This is the draft grade from SI.com. SI.com NBA Draft Grade Houston Rockets Picks: Rudy Gay (8), traded to the Grizzlies for Shane Battier; Steve Novak (32); acquired Lior Eliyahu (44) in a trade with the Magic They wanted Brandon Roy but couldn't move up to get him. So they basically swapped the tremendous potential of Gay (along with Stromile Swift) for the proven commodity of Battier, himself a former No. 6 overall pick (in 2001). Battier's versatility, defense and three-point shooting will make him a good fit alongside Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. He will be a valuable contributor, and it doesn't hurt that Houston got rid of Swift and his big contract as well. But if Gay blossoms into a big-time star, this move won't look so good down the road. B
The grade ought to be "F'd up". But... I'll give them time to prove me wrong... maybe Shane Battier will take us to the promised land (haha) and Rudy Gay will be a stiff in 3-5 years.
Proven what? He's a 10ppg, 5 rbpg player. He has ability, no doubt, but it has never consistently shown up on the court. He'll give us some good D, which I like. And he can hit the three, which should space out the court a little more for the team. But neither return is worth a potential superstar, it just doesn't add up. The 8th pick in the draft for the 7th leading scorer on the Memphis Grizzlies... just doesn't add up. I'll be generous, and give the Rockets a Q.
There's a lot more to a player than the stats that show up in the box score. He's a proven player that'll fit the fit Rockets perfectly. And Gay is the 8th pick in a weak draft clas; a potential superstar is reaching. He could be a potential star of course, but all he has right now is potential. What doesn't add up is packaging Swift with it. You're giving up a lot there for a steady role player. But Gay for Battier was fine; the Rockets are trying to win now, not 5 years from now. I swear this is the NFL draft all over again; team didn't go with the popular choice and fans revolt. Well you know what, the Texans are putting a solid team together; they didn't really need Reggie Bush (or Vince). The Rockets, while their decision was mind boggling, seem to have a method behind the madness. And it really all comes down to championships; and I don't give a s*** how we get there or with whom. C+
This is what I dont get, we take a huge gamble on a guy like Griffin who is a lazy pure potential guy and we get burned. Yet Gay, who is similar in many aspects to Griffin (minus criminality, though), is a sure thing? I think we gave too much for Battier too, but independently, Im not convinced Gay is a good bet either.
Kudos to the Rockets management for recognizing Gay's immense potential as a drunken masturbator. He just doesn't care about anything... but drunken masterbating. He's Eddie Griffin people! He'll shoot everyone! I vote G as well. I'm still waiting to wake up from this horrible nightmare.
You can put me among the minority also... Lets see what happens with this trade. No f'n way a guy falls that hard without some catch. I hate the way people are bashing the organization for the tade. I AGREE THAT WE SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN MORE OUT OF IT, but for god's sake, WE DUMPED SWIFT! Be thankful for something! When next season starts and Battier fills up the stat sheets night in and night out, I will be looking for all the Rudy Gay fans out there. There is no guarantee that Gay is going to be great. There is no guarantee he is going to be good. There are lots of teams that passed on him that could have used him. Lets be happy we got rid of Swift and lets look forward to free agency. If you are willing to dump the organization for a dumb move, then DONT LET THE DOOR HIT YOU ON THE WAY OUT. Living in LA, I saw the reaction of fans to the Shaq trade. But two years later and a Miami championship, people are still looking forward to the next season. Lets be like them. We didn't trade the most dominant big man for Odom, Grant, and Butler. We trade a player with potential and a garbage, overrated dunker for a solid productive player.
I don't think most people who are upset about this trade are knocking Battier. He is what he is a guy who is going to give you the same kind of numbers night in and night out. He is a good defender which is definitely something the Rockets needed. The problem I have with this trade is that I believe Gay's downside is equal to the production Battier has been putting out since he has been in the league. Battier shoots a good percentage on 3s, but he only averages about 2 attempts per game. With the Rockets he will need to shoot more than 2 3s per game, I wonder if his percentage will hold up. Battier is a strong defender, but anyone who has watched UConn play this year knows that one of Gay's biggest strengths is his defense. A lot of people are comparing Gay to Eddie Griffin, but I think his situation compares more to Charlie Villaneuva (except more athletic and a better shooter) Before he came into the league, everyone was cracking on his desire and motor and he came in his rookie year and averaged 13pts, 6.4rebs, 1.1 asts in 29.1 mins. Compare that to Battier at 10.1pts, 5.3rebs, .5 asts in 35 mins.
Yeah that's why i am pissed. I love Shane Battier on the Rockets, I think he is the perfect role player but Rudy Gays downside might be like a Shane Battier and also giving up Swift is way too much but it may take a couple of years for him to develop and the Rockets want to win now so I am in the middle.
He's not a sure thing, but the gamble doesn't seem nearly as big as Griffin. -Gay has a great mid-range jumper and 3 point range -Gay is fundamentally sound -Gay comes from Uconn which has yet to have a lottery pick flop: Charlie Villanueva Emeka Okafor Ben Gordon Caron Butler Rip Hamilton Ray Allen Donyell Marshall
C-. The Rockets get the kind of player they need, get rid of some dead weight, and get a pretty good value pick in the 2nd round. But they give up major potential to do it. It's the kind of draft that definitely makes the team a lot better, but is still regretted in 3 years. It's like coming to bat in the seventh inning, down by two, runners on 2nd and 3rd, one out, and putting the squeeze on. You end up in better shape than when you started, but you had a chance to do a whole lot better.
There's a big chance that Gay will become a great player but we're talking about building a team here, not just collection of great players. Look what happened to the dream teams, LA Lakers ( Shaq, Kobe, Malone, GP ), and the Trail Blazers??? I think Shane is a good addition to the team, but we still need some slashers unless Tmac's back problem is 100 ok.
Let's see: Major media outlets, basketball insiders, and former coaches give us grades of Bs and some even As, but fans on a Rockets message board give us a F. Hmm, who to trust...
And Miami hadnt won in Dallas all season until they clinched the championship... so what? Moreso than that, just because a player comes from a specific school doesnt mean that they will produce similar results. And moreso, Calhoun was much more upbeat in praising the above-listed players while his descriptions of Gay were... lets say, not exactly complimentary. Im not saying Gay is a definite Bust, but Im saying the potential is probably a lot higher than most people are considering at this moment.
I meant laziness and not giving effort on the court, hence me explicitly stating "MINUS THE CRIMINALITY" in my post.
