Why would we draft a SF? Wouldn't it be better to draft Marshall on the assumption one of the two PGs won't be back?
I would be disappointed if we took Zeller. It's the same thing we've been doing for the last 3 years: pick an NBA-ready player with a high floor and a low ceiling. Sure center is a position of need, but IMO we have a need at every position, especially if we move Lowry. Hate to break the news to management: we are not a Tyler Zeller away from contending! filling needs with servicable players is not gonna get the job done. We have no right to play it safe. We need bold moves and we need to aquire players who have star-potential, regardless of position. That's not Tyler Zeller. ...but I love the #16 pick. Taking Harkless would redeem this draft quite a lot. That's the kind of player we need to roll the dice on!
Rockets should probably trade out of the draft. I'm of the Monty Williams & Jim Buss thinking. What are we gonna do with all these role players?! The ultimate role-playing team.
If those were the players available at 16, I would take a gamble and draft Perry Jones III with the 16th pick and play him at SF. Its a gamble, but a lot of the problems that people are saying he has were the same things they were saying about D-Mo last year (didn't have a motor, was lackadaisical, and not aggressive). I would then look to move Morris w/t Kyle Lowry for a high pick or young promising player.
I don't like PJIII, but I do not think that Morey will let him slip past 16. If nothing else, if he is willing to do the work, he can be a Kirilenko type of defender.
Totally agree on both points. Zeller is a known product and won't be better than a backup in the the pros. Harkless is raw but could become really good. Maybe Perry Jones at 14 and Harkless at 16?
Barnes at 7 is a STEAL. If we pass up Jones III and Marshall for fkin Zeller, I will refuse to go to a Rockets game for the entire next season.
HONEST QUESTION: Have the people advocating drafting Perry Jones seen at least 10 of his college games? I am of the belief that no one who has seen him play more than a few times can advocate drafting him. It was shocking how much he would shrink when it mattered. Quincy Acy and Pierre Jackson were the ones who had to step up when he withered away. Hell, even Brady Heslip and Anthony Jones played bigger than Perry Jones. Plus, I don't like his jumper. He's got the jumper of a spot-up shooter, not a scorer. KnowwudImean?
Kid is raw, huge and athletic. That alone is reason to draft him. Potential is way higher than 1/2 the people this mock draft has going before him. I'll be honest, I haven't seen more than 10 games, but the ones I have seen, I like the talent. With some work and determination on his part, he could be a big success. He'll be a steal at 16, but I doubt he makes it that far. He could also be a huge flop too, but at 14 or 16, you really don't have much to lose.
Well you lose that 14th or 16th pick, I think that's a big deal, don't you? I'm not sure why people are always so enamored with potential picks with big flaws, it almost never works out, esp. if the dude has motor issues and hasn't improved his game from his freshman year. If you want a raw athletic freak, the correct pick is Royce White. That dude is an athletic beast, but has the intangibles to work on his game and succeed at the next level. My wet dream is the Rox convincing Portland or Toronto to part with their lotto pick for Lowry, then we draft Leonard, Ross and Royce WHite/Harkless/Jeff Taylor.
Check out the 16th picks over the last decade... http://nbadraft.net/nba_draft_history/index.html I'd be fine with taking a chance on Jones with the 16th pick. Everyone else is going to end up sucking anyways. He may end up being a flop, but so will 99% of all the other 16th picks. And yeah, of course I'd rather trade up in the draft...
Sort of,because he had the ability to post up and had some size. He was weak in ball handing,defense and his shooting wasn't that good either. He is a tweener,and that caused all the problems for him and the team. I still felt that he could become an off the ball 3,who could post up,provided if he lost weight. I was more concerned about his inability to defend the 3's,which I still feel is his biggest weakness.
Damn. The only people that actually made an impact since 2001 were Artest and Hedo. James Johnson from 2010 draft may amount to something as well. Sadly, 14 isn't that much better.
