This trade doesn't really help the Rockets unless we send Shai to a 3rd team for a bad contract and more assets. Shai would play one season and either leave, or get overpaid by us. I might be a good move if we could trade him to a title competitor at the deadline.
Mannn. I think We should package 23/24 to move up. We have wayyy too many young mouths to feed on this team. KJ, Brooks, KPJ, Green and now throw in Wood, Wall, Tate, Khyri. I havent even included Gordon/House/DJ Augustin If we bring in 3 rookies can we even guarantee consistent PT for them?? We’ll prolly have to send 23/24 to the g league
Actually, it looks like it was updated : that mock looks like it says Green, Garuba, and Springer to the Rockets.
Isaiah Todd????? If @ch44 rumor comes to fruition in drafting Todd then I hope to heaven Dalano Banton is real deal.
Josh Christopher and Isaiah Todd are worth keeping an eye on due to their friendship with Green. Is Todd a reach at 24? I’ve seen him at 24 in Kevin O’Connor’s mock. I’ve also seen him linked to Nets at the end of the first round. Seems like late 1st/early 2nd. I think Stone can afford to take him at 24 as an upside pick, but feel there will be at least 5 notable guys available. I see a notable guard falling. Tre Mann, Sharife Cooper, and Jaden Springer are a few names. Ziaire Williams is an upside pick with value that differs. Speaks a lot about how deep this draft is. Confident Stone and his guys have done extensive research and know what they’re doing
Isaiah Jackson Eastern Conference Executive 3: Freak athlete. The unique thing about him, or where people could have questions about him, is when is the last Kentucky team that lost like this? I’m not saying it’s on him, but I think people are looking at him and (wing) B.J. Boston and wondering what happened. You have to dig a little deeper on him. How are you going to develop him to where he’s at least a midrange shooter? I think he’s going to run the floor, I think he’s going to rebound, I think he’s going to block shots. Day’Ron Sharpe College Head Coach 1 (his team played North Carolina): Big time big athlete, big body. I don’t think he has perimeter skills. He can rebound, he can run, he’s athletic. He’s the guy that turns into a guy who has staying power, because he does all the things you need to do. He’s got the body to do it. And he’s mobile. When we played them, we tried to make their bigs just chase him around. But I thought he stood out because he was so big. He could be a big-time rebounder. I don’t know that I walked away from that game, that day, blown away, but when he walks on the court, he’s like an amazon walking out there. College Assistant Coach 2 (his team also played North Carolina): I like Sharpe a lot. Sharpe is a perfect example of a guy who goes to Carolina, and it’s the only place in the country that has six big guys. We’re killing ourselves to get one big guy, and they have four. His numbers probably would have been inflated almost anywhere else. I think he’s got an ability to stretch it better than we realize at this point. I’m bullish on Sharpe. The way he shoots free throws, 15-footers. I’ve heard he has made a ton of shots in these workouts. I really like him. (Defensively), would he be a switchable guy some day? That’s the question mark. That’s not really what they do, so it’s hard to see. But he’s plenty athletic. He’s got gifts. Charles Bassey College Head Coach 2 (his team played Western Kentucky): He’ll make it. I personally don’t ever see him being a star. He is 100 percent a center. He’s not a guy that’s going to learn to be the four-man. He is a worker. He’s a hard hat, blue-collar guy, and has been since he was a freshman. He’ll give good effort. He doesn’t mind banging. But he’s not this really, really skilled (guy). He has certain kinds of athleticism, but he’s not running around like some of those guys. He can shoot the college 3 with a little bit of time and space, makes his free throws. Not a great passer out of the low post. I don’t know that that matters, because in the NBA it doesn’t seem like they defend the low post much, anyway. And he really has problems with ball screens. I do not see him being able to switch ball screens … basically giving up the midrange jumper, that’s the best he can do, because he can’t switch it. He was the guy that I respected. Maybe overrated coming in. Everyone was saying he’s going to dominate Conference USA. He was a really good player. He was first-team all-league two of the three years he was here. But I can’t say that he dominated. RaiQuan Gray College Assistant Coach 2 (his team played Florida State): Maybe he is a little more Draymond (Green)-ish than we thought. But he also is a byproduct of how they play. The question for him will be, he’s not a guy that, at this point, statistically, has made a lot of 3s. So how does it work for a guy who’s undersized out there who is kind of a playmaker? He’s a big, strong kid. He’s pretty good with the ball. But how does it work to have him out there as a non-shooter? Greg Brown Western Conference Executive 2: He might have been one of Shaka (Smart)’s highest recruits ever since he’d been at Texas, so he was coming in with this huge burden and hype of coming in right away and contributing. I think he shot to begin the year, he was like (10 of 33), and then his confidence absolutely sunk. Shaka couldn’t play