B- draft. Miller upgraded to Flynn. Motiejunas a solid pick at the bottom of the 1st. Parsons a very good pick in the 2nd. Morris is very sound, a safe pick who will contribute somehow. Flynn is here only for a cup of coffee. Our depth is fine. We have gotten bigger, longer, and more athletic in the past year. We can score on anyone if we continue the core offensive set. But if we don't pick up a C who can board and patrol the paint, none of that will matter next year or the year after. I just don't see Hill or Thabeet rising to that occasion.
1. Morey failed to move up in the draft once again. 2. Morey failed to draft Leonard while he was available. 3. Morey failed to draft anyone that helps us or improves this team. How do any of these things warrant Morey an A? He failed in every sense.
Just like every other year since Morey has been the GM, I don't even try to guess. I'll just wait and see what these guys become. I'm not even going to pretend I'm qualified to make a judgement on Morey's draft picks. It seems like every year people are crying about his picks and within six months the whole board is completely enamored with the guy.
The Texans and Rockets both seemingly come out as winners after their drafts. Hoping for both seasons to start on time!
Marcus Morris: I can understand taking the best player on the board but at the 14th pick, Kawhi Leonard would have made much more sense and arguably was the better prospect. Morris doesn't fill a need at all, he's a 4 that could play some minutes at the 3 (at least there is that) but I've learned never to doubt Daryl Morey on draft night. I look forward to seeing what McHale does with him, he's certainly a talented post player. Grade: B- Donatas Motiejunas: great pick, raw player but he has the potential to be a top 5 player in this draft. Houston and Motiejunas are a perfect match. Grade: A+ Chandler Parsons: I would be lying if I said that I knew a thing about Parsons but from what Bilas and Draftexpress have said about him, he's a talented and versatile prospect that could make an NBA team. There were a couple of guys that I would have preferred but at this point of the draft I can't really complain. Grade: C+ Rockets overall grade: B
Still haven't addressed needs. They had every chance to do so. Morris will have a rude awakening trying to play against NBA threes. Donata will get bullied in the post. Parsons will end up overseas. For missing out yet again, C.
I was thinking the same thing when i read this post .. first of all bud wasnt a lottery pick. Secondly the jury is still out on a lot of these guys ESP donatas who hasnt even played yet. way to name 6 players as the 2009 lottery draft busts and be wrong about 1/3 of their designation alone.
I, for Incomplete With the CBA sputtering and the obvious excess at PF, I don't think we can truly judge, as this will not be our final roster come the start of the season. Don't know how much stock to put in Richard Justice's comments, but he says: http://blog.chron.com/sportsjustice...-a-second-guess-of-course-i-wont-be-doing-it/ And I don't think any of these possibilities happens without player trades involved. So we wait.
they were describing leonard as being a player who is limited offensively but a really good defensive 3. That sounds a lot like shane battier (except shane is prob a better defender and a much better offensive player) .. how exactly did having shane on our team work out last couple of years?
Good God I was scared when Stern said "Mar" when the Suns were picking. I thought for sure Marcus Mo was gone. Then he finished the name and I was happy. Felt that the Rockets were not going to let Marcus get past them. I give this draft an A, as well. Pretty happy all the way around and can't complain.
