After trading for Francis in 1999, the Rox were confident enough to convey a lottery-vulnerable First Round draft pick to the Grizzlies. We are still squirming about the implications of that one on next year's draft. Detroit turned it around. Boston and New Jersey were Lotterites just last year. Granted they are all Eastern Conference stragglers. How long does it take to get good again and should that have an impact on this #1 selection? How long and hard is the hill-climb that the Rockets face? Most of these realistic trade proposals are for other equally risky stand-ins: Odom/Olowakandi, McDyess, LaFrentz/Finley, Curry, Jermaine O'Neal, and Jamison. Most of these trades seem to me to de-value the #1 pick of a draft which is by most accounts sterling. Only Olowakandi was a #1 overall pick but that was controversial and he has been viewed as being underachieving. Given the current state of our team, it seems like we should be selecting a player based on what he will contribute over a career. Ming has as much or more promise as any of the players listed above. Most of them have some shine but none of them is a bonafide star who couldn't be replaced. There is a very good chance that Ming will be that special kind of player. As Jeff and others have said, we have to risk being the fool in order to be great. We beat the long odds and now is not the time to throw up the yellow caution flag. Now is the time to fire up the Yellow Booster Rocket!
