[chron] Possible lottery picks

According to Blinebury.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/3781561.html

Rockets will need 'lotto' luck with underwhelming draft


By FRAN BLINEBURY
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle

Maybe all the Rockets had to do to climb back into the playoff picture was sweep their six-game western trip.

Then again, maybe all Tom Cruise had to do to win the Nobel Prize in physics was to stop jumping up and down on that sofa while shouting his love for Katie Holmes.

Katie Holmes' name.

That didn't work out, either.

So now here they are, a bunch of one-time superstars looking ahead to another sequel of Mission: Impossible. In NBA terms, that's trying to rebuild through the draft lottery. The bad news is that the Rockets are back in it. The truly bad news is that there is no Yao Ming out there to be won.

Or anyone even close.

In the first year of the NBA's new age rule, high school super prospects such as Greg Oden (Ohio State), Kevin Durant (Texas), Spencer Hawes (Washington) and Brandan Wright (North Carolina) will be heading off to college for maybe one season instead of giving the Rockets their roughly 1.1 percent chance of striking it big.

The crop of talent left — even if supplemented by underclassmen who haven't yet made a decision — is full of far more questions than answers.

Here are a few of them, as they might sit at the moment:

• Tyrus Thomas, LSU, 6-9, 220, power forward, freshman — Talk about your strong closer. He was redshirted by the Tigers last year and was nothing but a bundle of potential when the season started. Now everybody likes his length, aggressiveness to the basket and willingness to make the big plays. The Rockets are overloaded already at his position but would have to take a look.

• LaMarcus Aldridge, Texas, 6-11, 245, power forward, sophomore — He entered the season as the top big-man prospect in the country. Smooth, with good hands, he's an excellent offensive player. The knock is what you saw in the loss to LSU. He will definitely have to be motivated to play all 82 games in the NBA.

• Adam Morrison, Gonzaga, 6-8, 220, shooting forward, junior — Every time you hear another player described as the "next Larry Bird," you wonder when evaluations will ever go more than skin deep. That said, Morrison has all of the offensive tools and is a hard-nosed competitor. The Rockets could definitely use this guy's fire.

• Joakim Noah, Florida, 6-11, 227, power forward, sophomore — The son of former tennis player Yannick Noah said Friday that he's staying in school, but he still could change his mind. He became the teeth of the Gators' run to the NCAA title because he has the energy and the long arms to cover more of the court than his dad, even without a racket in his hand. He doesn't have the outside shot the Rockets would like at that position, but he brings the attitude and hustle.

• Andrea Bargnani, Benetton Treviso Italy, 6-11, 240, power forward — After a string of Euro-duds (can anybody say Darko Milicic?), there might be plenty of coaches and general managers reluctant to pull the trigger and take a prospect from across the pond. But could the Rockets afford to pass up the second coming of Dirk Nowitzki?

• Rudy Gay, Connecticut, 6-8, 220, shooting forward, sophomore — This might be like trying to draw to an inside straight at this point. His upside is offset by a tendency to fade into the woodwork and let the game go by. Nobody yet knows if he's ever going to tap into his full ability. Does he have the right attitude to be more than Stromile II?

• Brandon Roy, Washington, 6-5, 195, shooting guard, senior — While Duke's J.J. Redick and Gonzaga's Morrison got all of the college player of the year hype, Roy might have been the most complete talent by the end of the season. A natural lefty who can attack with either hand, he has the maturity that comes from playing four college seasons. He would bring some size to a height-challenged backcourt of Rafer Alston and Luther Head.

• Josh McRoberts, Duke, 6-10, 240, power forward, freshman — He would have been drafted a year ago if he weren't content to come off the bench for Mike Krzyzewski. He's a lefty with good low-post moves and has shooting range out to the 3-point line. A hard-nosed player, he isn't afraid to mix it up. The Rockets could use a rangy shooter who could help their offensive spacing.

• J.J. Redick, Duke, 6-4, 190, shooting guard, senior — The poster boy for all that is good if you're from Duke and all that's spoiled and overrated if you're not. Confident, even brash, he'll take any shot in any situation. He has a silky smooth release as a pure shooter. The folks who love him say he could be a complementary player like Jeff Hornacek. He's probably more like Steve Kerr, who can knock down open jumpers all day. Just what the Rockets ordered.

• Patrick O'Bryant, Bradley, 7-0, 250, center, sophomore — Barely recruited out of high school, he's coming on strong. He works hard to establish position, owns good moves in the low post and has the wingspan of a 7-6 man. Don't the Rockets have a 7-6 center?

• Randy Foye, Villanova, 6-3, 205, point guard, senior — Coming off the regular season and run through the NCAA Tournament, he's that hot stock tip you hear about around the water cooler that says "buy, buy, buy." The problem is that he's actually closer to 6-2, which makes him a 'tweener, and the Rockets have that already in Head.

• Rodney Carney, Memphis, 6-7, 205, shooting forward, senior — The pendulum swings both ways to the extreme on this guy. Some will tell you he was the best athlete in the college game this season. Others will tell you he doesn't have a clue.

• Rajon Rondo, Kentucky, 6-1, 171, point guard, sophomore — He started the year as one of the favorites of the scouts. A fancy ball handler who became a symbol of the up-and-down Wildcats, he was voted most overrated by his SEC peers. The Rockets would rather have the ball in Alston's hands.

• Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas, 6-7, 217, shooting guard, junior — Sometimes the apple does fall far from the tree. Father Ron was one of the great shooters in Razorbacks history, but his son has trouble knocking down the spot-up jumper. He's got good quarterbacking skills and sets up with solid passing. Sounds like the kind of player the Rockets have been missing.