This coming draft isn't loaded with upcoming superstars but could produce some nice role players. Ideally, we can fill our needs by drafting the following players: 1. JJ Redick - shooter 2. Sheldon Williams - Inside banger 3. Daniel Gibson - PG I know it's not very realistic to draft all three because they are probably all first-rounders. But if we end up with a high lottery pick we can trade down to get two mid first round picks and use our second round pick to address the need not addressed by our 1st round picks. And do we have any picks from other teams?
If the Rockets can't play .500 ball for the next two weeks, then they might want to think about taking a page out of the Texans' playbook. How good would Lamarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay or Adam Morrison look on the team right now?
This team needs players that can immediately produce. Aldridge and Gay are at least two years away from contributing to an NBA team. Morrison I'm not sure if he will be able to translate his game into the NBA play, besides he's a SF which is not our most prominent need. I like Redick because being a senior, he supposedly is more ready to contribute immediately. It does not hurt that he is a superior shooter too.
redick and gibson would be great. they are my 2 picks this year (if we stay in the current draft position). sheldon williams can't do anything that our 3 PF's can't do. he would be a wasted pick IMO. i believe that luther head will be able to play both guard positions in the future and so that gives us some flexability in the draft. both redick and gibson can mesh with head in the back court.
How about rebounding and defense? I was hoping Shelden Williams can help us in these areas. He's not a bad shot blocker either, with 3.7 and 3.6 blocks per game last season and this season, respectively.
I disagree with Aldridge and Gay being two years away. I could totally see Aldridge giving us production like Bosh's rookie year. And Gay could reproduce the rookie seasons of a Luol Deng or Igodola. Either one of these kids would be huge bonus' to our club. And Morrison can flat our score which we are desparately in need of. I know Tracy plays the 3, but we need to add some freaking talent on this club. Besides landing a top 3 pick opens up the trade options. Maybe there's another moron out there willing to do a Brand for #2 pick move this year.
redick and and gibson arent good picks for this team. gibson is a horrible point guard, and doesnt know how to run a team. redick is good in college but wont be nearly as good in the pros. i like aldridge or gay.
Let's face it...without a tanking job, we're unlikely to beat the Hawks, Raptors, Knicks, and Blazers to a top 3 pick. That's why i think it's more sensible to look at players like Redick, Williams, and Gibson. Redick at least will be a great shooter which this team is in dire need of. No?
Hello everyone! Just spent $10 getting into this forum Hope Rockets play well when both T-Mac and Yao get healthy
everyone likes aldridge or gay. unfortunately for us they won't fall to us if we keep our current draft position.
Wow...i've never seem him play. Thought he will be decent since he's listed at #12 at nbadraft.net. I guess this IS a bad draft.
Correct me if I am wrong, but if you land in the lottery there is no current draft position. We didn't have the worst record when we got Yao.
When have any sharp shooters from Duke made it in the NBA? I say no. Coach K's system seems to maximize players strength so that players from Duke are always overrated. It is great for those players, for Duke, but not for teams picking them.
Then later, If you haven't seen Gibson play, you obviously also haven't seen Aldridge play. DaDakota is right - Gibson is a LONG way away from being NBA ready. Have you seen Williams and Reddick play or do you just read nbadraft.net? Aldridge is going to be an absolute stud and contribute pretty quickly, at a minimum as a rebounder/shotblocker. I've been thoroughly impressed with the leap he made in his play in the offseason, and he almost adds a little something every game. He's also been extremely consistent - 9 double-doubles in 12 games (one was a 9 reb. performance). The thing about Reddick that worries me is I haven't seen him as a pure catch and shoot type shooter. Don't get wrong - he's an unbelievable, amazing shooter, and I think is more well rounded than people give him credit for. But he's used as the #1 option, dribbling into his shots or coming off curls - you would think that's harder than simply catch and shoot off kickouts, but it's a different type of skill, like a mid-range game. I think it was part of the downfall of Francis on this team- he was a good shooter off the dribble, but couldn't knock it down consistently catch and shoot style. I'm not saying JJ can't do it, he just hasn't shown it (that I've seen). I don't know if he really meshes as the 3rd option in the TMac/Yao offense.
Yes, I have seen Redick and Williams play...a lot actually since Duke was on TV much more than Texas. I think Redick became Duke's first offensive option just this year. Last year he was mainly a catch and shoot player when they had Deng, Ewing, Randolph and Duhon.
I know that there are some guys in the draft that will be good players, but I'm not sure that they're going to solve our problem and get us to a championship. You have to admit that playing the playoffs is very different than playing in the regular season, and even if some rookie/rookies can contribute some in the season, it doesn't mean they'll be reliable in the playoffs. I'm a horns alumni, so I catch the games, and I've seen Reddick a bit, as well. Aldrige would be a great pick, solid game, and could probably do as well as swift in his first year (maybe even a little better), but not sure how he'd do under pressure in the playoffs. Reddick, great shooter--something that could be VERY valuable to this team. However, again, the NBA is VERY different from college, so I wouldn't expect him to help "carry" the team, and remember, he can definitely be a streaky shooter. This could be a big liability in the playoffs as well. I know we're an older team, but with Yao and TMac as our young core, I wouldn't mind having guys 27-30 if they can play, but we really need experience to help us. The time is now (ok, maybe next year), but not in 3 or 4 when these draft picks are solid. I really like Luther and think he'll be a great player one day, but he's good trade value, b/c of his potential. And we need the talent NOW.
I think the biggest part of Reddick's scoring career at Duke has been catch and shoot. There was an article a few weeks back about how he has added dribble penetration and shooting off the dribble to his game for this season. I thought I read that article here but maybe not...
