I don't really see the point in getting Porter or Morris when we can steal Pete who is just almost as good. Pete might not be as young as Morris but Pete is a leader and we all know we could use one. Why trade up with a 5-8 pick to get into the top 3? We can get Kenyon Martin with the pick we gonna get and he the premiere defender in the country. Not to mention a lineup with Cato and Martin will be just as good defensively if not better than the spur towers. People alter their inside games just becuase of Martin remember. He's the type willing to get couple of goaltending shots in the beginning to let the opponents know that he'll contest every shot. I just thought we could get Pete cuz he'll be ther and we won't lose our depth. Pete is a top notch one-on-one defender which is a ticket to the NBA. He may not have as many weapons on offense as Morris, but he's like mobley and can create for himself. He won't die out there on the court. [This message has been edited by rocketsfan34 (edited December 10, 1999).]
If we're in the lottery, we're *not* drafting Mihm or Munoeke. I think the most talented players are: 1. Chris Porter 2. Scoonie Penn 3. Kenyan Martin I've always felt it's best to pick the most talented player in the draft, regardles of position, while you're in the top 10 picks. I mean, let's not pass up on a great player in order to fill a role.
Mihm won't be leading the fast break. He won't be finishing the fast break. He does run down court and does beat his man sometimes, not alot. It isn't highlight real type stuff. He will be the one who gets the blocks that creates the breaks. He will be the one that cleans the glass and passes up court after a miss. Perfect players don't come out of college. Mihm's assets in rebounding, blocking, and in the post justify picking him over any other 4/5 even if he doesn't run a 4.5 in the 40. He lacks NBA muscle. Shot selection isn't the greatest. He sets picks. He hits 3 pointers. Good form on the 3, but it is a slow release. He doesn't have to post up to be effective, but he can. Cato can't post up. It would be useful to have someone that could. I am partial to Mihm. He has his weaknesses. I think the rockets won't be able to win without solid rebounding. Mihm is the best rebounder, in my opinion, in college.
Players with the highest NBA ceilings are Terence Morris, Chris Porter, Morris Peterson, DeMarr Johnson, and Quentin Richardson. There are a few scouts that believe Terence Morris is a better pro prospect than his ex-Maryland teammate Steve Francis. Basically, he's a 6'8" SF that can play both guard positions. He's a lanky guy with long arms. Looks like a McGrady/Pippen type on the floor. I don't know where all this Kenyon Martin is a sure fire lottery pick is coming from because that is definately not true. At best he makes it to the end of the lottery, most likely, he gets picked in the mid 1st round. He's a great college shot blocker, but I don't see that translating to the pros. There have been countless of 6'8", 6'9" college centers that were shot blocking demons in college, but were duds in the pros. His offensive game right now consists of overpowering college players. His career scoring average in college is under 10 points a game. Career rebounding average is less than 7 a game. Horrendous free throw shooter. Anything outside of 10 feet is a roller coaster ride from him. Has a foul problem. Fouled out of 6 games last year which is a joke. At best, he is the next Theo Ratliffe. At worst, Adonal Foyle. Chris Mihm...a lot of scouts love him. I for one am not too fond of him. He reminds me of a slightly enhanced version of Travis Knight. His athleticism is very average. Very soft in the paint and uses a little too much finesse at times. Has a nice feathery touch. Shows surprising footwork. His lateral movement is painfully slow. I think scouts are building him up simply because of the lack of decent center prospects out there. I compare it to the Michael Olowakandi situation. The NBA is just so desperate for quality NBA centers and there reaching with some of these players in the lottery. Adonal Foyle is definately another example of reaching for centers. Morris Peterson has firmly entrenched himself in the lottery. Reminds me of a 6'7" Cuttino Mobley with a touch more athleticism. Scores in every imagineable way. Will do the dirty board work underneath. DeMarr Johnson is a 6'9" SG for Cincinatti. He is currently a superfrosh with very good ball handling skills and a dynamite jumper. Athleticism is in abundance with this young man. Might not take the leap to the NBA this year, but could jump in the near future. There's a boy named Mike Miller down in Florida. They are calling him a young Larry Bird. He's got some game. Good ball handler, shooter and passer. And stands at 6'8". And of course you can't be compared to Bird unless you are white, which he is. Currently a sophomore. Richardson was the freshman of the year last year for the Blue Demons. Was in the nation's top 5 in rebounding. He's 6'6" and projects to be a SG in the NBA and a sure fire lottery pick. Has shown a solid perimeter game this season. I advise everyone not to get excited about this seasons upcoming PG crop. Scoonie Penn is a fantastic college player. But the fact remains that he's a 5'10" poing guard with good(not Iverson)quickness. Think of him as Avery Johnson with a