today's game is the nail in the coffin for me, so now i turn my attention towards the draft . so what's ya'lls predictions for draft day? i just hope we can somehow get kenyon martin and either eduardo najera or troy murphy, maybe we can trade drew for the bulls second lottery pick they got from the warriors . can a team have four lottery picks? kenyon martin eduardo najera troy murphy(hopefully comes out) terrance morris(opefully comes out) this is dream i guess, but hey, what else is can a rockets fan hope for.
If you want to have those 4 then you have to have probably 3 top 10 picks .. Just get Kenyon MARTIN and Im glad.
Eduardo Najera is about as athletic as Danny Ferry. God help us if we waste a lottery pick on him. Also, Troy Murphy needs to stay in school and spend the next 2 years in the weight room. Just my opinion.
Finally, a new never-before-discussed topic! I watched Najera try to play an up-tempo game against somebody (can't remember who it was) about a week ago. The guy was gasping for air like you wouldn't believe. You think Hakeem sucks wind, this kid was sucking on his nose he was gasping so hard. He was wobbling to the bench when they finally called a timeout. Definitely not the kind of player for the way this team seems to be headed. ------------------ <this space for rent>
HAHAHA!!!! That was a good one. Tell that to soonrockstro. I was saying a luc longley but a danny ferry comparsion is even better.
Hmmmm, I feel a slight bit of tension in the room, more OU-UT tension. But I think we are all beyond that now. I don't think Houston picks Najera. I think we WOULD in fact go for Mihm before Najera, simply because of his skills, size, and the fact that Hakeem is out like 8-track tapes. Neither of these guys really fits the mold of the athletic, running squad we are trying to put together. Keep in mind, Mihm is just a soph. and may not be there anyway. It would benefit him to stay put and play more D-1 ball. It is hard to say who the Rockets will draft or even where we will pick. If it stands to reason that our record will in fact hold at under .500, and the balls fall as the odds dictate, then we pick about 6-8th. What choices do we have? Well, as much as Francis3 and I would love to have Kenyon, I think he goes first regardless of what team is picking at the top slot. There just isn't anyone that holds the true value of this guy on paper in NCAA ball right now. I can only speculate, but I still like the Fizer kid out of Iowa State, I like Terrence Morris, and I like Aj Guyton, although we don't need guards. Eddie House is my dark horse to move up in the draft standings.
I really don't want a UT-OU battle but I'll just say one thing about Eduardo, he has been banged up for the last month with every injury in the book. He showed what he can do when healthy against UT when he put up 29 pts. and 14 or so reb. He still isn't all that healthy and put up 25 pts and 10 reb against Missouri. Once again, this isn't an OU-UT battle so don't make it one.
This won't turn into an OU-UT battle because Kagy wouldn't let it anyway. I am nuetral, so here goes: Najera is a good player, but Houston probably won't look at him simply due to our needs. We are going to look for athletic, thoroughbreds that can run. Speed and athleticism is going to be highly sought after by this franchise. True, we need size, but the half court game is being phased out in Houston (Can I get an Amen?), so Najera will likey end up in another city. No doubt he will be drafted and I would think he will make an impact. Mihm is just too young and will most asuredly stay in school. This also would increase his value also. I think he is the best center in college basketball right now in terms of true NBA center potential. He is definitely better that Chenowith and several others. He will be coveted come his draft day.
Hoop-T: I understand completely your points, but I'm just sayin Eduardo would not be running up and down the court gasping for air and looking completely tired if he wasn't banged up. I wasn't speculating if the Rocks would get him. On the other hand I too wish we could get K.M., but it's not gonna happen so why hold your breath. The players that I want right behind Martin are Fizer and Murphy. [This message has been edited by SooneRockStro (edited February 28, 2000).]
Draft day Predictions: Rockets trade their lottery pick (probably 8th pick) plus the Detroit pick (probably 15th) to Golden State for the rights on the 3rd pick overall. The Warriors need players in the worst way & they aren't going to get them via Free Agency. The Rockets aren't going to sign (2) 1st rounders anyway. The Rockets may have to include a player with those picks to sweeten the deal. Who will they pick?? We'll wait & see.
