Hypothetical Fantasy Land: Pretend like the Rox had the number one pick.

Durant. why? he's the "hometown" kid from UT...you saw what happened to the Texans after they passed on Vince. you also saw a few thousand empty seats in the Toyota center...Durant would help fill them by drawing UT fans to the games. McGrady and Durant....and Yao...crazy. Sure, Oden makes more sense, but it's Kevin Durant.

 

Durant would be a marketing wonder if the Rockets picked him #1.

Longhorns fans galore filling the seats at the Toyota Center.

 

Why stop there since it's fantasy why not pretend that Les gave Jeff Van Gundy a 10 year extension and we had the number 1 pick. With Jeff at the helm we would trade that #1 Pick for Bruce Bowen and a scrub to be named later.

 

Trade it in a Bibby based deal. A Kidd based deal. Jermaine O'Neal. Garnett based deal. Tyrus Thomas/Heinrich based deal. Ray Allen/Collison based deal. Brand if Clipps bite. Camby and Smith based deal. Ya ya ya. Id take anything. We can win now. TMac already takes enough damn jumpers. Durant is the jumper king.

 

thats why i put hometown in quotation marks...and yes, it is pretty much the same thing. if you dont think durant going to UT will have any effect on ticket sales or people hailing him as the hometown kid, you arent thinking straight. the media would pimp him as the hometown kid as much as they could to sell tickets

 

durrant.

call him tmac insurance.

 

I guess you didn't see the attendance at Longhorn basketball games.

Aside from the A&M game (Durant's last home game), tickets weren't hard to come by.

 

If we had the No. 1 pick...how about

Trade with Atlanta...

No. 1 pick
No. 26 pick
JL3
Luther Head

for...

No. 12 (to Get Acie Law Pg)
Josh Childress
Sheldon Williams

You now have a legitimate starting 5. Alston, Hayes, & Childress now off the bench.

 

Durant at the 4. I think he works really well there, especially with Yao in the middle. Durant's closer to KG than he is T-Mac. Oden's quick for a center, but the Rockets need quicker than him beside Yao. Oh, can you imagine the matchup issues the Rockets could pose with a SG and PF who can both get to the rim or shoot. Rafer would never have to take another shot.

 

I like your idea but substitute Josh Smith for Childress and you've got yourself a deal.

Wow, why is this even a topic?

 

what a ripoff, are you a Hawks fan?
The No 1 pick is worth more than all the other those players you mentioned.
If we had the number 1 pick we should at least get Josh Smith and their number 3rd pick.

 

Pick Durant who can play as an undersized (but good) PF/SF. Try to trade Battier for an athletic, scoring SG or PG (maybe someone like Maggette, but probably a pipe dream). Trade for Mike James with Sura's expiring possibly. Sign Bonzi with the MLE.

Potential Starting Lineup:

PG: James/Rafer
SG: Maggette/Wells
SF: Tmac/Durant/Wells
PF: Durant/Hayes
C: Yao/Deke/Durant

This team would be good enough to win the title IMO. It would completely change our offensive MO, with not much spot up 3pt shooting but lots of dribble penetration.

 

Houston trades: #1 pick, #26 pick, Howard, McGrady, Battier, Sura
Houston receives: #9 pick, Mobley, Hinrich, Brand, Gordon, Livingston

Chicago trades: #9 pick, Hinrich, Gordon, Thomas, Wallace
Chicago receives: #1 pick, McGrady, Howard

LA Clippers trade: Brand, Mobley, Livingston
LA Clippers receive: #26 pick, Thomas, Wallace, Battier, Sura

Hinrich/Alston/Spanoulis
Gordon/Head/Snyder
(Livingston once he comes back)/Mobley/Snyder
Brand/Hayes
Yao/Noah

 

Trade it to Memphis in a package for Gasol/#4 and take Conley, Jr. Take ring sizes.

 

This scenario has 3 choices.

Option 1 - Take Oden, use him as PF and have ultimate twin towers

Option 2 - Durant, use him at SF(not PF, way too light at 190lbs), trade any combination of players outside TMac, Yao, and Shane for a PF that is 6'10 and up who is long, athletic, and can block/contest shots and rebound.

Option 3 - Trade the pick and several other players for Garnett and their pick, then use their pick on Acie Law.

 

trading for al jefferson is an interestin scenario...not sure who else i get from that team, but jefferson is a stud and as a fan we wouldnt have to wait for him to develop.

i think i would lean towards durant. But oden at pf would be nice as well, not to mention we would have a center ready to fill yaos shoes when he's done.

 

See if you can get anything by trading down to number 2 and get whoever's left (probably Durant).

Seem like GMs or usually more desperate for a center than a forward.

Considering Yao, Durant may be a better fit.