AMENNNNNNNNN!. Read it Rudy, and break your tradition of only seniors and pick the best player available, no matter how old he is!!!! ------------------
R-R-U If Shandon leaves, which he probably will, how do you figure that we are ok at small forward that we can wait until later rounds to pick one up?????????? ------------------
Man I am so tired of hearing that Rudy T. should have taken Rashard Lewis! Rudy made two great draft picks that year, Micheal Dickerson and Cuttino Mobley. Both of those guys are as good or better than Lewis. I would have loved it if Rudy had gotten Rashard as well but damn you aren't going to hit on all of your picks all of the time! Every team in the NBA passed on Rashard in the first round. Would any of you feel better now if Seatle had picked Mobley instead of Rashard and then Rudy T. had picked Rashard? Personally I would take Cat over Rashard. Also, having two young quality 2 guards allowed us to get Steve Francis in here. Please think about 98/99 season when Rashard was drafted. We had an old team that was post oriented trying to make it back to the finals one or two more times. With Hakeem, Barkley and Pippen what did we need? Back court help! In comes Bryce Drew, Cuttino Mobley and Micheal Dickerson. The only pick that made no since was Mirsad Turcsan. So please! for the last time get the hell off of Rudy T's back! The man missed on one guy the intire league missed on in the 1st round and never had a chance to draft him in the 2nd. Thank god Rashard was gone or we might not have Cat now. ------------------ [This message has been edited by crash5179 (edited June 01, 2001).] [This message has been edited by crash5179 (edited June 01, 2001).]
I will always think our biggest draft day blunder was not missing Rashard but drafting Rodney McRay instead of Clyde 'the Glyde' Drexler! ------------------
Crash5185: How I agree! And our biggest draft bungle was when Chicago offered MJ and some other player for Ralph Sampson the day we got the dream. Think of that: the Dream, MJ and Clyde. Woof! ------------------
Gosh, I'll get it right yet. That should read: draft day "trade" bungle etc. I need coffee! ------------------
Actually, it was Portland that offered their 2nd pick and Clyde Drexler for either the Rockets first pick or Ralph Sampson. Had the Rox traded Sampson for Glyde and the 2nd pick, they could have drafted Dream and Mike, therby securing the best draft ever anywhere. ------------------ Gascon
I don't know if MJ would have turned into such a basketball icon if that trade had been made, as Olajuwon would have been anointed the man on the team, and basketball wouldn't be what it is today. ------------------ "See they pick and pick and pick. Man they picked me to death." -Steve Francis on the Utah Jazz
You're right. Basketball wouldn't be what it is today...Jordan, Dream and Glyde would all be icons and Houston would be the Mecca of the Basketball Universe with the "Big Three" probably breaking Boston's 8 championships in a row. Rewriting history is fun, but it's all a what could've been. Maybe somewhere on a parallel universe. ------------------ "I've been on a calendar, but I've never been on time." -Marilyn Monroe
Rudy has made a few good picks over the past 10 years but overall, I'd grade the picks as a C. Simply put, the Rockets did not need another 6'2 spot up jump shooting point guard when they drafted Bryce Drew. They already had Maloney and Price. I don't care about Price coming off an injury prior to that season either. There has not been an athletic SF in a Rockets uniform since Horry. Rashard Lewis at 18 years of age ideally could have learned a little under Quitten. ------------------
I am NOT trying to front you here, no disrespect intended, but .... unfortunately most NBA fans do not understand the nature of the European game. The games are not structured the same. The flow is not the same. The type of stats that demonstrate someones talent do not translate accurately to North America. The seasons involve tournaments and exhibition-type showings. More importantly, they have an external factor that is pervasive and totally unacceptable in the NBA. The sponosors & owners and other "non gametime staff" have a lot of control of who plays, how they play (shot selection, play feeding, player highlighting in a specific city, etc), when they play (in which situations in the game) and who gets the press. They can play favorites anytime they feel like it and the player either likes it or moves on with a reputation of not being "a team(read that as sponsor)player". The most celebrated players there are not necessarily the most talented nor does it have anything to do with their ability too play real (Read NBA) ball. Extrapolating all this leads to the logical conclusion that stats are not as finite a measurement to compare talent as we readily and increasingly do in the NBA. ------------------
Well at that time I think they were planning on using the post up game with Dream and Charles still as the focal point. With that in mind, the more shooters that you have the better. Rudy definitely gets an A or B+ in my book. Sure he missed on a couple of picks, but look he got Cassell, Horry, Mobely etc. He has come away with so many steals, that it's amazing. With the Horry and Cassell, he drafted the supporting players we needed for a championship. Now remeber that was when everyone wanted Harold Minor. What has Minor done lately? Without Rudy's draft picks Houston still wouldn't have a championship ------------------
I would love that deal...But IMHO, it would unfortunately be Dream taking the backseat to MJ and Clyde had we made that trade. Esp. Jordan Mike was an established guard coming out of the most respected college conference. Dream was a guy who had played basketball for about 5 years, and was drafted on potential. ------------------ Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion
