Assuming we are unable to package picks to get Ming Yao or make a great trade, IMO the Rockets will use our lotto pick to get the best small forward on the board. However, with the Toronto pick (somewhere between 14 and 22), which center would best fit the Rockets' needs: Chris Marcus, Curtis Borchardt, Jason Jennings, Chris Christoffersen or someone else like Amare Stoudemire (assuming he still has an inch or two to grow)? Or will the real Jason Collier come to the fore?
I think the jury is still out on Marcus. Apparantly he has had a real good past few games, but what kind of competition does he play? Is he a legitimate 7 footer? From the looks of him, he seems to have good size, but what about his mobility? All that being said, he seems to be one of the better big-man prospects this year.
I really think that we all need to remember something oeilpere has tried to reiterate for awhile now, and that's that the Rockets probably will not be using those picks in the draft this year. It doesn't make any sense for us to get two more young guys, even if they are at positions in which we need help, because we already have a bunch of young players that deserve PT. I think we should get T-Mo as much PT as possible this year and next, to really evaluate what we got for that first rounder we owe Atlanta. If we get more young talent at the 3, I think it would make us redundant at that position for years to come, unless we traded Morris away. I think he still deserves the chance to contribute before we think of replacing him. Also you have to consider our obligation to Memphis looming ahead. OP said that we'll probably use the picks to 1) satisfy Memphis' obligation, and 2) land a quality veteran. I think it would be the smart thing to do over the long term--I wouldn't want the Rockets to be hamstrung by having to give Memphis an unprotected pick down the road. I also wouldn't want our young guys to get frustrated by the competition they'd have to face just to log some PT.
If Toronto finishes poorly enough to give us a #14 or #15, are you saying we should give it to Memphis? I wouldn't be opposed to that unless it violates the trade clause that says a pick from another team has to be within two slots of the Rockets actual pick. The top 15 clause is a little confusing as well. Also, the Rocks absolutely have to do better next year. I wouldn't be opposed to the Rockets taking that risk either. Rudy and CD know best, but that begs the question of which of these guys will be the best fit. I hope we land this kid Stoudemire so we can prepare him as a center -- he's so young he's sure to grow an inch or two. But even at 6-10 he has enough height. He won't cause Cato to get paranoid, but he could well be an asset in the future while not requiring PT right away.
Borchardt won't be around for our Toronto pick, unless things go seriously wrong. Stoudamire will go lottery to someone, though I hope the Rockets don't touch him based on what I've heard. I've heard he's all physical right now, and has no range away from the bucket, and a raw post game, plus he's more of a PF size. Prempeh-why? Right now we have Rice Williams Langhi Morris on our roster. Williams and Langhi are both free agents. If you let both go, which is probablem, you have room for a 3rd SF. If there's no satisfactory SF on the board for the Rockets at their lotto pick and no trade options, I'd think they'd take a big man (likely Borchardt or Ely), and then take one of the many SFs that are available in the mid-late teens, like a Vincent Yarbrough. On a final note, Christofferson and Jennings will rise/fall based on the draft camp. I think with good camps/workouts, they have a chance to sneak up to around 20, or with bad camps, be taken in the 2nd half of the 2nd round.
