Wouldn't that also be good for the Rockets, in that it eliminate the Celtics most likely trading partner in the Warriors? ------------------
NOOOOOO! I hate Alvin Jones. All the times I've watched him he had horrible hands, and he played with a kind of hesitancy, almost like he was scared. The prospect of Woods on this team intrigues me, though. We would get a shotblocker that wouldn't hurt us on the offensive end either, unlike Cato. ------------------ Lisa, I'd like to buy your rock...
Is this the same guy who goes by Alvin "Hand Like Feet" Jones? I'm surprised he's getting buzz. It seems like my man Jason Collins is always getting overlooked when the board talks big men. I would think he would at least be higher than Ken Johnson on the Rockets' board. I've got a feeling that if he's available at the second Rockets' pick in the first round, they will pick Collins... ------------------ [This message has been edited by oakdogg (edited June 19, 2001).]
Griffin, Chandler or Charlotte's Rodney White could be a good fit for the Wiz. The small Forward position is arguably the weakest position on the team. If there is going to be a trade, Michael wants multiple picks (which means 2002) or an All Star type player that is young. He will take nothing less, which makes the Golden State trade look very real. The big thing is that the Wiz are not shopping. They are listening. If they trade you can bet they will do it on draft day, and they will have done it to a desperate team. ------------------ humble, but hungry.
Oil: You said Langhi will probably get playing time next year, but you also said that you think that "they need to move someone else with/ahead of him." First off, why do you think that the Rockets need to do this? In any case, if the need calls for it, I think T-Mo would be a perfect fit in that scenario in that both him and Langhi would get a pretty good amount of pt, as apposed to a high first round sf that might take the majority of the minutes. But what happens with Walt? And you also said that Bull will play some 3 next year. Well, that gives us: Langhi, who needs prolly about 20 mpg (am I correct?) then our new SF (whoever it may be) that also needs minutes to develop then Walt and Bull will be left with probably around a total of 10 minutes, most likely even less than that So if Bull plays the 3 as you say, it seems like he would barely get the amount of minutes Langhi did last year. Same goes with Walt. What will be the situation with the Sf's then? Will they be content with just sitting most of the time? ------------------ PrEsident of The Danforth Langhford FAN CLUB... He IS our future All-Star Small Forward [This message has been edited by alaskansnowman (edited June 19, 2001).]
Well not necessarily. Heh,heh. I honestly could have seen MJ parlaying that #5 back into a subsequent swap for the #10 and #11 with a little sweetner added in somewhere to make it more palatable. The other point is, I personally thought we had a better chance of trading with the Warriors than the Celtics. If that deal (Washington and Golden State swap) comes off it effectively eliminates a more favorable trading partner and a more opportunistic spot for us. That being said, I still think the Celts #10 and #11 for the Rockets #13, #18 and a player are still a doable trade. Maybe more importantly it is getting more and more advantageous for us to move up (even a little bit) as draft teams are forecasting tighter and tighter selections (short listing). ------------------
I know this will go ever really well here, but DON'T FORGET: Alvin Jones and Jason Collins were teammates at Georgia Tech!!!!!! I would love to get Diop: Jop Rocket! And I could live with Loren Woods. He would keep a zone unpacked. ------------------ "How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak. Because someday you will have been all of these."
