Is it a little surprising to anyone else that some would have the #15 pick in the draft be a high-schooler and expect him to be a significant contributor in any way right off. Who else has done that?
I hope we can grab Stoudemire, but he won't be around at #15. We will have to move up to around #10 and pray Phoenix doesn't draft him at #9. I agree with prior posters that he will not have an impact next year (except to show flashes of future stardom as Eddie Griffin did last year). The Rockets will be tempted to get size (Marcus) to back up Ming or a new pure shooter at SF. However, if the Rockets want a huge (albeit slow) presence in the paint -- just draft Chris Christoffersen deep in the second round. SF actually can wait because, with Ming in the middle and gunners (Steve, Cat and Taylor/Griffin) running all over the floor, Glen Rice can camp around the art and rain treys all game long. For some strange reason, I have high hopes for Rice this year. He won't be mobile, but I think he will score enough to offset his defensive liabilities (which may not be so bad if he has healed during this long break). IMO, Rice will give the Rocks time to find out whether Griffin will bulk up to be a PF or remain a SF. Either way, Eddie is going to be a star, although I hope he defines what is becoming the new prototype for SF, i.e., a TALL, strong, powerful rebounding, sweet-shooting SF who can score from anywhere on the floor. When Stoudemire matures, think of a front court of Amare, Ming and Eddie with Frances and Mobley in the back court. As Dreamshake said, "That's scary."
I think the Rockets will convey #15 to Memphis or try to use #15 and KT for vet help. I just have this feeling that the Les's timeline to win doesn't include someone like Stoudamire unless Amare has a phenomenal workout. Then again, if I'm wrong thumbs will be the Draft Day God!
I can fill in some of the questions about Stoudamire's game. About his offensive game....yep its terrible. He has absolutely zero goto moves and very little perimter game. Thats the bad part. The good part is that he is a very, very nasty competitor and athlete. We're talking Shawn Kemp with the Sonics here. He's fearless around the basket and will try to dunk on anything that moves. He's a very quick leaper and thats going to help him grow defensively very quickly I think.
Guys, Eddie Griffin is not a SF at all... What just because he shot 3's this past season doesn't mean he won't be a PF... Amare Stoudamire will not be playing much next season just like Mr. Brown who is bigger than Stoudamire at 6'11/250 didn't play much... Eddie Griffin wasn't physically ready to play the 4 but he did it anyway... The offense we ran had him using his shooting ability... Not being physically strong enough was a problem for Griffin especially when posting up(You have to be strong inside the post and he wasn't last season)... Eddie Griffin is our PF of the future... Kenny Thomas is not a SF either... Nachbar is the guy that will be chosen at #15 unless Butler falls, which he won't.... We need a good perimeter shooter at the 3... SF is a need position... I would love to add Rashard Lewis with a trade of the #15 pick and Kenny Thomas... I like Kenny Thomas but PF is getting crowded... This trade probably won't happen mainly because we still need to see is Maurice Taylor will be 100% next season... If Taylor is not 100% next season, trading Thomas would be a terrible choice... So at #15 it will be a SF Nachbar or whomever is a SF...
This is just a prediction: Dunleavy Butler Tsiki Woods Jefferies Nachbar all gone before we pick at 15. No SF of note will be left on the board unless anyone considers Rod Grizzard a good SF option.
I say we take Nene if he is still left. The guy is compared to The Dream at Nbadraft.net for crying out loud...........
I do not mean to be disrespectful, EddieWS, but every player is the next whomever. In this case, let Hilario be the next Hilario, for better or for worse. Thank goodness, there will never be another Dream -- I'd hate to split my idol worship.
crash-if that's the case, then it means loads of athletic big men are available. Even if you assume those 6 are gone, and that Ming and Williams are gone, there's 8 of your 15. That leaves: Dejuan Wagner, Drew Gooden, Chris Wilcox, Maybyner Hilario, Kareem Rush, Curtis Borchardt, Amare Stoudemire, Melvin Ely, Chris Marcus, Marcus Haislip. AT LEAST 4 of those guys would be available, and wouldn't Orlando love to have Stoudemire? Tell them it'll cost them Miller for Stoudemire and Thomas. Same for Indy, if Chris Marcus is there ask for Artest. Or, worst case, draft a big man for yourself, and pick up an extra pick to take Chris Jeffries, Rod Grizzard, Tayshaun Prince, or Vincent Yarbrough, whatever you desire.
I posted this in Doc Rocket's "Here it is" thread, but it's probably worth reposting here: The reports on Stoudamire might not be completely accurate. Here's a blurb from ESPN Insider: <b><i> Speaking of Stoudemire, don't believe everything you read when it comes to teams praising certain players after workouts. There are a lot of smoke screens being set around the NBA this time of the year. Want an example? The Magic absolutely gushed over high school phenom Amare Stoudemire's workout Monday. "He's never looked like a high school player," Magic GM John Gabriel told the Orlando Sentinel. "He's mature beyond his years. He's right up there with the most physically ready-to-play-the-game underclassmen that we've ever seen. . . It's hard this early to predict where someone is going to be drafted. If things don't go well for him in the workout process, he could be there at 18, but he's of the talent to [be picked ahead] of where we are now." However, a source inside the workouts told Insider that it didn't quite play out that way. Stoudemire was lit up by Notre Dame's Ryan Humphrey for much of the workout and actually ended it early after he couldn't get his wind. The Magic weren't that impressed. </i></b> Don't neccessarily assume that Orlando is that high on Stoudamire.
