OK, well Zach Randolph and Jeff Trepaigner are eliminated from consideration. I wonder if Woods will throw a Lewis-like hissy fit if the Rockets pass over him? On a serious note, those quotes point heavily towards Loren Woods. One thing to remember-the Rockets claim to have liked the way Ken Johnson shot the ball, and his shotblocking is unquestioned. heypartner-Did Rudy mention anything about weakside shotblocking that would cue Jefferson, Morris and Battier? Interesting that Rudy hasn't heard Curry or even MJ's alleged desire White as possible #1s... ------------------ "I think alot of people find Cato's game to be very offensive." -aelliott, comparing the offensive skills of Kelvin Cato and Michael Olowokandi
I'd be very happy if somehow Woods and Jefferson fell into our laps. Hypothetically let's say Joe Johnson slips to 9, and Detroit is willing to trade him to the Rockets for Murphy or Haywood and another first. Do you pull the trigger on that trade or take Woods at 13? I'd go with Johnson. I also wouldn't be surprised at all if Woods fell to 18. If you look at the teams between 13 and 18, only two of them need a big man, and one of them, Golden State, will likely fill their big man needs with the 5th, and the other, Orlando, would probably go with a banger like Randolph or Bradley. I'd be absolutely ecstatic if we suckered the Pistons into that trade(13+23 for Johnson) and were lucky enough to land Woods. ------------------ The Smurfs were Communists [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited June 26, 2001).]
NIKE, not at ALL. When Rudy said Shotblocker he meant an eraser. He meant Cato's potential that we will never see. Rudy was specifically referring to INSIDE shotblocker. I got a distinct impression that defensive specialist perimeter players and inside thugs with no athleticism or range were in the 10-20% that he was discounting. Can we say Rudy wants to erase the Pippen and Shandon experiments from his memory, and replace Cato! In fact, he never said anything about needing defense from perimeter players. This is not my bias. I specifically looked for defense. He only mentioned it from the eraser standpoint. Everyone else would be measured by their offense. imo, I don't think perimeter defense stands up against perimeter scoring in his mind. Rudy and us may like and respect the Christies of this world, but Rudy definitely did not make mention of them. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited June 26, 2001).]
If we draft Haywood tomorrow at the 13 and trade away the other picks, I'm going to get, really really dirty pathetically slimey drunk. When I wake up, hopefully I'll be a fan of a team that has a ****ing clue. If I'm still a Rockets fan when it's all over, I'm going to tell Rudy that he's an idiot when I see him at the RMR. (like how I'm expecting the worse, in the spirit of Turn?) Get us Joe Johnson you ****ing bozo. Hell, get us Troy Murphy or Vladimir Radmonovic, but don't abandon the 18 and 23 and target a shotblocker w/ the 13.
It's ok SilentSexBoy Just remember you could be a Nets fan and they are about to trade away there best and franchise player for Poo Pie ------------------ "The things I enjoy most, I suck at: 1) Sex: everything's fine until she makes noises." - Achebe Smegs Mock Draft [This message has been edited by SmeggySmeg (edited June 26, 2001).]
tacoma park legend, I'd pull the trigger to trade up for Joe Johnson in a heart beat. As much as I HATED the move to pick up Collier last year, that would be SWEET REVENGE to use the Milwaukee pick to move up for Johnson. Johnson has been called a "5 skill" player. IMO, Johnson would fit perfectly with Cuttino and Steve. Given the rule changes in effect next year, his ball handling, court vision and good outside shooting, would be great for beating zone defenses and backcourt traps aimed at the 8 second rule. Johnson could very well become everything we hoped Walt Williams would be for us but wasn't. Lets hope "The Cat's" mock draft comes true and we trade up for Joe Johnson. KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED! We could likely still get a shot blocker in Ken Johnson, Steven Hunter or Alvin Jones at 18 or 23 (which ever we don't have to part with to move up). While I'd be happy with Loren Woods if we couldn't move up for Johnson, I'm a little concerned about his previous back problems. The Western Conference is full of bruisers in the paint, and I've already had my fill of Rocket's centers who can't stay off the injured reserve list for at least half the season. From that standpoint, a 5th year senior who played in alot of college games and set his school's record for blocked shots like Ken Johnson actually has some appeal over Cato. One of the things I love about Kenny Thomas, is that he is a bruiser who doesn't get injured much in comparison to the rest of our front court (KNOCK ON WOOD QUICK)! The more I think about it, bring on the two Johnsons!!! ------------------