better jumper. Khalid El-Amin, Ed Cota, and Mateen Cleaves have some huge deficiencies that are going to be hard to overcome in the pros. Chris Porter started this season as a lock to be a top 3 pick. He has slipped a little with only an assurance of being a lottery pick. Most scouts project this young man to be a SF in the pros. Is currently the most athletic player in college basketball. Perimeter game is suspect at this point. He is a load around the basket. Jumps out of the gym. Ferocious rebounder. Has had quite a few disappointing games in big games. Someone mentioned Jason Collier earlier. He's a 7 footer from Georgia tech. Mid 1st rounder in all likelihood. Has terrific touch from the outside. Has shown some solid agility. I like what I saw from him. Joel Pryzbilla is a 7'1" center from Minnesota. Is the best shot blocker in college. The offensive game is a little rough and is currently just a sophomore. He is getting loads of pressure to come out early this year. Dan Gadzuric is a 6'11" sophomore from UCLA. Projects to be a center. Had a solid freshman season. Very good athleticism. Looked like the next Shaq in the McDonald's all star game. Dominated Joel Pryzbilla in that game. Could develop into something special. I'm still of fan of Brendan Haywood. 7'1" center from UNC. Has been the Robert Horry of college basketball. Being assertive at times and dominating. Being hesistant at times and overwhelmed. Currently a Junior. Has good athleticism. Has already developed a reliable jump hook. Doesn't establish the low post position as well as one would like especially considering his size. I still think he's a first rounder and could develop into a good pro center. If he consistently brings a Barkley mentality, he can become a dominant force. He has improved every year. Pete Mickael as someone mentioned earlier is the definitive leader of the Bearcats. An absolute winner with the warrior mentality that you've got to love. 6'7", projects to be a SF. Has a solid game. Needs to work on the perimeter game for the NBA. Good athleticism. Knows how to play. Mid to late 1st round. All in all, there are not too many good big man prospects or point guards. The swing positions are definately going to be the highlight of this coming draft. I think Morris Peterson right now has the best pro game i've seen in college this year. Handles it well. Creates his own shot. Works wonders without the ball. And has the NBA athleticism to boot. Terence Morris looks very promising at this point. Then again, this college basketball season is still very young. [This message has been edited by Da Man (edited December 11, 1999).]
I still think that with Anderson, and a possible draft of someone like Chris Porter, Mobley becomes redundant. Until Drew came along, I thought we might need him to back up at PG... that's not necessary anymore. I'd rather have: Cato/Hakeem Thomas/Massenburg Porter/Rogers Anderson/Mack/or other Francis/Drew than Cato/Hakeem Thomas/Massenburg Lesser draft pick/Rogers Anderson/Mobley Francis Drew Of course, we may be high enough in the lottery to make this immaterial. Yet, we *need* a small forward, and I think a high-lottery pick may vault us into the NBA's elite again.
If we are going to be lotto-bound (and with no CB4 and Dream out for 6 more weeks, it's likely) then we need to tank. Sit Hakeem and anyone else who could help us win more than 15 games this season. It worked for San Antonio...
Let me get my two cents in here. I don't want either of the two Cinncy players mentioned. Ive seen Mickeal's game and the boy can't shoot. He is an athletic College player who can dominate slower college kids. Secondly, Kenyon Martin blocks shots at 6-8 in college so what?? So did Yinka, Adonal, and a million other college athletes. This kid again has no offensive game. You are failing to undertand what the Rockets are going to lack and thats low post scoring. We have Cato who is twice as good a shot blocker as Martin will ever be. What we need his a SF who can post like a Grant Hill or Finley style. We need scoring!!I can't overemphasize this enough. I see three players that could really help the Rockets in the draft and they are as follows: Morris Peterson, Terrance Morris, and Quetin Richardson. They would be a perfect fit at the SF position on the Rockets. ------------------ Stevie Wonder says "they call him FRANCHISE because his dunks are for sale at an arena near you."
I believe Pete Mickeal can solve our problems at SF. We do not need to trade our depth to move up and nab Morris or Porter. Not worth it. Plus we should have another first rounder and I think Kenyon Martin would be a solid choice. He helps solify our PF spot. Having Theo-like player at PF ain't that bad. We just need a defensive presence that's all.
Stevie-Perhaps you have forgotten the fundamental rule of basketball. There is only one ball. Only one guy needs to score, 5 to play defense. I'm sure they can all score, but we have plenty of offense already. What we need is a solid defender at SF and PF. Don't make this team into the Lakers where they have so many people who demand the ball but can't play d.
I hope the Rockets take Jamaal Maglouire out of Kentucky? . I forgot which college he goes to. Anyway, he's a 6-9 back to the basket PF. ------------------ RKMAN "There's a new expansion football team?? At least they won't cut me." -Ed Gray
