I was roasted for the same comment. Paola has dropped out the top five for me. Chet, Holmgren, Ivey, Griffin, Murray/Eason
I have heard that tanking doesn’t work. So we have to look past all the top prospects. They won’t help us. Need to find the Giannis and Jokic in this draft and we will be set.
Jabari and Chet would fit the team perfectly. Both are outstanding defensively and are extremely efficient. There are not going to be many shots available, so they have to make their FGAs count until Eric and Wood are moved. .if theyre ever moved. Don't freak out if either scores 12pts their FIRST season while Griffin gets 20 points on 18 shots for the Washington Bullets
No offense, but your standard is a tad lower than mine. I meant scouting as lottery scouting. The only draftees were Sengun, Green, Jaygup and Garuba. They haven't exactly led a team to the Play In yet so jury is out. Results matter to me. I would put Mathews, Tate, KPJ and Brooks as 2nd phase talent assessment as they have been scouted by other teams and have been let go due to various reasons I am not further going into. Not necessarily let go because they did not have talent but contract value, misdemeanors etc. Tate came from Aussie league, the Rockets just made the best and quickest offer. He is still undersized and cannot shoot well.
What money/misdemeanor issues did Matthews, brooks or Tate have? Sorry I must have just missed all of that. Didn't even realize other teams cut them bc of it. I would also add kmj as a draft talent.
I put all reasons in one mixed bag. Most weren't picked up or their contract did not get extended. People feel that league average is bad but the league average is pretty high. Guys just do not watch other teams enough and prop up their own talents. Silas might not be a good coach but his 5 Out is run by other teams as well so it is definitely working well enough.
Thanks, yes we'll also get to see how these guys fare in the tournament with stronger compeition and pressure. To his credit Paolo came to call under pressure vs Chet but it's about his long term potential I agree. But I'll also take a closer look at Ivey and Griffin per folks suggestions as well because it's true we don't know how things will play out. Hoping for a top pick.
My top five: (1) Holmgren; (2) Smith; (3) Banchero; (4) Ivey; (5) Griffin I'm a big, big fan of Smith. I may end up putting him above Chet. I'm actually higher on Ivey than Banchero, but we really need size.
If you are higher on Ivey than Banchero then take Ivey. You can get "size" in trades, FA and drafts later. While "need" can be used as one input in decision, it should not be the primary driver. Take the BPA, imo.
My Early Big board . I'm lower on Ivey than most. He can't shoot the three sans a crazy hot streak. We have two years of data on this. 1. Chet. 2. Jabari 3. Banchero 4. AJG 5. Shaedon Sharpe 6. Jaden Ivey 7. Keegan Murray 8. Jalen Duren 9. Johnny Davis 10. Dyson Daniels I have my tiers as such. Tier 1 : Chet and Jabari Tier 2: Banchero Tier 3. AJG, Sharpe and Ivey. If the Rockets can land any of these six, they are in good shape. That's why out-tanking either the Magic or Pistons is crucial. If you finish 2nd worst you can only fall to 6 (we need Sharpe to enter). I think Cade is going to lead the Pistons to some ill advised wins, hopefully Dennis isn't a menace. Sharpe has a chance to be the best player in this draft but there is no evidence to back it up. I hope he declares and I also hope some "ineligible" guys apply (Bates and Scoot) and get granted exceptions. It's not likely but it's probably not impossible.
As of now, I'm all in on Chet or Jabari, haven't looked into it deeper than that so hopefully the Rockets land a top 2 pick and get one of them.
Yeah, I struggle a lot with this. The fact is, Paolo is kind of an enigma to me. He may have the highest ceiling and lowest floor of the top prospects. I worry he relies to much on bully ball to score, which may not translate well into the NBA. Ivey, on the other hand, I can see going pretty much anywhere and fitting like a glove.
I think the only way you take Ivey is if you are already trying to move on from Jalen Green. Otherwise, it's a complete waste of a pick. While need shouldn't be the primary concern, you have to take it into consideration. If your top pick has players likely to block them and keep them on the bench for their entire rookie contract....why draft them? If you like another player who actually fits on your team just a little bit less, you pick them since they'll actually get a chance to play and benefit your team.
Sub-polling inside a polling thread: If the Rockets get the 3rd pick, what would you want the Stone to do? Take Ivey? Take Banchero? Take Griffin? Trade down? Trade up?
I began the year firmly opposed to Chet Holmgren for all the obvious reasons. I am coming around to him but still very gun shy about picking him above these 3 : Smith: my #1 overall prospect. He represents both the best fit and best talent for Houston IMO. Paolo: talent wise he is behind Chet but I think there is less distance between his floor and ceiling. For a team in need of a difference maker that is huge. I see him as a cross between Carmelo's game and Boozer's body Griffin: I think Griffin is the best marriage of the top prospects as a 2 way player moving forward. He gives Smith a run for best fit given the Rockets needs.
It's not really a big concern, but Smith really can't put the ball on the floor and drive to contact at all. He's basically a spot up shooter. Nothing wrong with that, he can basically shoot over anybody any time, but it is a limit on his game at this point. With his play style and length I want to compare him to KD, and when I look at college KD, college Jabari Smith doesn't compare all that favorably. Not many people will look good next to KD, but we are talking about taking a player at the top of the draft. Right now I see a little bit of a ceiling to Smith a couple of rungs below MVP caliber level. You can see this reflected in his field goal percentages. He's at like 44% on 2 point FGs for the year? That's someone who doesn't get easy buckets at the basket. Again, nothing wrong with that, but nobody is really discussing anything but the positives right now.
As I said before, I think we'll be initially picking 3 or 4. That takes Jabari and Chet out unless we move up. To my way of thinking, we need size, length, and athleticism across the board 3 - 5. I'm totally against taking Chet under any circumstances. (for reasons already stated) I might consider moving up for Smith, if the price isn't too outrageous. Not really high on Banchero anymore either... Ivey and Griffin are both intriguing prospects.. certainly wouldn't mind having one of them. But, whatever happens, again....we need to come out of this with a 3-4 swingman and a 4/5..again, both being long and athletic. Via the draft, and/or a move for a young stud.