1. Langhi needs MORE time than last season. He will be a well coached development project, but that means he needs time on the court. If you happen to watch him in practice or live, he has a lot of promise. he has some good skills. He is a little lopsided at times but he has good foundation at the three. Someone like TM could easily platoon with Langhi which amounts to more time for him(Langhi) than last year, and the opportunity for someone to work with or move ahead of him if he proves himself. RT believes you earn your minutes. But he also believes once given the job it is your's to lose. he says all the time .... "I don't bench you ... you bench yourselves ..." 2. Walt will be gone or benched. He has lost his lustre. When he goes, I don't care where that is or what it cost us. He has been shopped and he is philosophically gone from the game plan. Watch the door. He will not be there at the start of the season. 3. Bull will play some 3 spot minutes but he will also play some filler minutes at all forward positions. He will be matched when necessary. He will inserted in a number of gaps. He'll get his minutes. Don't worry. His one year contract will be picked up by Houston. He has told anyone who will listen ... "I know I can still play. I can still help (this team). I will play in Houston. I'mm not interested in going anywhere. If I can't (do any of those things) anymore I'll hang it up and play golf." ------------------
My error: Called Alvin a Crimson Tide. Dang, Robert would kill me. Sorry,man. Was thinking of Gerald Wallace I guess. ------------------
Someone should slap Golden State silly if they draft Chandler at #5. Homegrown boy or not. opie-In your opinion, what is the highest slot we could plausibly end up at? #6? Great stuff as always. Woods is a great fit here, if he put on the additional weight the media is saying. Hehe, just a couple months ago, there was an article questioning Woods' status in the first round. Here's an earlier review from CD through Feigen of some prospects (formerly on cc.net's front page). They've all done well so far," he said. "[Ken] Johnson (pictured) and [Eric] Chenowith shot the ball better than we thought.Chenowith has always had a 12 foot shot. His ceiling is Bryant Reeves, and more likely Serge Zwikker. Johnson has never been known for his shot. Is that smoke and mirrors. [Michael] Bradley is a good all-around player. [Loren] Woods was quicker, a good all-around player. Possibly both understatements (ie guys Rudy likes). But the bigger understatement of the two is that of Woods. His quickness is levels above Bradley's. Last but not least opie, other than Morris, are there any other SFs the Rockets are hoping for at 23 and/or 18? Could Jefferson, Gasol or Radmanovic slip through the cracks to 18? What is the opinion on the Juco kid, Kedrick (sp?) Brown? ------------------ "I think alot of people find Cato's game to be very offensive." -aelliott, comparing the offensive skills of Kelvin Cato and Michael Olowokandi
NIKE, I heard Chenowith might have played himself out of the draft with his performance at the predraft camp. ------------------
I do get the impression that GS is very fond of Kwame Brown ... which is why Garry St. Jean was so pissed on national TV when the Warriors got bumped to #5 in the lottery. I believe he was interviewed shortly afterward and asked about various names, and when Brown's came up he shook his head and replied with a terse "He won't be there at #5." GS has wide bodies at C/PF, but only Dampier provides any kind of height. So they could use a long, mobile Garnett/Camby type such as Brown, Chandler, or even Woods more than Curry or Diop, IMHO -- which may be where the "GS is locked in on Chandler" talk comes from. If they keep the #14 pick, GS seems far more interested in Cook (if available) than Tinsley. Giving up an unprotected future #1 pick would be start a small firestorm locally, though, since that was Nellie's infamous mistake when he traded up to get Webber (and it took 6 years for the last reminder to fade away). Not saying it won't happen, but it's a more sensitive & high-profile issue here than it might be in other NBA cities. ------------------
oilpere, in your opinion, would Loren Woods be a reach at #6 ? Thanks. ------------------ "norm, would you like to buy an indian scalp ? This deal isn't gonna make or break me Norm, so don't jerk me around." Harry Carey "Norm, if I had a mohawk scalp, I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you."
SF. because at 13 according to oeilpere woods would be long gone. so who is left? PF/C u have Haywood, Bradley, SF u have Richard Jefferson, Radman. I like the later better. But Oeilpere says we might be able to move up, bot not top three. lets say, its between 6 and 9. so who is left? PF/C u have Woods, Diop, Chandler. SF u have Joe Johnson, White, Paul Gasol, possibly Battier. once again i like the SF better. Diop sounds really good, but does he have "proven ability?" ------------------ Howdy Partner!
