I caught very little of it, but he said some interesting things. He said that of the 100 people that have made themselves available for the draft, some of the foreign players he has to find out who they are. The camp for the summer league starts July 9th. Badiane is still playing in Europe, but will be here along with Spanoulis. He again compared Badiane's body to KG's. Spanoulis he said has "blossomed like crazy going from divison 2 to 1 in one season". He also said both could be ready to play in the NBA or neither may be, they'll evaluate them closely. But he also said that when these two are eady he has no doubt they will contribute. He said he talked to Yao a couple of days ago and he said he's very much enjoying the downtime. That this will be the first real offseason he's had. I'm pretty sure he said Yao's not going to be in China until September!!!! He said Yao will always want to play in the Olympics, but he thinks in the future he will be skipping inconsequential tournaments. That's all I heard. To my ears CD sounded tired but also upbeat.
Sorry gucci888, I think that's what they'd been discussing when I first got in the car. I'm hoping someone heard the whole thing.
I agree with Deuce ... thanks declan32001. Now that 610 is streaming, I wonder if there is a schedule for who will be on, or a way to know when they are going to be discussing Rockets.
I heard when CD was asked about the upcoming draft. The 610am guys were curious as to who the Rockets were targetting with their 24th pick. CD basically beat around the bush and said that they had been looking at the past picks at 24 and mentioned that some became all-stars as Cassell and Spreewell and some bacame busts. He said he was thankful to the people they have that are reviewing all of the possible draft options that may be available when their pick comes around. So, to answer your question gucci888, CD did not let on to any specifics (at least I did not hear any specifics). I do not even recall him name dropping any hints. Unless someone heard additional information, that is all I got out of the portion I heard.
The scouts will have input, and the entire management team will debate, but ultimately it will be CD's call.
I wouldn't think so, but CD just sounded as though that with the expectation to get a quality player from the 24th pick that they have many people collecting as much information on all prospects so that the best option can be made and that he was thankful to all those members who are apart of the researching process.
I'm almost 100% sure that Yao will be heading back for Basketball Without Borders - Beijing within the next two weeks, since he's the "host" of the event. But that doesn't mean he's playing or anything.
Good Lord..... Might as well bring in Rod Strickland for a workout while we're at it. Both have about the same chance of EVER running the point for any respectable team.
Hodge would play point like Sura plays point. And Sura at the point would be good enough if it wasn't for his back.
My friend gave me a recap earlier: - speed and athleticism is important now in the league. - At 24 we will try to get a rotational player. - Could there be a trade before draft night? "well we always look into making the team better, maybe add 1 or 2 more players..." - already talked to 40 FA's.
I hope we don't even think about using our pick for a point guard. Sura and James got the job done and the Greek Streak is only a year away at most from what we are hearing. Also... lots of FA points available. We need help on the wing and inside.
I know *how* he would run it if our situation was ever that bad & we had no other choice but to play him there. I don't know why some people think he's a playmaker. He's a good passer and ball handler for a SG's standards but this guy isn't going to be running any offenses in the near future. He's not better than Sura, he's not better than James. If we drafted him, it would to fill the "athletic swingman" role we're lacking---not to run the point.
How is he not better than Sura? They're pretty much clones of each other. Both have an adequate handle for their size, same height, stroke is pretty similar, both rebound pretty well. Sura's vision is below average for a PG, and from what I've seen, Hodge's vision is decent to very good at times. Hodge isn't so much a "playmaker" that will break down the defense off the dribble, but a guy that can find open teammates during the middle of a play when the ball gets swung around. I was particuarly impressed with his post-feeding ability. With his height, and length he's very good at feeding it down low. Which is something that Sura was sorely lacking. Hodge is quicker, longer, younger, and healthier than Sura. I wouldn't take him over Mccants, Villanueva, May, Graham, Diogu, or Warrick. But I'd take him over the likes of Garcia, Turiaf, Jack, Batche, Head, Lee or Gomes. Simien or Taft would be a tossup. Taft has all the physical abilities but I find his skills to be lacking, at Pitt he more or less got by on his physical abilities, which is something he can't do in the NBA. And I'm still scared about Simien's health.
from yaomania: The reason I said "pretty sure" was because I had a call and after I hung up it was the interviewer that said something like "it's good news that Yao will be here until September" and that's what prompted CD's remarks about this being the only off-season Yao's had. I hope someone can confirm though. That link was from April 12th, his surgery/rehab might have changed his itenerary.
Please god don't get anybody from Europe... We don't need another project who never plays a minute for us.