him unless he got the offensive rebound or he dribbled it to the basket with tunnel vision. Defensively, did he buy in? Absolutely. Was he an absolutely phenomenal rebounder? He tried to play hard. But college teams are just as experienced with tendencies as NBA teams. He’s playing Texas Tech twice, he’s playing Kansas twice, he’s playing OU twice. Those guys are scouting him and know what he can and can’t do offensively, and they dared him to shoot. And it’s not he was going to play with guards that were going to make him shine and make it easier for him. But you can’t doubt the kid’s motor and his energy, his athleticism. That stuff, he is an A-plus in. Filip Petrušev Eastern Conference Executive 4: He’s fairly skilled. He’s still trying to figure out how to stretch out and be consistent shooting the ball. The league is going away from that kind of player. But I think he gets his name called. …. if (his representatives) have a plan and are willing to have him get drafted and get a buyout and go on a two-way and do some sort of development plan, and it’s a good team, then, yeah, I could see him go somewhere in the 40s, and at worst the 50s. Teams that have multiple picks, if they can’t package into a future asset, he’s sort of a very easy stash guy or an easy development guy, because he’s already in a situation in Europe. They’ll move him to a different club and he can grow over there and you can bring him over when you’re ready. Or, you can bring him over now and sort of play him halfway on your big club, halfway in the G League, and have him get used to trying to use his new skill set against American players. He was just a low-block player. He went to Europe to expand his game and be allowed to shoot 3s and be allowed to play facing the basket. There’s been mixed results. There were games when he shot it well and there were games where you’re like, okay, this is a low-post guy who’s still trying to get there. Good low-block guy. He can turn over both shoulders, he’s very well skilled playing on the block, as most Serbian guys are. Luka Garza College assistant coach 3 (his team played Iowa): He is tremendous. We doubled him immediately. Everybody has to. And he has kicked everybody’s rear end. … He’s slow of foot, he’s not going to be great (defending) screen-and-roll, but those guys like (Brook) Lopez, the Joker, that’s what they do – they drop and plug. The kid can shoot 3s. He can score in the post. He doesn’t have great lift and lateral quickness. We played him with (a small) and he couldn’t get to him. So they made the adjustment, and he played our four man. But the guy is a walking double-double. And last year, when he pulled his name out of the draft, all these NBA guys were calling. And they asked me about (Maryland’s) Jaden Smith, and they asked me about (Minnesota’s Daniel) Oturu. And I said ‘you’re not asking me about the best player. Why aren’t you asking me about the best player? What about Garza?’ And they said ‘well, we’re worried about his foot speed, and whether he can defend, and if he guards a stretch five, you have to switch.’ I said ‘watch the games.’ I like him if he goes to the right team that will utilize him. Sandro Mamukelashvili College head coach 1 (his team played Seton Hall): Mamu, I think he could be the steal of the draft. He’s really skilled. He can really pass, he can shoot it, he’s big as ****, he’s mobile. Now, he’s a little older (22). And I thought their team sucked this year, and I thought they were good because of him. He did everything. He brought it up the floor, he rebounded, he made shots, they isolated him. He’s got the Euro feel, but he’s got the American impact to him. And I think (Seton Hall’s) Kevin (Willard) is a good coach. He can be a steal in the draft. If he can shoot it, there’s no reason why he can’t be a pro that has a sustainable career. I love him. He’s a little like (former Magic and Rockets forward) Ryan Anderson. They’re a little different, but similar. He’s got some of the Troy Murphy in him, taking it back. He can shoot it, he can put it on the deck. He’s big, he’ll break you down a little bit. I thought he was like a chameleon. He could adapt to whatever environment you had. They didn’t have enough horsepower. Early in the year, he was getting 20 and 10. And I thought he just got worn down. They didn’t have a point guard, they didn’t have Myles Powell. They were setting ball screens for him in transition. Yves Pons College Head Coach 3 (his team played Tennessee): Strengths – one of the best athletes in the country. Incredible timing. He’s not super tall but can block anyone’s shot. Elite weakside defender. Can guard one through four. Good feet. Offensively his strength is inside. Excellent second jumper. Don’t let him get back his own shot. Tip dunks and lobs. Has improved as a shooter over three years. Good turnaround jumper to his left hand. Good motor. Plays hard. No definable offensive skill. Not a great ball handler. Doesn’t have a ton of moves. Wish he had more of a perimeter skill set. What we took away was lobs and offensive rebounds. Closeout short and make him shoot a contested jumper. Take away his left hand on all post-ups and drives. Look for the shot fake! Moses Wright Western Conference Executive 2: Moses helped himself at Chicago, because he played well the two days. He’s going to spend a lot of his time in the G League.