Agreed on Cook. He pushes the ball better than any point guard coming out of college I've seen in a while. I think he may very well get picked ahead of Tinsley. Let's say that 2 of the 3 players the Rockets had targeted for their pick are there, but a big man, like a Diop, unexpectedly falls. Do the Rockets stick to the gameplan and pick the topflight small forward, or do they take a chance on the big man? This is of course assuming the Rockets move up, which I wholeheartedly expect to happen. I have a feeling that we'll use all 3 of the picks, but will already have a deal in place where we send at least 2 of those picks and Walt or KT to another team, for their single digit lottery pick. ------------------ [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited June 19, 2001).]
Thanks for the good insights as usual, popeyeman. Obviously, if we were able to get a Brown, Battier, Griffin or Richardson, we ought to move up to get one of them at forward. But it seems our greater need is Center, in terms of rebuilding. According to some reports, Diop has been mopping up, almost as good as Brown. Most mocks have him going to Boston at 10. CD has been very quiet about centers in this draft. It sure seems to meet our needs better to move up a little, and get Diop. We might still be able to get Jefferson or Radman with a later pick. What do you think about the Rockets moving up to take Diop? ------------------ the more I know, the more I know I don't know...
Nike: Highest slot? Realistically no higher than Chicago’s #4. Krause will have a plan in place for the #4 if his “absolute gotta have it” pick is not there. The particular commodity changes seemingly almost daily. I think the latest is he wants Battier “so bad I can taste it”. If Krause has a plan in place and either battier is gone, or a plan that would include a bigman and another first round pick (Cato and the #13?) he will opt for the swap on draft day. Nike: SF’s? Here’s my last semi complete “best of” list for SF (and some SF/PF swingers who should play SF) Eddie Griffin, Tyson Chandler, Pau Gasol, Shane Battier, Vlad Rad, Richard Jefferson, Rodney White, Joe Johnson, Gerald Wallace, Nike: Kedrick Brown? He’s small at 6’7” and you gotta believe that his height is media/agent stretched a bit. If we went to him at all it would be to fill the 2-3 spot and I guess in that sense it would be an excellent pickup. He showed some wheels at Florida (O-W CC) last year. I would only cry if for some inexplicable reason we took him with the #18 or if we took him @#23 with some of the later two picks still available. Tacoma: E. Chenowith has indeed worked his way out of his pre draft position and now may likely end up in the late second round. Actually I had the sucker at 35 to start, he didn’t do a whole lot to change that, and now he’s somewhere closer to my 48. SwopaDopa: Yeah I kinda agree on GS and Kwame. The only thing that lays me back with the #5 and next year’s First rounder going to Washington is: (1.) GS needs a First Rounder next year too. (2) I have to think that they would get something else out of this draft. I can’t help thinking Brown would just not be enough for them this year. Don’t get me wrong they would probably pull the trigger on it for the simple fact that Brown is the single most important draftee out there for them. But they still need so much more help elsewhere, that even with the number one they will be pushing to get another single digit (or close to a single digit) first rounder in addition to the Numero Uno. Grrrrrrr-Ate-One: Actually I think he started out around the 6 to 11 spots, dropped heavily in the early pre coverage and then demonstrated some brass ones when faced with his problems (present weight, inability to weight gain, questionable inside game, lack of consistent aggressive play). His workouts banged him back up to single digits again. He will still be there at #6 IMHO. You gotta figure Kwame, Curry, Griffin, Battier, are the top four (in no particular order) then there’s Woods, Chandler, Diop, Gasol(?) (again, in no particular order) for the next four. ------------------
oeilpere, How do last minute gifts (player unexpectedly falling or favorable draft day trades) impact trades of veterans tentatively agreed upon for later in the summer? Suppose: The Rockets have a Walt deal agreed upon for later in the summer, but things break differently for the other team at draft time. The planned Walt deal is dead because the other team moved the player(s) that were going to be swapped for him and the tentative trade is no longer. There are other variations to the above, but that is a good example of my query. How tentative are late summer deals and do teams let them impact their draft just so they don't upset the apple cart of planned moves by several teams? Mango ------------------ Get it right or just don't do it! Resistance is futile....you will be assimilated. Start more Webber threads! [This message has been edited by Mango (edited June 20, 2001).]
