i agree too. PG, imo, isnt the most pressing issue. You can find stop gap guys here and there if you're in a pinch but when you try to find PF guys on the fly its a little more difficult. I think the rockets have to look PF first. Dont reach, but if a guy is there that has the tools the rockets need then you get him. SG, would be my next get in the draft if a PF isnt there that you are high on.
Actually, Phoenix has traded a few draft picks lately for cash considerations. For instance, Phoenix traded the #20 pick last year to Boston for cash so that Boston could take Rajon Rondo without using their lottery pick. Heck, they also dumped the #7 pick in 2004 (although I forget what Phoenix got/will get in return for that pick). That pick turned out to be Luol Deng. #24 and #29 are VERY attainable, although somewhat less so than if Phoenix had gotten Atlanta's lotto pick (thank G-d they didn't).
I wouldnt mind trading up in the draft to get the right player, but I agree that we need SOMEONE from the draft that has atheletic potential at least. The best teams in the west have gotten there at least in part due to luck in the draft. Nowitzki was 9th. Amare Stoudamire was 7th. Ginobili was 57th, Parker was 28th. Josh Howard 29th, Andre Kirilenko 24th, Tayshaun Prince 23rd. The Rockets haven't had any comparable late round success since Cutino Mobley in 1998 with the 41st pick. Prior to that the only 2 impact rookies of recent history were Robert Horry at 11th and Sam Cassel at 24. It is no coincident that those picks led to 2 nba championships. I also seem to recall that quite a few of the anti-JVG crowd bashed him for trying to "win now". The fact is that with our salary cap restrictions, getting lucky in the draft is the only way we add a major piece without losing Yao or TMac.
oden is still too raw offensively. he's still way behind yao in terms of that. he'll prollie post 13-15 pts in his first yr off of his strength/size. but defensively, he could make 2nd team all-nba DEFENSE next yr already. dude was ridiculous in the championship game on D. beautiful to watch. but what i really like from this draft is NICK YOUNG from USC. u think houston can trade up to the mid to late teens to get this guy? he's a SG and he CAN create his own shot. and he can handle the ball. w/ him, we can move tmac to PG more. but since nick can also handle the ball, tmac still benefits.
Unfortunately our Draft history is pretty poor over all. See how many of these names impress you: 1990: 12th Alec Kessler 30th Carl Herrera 39th Steve Scheffler 1991: 20th John Turner 47th Keith Hughes 51st Zan Tabak 1992: 11th Robert Horry 41st Popeye Jones (traded for Eric Riley) 53rd Curtis Blair 1993: 24th Sam Cassel 46th Richard Petruska 50th Marcelo Nicola 1994: 53rd Albert Burditt 1995: 41st Erik Meek 1996 30th Othella Harrington 42nd Randy Livingston 51st Chris Robinson 1997 24 Rodrick Rhodes 29 Serge Zwikker 1998 (the year Rashard Lewis went 32nd) 14th Michael Dickerson 16th Bryce Drew 18th Mirsad Turckan 41st Cutino Mobley 1999 22nd Kenny Thomas 44th Tyrone Washington 50th Venson Hamilton 2000 9th Joel Przybilla (traded for #15 Jason Collier) 31st Dan Langhi (via trade of Eduardo Najera and a 2nd rounder) 2001 13th Richard Jefferson 18th Jason Collins 23rd Brandon Armstrong Rockets traded all 3 for the #7 pick Eddie Griffin 2002 1st Yao Ming 15th Bostjan Nachbar 37th Tito Maddox 2003 44th Malick Badiane 2004 50th Vassilis Spanoulis 2005 24th Luther Head 2006 8th Rudy Gay (traded with Stomile Swift for Shane Battier)
Hell yes! PetetheCheat is one of the only posters I can find that truly gets it. No more cap hell, even if it means waiting a couple of years to become contenders. Even (here I go again) if it means trading T-Mac.
that's a great strategy but we don't have time to see it through. the spurs and suns draft guys with the hope that they will get some bench help. adding another luther head type talent at a different possition would be nice but we need another scoring option. the 26th pick won't bring that guy in. at least not for next year.
lol did you consider at least to take a look at the draft spot numbers? its not like we had to pick up someone from the top 10 list every year
do you every actually think before you post? 1998 completely waste. have nothing to show. 3 mid round picks. 2000 #9...wasted. 2001 3 mid rounders completely wasted. that and trading arond 1st rounders year after year dont help...although its not like i think they would have made a good pick anyways. regardless, those are horrible drafts. why do you have such a hard time saying that players/drafts, etc suck...but you do it so easily for a coach?
True, but we could make a deal to draft the guy they want at our pick, then trade the players themselves, along with next year's #1. Isn't that the standard way teams get around that rule nowadays anyway? Or heck, maybe I am wrong, I dunno.. all I know is that I want Law on this team next year, whatever it takes.. maybe Head + next year's #1 to move up to around 14/15 or so... surely there are plenty of mid-level teams out there who need an undersized 2 with no defense and a streaky 3-point shot...
Didn't think of that. Anyone know the rule? I would agree with Head and next year's or this year's 1 for Acie.
tony parker 28th overall pick manu ginobli 51st overall pick leandro barbosa 28th overall pick (by spurs) all these players took a couple years to develop but are now paying serious dividends and playing at an allstar level. how drafting wisely hurts your team, when the return on a low draft pick will only get you a nominal talent for a much greater cost, is beyond me...
I would only consider trading a future 1st round pick if we could get something below 20 and a future 2nd pick somehow. Really since we won't get one of those picks, if we get a another pick it should be Seattle's 31st or 35th for JLIII or Head. (They have a number of picks, want to win now to potentially get a fan base with Durant and keep team in Seattle. Deep draft so decent players will be there (some predictions have ALmond, Gray, & Stuckey in the 2nd round). Also being a 2nd round pick, its cheaper contract than guaranteed 1st round pick.
I know one thing. I'd trade this year's first and next year's first to get either Brandan Wright or Acie Law. We all know that PG and PF are the two big weaknesses of this team and to me, Wright and Law are not only the best guys at those positions in this draft, but the best two to come out at those positions in awhile. Our window is most likely the next 3-4 years, if we can get an elite level talent at PG or PF to put with Yao, T-Mac, and Battier...I think we'll be set to make a big run.
i heard on ESPN yesterday that with Portland getting the first pick, they think Randolph is expendable and they probably will trade him..however he isn't that attractive because of his contract so they would probably have to throw in one of their younger players to get somebody to take him for that money!....come on Morey, LES or whoever is claling the shots, make it happen.... i don't kn ow about pairing 2 head cases (big boy bonzi and randolph) will do but would be a nice lineup!!
It's my udnerstanding that you could do the trade of this years pick and next years pick for someone's first rounder if you did it during the draft. You couldn't do it for a player, but you could package them for a pick that was higher than yours. If you did the trade for a player (even if said trading partner had just drafted him) then the rule would be violated, as you would not have execised the pick (the partner would have done so). And as stupid as it sounds, if you traded your first rounder this year for a player, as soon as the draft was over, you could trade next years first rounder for another player. You just can't trade 2 sucessive picks for one player.
Without a doubt we need a four that is athletic, strong, and can crash the boards. Someone who can defend a Boozer or Duncan or Dirk. If we stand pat then that guy won't be there at 26...we'd have to reach because we don't have a 2nd rd. We need to either move up or find a way to pick up a second rd. and moving up would be extremely hard to pull off.
