What's funny is how high some people are on Whiteside yet He's not even a real Lotto pick. If he's so special why won't other GM's jump at the chance to get him?
Why not draft a guy like whiteside and have develop in the d-league? They could sign a guy like boone or mbenga for cheap or trade for a guy like hollins.
Makes zero sense because Iggy is also a SF. I'd understand picking Cousins but why pass on a premier SG in Evans?
Um, Drexler was a 14th, Tim Hardaway, Dan Majerle (maybe not a superstar..), but that's about it since then. Anything can happen at the draft, I feel more comfortable with our picks with a competent GM like Morey.
Morey said next seasons draft will be weak because most of those players jumped into this draft to avoid any changes to the CBA next year and potential strike.
And I agree with you here completely. The kid would not be able to come in and do the things we need him to do to win a finals championship. However, we do have Hayes, which shouldn't be forgotten. Moreover, if you are on the Bosh train of thought you can always run Scola/Bosh, Bosh/Yao, Bosh/Hayes, Scola/Hayes and still have whiteside waiting on the bench. Lastly, I think we can all agree that whatever it is Morey is about to do in the coming months- I will not personally figure it out on these boards.
I don't want Whiteside either, but you can't draft based on chasing a ring in 2 years at the 14th spot. We already have a solid starting 5, very good backups, the problem is we have to go through the Lakers/LeBron/Magic for as least the next couple of years, and OKC may be ready to make another leap forward. Our best chance at winning a title is to make a sign and trade deal with this pick to get a star player that moves Yao & Martin to 2nd and 3rd options.
Realistically speaking how far up can we move up in the draft with Chase,Hill and the 14th? Who is more likely to trade and to pick a player for us and is it worth it? IMO,Wall,Turner are out of reach for sure and probably Cousins/Favors too.
I agree it can be risky,however we have to be realistic. Bosh etc may not materialize. A high pick plus a veteran who doesn't fit well on another team might help.
That's what happens when the Rockets fail to tank. They end up with a borderline lottery pick and no real lottery pick or chance at winning the lottery.
Personally, I like Whiteside's potential alot. Morey should not just be thinking next 2 years for a ring, he also needs to build for the future. Usually those are reserved for second rounders but you'll never see a true 7 footer like Whiteside slide to the 2nd round so you pick him where he is available. Personally, I'm not sure he'll even be on the board when we come up, he might go a couple picks earlier. 7 footers that can block and rebound are not easy to find.
Sincerely, The Rockets drafting Bryce Drew and Mirsad Turkcan over Rashard Lewis in 1998. Sincerely, Donte Greene (one of only TWO first rounders that Morey has ever drafted) (Also, Morey has never had a pick nearly this high before, so we really don't know WHAT the hell he would want to do with a late lottery pick.)
wow, whats with all the Whiteside hate, there's no need to hate on the guy... you guys are seriously underrating him, athletic 7'ft prospect with 7'6 wingspans don't grow on trees .... LOL on Whiteside not being considered a lottery pick by some of you guys, you guys realize had this guy stayed in school, he was being projected as the #1 overall pick in 2011 NBA Draft ... his agile, with a developing jump shot, good footwork and good hands(which are two of the most important things when evaluating a big man)... not to mention he runs the court very well for a guy his size <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bl6q49ruwS4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Bl6q49ruwS4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HwmJkidSVx0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param<param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HwmJkidSVx0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> This guy is legit lottery pick, and saying his not is completely asinine.... --RB
(Sigh.) CH, you know as well as I do that JERRY WEST made that selection. Jeff Van Gundy has gone on record that, had the Rockets not traded for Battier, they were going to select Thabo Sefalosha. Oh, yeah, and Carroll Dawson was the GM. Why are you doing this to me?!?!
While we would not have drafted Rudy Gay, we DO know to a certain extent what kind of player Morey likes for a high pick. 1. He obviously had a huge hand in bringing Battier. Battier was pretty much the opposite of what CD usually aim for, which are athletic brain-dead players like Mo Taylor, Griffin, Swift. 2. He wanted Brandon Roy desperately. 3. Would've taken Thefo at 8 without the trade. 4. He loved the point guards from last year's draft, trying very hard to land one of them. Rubio may have been a smoke screen, but he definitely wanted a top 10 pick to get a PG. Morey's draft board is probably as good as any NBA/mocks out there. He probably just identifies the dropoff points and players we can reasonably obtain. There's definitely no "trend" of picking potential vs experience, Euro vs American, etc. He just goes for the best ones. Which is why he's the GM and we're just pretending to be ones from our computers.
