LOL! The Rockets won 20 games last year despite Green going crazy the last 20 games. If you think a 20-win team has 4 guys that matter in regards to who to draft, you are flat out wrong. Ivey may be worse than them, but that is a criticism of Ivey not on the Rockets having too many guards. If there was a star guard in this draft available at the Rockets position, they would take him provided he was the BPA. Edit: I don't care who is better right now except for how it projects to future performance. Caring about right now is a Sacramento Kings draft strategy.
Chet is my choice, followed by Jabari. If Paolo surprises me with good defense through most of the season, we will be in really good shape. I expect Paolo to be the Rockets pick.
Going pure BPA and drafting redundant players who are stuck behind better players already on the team is EXACTLY the kind of thing the Kings would do.... or the Kahn era Timberwolves would do. You are building a team that actually had to pay together, not just collecting names. On top of that, in this instance you wouldn't even be going BPA by drafting the foolishly redundant player stuck behind at least 2 superior guards (both short term and long term) so it would make even less sense.
When we started this thread in mid-May, we assumed that Jabari and Chet go #1 and #2. Since that time the media has speculated that potentially OKC could be a wild card and select either Ivey or Paolo. As I've mentioned in another thread (with some team insight), team's have much more and better info than the media or fanbase has on each of these guys and mocks could be off especially as you get farther down the picks. The "leaked" info that came out yesterday that Paolo measured at 6'10.5" barefoot would make him almost a 7' player in shoes. If that's accurate, I wonder if OKC would see him as a cornerstone 4/5 for their rebuild? He seems to be the safest pick of the 3 and would work well with their current roster. If Jabari goes #1, Paolo #2, then that drops Chet to us. Chet is likely the riskiest of the 3, but also potentially the highest upside. As I said before, I'm happy with any of the 3, but Chet is my fav. Pure speculation: Also, I wouldn't count out OKC making some big moves. If they really like Ivey, they could select whoever SAC wants and then swap with them (likely looking for an unprotected #1 in 2023) and maybe including this year's #12 to make it happen. They could also move SGA to POR for #7+ to clear room for Giddey/Ivey/Mann (and potentially Sharpe) backcourt. With their year's accumulated draft capital they could make some big moves. Trade with DEN this week maybe just the start.
I am with you, man. I liked Jabari best. My theory was that since there's no significant separation between the three (all have great strengths and concerning weaknesses), no clear BPA, fit would play a role. I thought Jabari would fit the best with his shooting and defense. It seems more and more positive vibes are going Paolo's way. So I don't know. Chet has the biggest range of success/failure.
Christopher's definitely not untouchable, but I would hate to throw him in. Looking forward to seeing the yr 2 version.
That's actually a pretty good fit for Ivey, they have Cade to run the point and really no one at the SG spot. Since Cade can defend multiple positions they can give Ivey the defensive assignment of the opposing PG which is really the only position he's fit to defend. Could be the best bet for both the player and the team
Hadn't seen this before and thought this was interesting on Chet... "The other concern is that being that skinny will make him injury prone, like he will be broken in half trying to box out Zion Williamson. (Of course, beefy Zion is the one who tends to be on the injured list because his feet cannot handle his frame.) Do skinny players tend to miss more games than a normal player due to wear and tear? Not enough to justify that stereotype. Where players like Holmgren do have injury concerns is in the joints. One similar player to him is Kristaps Porzingis who never reached his potential because of balky knees. That height must be tough on ligaments, and Holmgren’s father did see his basketball career cut short due to knee injuries. Barring a catastrophic injury – and the plight of his father actually gives me comfort in this, as Chet has done physical therapy from a young age for preventative reasons" https://www.thelostogle.com/2022/06/14/peace-love-and-thunderstanding-the-case-for-chet-holmgren/
Shaun had a lot potential, but knee injuries derailed his potential. He carved out a nice niche with the Warriors. I see some of the comparison, but believe Chet has a lot more potential imho--its whether he can realize it or not.
Shaun was believed by some to be the next Magic Johnson because of his versatility and his height as a PG. He was the nation's #1 high school PG when he decided to skip Duke and turn pro. He could be a special NBA player if he didn't have that horrible injury. If we get Chet, I'll be excited, but I'll be holding my breath at least for a season or two.
Yeah, I'm hoping all of the preventive physical therapy his dad has had him go through is to strengthen all of the tendons and ligaments around his joints.