First of all let me say that Najera is not going to be in a rockets uniform next year or ever in the future. This guy would be decent in our old slow down system but he just will never be able to keep up with Francis or Mobley and Co. I would like to have Mihm so that we would be aq bit better in the half court, but I dont think he'll come out this year and we won't have a shot at him next year if things work out like they should. If I had to list some prospects for the Rockets to draft I would rank them in this order: 1 -Martin- great defensive player who can run with our horses, and start the break off the rebound or a block. 2 -Johnson- dont know if he is comikng out, but htis guy has more potential than anyone coming out of college this year. The comparisons to McGrady and Odom are not off. 3 -Porter- a poor mans Pippen, with an outside shot would be right there with Martin 4 -Swift- another good athlete, would be a terror with him and Cato on the frontline. 5 -Pryzbilla- big enough to move Cato to the 4 and have a killer frontcourt (maybe better than Swift/Cato) I think that if the Rockets draft one of the big guys 9Swift or Pryzbilla) than they will be going to address the problem at the three through a trade thereby using the 4.5 million exception maybe a sign and trade for Lewis, Maggette, McGrady, or Odom. Odom is not as likely, but he is pissed about how the Clips have handled Taylor and Anderson knowing that htey are leaving this offseason.
Rockets second round pick: Gabe Muoneke. He is the perfect choice for a team like ours. He can run the floor, post up, hit the boards, finish on the break, d up in the paint and on the floor, and he is the best finisher in the Big 12. I really like his game, what do you all think?
UT Baller..... I like Muoneke's game, and he is strong and athletic, but I am not sure if Rudy will want him. He seems to have a temper....and his perimeter shot is suspect at best. BUT, he does play with fire and is intense. He bangs and can run the floor and finishes well. Who knows where he will go in the draft.
Thanks for keeping it civil this time, guys. I think Najera would be an excellent addition to the Rockets. He's a hustler and he's scrappy, and people are constantly underrating him. If we could get him late in the first, I say go for it. In addition, Najera is huge in Mexico. Read the profiles of him in SI or ESPN the Magazine: the guy is the most popular basketball player south of the Rio Grande. We're trying to get an arena referendum passed, right? Wouldn't hurt to have a hero of the Hispanic community on the roster, now would it? If that sounds sleazy, it's only because it is. As for Mihm, I don't envy anyone who has to follow Hakeem Olajuwon's footsteps as the Rockets' center. That would be a lot of pressure on the guy-- although, as he's almost a lock to go in the Top 5, it stands to reason there'll be lots of pressure on him regardless. ------------------ Keep the Faith... Keep the Rockets.
Gabe Muoneke isn't good enough to significantly contribute in the NBA. league. He's a 6'7", 240 lbs power forward with moderate athleticism. He is a poor, poor, poor man's Kenny Thomas, minus the athleticism, footwork, outside J, rebounding ability, and very solid post up moves. We want to focus on players that will upgrade the talent level. What will he bring to the table that Kenny Thomas can't do a lot better. Nothing except commit harder fouls and rack up technicals.
Da Man, Gabe is a tweener. He has superier athelism to kenny, but is too weak to play in the paint. His footwork is pretty close to Kenny's. He is a better open court ballhandler and runs the court great. He is a back up player at best in the NBA because of size. If he could play SF...
I'm sorry. I'm going to have to disagree with you. Gabe Muoneke is not that athletic. He doesn't have nearly the same explosiveness that Thomas has. I've played with the guy a few times. Nothing really impresses me. He does have great hands for his size. Kenny Thomas has some of the better footwork in the NBA. No way is Gabe on his level. His low post moves are rather awkward and slow. When it comes to low post play, there lies the biggest disparity between the two. He is a better open court ball handler than Kenny Thomas, as you said. But that is not something most people look for at his position to begin with. Gabe is not going to be running any fastbreaks with any regularity in the NBA. Also, he's not a very good rebounder when comparing him to Thomas.
