Team intact and add a future allstar such as Turner/Cousins/Favors/Johnson. However I doubt the 14th+Future first would get it done. Then again, look what Washington got for their picks..
I struggle with that because I think Bosh is the ideal player next to Yao, but the oppertunity to add Cousins or Turner with out giving up Scola and Battier is really intriguing. Either Turner or Cousins could be the best player on the team in a couple of years even with Yao on the team. I keep flip flopping but I would lean towards taking Cousins and then we would be set at center for the next decade even when Yao retires.
I think it is almost impossible to predict not knowing the draft order because IMO, if they keep the pick lol, they will trade up to get Cousins or Monroe. Different teams have different needs so depending who gets the top 5 to 10 picks is who or what we give up to move up. I'd do look to deal with the Clips, Jazz, Griz and Pacers offering picks and another player depending how high we can get.
Cousins will not be that good. He has good size and an NBA-ready body, but he is not athletic, relatively slow, doesn't have a jump shot, and shows immaturity for his age. He looks good in the NCAA right now, but his size alone won't get him far in the NBA. He does have a lot of raw talent, but it mostly depends on his willingness to work hard, and I am not sure about that.
Ekpe Udoh. 14 ppg, 10 rpg, 4 bpg. Not a bad selection at the #12 spot, given how we have NO shotblocking outside of Yao. Barring a trade for Bosh or Stoudemire, of course. But sometimes I wonder how much either of those guys would help. The Rockets already play no defense to speak of.
Trade the pick. New Jersey wont need Devin Harris once they have John Wall. Kyle Lowry Jared Jeffries Rockets pick for Devin Harris Josh Boone
I don't believe that will hold true this draft for the team. Need to draft to their current need of C/PF that will spell Yao in the upcoming season.
Devin Harris is a year removed from being an all-star so acquiring him would be a nice move but it might bring up more questions then answers. Also giving up Lowry AND your#1 for Harris is a bit to much HOWEVER if the Nets land Wall then Harris will become expendable and his value should go down. I think the most intriguing/scary scenario would be if the Jazz get the #1 pick then what do they do at that point with the point??? Deron Williams and John Wall would be scary but neither are a SGuards so a move would almost have to be made and Williams would probably be the odd man out with their financial situation. Imagine if the Rox say traded their #1, Hill, Brooks and Battier(Not sure about the numbers but it would be close if not right now) for Williams followed by signing Camby... Yao/Camby Scola/Hayes Ariza/FAgent Martin/Budinger Williams/Lowry Intriguing as heck for me at least...
I'm assuming that the Bosh scenario would only present itself a good week or two AFTER the draft, since the Rockets can't even TALK to Chris Bosh until July 1. If the Rockets could somehow trade up to the #2 or #3 pick, using only their 2010 and the Knicks' 2012 first round picks (which is highly unlikely, and the Rockets' CANNOT trade the 2011 pick under league rules unless they have a separate deal in place to acquire an unconditional 2011 pick from another team), I'd gladly take Evan Turner at #2 or, if Turner's gone, Derrick Favors at #3. One of those two, plus Scola and Battier, is likely worth more than Chris Bosh. But that would be very tempting. By the way, I have ZERO interest in Demarcus Cousins. Dude is tremendously talented, but he's a huge knucklehead with serious work ethic issues. Calipari runs a very loose ship. What's going to happen the first time Adelman demands something of Cousins (energy? extra work in the gym after practice? correcting repeated mistakes?) that Cousins isn't willing to give him? Unless Daryl Morey (whose judgment I trust almost without question) absolutely loves Cousins, or unless Cousins is being selected explicitly to be flipped in another trade already in place, I want no part of that idiot.
Good thoughts Bima. That brings up an interesting question -- when does "future picks" no longer apply for the draft? Granted we're just talking hypothetical, but my understanding is the Rockets can trade the pick after a selection is made and that wouldn't classify as a "future pick" (but I may be wrong). So if the Rockets were 14 and they wanted to trade up at #3, they could trade their first round pick this year and next year after the 2010 draft selection is made (meaning the Rockets and the team in the top 3 make each others picks, then announce a deal afterwards, which is how most of these deals go down anyway). I thought this was a way of circumventing the rule of not being able to trade away "future first round draft picks in consecutive years". But I'm not sure. I don't know at what point a draft pick no longer is classified as a "future pick".
I don't know why this is a question... I guess it's all speculation, but Morey has stated multiple times that he simply drafts the best player available.
Right. Remember Morey talking last year and previous years about how they will always choose the best player available. AND that they evaluate every player, not just those who they think will be available; you never know if/when Morey is looking to move up/down in the draft.
If Morey does not pick a big and simply goes for the best player available, then I won't be surprised if he has some trades in mind. When Morey drafted Joey Dorsey in the second round, I am not sure he was the best player available but he was the best big man available. Donte Green was drafted as he was the best player available and the nlater on he was traded. Rudy Gay was the best player available and he was traded for a defensive wing man who could shoot the 3 ball because that was the need.
Actually, Clutch, you are correct. Assuming that it went down the way you described it, I believe the Rockets COULD trade all three picks (although, subject to the rules of the new CBA, the Rockets would then not be able to trade their "other" 2012 pick until after that selection is made in the 2012 Draft). Since that is likely how any such hypothetical "trade-up" would happen, just forget I mentioned it. :grin:
No it was moreyball (first plan was to get Brandon Roy, which failed; Battier was the backup plan), even though morey was Asst GM at the time. Carroll may or may not have agreed to it, but it was statistically driven. There have been a number of people who have pointed to enough info that made it clear it was moreyball. Also, I had a chance to talk to an insider at a public event and specifically asked him the question and he made it clear it was a moreyball driven decision. He said that Les Alexander was surprised when the trade was brought up and had to be convinced because Battier's numbers were not that great. I don't know whether they would have selected Gay anyway because I thought they would have taken Sefalosha (we didn't discuss this). He seemed to suggest that Gay developed better than they projected, but didn't indicate whether the team was disappointed in the trade. He was a very good source.
Clutch, If you read further down in Coon's Faq it says The way I understand that is if the Rockets trade their 1st for another 1st they still posses a 1st and could therefore trade this years and next years 1st. I think if the Rockets wanted to trade their 2010 1st, 2011 1st and one of their 2012 1st round picks to move up in this years draft they could do so prior to the draft if they wanted to. Since they would still have a 1st in 2010 and 2012 I think this falls with in the Stepien rule. At least that is how I understand the rule.
