What will Daryl Morey's Lottery Draft Strategy be?

don't draft greg oden types

 

I just don't think we can be a very good team if Kyle Lowry is playing SG for us. He is a PG playing out of position this year -- we can't continue on this trend. It also forces Aaron Brooks to log major minutes -- we need to cut AB's minutes down while taking Lowry out of the SG position. Whether JT can fill this role remains to be seen, but I would certainly understand if Morey looked for a SG in the draft/FA. Budinger at the SG spot also makes us weaker, as he gets exposed more trying to guard the quicker 2-guards -- he's better utilized for us at the three spot.

I don't really like Hayes or Andersen as our primary backup five. Ideally, you'd want Jordan Hill to play the backup four and have even bigger size at our backup five. We need to build this team with height/length -- that's what gives teams imposing interior defenses. Think of Odom/Gasol/Bynum -- huge frontcourt size makes them a great defensive team. That's how you should build a team. It's also the reason I'd be okay with drafting a big man in the draft.

 

Would you trade our lottery pick for Mark Gasol? I ask because the grizz has a ton of big men and with Tabeet showing promise and Gasol only having one year remaining on his contract, the grizz might not want to spend a ton of money on Gay, then Mayo and Gasol. I wouldn't mind it. I think he would fit better in this system then Yao would imo.

 

If the Rox can't move up in the draft then HELL YEA!!! I mean you would be trading for a 25 yr old center who avgs 15 and 10, shooting almost 60% while blocking almost 2 a game, whats the issue here. lol

 

His contract issue. After next season it up, and I wouldn't be surprise if he ask for 50 mill or more. I just dunno if the Rox can afford it with Yao's and Brook's contract being up at the same time as well. (If Yao doesn't opt out this season)

 

I would be very dissapointed if the Rockets did not get some size this summer, whether via draft, trade, or FA. We need a big.

 

I would assume if Gasol comes here an extension will be worked out and IT COULD mark the beginning of the end for Yao in Houston. Gasol isn't a backup center, he should and will start for someone next year or at the very least bridge the gap for the Rox. Question becomes...do you give Yao, lets say, 5 yrs 60 million or Gasol 5 yrs 50 million???

 

fanhouse.com's mock draft for the rox:

http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/03/28/...e-poetry-of-upside/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002

13. Houston Rockets: Hassan Whiteside, PF, Marshall

Stats don't lie: Whiteside,
Josh Smith on five-inch stilts, shall
blow the league apart.

 

Hassan Whiteside would be awesome. I really think he's underrated, as much as an athletic freak could be. I think people underestimate his mental makeup.

 

Draft the youngest guy with the most upside--Wait a minute, that what the Sixers do...

 

By stats, we should expect at least 19 points on 14FGAs and 13 rebounds a game. Against him, that is since Jerome Jordan has done this in their three meetings? I shouldn't be too hard...he is a project and could develop into a good to great player, but stats tell me he needs to learn man to man defense.

 

Just say no to Hassan Whiteside!

Go after Epke Udoh!

 

No thanks. I want the Rockets to draft Whiteside, but looking at Morey's track record, he likes upper classmen which mean either Cole Alrich or Patterson.

 

Whiteside has no post game what so ever! He is 7ft tall but weighs only like 200 lbs. Even when he tries to get in the post, he gets abused like a lil girl. Watch the game where he got abused by Jerome Jordan and come back to me then.

Epke Udoh is a little raw but he knows how to play the game. He can create off the dribble, has a nice perimeter shot, and can also bang down low. IMO, he is the perfect compliment to Yao, a stretch 4 who could spread the floor and make the opposing defense honest. He is a walking double double and DraftExpress had him compared to Rasheed Wallace without the attitude.

Imagine a younger and more calm version of Rasheed next to Yao!

Whiteside, if got the feeling, is gonna be a long project for a rebuilding team, not something the Rockets are doing.

 

Whiteside reminds of Greg Oden type. Long but frail! A bust in the making!

