Toronto's pick will be 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, or 11. If they get lucky lotto balls, they'll end in one of the top 3 slots. If 3 teams from the top 6 win the lotto (Charlotte is locked at 4th) Toronto will pick 8th. If one of the 8-13 teams (Charlotte is locked at 4th) win, they'll pick 9th, 2-->10th, 3-->11th. I haven't followed the draft as hard this year. It seems there are top flight PFs at the very top of the draft (Okafor, Howard), and 3 good PGs to be had in the mid-lottery (Gordon, Harris, Nelson).
Well, it looks like, at #4, either luol Deng or Shaun Livingston will be available. That being said, if the pick was #4 and we knew it was #4, I would jump on this trade. Deng and Livingston are both tremendous, and both fit needs for this team. Deng is a player would would be absolutely amazing for us. Livingston would be terriffic, but I would also be ok sending him somewhere for a damn good PF as well.
My love for rockets will diminish with francis out of the line up. If they do not make playoff after they trade francis, I would be reallllly pissed
Oh yeah, Charlotte totally slipped my mind as well. So then I have to ask again, will we know where we're picking when we make the trade or do we take our chances?
Though, I don't know how Steve would know the specifics of discussed deals. Wow, compared to the McGrady/Brand scenarios discussed in this forum, I guess we really overrated Stevie's value if these deals really are being discussed. Both of these deals blow IMHO. The Rockets need another impact player to support Yao and these deals seem to support the fear of many that JVG wants to build this team with role players. Unless it's Okafor, I don't want anything to do with any of these rookies. As for Jalen Rose, I will never root for the man who essentially ended any hope of a Rockets three-peat in the mid 90's.
I'd be interested in Deng. I'd also be interested in trading down for Harris. I don't know much about Livingston, but I'm a little wary of picking up a highschooler, especially to play PG. I don't see JVG picking up a project, and I don't blame him.
Another point of consideration; JVG is very good friends with Kevin O'Neal, who coached the Rpas last season, and as such would have insight into how the players mentioned would fit. KO ran a very similar defensive team, and loved Rose, who he called a "winner". This is not a man who throws out compliments all that freely.
Both you and Batman now have alluded to a play that obviously lives in infamy. I thought I was a pretty good student of Rocket history, but I can't remember the play or the circumstances. Please elaborate.
Agreed, if the trade doesn't include Bosh and a #1 pick, and CD trade SF out of Houston, then someone in Houston need shoot him, because it will be a stupidest trade in NBA history.
I don't see how Charlotte can take both Steve and another big contract. They can only take a maximum of one player off a team in the expansion draft. Or am I missing something.
If this were from a source in Rockets' management rather than from Steve himself, I may buy into it a little more. I don't doubt that this conversation took place...but it was probably just speculation on Steve's part. I don't really like that trade...Rose, while he is a pretty good shooter, is also a volume shooter and NOT a point guard. He's tried it in his career and failed. And we don't need Mo Pete! If we trade Steve, I want it to lead directly to us getting a PG and a PF.
The most important thing I hear from this post, (which any post from Doc is highly valued), is that Francis knows he's getting traded. This is the first step in our off-season re-arranging of parts. But, I don't like either of these trades. We can do better. CD needs to be patient, and get appropriate value for Francis. More offers will come. I'm especially interested in trades from CHI and WAS, where Francis would put a lot of fans in the seats, and we get a top 3 pick and a Brown or Chandler, while taking a bad contract off their hands. Perhaps I value Francis too high, but if we don't get a franchise player in return, I'd like to get a tradiing chit that allows us to GET a franchise player. We need to trade for parts we can re-trade. If LAC would take the exception and the #4 for Brand, and we knew that going in, then I'd do the Charlotte deal, assuming the bad contract is Taylor or Spoon, who we leave unprotected in the expansion draft. But, I doubt they'd go for #4. Perhaps if we sweetened the deal with a future #1, who knows.