Mango: ” …. How tentative are late summer deals and do teams let them impact their draft just so they don't upset the apple cart of planned moves by several teams? …. “ A couple of ways to answer that. 1. Most of these “backroom” draft deals are either worked out ahead of time with provisos and limiting conditions understood by all parties. If so-and-so is drafted ahead of our pick we will trade you our spot for your spot plus such-and-such. That sort of thing. Or, there is an out-and-out trade that Team A who picks #3 will pick either XYZ or ZXX whomever is available. In return Team B will pick PLK or GHF at #11 whomever is available. That sort of thing. 2. But understand this. Almost all the deals are contingent on everything that happens between now and the day they are traded. I know that sounds like a cop-out …. but try this on. A franchise’s negotiation team headed in almost all cases by the General Manager have many offers they are weighing at any given moment. Some offers are pretty close to a done deal. That is everyone on both teams have progressively agreed. But ….. ……. the league has to agree to ANY transactions (regardless of how minor) that take place between any of it’s franchises. This league is very strict in this, as everyone knows. Agents, the players association, personal and corporate lawyers, physicians, families and in some cases even immigration authorities all have to be notified and appraised of the deal at some point. Some much earlier than others. In some cases that can cause a delay or even snuff it out. May even go down to the last possible bridge to cross and pfffft ….. ……… Some times it is contingent on certain precursors or events taking place. That is a far as the teams are involved. An “agreed upon trade plan” is probably a better description. In short, it isn’t a done deal til the fat lady sings. Let me tell you a story: The two teams have agreed. They haggle and offers and counter offers are thrown back and forth. It goes on over several weeks. Takes a while. There are questions about a couple of the guys involved so a team of physicians and physiatrists review everything. The league is notified. Takes days to get a confirmation. Finally everything is done. The players are the last to find out. Robert Horry is traded to Detroit with some other guys. He is heart broken. Says a few things. Cries in RT’s office. Not a good scene. The Rocket’s get Sean Elliot who is devastated but ready to get it on. Robert leaves his family and stoically travels to the north. Not happy. Meets his new boss and some teammates. He is still numb all over. Sean Elliot sees a couple of Rockets people in Detroit then travels to Texas and within two days it is apparent ….. he has failed even the simplest diagnostic test. RT knew he had a health problem, but it was cleared by that team of specialists when they reviewed the case. However, Elliot was in deep kidney failure even back then. Much greater than anticipated. The Rockets petitioned the Piston’s and the league to lift the trade, which they did. It’s never a done deal til the fat lady sings. Tentative is a perfect word to describe every deal. The Rockets, like all teams have contingent plans. CD will earn his pay this summer. Actually he already has earned himself quite a sweat. (PS Robert Horry played his heart out to show he was worthy of staying a Rocket.) ------------------
Hi Pops, On Loren Woods.I saw him throughout his college career and the tournament.I wonder about his endurance,size,and somewhat awkward appearance at times.How much weight has he gained and how has it translated to the court?I guess I mean,what do you think we can expect from him in the NBA?I think I know what his game is about(defense and boards,long wingspan,and a little soft,which you touched upon),but what do you think his ceiling is like?I obviously haven't seen any of these recent workouts and just want to have an idea of what to expect if we pick him,because he was so up and down in college.It really has made me wonder about him......gracias, Hardwood BTW..I know you spoke about it earlier,just wondering if there was anything else to ease my concern. ------------------ ...still counting on UH athletics to win the war..."Let's go to Frenchy's!" [This message has been edited by hardwood (edited June 22, 2001).]