 

I prefer Whiteside, than Udoh(who IMO is a mid-late 1st rd pick).....Udoh at best will be a role player....while Whiteside has star potential...

--RB

 

Right!?...How often have you seen Whiteside play... the guy has mechanics to become a star in this league....specially given the rockets personnel, he could work with Dawson & Sikma(in practice) to Hakeem & Yao(in the summer)....

The Rockets is the Ideal place to develop a guy of his potential...(was in consideration for the 1st overall pick for 2011 if he were to return to school and develop more, according to scouts)

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(I've never seen Oden shoot any three's )

--RB

 

I like the shooting range!

 

I think you try to move up in the draft if you can, but either way you just get the best player out of the draft. Then, try what you can on the trade front, but if nothing materializes, you don't panic. You just wait until Trade deadline and do a trade then.

You already have a lot of money committed to your roster. Once we see how Yao comes back and how we are meshing/what injuries we have, we should know what we need to complete the team. Which is why that scenario makes sense to me. I'm still not convinced that if Yao comes back at a decent level and we have our overachieving team still overachieving, that we don't look like a championship team. So, this would let Morey see what he really has.

 

This draft is loaded with big men so unless we go after the BPA this would definitely be my recommendation. The reality of the situation is the center position is either going to make or break this team going forward. Right now, without Yao nor a suitable backup we're going to continue be exactly where we're at: undersized and underwhelming. Simply stated: I don't trust Yao's health (and neither should you). I can accept that our ceiling as potential contender hinges on his ability to stay healthy and at least sniff his pre-foot surgery levels of production, but I am willing to take that "risk" going forward and pray he stays he healthy enough in order to make that potential a reality. What I am NOT willing to do is roll into next season with our only alternatives at center being named Chuck Hayes, David Andersen or Jordan Hill. This draft presents the opportunity to draft a legit five that could inject some youth and upside into our otherwise under-the-rim and experienced yet aging frontcourt. That type of flexibility and contrast gives you a lot of options against the various looks teams throw at you.

As for the draft itself, Morey seems to gravitate towards upper classmen. Now, whether there's an actual pattern involved here or that's simply sheer coincidence remains unknown. What I do know is the obvious: show me the ping pong balls first. The reality is with a little bit of luck (or hell, even if the lottery plays out according to actual records) we could end up drafting a solid player in the 10-14 range without even having to move up. Players like Monroe, Patterson, Udoh, Davis, Aldrich, etc. should all be available in that range. Then there's the wild cards like Whiteside, the international guys (who I admittedly know nothing about) and Alabi that help saturate the pool of talent even further. Granted, not all of those guys are legit fives but you get the idea.

I also wanted to give Deckard some props for essentially blowing the idea out of the water that Morey will look to trade down to acquire multiple picks. First rounders tend to be pretty expensive and we did just go through hell to dump McGrady, get Martin + other assets all the while dropping below the luxury tax threshold. [Pause for obligatory Dork Elvis appreciation]. The point is that was a lot of work and we didn't do it for nothing. Conversely, it also makes the idea of us possibly trading up somewhat feasible given how many tradeable assets (and contracts) we've stockpiled. The NY picks, Hill, Budinger, etc -- all VERY attractive options to other lottery teams going through the standard rebuilding phases. Lucky for us, we aren't going through one of those phases. If we see the guy we want he may just be a possibility.

As stated, I'd recommend we take a big man -- preferably a legit five. I'd keep my eye on Cousins as sort of a best case scenario. Part of me thinks due to his motor issues and overall unpredictable persona that teams might have second thoughts about him thereby making a trade-up a possibility. If Cousins is out of the picture, I'd recommend next just taking Monroe outright or moving up a couple spots to take him. Monroe isn't the legit five that I covet but his skill level and overall package is borderline irresistible in a Rick Adelman type offense. If Cousins and Monroe are gone, then I would either go project (Whiteside, Alabi) or NBA ready (Aldrich).