MARCUS MORRIS: To be honest, I was pissed when I heard this pick come in. I was desperately hoping that Kawhi Leonard would fall to #14; so when Markieff went off the board at #13, I was pretty excited. I truly believe that Leonard has the potential to be the next Shawn Marion. But the whole time (including before the draft), I had this sneaking suspicion that the Rockets had Marcus Morris rated high on their draft board and would take him if he fell to #14. While his ceiling isn't as high as Leonard's IMHO, I will acknowledge that his floor is likely higher than Kawhi's. That said, Morris's ability to play the SF position in the NBA will largely determine how I feel about this pick. The Rockets seem to think he can play both forward spots well, and this front office has earned the benefit of the doubt from this poster (especially after I killed them for taking Aaron Brooks over Josh McRoberts in 2007). After thinking about it for awhile, I think I've figured out his NBA comparison: Corliss Williamson. I'm talking about the Corliss who carved out a niche for himself in the NBA as a quality rotation SF/PF and who won NBA Sixth Man of the Year with the Pistons under Rick Carlisle. If he can be THAT sort of player (which is actually something I thought this team could use coming into this draft), then I'll feel a little less upset about passing up Leonard. DONATAS MONTIEJUNAS: Absolute steal at #20. This kid has top-5 talent and was viewed as a top-2(!) pick this time last year. He's bulked up since and did not have a bad year this past season. The biggest knock on him is his motor. The skills are all there to be a high-quality stretch 4/5 who can also score inside. People toss around the term "poor man's Dirk Nowitzki" all the time with foreign kids, but this kid really is that. He's 7-0 with good ball skills and a nice touch around the basket. Kevin McHale is an excellent motivator and hopefully can cure Donatas of any "bad habits" before they jeopardize his NBA future. CHANDLER PARSONS: Nice value pick. He was viewed by many as a late first round prospect. For those complaining about the Rockets' size on the front line, this kid is a legit 6-10 SF. He's a good all-around player on offense and an especially good passer. Not quite the shooter that Budinger is, but he's a comparable enough prospect that it would be no surprise to see him have a similar trajectory to Chase's. As others have said, he also makes Chase a little more expendable (especially if Morris proves he can play the 3 and if T-Will can show the Rockets anything next season), since Budinger is likely viewed around the league as one of the Rockets' more attractive trade assets. DRAFT GRADE: B If Marcus Morris proves to be a better, more mobile version of Corliss Williamson, or if Kawhi Leonard flames out in San Antonio, then I'll gladly look back and say that this grade should have been higher. Even if Montiejunas himself flames out, he would have still been worth the risk. Parsons could hit or miss. Only time will tell.
1. 2. 3. Marcus Morris 4. Patrick Patterson 5. We have two building blocks... 2010- A 2011- A 2012- ? (We need to hit the homerun in THIS draft...)
I gave them a B, because I like the value they got for each pick. Hate to be a downer. Marcus Morris and Montejunas are both very talented players with the potential to become something special, but we have 16 players as it stands. The logical move would be to trade scola and flynn for a center to free up space to sign all three picks, but looking at the rosters around the league, Morey would have to pull off something amazing to get a center worth Scola. I think the only route now is to trade one of our guards for a center, and filling the void with another trade involving Scola. Right now, not only do we need to balance out our roster, but we also need to make room on our roster, and thats not an easy task in the future. Hopefully Morey pulls through, but right now it seems incomplete.
I'll give this draft a solid B+. We were able to add depth to the squad as well as get players who could possibly make an immediate impact. Marcus Morris: Like most, whether or not Marcus can play the SF position will decide how I feel about this pick. If he can be a successful 3, then this is a great pick in my opinion...If not, then it is a very questionable pick, especially with Leonard still on the board. I feel he'll be able to make the transition and be an efficient player for years to come. Donatas Motiejunas: Seems like he's a real steal in terms of talent and potential. If we can instill a Scola motor in him and add some size, he could become a very valuable player for us. Hopefully since Scola is his favorite player, he'll be more willing to put in the same effort as him. Seems as though he could really use some defensive coaching though. Still a project, but a good pick in my opinion. Chandler Parsons: For a team that seems to struggle with size, it's hard not to like a legit 6-10 small forward. Given where he was drafted, this is a great pick to take. It's not very risky but could pay off big time. I could see him becoming a very solid role player in this league... If not with the Rockets, then somewhere else. He's an extremely good passer as well. Not to mention, the addition of Flynn to the backcourt seems like a wise choice. #6 overall pick from two years ago, perhaps he'll take this new opportunity for a fresh start and make the most of it. Obviously it's too early to know for sure but I like what we did. If Morris does make the transition successfully, then the grade goes to an A. Now it's time to get a star.