Usman Garuba Eastern Conference Executive 4: Still trying to figure out his perimeter shot. He can make a corner 3 on occasion. The form isn’t great. It isn’t funky, but it isn’t something you can project it where, oh, yeah, this guy’s going to be able to shoot it down the line. He needs to tweak some things with that. If he can do that, and be a serviceable corner-3 guy … Unbelievable motor. He’s one of these guys where a coach is going to put him on the floor because he’s going to make something happen. He’s going to get a steal, he’s going to get a block, he’s going to get a rebound. That’s just who he’s been his entire career. He’ll be able to guard NBA players, for sure. For sure. And especially when he gets over here and starts to understand who the best 350 players in the world are. Right now, he’s guarding guys, and it’s like it’s the first time he’s ever seen these guys. Once he starts to understand what each guy’s skill set is, what their strengths and weaknesses are, he’s a really intelligent kid. Very, very mature for his age. Practiced with the seniors (at Real) for two or three years before he started actually playing with them. He’s been around senior-level basketball for a long time. For him, it’s just not a lot of upside in terms of offensive upside. But, in terms of high-level role player, and if that 3-ball comes along, he could be a good rotation player in the NBA. Some people project him really high. For me, it would be much better for him to go in the 20s. I think that would be a better landing spot for him. He’d be a pleasant surprise, versus someone trying to reach for him at 15, 16, and him sort of not living up to that draft slot. He should be like 18, 19 through 27, somewhere in there. The later he goes, the better value he’s going to be. He will play NBA minutes. Because he’s just that type of motor, toughness, aggressiveness. He’ll play on that rookie deal. He will. I just don’t know how good he’ll end up being. Kai Jones Western Conference Executive 2: (He’s) 6-foot-11 and runs like a gazelle. He can shoot a 3 today already. Defensively, though he’s not going to be a true big – we think he’s going to float more to the perimeter – his talent, in two to three years, will be much higher … Kai, today, shoots a corner 3 effortlessly. He can put it on the floor to the basket and finish. Granted, there’s going to be some development with Kai. … If you re-draft, like we always do, in three to four years with this class, if they hit it, he should have been taken a lot higher. Guys that are 6-foot-11, and are as athletic as him, and can shoot and space the floor already, they’re only in one place. It’s not like they’re in the G League or they’re playing in Spain or they’re playing in China. They’re in the NBA. … He’s not going to guard Jokic. He’s going to guard the JaMychal Greens of the world, Jerami Grants. He’s not going to bang. That’s who he guards. In a year-and-a-half, two years, yes. Is he going to have to figure out a little bit this year, thrown into the fire? Of course. But the kid’s a worker. He’s a good kid. So he’ll figure it out. Eastern Conference Executive 2: He didn’t really get a chance to show what he could do until the last two weeks of his college career, when Greg Brown started to struggle a little bit. … He seems intriguing with his size. He hasn’t been playing basketball very long, so who knows what else is there? Eastern Conference Executive 3: The league, some years back, started drafting guys with incomplete resumes. A lot of the one-and-dones have incomplete resumes. (Kevin Durant) had a great one-and-done season. A lot of guys show flashes in the tournament, or the last five or six games of the league. Let’s trust our development component, and two or three from now he becomes a real player. After you get outside the lottery, and I can argue the back of the lottery, you start looking at the talent and the potential. You say ‘who’s the guy that maybe we can draft at 15 that one day might have been good enough to be drafted in the top five?’ A couple of our scouts really like him, into his athleticism, his ability to run. Everyone’s into ‘will he be able to step out and shoot?’ And we think he might be able to do that.
