Dunno if the Rockets have a 1st rd pick this year, but if so I think they should trade the pick(s) unless they are picking #1 or 2 for an current player or for a future pick(s). This year's upcoming draft has to be the worst. Aside from Lebron James and that European player there are no sure things. There are still ?s on James' game. We don't want another Rodrick Rhodes. I know I'm looking 2 far into the future, but hey I love this game!
Well actually I have some sources telling me that the Rockets have been scouting a few players,which induce the fact that they might be trying to keep the pic... Just my interpretation... ALA
there's also another 7'6 guy in this year's draft. maybe the rockets will pick him up in the second round.
We've had enough draft picks and the youth that comes with it. It's time to use other avenues....trades, FA's, MLE...
a la, the Rockets (and every team, I imagine) are always scouting "just in case." I won't think it meant that they expect to have a 1st round pick, only that they want to be prepared if they somehow happen to get one. JBC, no I wouldn't. Why gamble on a draft pick -- even top 3 -- when you have a known commodity and success in Francis?
Francis, at this point, is more valuable than a top 3 pick. Yao is too. Anyone else on the Rockets' squad in any combination would, however, be worth a top 3 pick. We need to get rid of Moochie's, Taylors, Rice's, Cato's contracts if we want to improve the roster in the offseason. Well, Rice only has one more year left, possibly making him trade bait for a team that needs cap space after the 2003-2004 season. Cato has shown this season that he is and can be a good center. I believe he is our best option to free up cap room. A team desperate for a center might really see the value in offering the Rox draft picks, trades, or money. Fine by me. I guess what I'm getting at is that some changes are in order here if the Rockets want to become a better team. They haven't showed us that they can be a good team with the roster as it is, no matter how much potential talent they have. Houston is already so young, so I'm not sure if the draft is really the answer. We need to go the free agency direction and the name Elton Brand comes to mind. He's a FA this offseason and would be an incredible addition and building block to this team for now and the future. We just need to find the cap space to go after him. Steve Francis, Elton Brand, and Yao Ming on the court at the same time would be as formidable, and super talented core of players you would find in the NBA on one team. I'm not really worried about breaking up the other guys or trading Mobley, Griffin, Cato, Morris, Posey, Norris, etc.... You can always find consistent role players and hard workers to fill the voids left by any one of those guys. With a nucleus like Francis, Brand, and Yao, it really wouldn't matter if the rest of the team isn't as potentially talented as it might be right now. Maybe this is too drastic, or maybe I'm out of line, but the truth remains, that the Rockets can't keep putting the same mediocre and underachieving product on the hard wood season after season and expect their faithfull fans to keep their support. Something needs to be checked, stretched, tinkered with, traded, fired, signed, and retooled in order to get this team going, and in my opinion it starts by getting rid of bogus contracts and adding guys like Brand.
I would really consider Francis for a top 3 pick. If the Rocket scouts are impressed with Darko the way they were with Yao, I would make the trade. If Carmelo shows he’s athletic enough to play in the NBA, I would make the trade. For Lebron, I would probably make the trade no matter what. Just because it’s taken Francis and Cat FOREVER to mature doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll take Lebron, Darko, or Carmelo forever. Some players are just blessed. They understand how to play the game with their mind. They see the court in a different way. Just look at Yao. He’s come in and shown more maturity in his rookie season than Steve and Cat have in all of their 4+ seasons.
As much as I like Steve I might pull the trigger on a Steve for 3rd pick trade. I am not one of those people that thinks Steve is what's wrong with our team, in fact i think he's one of the few bright spots. However the top three are pretty much garunteed franchise players. You've got Lebron, Darko, and Carmelo. All are easily go to players their first year at the least and within 3-4 they are franchise players. Another reason I would do this is that we have no players at the three and four (perhaps Mo) who can create for themselves. All three of these can do this and all we would need from a pg would be to get the ball up the court and start the play off.
You forgot about great players like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh. These guys are going to be great in the future. The top four players in this draft are probably future all-stars. I don't agree with you when you say this draft has to be the worst. Bosh and Anthony are exceptional!
Bosh is not exceptional by any means. He is a big time potential pick. He is a 'potential' good player. Typically guys who are tall/atheltic/and can move will go high in drafts. Does not mean that they will be good. I.E Stromile Swift(2nd Pick) Shawn Bradely(2nd pick) Chris Wilcox(7th pick). Bosh played some guard when he was young but he did not dominate the in the ACC where the was a huge lack of inside players. I am not very impressed with him. I would take Okafor from UConn over him if he entered. Now would I trade Steve for a top 3 pick? No. Would I trade Steve for a top 2 pick? Maybe. Would I trade Steve for Lebron? Definitely. No team in the league would trade Steve for Lebron though so it wont happen. Ill take my chances with Steve over Carmelo at this point. The best Carmelo can be is Paul Pierce. I love Steve's game now and his desire to improve. For as great as he is now, he will be better. Lebron James though.....hes the "Chosen One" how can you go against that? Anyguy they call a hyrbrid between "Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson" should be taken 1st in any draft.
Would anybody on here trade Francis, Griffin and next years first rounder for the 1st pick and LaBron James? I would trade Mobley and Griffin for a chance to draft Carmelo Anthony. What do you all think?
The only player I would consider trading Steve for is LeBron. But my point is that Botllerocket left out great players like Bosh and Anthony. And I really disagree with you on Bosh. You can't possibly compare him to Swift, Bradley and Wilcox. He is an freshman for a very good team(Georgia tech). And he is tearing it up! 15.7 ppg, 9 rebs and 2.1blk. This already powerful PF can also shot the ball very well. He can shot from the outside already. Maybe not the NBA 3, but he can shoot the college 3 very well. I really think Bosh will be the next (Garnett/Duncan). He is only 19 years old. Think about his stats and develop potential at 19 years of age.
The mobley Griffin trade sounds really good! I really liked that one. I love Carmelo and that would be a great trade for the Rox. I liked that one
Darko is still a project. Lebron is a project too...he's not instant success. I'm keeping Francis and Yao. But any others on the Rockets could be traded for Lebron James, Darko, or Carmelo... And there is a 7'6" guy in the draft!!! I posted about him a couple weeks ago...He should be picked from #20 - #30. There is also a 6'7" point guard that is going to be drafted in that range too. All internationals...
I would trade francis for one of the top two picks... I am not sold on carmelo anthony. If I can be sure that I can get either lebron or darko.. I'll trade steve. It doesn't look like the current group is going anywhere anyway. I will trade mobley too, or make him come off the bench, and make yao the team leader.
Darko Milicic is considered Europe's best prospect bound for the NBA. He is in the same boat as Yao Ming was before last season, except without all the hype. Milicic has been playing against veteran players twice his age since he was 16. He can shoot (out to the three point line), can finish on a play, is tenacious on the boards, and can hanle the ball like a guard. IMO Darko can have the same impact as Yao did for the Rockets, depending what team drafts him.
