Do we use our first round pick ( say 6-10 ) to draft Mo Peterson/Demarr or whoever, or do we look to package it and move ourselves up in the draft - or better yet trade the player we pick and another player for a player chosen for us ? For example: Assume the bulls get the no1 pick, they don't need a PF cos they got Elton, Woods isn't coming out and Mihm might be risky as a center, so the best bet for them might be Peterson/Johnson or whoever, problem is that those guys are not no1 picks. So we offer them our pick, Walt Williams and Bryce Drew and get them to draft Kenyon Martin for us. Or: The clippers get the no 1 pick. Send them Kenny Thomas and our first round pick - maybe even Drew if they want him ! And they can give us Martin. Sure they need a PF, but Kenny's shown he can play in the NBA and they also need a SF/SG - something they can quite easily fill using our pick - and then as a bonus they get Bryce Drew to play some PG minutes and share the rock around. And then we use one of our other first round picks to snare D.Miles and we get a defensive stopper at SF. What do you think ? ------------------
If the warriors get the no1 pick then Orlando is laughing - the pick belongs to the magic !! I know it'd be tough to make a deal, but possibly with the bulls it'd work - giving themn a SF and a PG AND a lottery pick.. surely that's not too bad a deal ? They could still pick up DeMarr Johnson or someone like that !! As for the clips, well we all know they've made bad deals before and they'll make them again !! But you're right, it IS a long shot to trade up, I just don't know how else we're gonna get a PF !! ------------------
Trading the pick and a player for an established younger player or for a higher pick would be a good thing. I just don't think the Rocks have players (besides Francis) that will motivate other teams into a trade. Drew, Williams, Bullard, Rogers, Norris, and Cato (cuz of his contract) are not going anywhere. Thomas, Mobley, and Anderson might get interest but they are also part of the core the Rocks are building around. If we do the deal with Thomas and our pick to get KM, the other team must be really sold on Thomas since they are giving up a future allstar / franchise player in KM. I don't think the Rocks would even consider trading Anderson, since we have given him a wink-wink sign for big $$$ later deal. That leaves Mobley, who I don't think the rest of the league finds as valuable as Rudy does. Mobley's shooting percentage for a 2 is not good and his ceiling may only be a 2nd tier player. If Chicago gets the first pick, they will definitely deal the pick since they already have Brand at the 4. They would not be interested in Thomas for the same reason. They may be interested in Mobley, but they also may get better offers. If the Clips get the first pick, choosing KM is a no-brainer, even for them. If the Warriors get the first pick, they might be interested in doing a trade, since they already have a tweener project in Jamison and may not want to take another on so soon in KM. I don't think the Warriors would be interested in Thomas, since that would give them two 6'7" guys at their starting 3 and 4. They have some interest in Mobley. If the Grizzlies get the first pick, choosing KM is a no-brainer, like the Clips. Its seems like a long shot right now to trade up. You never know though, since the Rocks were able to get Francis last year. Anything is possible. ------------------
