NBA players:

    Sean Elliot
    Damon Stadomire (sp.)
    Mike Bibby
    Jason Terry
    Richard Jefferson
    Gilbert Arenas
    etc.
     
    #15 garthomps, Jun 25, 2003
  16. SmeggySmeg

    SmeggySmeg Member

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    he would give us some Basketball IQ
     
    #16 SmeggySmeg, Jun 25, 2003
  17. Wolfhound

    Wolfhound Member

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    Another player from U of A that the Rocks should think about is Jason Gardner.
     
    #17 Wolfhound, Jun 25, 2003
  18. ron413

    ron413 Member

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    http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Van_Gundy_Rockets_Looking_For-78892-34.html

    ...Reserve forward Bostjan Nachbar, who was selected with the 15th pick overall in last year's draft, may also play an important role this season for the Rockets. It has been said by numerous Rockets coaches and scouts that Nachbar was actually drafted to serve as a first round pick for this year. The 6-9 Slovenia native was brought along slowly and used his rookie season as a learning experience on how to transfer his European-style game into the NBA.

    Van Gundy does not have much game film to evaluate Nachbar due to his lack of playing time last season, but the Rockets new coach will be watching closely this summer when Nachbar participates on the Rockets' summer league squad.

    "Any young player that plays for a team that wants to win now as we do, has to be able to find a way to help a team win," said Van Gundy. "It's not about just giving anybody minutes, but having people earn minutes. Obviously he didn't play much last year, but I'll have a chance to watch him this summer and go from there."

    Unlike Nachbar, whomever the Rockets choose in the second round Thursday night will not have a guaranteed contract. And if the Rockets draftee doesn't come out and compete hard in training camp in order to make the team's final roster, there is a slight chance that the Rockets may enter the 2003-04 season without a single rookie on the team.
     
    #18 ron413, Jun 25, 2003
  19. Shot caller

    Shot caller Member

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    I would take him if available.

    At the very least he would be something of a draw. The media would follow him a bit.
     
    #19 Shot caller, Jun 25, 2003
  20. bigboymumu

    bigboymumu Member

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    We will take Dupree with the 44th pick!
     
    #20 bigboymumu, Jun 25, 2003
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