Hey guys (I presume no gals) what happened to the Dallas kid who got cut from the roster. Well, for those in dire need of an awsome small forward, don't overlook this guy coming next training camp. I think that he will be in a rockets uni. He may need one year to develop into a star but hey, we've got Williams and Anderson handling those duties at the SF. Thus with that first round pick look for the Rockets to draft a big guy such as a PF or Center. What do you'll think about this?
Leon Smith? Well, if he gets his head on straight and hires someone to keep himself away from the medicine cabinet ... Maybe he could be a bench warmer for us. In 2 or 3 yrs of NBA experience, maybe he could develope, but you cant rely on this high schooler to bail the Rocks at the sf spot. I would rather have Bullard starting. But Bullard wont start, we will get a sf in the draft in this, the year of the sf. I think i remember hearing that Philly was looking into him, but that was quite awhile back.
I just don't think that the Rockets would be looking to draft a small forward this year. I think that the Williams type of SF is good for this team for then next year. If you get a SF in this years draft where does the playing time for Andrson and Mobley go? Ah, you can't tell me. By Drafting a SF you will likely have to cut down on the minutes of Mobley and Anderson. I don't see that happening. What the Rockets need is a benchwarmer at the SF. And that is Leon Smith!!!!!
Uhhmmm, if we draft a sf, maybe SA and Mobes time is lessened a LITTLE, but the guys who would be seeing less time would be Wizard and Bull, and from what I've seen of their play, that's a good thing. I's not like the rook would have to see 40 minute games like Francis, we would just treat him kinda like KT : make him work for those minutes. I just see a sf heavy draft, a lack of talent at that position for the rocks and i say hey, it fits. I dont really see any good big men that call out to me other than MARTIN! ------------------ "Whooaa." - Ted
I disagree with you. This draft has some good SF, but it is not SF heavy. Sure it's got some good ones, but don't forget that SF are constantly the ones who declare early year in and year out. Well, the good guys that could have made this an awsome SF draft are already in the NBA. The only guy worth a real good look at the position is Morris. But the guy wants to stay in school uhmmmm!! (not smart dude) Why the heck does anyone go to college, uh could it be to make money? The SF position isn't too deep in the draft. You could get some decent SF in the middle round. But, I don't think that there will be a huge difference. Oh by the way, Demarr johnson is a freshman. What's the difference between Smith and johnson, they are about the same age. I say get Smith and draft a PF or trade for one with the Pick.
The difference between Dermarr and Leon is that Dermarr was a consensus top 5 player coming out of high school and Leon was a fringe top 25 player coming out of high school, which in a lot of cases is a big discrepancy. Leon had size and athletic ability, that's what got him drafted. But to be as presumptuous to think that if you pick up the guy and sit him on the bench for year, then you'll get this star player is ridiculous. He's not ever going to be a star in the league. At this point, he needs to struggle for survival. He's got so many mental traumas that he would be lucky to see the age of 40. The guy wasn't close to being a star coming out of high school. He's nowhere close to being a star now. And he's not a Small Forward. He never played on the perimeter in high school. Played strictly down low. What makes you think he's going to develop the perimeter skills in the pros. He's not.
Da Man, I couldn't have said it any better myself. Just because Leon Smith is skinny, people keep jumping to the conclusion that he'll be a small forward. He's not, he's strictly an inside player. People also seem to overrate Smith's ability because he came straight out of HS. He went into the draft because he had no prayer of getting into college. He wouldn't have been drafted in the first round by anyone other than Don Nelson (that's who SA was drafting him for). Smith was a good HS player with potential, Johnson was already a great HS player with even more potential.
The best Smith finished in any of the year end ratings was 3rd team All-American. In many of those same ratings, Johnson was player of the year. In almost all of them he was top 5. That's a huge difference.