FWIW - I would compare Kareem Rush to Glen Rice. For both of them scoring is their strenth, but they're still relatively versatile and athletic players. (I'm a Mizzou fan, so I've seen most of Rush's games in college.) Kareem might be a little more athletic and has tremendous body control. Also will play sucessfully through injuries. Downside is Kareem is 6'6 which is getting 'short' for a swingman. He's also not a really intense defender or super-athletic.
I actually think a group of four players will probably be available for our 15th pick. They are: 1. Marcus Haislip 2. Jared Jeffries 3. Bostjan Nachbar 4. Amare Stoudemaire *Personally, I'd take the "best" available player on our board regardless of whether he is a SF or PF! This is the order of who I would take if available: 1. Bostjan Nachbar 2. Jared Jeffries 3. Marcus Haislip 4. Amare Stoudemaire(I'm NOT sold on this kid at all! I'd actually take Rod Grizzard or Chris Jeffries OVER Amare! However, I think the Rockets will stick to their board and take one of the four I listed.)
If you look at Rush as a backup....he looks good. The Rocks need better depth at guard if the Rockets are going to live and die by the guard. Rush could keep Francis at the 1 and TLD on the bench more.
All that said, does MEM still have the option of taking the pick? Hi NewRoxFan. We owe Memphis a #1 and since we have the #1 but may be in the lottery next year it might be wise to send them this year's #15 instead of next year's (say) #13. However, we have the option of offering them the pick or not and they have the right to refuse and wait till next year. We might not offer if because this is a deep draft and we could easily find a starter at #15. Adding two good players through the draft, plus the returns of Taylor and Rice, might get us into the playoffs, even in the west, meaning next year we would send Memphis a pick in the 16-18 range instead of the lottery. It's a gamble, but that's why they call it the "lottery." wouldn't Orlando love to have Stoudemire? Tell them it'll cost them Miller for Stoudemire and Thomas. Same for Indy, if Chris Marcus is there ask for Artest. NIKEstrad, why would Indy give up Artest for Marcus when they have Brad Miller? And Miller for Stoudemire and Thomas? Talk about overpriced! Or, worst case, draft a big man for yourself, and pick up an extra pick to take Chris Jeffries, Rod Grizzard, Tayshaun Prince, or Vincent Yarbrough, whatever you desire. I'd say Prince. He's a risk because he's a 'tweener': too slight for a 4, too slow for a 3, but he's a smart player who plays D, manages to find a way to score, and comes up big in big games. I'd compare him to Reggie Miller. Yarbrough is just the opposite. The bigger the game, the smaller he gets. He's second round material IMO. I'm intrigued by Nachbar, but unconvinced by the argument "he's the guy who kept Tskitishvili on the bench." N.T. arrived in Bennetton at midseason and it would have been foolish to mess with the chemistry of a team aiming for the championship. There's no reason at all to believe he wouldn't badly outplay Nachbar if they both returned to Italy next year. (Of course, there's also no reason to believe he would!) I would love to add Rashard Lewis with a trade of the #15 pick and Kenny Thomas TIburon, I would also love to pick up Lewis, but not at this price. KT is our best 4 right now hands down. He's better inside than Taylor, at least as good defensively, and light years better on the boards. Next year or the year after, Griffin may start at the 4, but that's just guesswork right now. Until then, we should keep him and KT. I'm also not crazy about Mike Miller, although he's an excellent scorer. I just don't think he's going to start for a championship team, and that's what we should be thinking now. (Not that we're ready to do that, mind you, but we should be evaluating players with that in mind. Battier fits that mold.) Truth be told, I'd probably be happy to trade the #1 and the #15 to Golden State for the #3 and their first round pick next year. Then use the #3 on Caron Butler, send our #1 to Memphis next year, and be in the lottery again with GS's #1. Then we'd have a shot at LeBron James or Kendrick Perkins or whoever. (Just to find the name of a possible 2003 first round pick, I went to nbadraft.net. Did you know it's only 394 days, 4 hours, 30 minutes, and 5 seconds until the 2003 draft??? Talk about obsessive... )
ricealum-The Pacers still need bulk. Everything I've heard says O'Neal HATES playing center. After Miller they have? Teams can always use big man depth, especially the Pacers. Miller won't lay 82 games a year. In general, most people's mocks have similar general ideas. IMO, there's 6 top 5 players, but only 5 top 5 slots-and that 6th guy seems to be at a position of redundancy, causing him to fall to 9th or 10th.
