I think Roy and Brewer will be the two biggest contributors as rookies than any other players in this draft. They both have the size, athleticism, smarts, and most importantly defensive ability. Of course Morrison is NBA ready as are some of the PF's in this draft but they will only excel at one end of the court but they won't have the all around game that Roy and Brewer have. I am very surprised Brewer is not more highly touted. His shot is actually not as ugly as I thought. He gets good elevation and has nice arc and most importantly the speed of his release is about average. He needs a little more room than others in this draft to get his shot off but with his height and dribbling ability he seems to be able to get his midrange shot off effectively. I am starting to think that he should be our pick at #8 unless Roy, Gay, or Morrison falls to us, but even then him and Roy seem to be the best fits. Roy and Brewer were meant to be surrounded by all-star players, it will make them that much more dangerous.
heres my top 8 for what i believe the rockets need: 1. Andrea Bargnani- how awesome would it be to have a legitimate powerforward who can shoot? 2. Tyrus Thomas- this guy is unreal. his defense, rebounding, and overall athletic ability make him a force 3. Adam Morrison- forget the diabetes, if he shaves that stupid mustache, hes number 1 4. Brandon Roy- other than his injury problems, he is an awesome overall player 5. Rudy Gay- athletic ability and potential. thats about it so far 6. JJ Redick- clutch with an unbelievable shot from anywhere on the court 7. Ronnie Brewer- fills most of our needs. this guy would get a ton of minutes with the rockets 8. Marcus Williams- best playmaker in college basketball, bar none how about a second round top 8? 1. Leon Powe- first season of college ball he drops 20 and 10. sounds like a steal 2. Quincy Douby- if somehow he drops to us its a no brainer. this guy can light it up and he is one of the best shooters in college basketball 3. Mike Gansey- this guy is a force from beyond the arc 4. Steve Novak- the next kyle korver? sources point to duh 4. Hassan Adams- with the way this guy dunks the ball, how could u pass? Plus, you get a great steals guy 5. Craig Smith- big body craig smith is a rebounding machine. what is one of the problems that the rockets have? rebounding 6. PJ Tucker- ut grad, compared to elie, but where's the touch? nothing he cant work on. this guy could be really good 7. Allan Ray- may not be ray allen but he can light it up. 8. Brandon Brown- disappointing senior season, has potential. 8. Paul Milsap- YES I HAVE 2 NUMBER 8'S. This guy is awesome, the only drawback is that he played for LaTech
I am aware of Roy's history of knee problems, but he seems to have bounced back well from surgery and had a great season and post season run. From what I've read online and read in a couple of mags, Roy's past knee problems aren't really scaring any teams away. In regards to injuries I was speaking particularly about the team and all of the injuries that this team has had this past season.
I think that is a key phrase right there when trying to figure out this draft. I don't think there is a Tim Duncan or Hakeem or MJ anywhere in this draft. IMO there are only a couple of players that come in whith that type of potential. Rudy Gay is one of them but IMO he just has too many questions. I do think this draft is fairly deep with very good role players though and Brewer and Carney may be two of the best.
I like your first 8. not exactly like mine but I think we could use any of them on the team. Marcus Williams is interesting to me, he kind of reminds me of a short Jason Kidd. Very good playmaker but not a good shooter. Overall though, if he can average 8+ assists a game in college, imagine how many he should be able to average passing the ball to Yao and TMac. In your second 8 I really like PJ Tucker. He reminds me a lot of Mario Ellie. He is not a great shooter but is one of those guys that seem to be able to hit the clutch shot. He is another one of those guys who's motor is always running on high. He's not a great passer and his basketball IQ only seems average to me but he sure knows how to get out on the break and finishes strong at the rim.
The players I expect to be there at #32 are Steve Novak, Kevin Pittsnogle, Denham Brown and Alexander Johnson. The players that could drop into the second round include Rudy Fernandez, Mike Gansey, Shawne Williams and Saer Sene. Depending on what we still need in the draft and who is still available, my #32 pick would be (in order of preference): 1. Rudy Fernandez 2. Shawne Williams 3. Mike Gansey 4. Saer Sene 5. Alexander Johnson 6. Steve Novak 7. Denham Brown 8. Kevin Pittsnogle
but a half inch and 6 pounds is not the difference between an undersized player and one who is versatile enough to play center. which goes back to my orginal point about how you were making it seem like the difference between the two was so great, like it's aldridge or something.
You prefer Thomas. I prefer Simmons. By this time next year we will see who makes the greater impact. Thomas had one great finals game. Simmons didn't play in the finals. However, I'll still take Simmons based on observance, research, size, weight, wingspan, athleticism and pure gut hunch. I am not saying your opinion is not valid. I just like mine better because IMO he's better for the Rockets. That's all...nothing to bent out of shape over.
Both have motors and basketball IQ -- which Stromile Swift does not.[/QUOTE] I love how everyone takes shots at Stromile Swift at every opportunity. I'm not ready to write him off just yet. He's been a 10/5 guy his whole career, and if he stays that way, that's not too bad coming off the bench. I think he'll actually get more minutes backing up Yao next year than at PF. But if we can get Seattle's #10 pick or New Orleans #12, it's bye bye Stro.
I really enjoy being positive much more than negative, but after following the Rockets for the last ten miserable years, and being a long time Houston Sports fan, and after having just been through the trauma of the Texans draft (that they screwed up), I have this nagging feeling that the Rockets will find some way to completely mess up any conceivable opportunity of improving themselves. I would not be surprised if they draft someone from Europe who is not even on the board, someone CD saw on a recent vacation, or they will trade the pick for two of JVG's old NY buddies. I know this is paranoia, but I have every right to feel this way.
No team is bad forever, see the Dallas Mavericks. They were losing 50 games for 10 years, now they're winning 50 games each year. This team will have its chance... could be next year, or soon.
Given close to equal skills the thing that sets players apart is their will to be best, to do whatever it takes to dominate the game. That hasn't been more evident than watching Dwayne Wade in the last two games. I don't know much about Simmons but I gotta believe Tyrus Thomas has the heart. And if, god forbid, something every happens to Tracy he could move to the SF and in time could become the second option. I don't think for a second he would ever drop to 8 but I wouldn't pass on him for anybody in this draft. (Admittedly, my opionion is strictly for the big dance so I only saw him for a few games, he may have dogged it early in the season)
