This is possible, but there's nothing that would lead one to believe it should be expected. He's just recently started to creep up from the 20's into a "near Lottery" position. To make another significant leap (let's say...pick 10-12) would be pretty crazy. Either that, or he could be getting picked for another team in some kind of swap for a later pick + player(s)/cash. Still, I'd give him a good chance of being there, and if he is, I hope we take him.
Babbitt will be drafted at 8th by the Clips, that is my bet, wait until the draft and you will see My hope is that we get up to the 6th pick by the GSW, I said before in the forum, Babbitt should be top 5 pick, if someone pick him at 6th, he is the steal of the draft PeAcE
I personally like Whiteside and have been saying so. However, I've also liked other players in the past that have turned into busts. His skillset shows such a high ceiling that unless I was absolutely sure someone else would be a better player down the line I would pick him at 14. I'm willing to wait for him to develop. A 7 footer defensive stopper with range to the 3 point line? That's unstoppable. Imagine Mehmet Okur with the ability to defend the paint and far more versatile/athletic. Who wouldn't want that?
Did Aaron really contribute his first year? If I recall, he was behind Rafer and Bobby Jackson on the depth chart. He got thrown into the playoffs when Rafer got injured but he was not effective his first year.
I'd prefer Favors, Babbitt or Cousins............in that order. Big guys, well obviously but Babbit if he came up within 14...oooh
Babbitt is the real deal, I made a thread about him in the NBA draft forum. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=187869 =============================================== This is what rockets.com had to say about Babbitt Luke Babbitt – Nevada: 20 years old, SF, 6-9, 218 Jim’s take: One of the guys he drew comparisons to, even as a high school player, was Chris Mullin. Mullin was not a very good NBA defender and if you want to sell yourself off a player, you ask that question: well who’s he going to check at the NBA level? But if you like a player enough, you look at all the things a player like Babbitt can do offensively and realize not many people are going to be able to stop him. Babbitt does it with smarts, intensity and grit. He’s also just a forward, however I really think he’ll work on his small forward game and be much more of pure 3-man a year from now He’s got a tremendous work ethic. He finished the year shooting 91.7 percent from the free throw line. To me that shows intense work ethic and focus and if you bring in a guy with those kind of raw materials, he’s going to work to cure his deficiencies and, a year from now, I think he’s going to be a 3-man and a very versatile one at that. I really like him. I saw him play two games at the WAC tournament in March and I was kind of blown away. I liked him when I saw him on video but when I saw him play in person I was so taken by his work ethic and focus. He gets his offense within the flow of the game and I think he’s gritty enough that he’s not going to be a huge liability defensively. He doesn’t have to have the ball in his hands to have an impact. He’s going to go in and slip through the cracks to grab rebounds, he’ll pass the ball and he’ll fit in even though he was his team’s leading scorer for two seasons. I really like the kid. I think he’s got the mental edge to find a way to succeed. Sometimes it’s difficult for young players to sit on the bench for long stretches and Luke will probably be one of those kids who doesn’t hit his groove until the middle of the year but I don’t think he’s going to go into one of those rookie funks because he’ll continue to work and find a way to make the coach keep him on the court for some kind of minutes. I think people are sleeping on him a bit. He doesn’t have great bounce but if you don’t apply athleticism consistently, it almost goes for naught. I think what Babbitt doesn’t have in elite athleticism he makes up for in grit, desire and focus. He’s going to work and bust his butt to make it and that really helps out with team chemistry. He doesn’t have a prima donna attitude and he’s going to go out there and try to earn it. Jason’s take: The Rockets have been searching for a pure stretch-four for quite some time now and if the team believes Babbitt can add some bulk and eventually make the transition than you’d certainly have to believe he’s be on their radar screen. If that’s the case, Houston might need to trade up to grab him. Perhaps teams were sleeping on Babbitt before but he’s been generating a great deal of buzz of late and many mock drafts are finding him in the top-10 these days. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/breaking_down_the_2010_nba_dra_2010_06_16.html
It doesn't matter he's a 20ppg scorer now. He contributed in the play-offs as a rookie. He exploded in the play-offs his sophmore year and turned into a 1st option scoring threat in his third year. If Whiteside makes similar improvements in his career he will be a tremendous success and a player worthy of the 14th pick of the draft.
Absolutely not. I was thinking in generic terms. I am really tired of the conventional wisdom saying that we pick the best talent, and then comes the regular season, I see myself screaming at the TV about our lack of size. We are going to get Yao back. We have Hill. We need another big. This team is really not far away from being a contender, and godzilla size would really help us get there.
Just say no. By the time he can come onto the NBA floor and contribute anything to this team he will be a restricted FA. You go BPA at 14 and if George Henry or even Bledsoe is there you should take them.
i have my doubts. i like his size and potential, but would hate to see the pick wasted if he's a bust. i'd rather see us trade the pick with another player or pick for an established big.
If the Rockets draft Whiteside, he wont get significant minutes. He is going to take ALOT of time to develop. Everyone knows the Rockets are in win now mode, it doesn't make sense to take a project player like Whiteside. I'd rather get Aldrich, Babbitt, or Patterson if available @ 14.
That's also NOT Hassan Whiteside. He shot 5 threes (college threes at that) and made 3 of them. That small sample size coupled with a .588 FT% basically indicates that he got lucky a few times.
He played nearly 20 minutes per night in April, for a team that was positioning itself for home court advantage in the playoffs, and averaged 10 points on 49/44/88% shooting. So no, he didn't start the year in the rotation (neither did Landry) but he did finish it. My point is, Morey always says players aren't expected to see significant minutes their first year, yet they always do at some point. Why not draft someone who's ready to produce in those minutes?
Wow you must really like Luke Babbit, the way you describe him he sounds like the best player in the entire draft. Kinda' funny though because imho he has a higher bust rate than Whiteside We'll see if he's athletic enough to play in the league, I haven't seen a tweener like him become a superstar player yet with the exception of Dirk Nowitzki. Even if he pans out, I don't see how a "stretch four" will help our cause. I mean, having a stretch four didn't really help DH, and he's a better rebounder and shot blocker than Yao Ming. I agree with the OP, no need to get NBA ready players if its just a 3-4 player. How is he gonna get PT behind Ariza/C-bud and Scola/Hill? I guess you can say we can trade the other guys to make room for him but what kind of player can you get with C-bud/Hill that's better than getting a high upside C like Whiteside?
What have I said that make you think I like Luke Babbitt more than anyone else in the draft? And what makes you wonder if he's athletic enough to play in the league? Also, how do you know that a stretch 4 doesn't help Dwight Howard? The year Rashard Lewis came to Orlando, Dwight's scoring and rebounding saw huge increases.
The issue of a stretch 4 is: what do we do with Luis Scola? and where can we get shotblocking from in our starting lineup besides Yao? I think the best fit next to Yao at PF is (in order of importance) a 1) shotblocking, 2) rebounding-focused power forward with a 3) decent jumper to somewhat stretch the defense, like Carl Landry and Luis Scola's. Whiteside's profile fits that to a T. I believe Whiteside can be a Kelvin Cato with a jumper in his rookie season. His lack of polish is more in his post game, frame, and his understanding of team sets on offense and defense, not his shotblocking, rebounding, and shooting, which is what the perfect PF next to Yao should have, and he already possesses. I think the strength issues for Whiteside are mitigated if he plays Power Forward instead of Center.