I'm on Jalen Green at 2. 23 / 24 is hard as I don't know who's going to be available. And drafts can be so wildly different Jalen Johnson is top 10 in some boards and going to us at 23 here https://nbadraftroom.com/p/2021-nba-mock-draft/ I like Zaire Williams, Josh Giddey, Tre Mann, Dosunmu, Garuba, Jackson are options I like. If available. I still want to trade 24 for a 34 & 43 from the Pels to pick up Grimes & Brown
https://theathletic.com/2738332/202...icks-and-the-latest-hes-hearing-on-draft-day/ 2. Houston Rockets – Jalen Green, G, G League, 19 years old Some people believe Jalen Green is the absolute best prospect available after Cunningham, and that’s why the Houston Rockets are selecting him. Some people believe Green is the easiest prospect to market, and the Rockets are getting him to help with team interest instead of saddling Evan Mobley with that ticket-selling aspect of things. Regardless of the motivations of the Rockets selecting Green at 2, the result should be tremendous for the rebuilding prospects of this Houston franchise. Green is going to come out of the gates with a star quality and an incendiary ability to score the basketball. There are plenty of things to iron out with his game. There will be plenty of bruises he has to endure along the way. But at some point, the Rockets will have one of the best scorers in the NBA as the foundation of their franchise. Green’s ability to explode to a spot on the floor and then lift off for the jumper or the propulsion toward the rim is otherworldly. He’ll need to figure out how to keep the ball and offense moving, but Green is a star in the making. Is there an alternative pick? I’m still holding out hope there has been some crazy smokescreen to have the Rockets end up with Evan Mobley. That’s not a knock on Jalen Green. I just think Mobely would be a fascinating pick for the Rockets, but Green feels like the lock here. 23. Houston Rockets (via Portland) – Jalen Johnson, F, Duke, 19 years old Previous pick: Alperen Sengun I’ve heard that Jalen Johnson could sneak into the top 10 in this draft, and I’ve heard he could fall to the mid-20s. The biggest concern people have for him is whether or not he’s dedicated. The talent and physical makeup are so remarkable that I think you roll the dice on him much earlier in the draft and just develop his game more. If he falls to Houston at 23, that’s a steal for a rebuilding team. They’d have him, Jalen Green, and Kevin Porter Jr. as guys they can put 2-4 on the court at any given time. Is there an alternative pick? Sharife Cooper, Miles McBride, and Nah’Shon Hyland make a ton of sense here. John Wall isn’t the point guard of the future here, so grab a guy you can develop at that position. 24. Houston Rockets (via Milwaukee) – Miles McBride, PG, West Virginia, 20 years old Previous pick: Trey Murphy I just told you John Wall isn’t the point guard of the future in Houston, so maybe grab someone who can develop into that. Miles McBride is a very intriguing point guard prospect. He’s not a great playmaker for others, but he can get the job done. I think putting him under Stephen Silas gives him the opportunity to flesh out his offensive upside. We know he can score, so how do you turn that into something that benefits everybody else on the floor? Is there an alternative pick? If you’re going point guard, Sharife Cooper. If you want the best player available, it might be Jaden Springer. If you want a fun forward project, Isaiah Todd or JT Thor would be the guy here
1. Cade Cunningham - League sources say teams continue to pepper the Pistons with offers for the no. 1 pick in hopes of selecting Cade Cunningham. As of late Wednesday night, executives around the league are still predicting that Detroit will stay put and draft Cunningham, but there is at least increased chatter about the possibility of a trade down, or an outright selection of Jalen Green. Green had an outstanding workout with Detroit last week that has, at the very least, left some front office members considering the possibilities. Still, Cunningham remains the favorite to have his name called first Thursday night. 2. Jalen Green - The Rockets lost James Harden last season, but drafting Green would provide new hope for the franchise. Green is a high-flying guard with electric go-to scoring talent. He showed major flashes in the G League while making progress as a passer. 23. Sharife Cooper - Cooper’s stock is difficult to pin. He’s been tied to teams in the teens, but depending on how the board falls he could slip into the 20s. Improving his jump shot will be key to his success, but he’d be a nice playmaker and could grow in a backcourt with a scorer like Jalen Green. 24. Isaiah Jackson - Jackson’s draft stock ranges from the middle of the first round to around this spot, and he would provide an athletic lob threat in the frontcourt alongside Christian Wood. Jackson will require years of skill development, but building years of chemistry with Jalen Green and Wood could pay off down the line when Houston hopes to contend again.
https://theathletic.com/2730160/202...kely-to-pistons-at-no-1-plus-more-trade-news/ https://theathletic.com/2738332/202...icks-and-the-latest-hes-hearing-on-draft-day/ can I get both of these? @J.R.
This might be the absolute best case scenario! Wow. Garuba may be the best player next to Wood. Williams has legit wing skills - some mocked him in the top 10! Im equal on Jalen Johnson and Williams so either one of those guys with a punisher like GAruba? Sign me up!
