I would consider getting Biyombo and Nogueira a very good draft for the Rockets. Maybe too good. If we were to get at least one of these guys and couple them with Harper or Leuer, that would be fine.
I agree with absolutely everything you wrote. Obviously, our first priority is to shore up the defense on the front line. I know that everyone in the world is saying that our C spot is the reason for our struggles, but I tend to think that our starting SG (Martin) SF (Chase) and PF (Luis) are just as worrisome, because many of the game's best players are found at these positions, and Kevin Martin should not be guarding the opposing team's best perimeter player near every game. Regardless, defense is not played individually, and individual defenders do not always make a good defense. Kevin Martin and Luis Scola are freaking awesome players, so awesome that we need to find a way to make due with them. To make up for our smaller height at C, (Which is still a huge advantage on offense in many ways) an extremely large, rebounding, shot blocking, laterally quick small forward in place of Chase could make us instant semi-contenders. Finding one through the draft would be awesome, but finding one through trade or free agency would be better, AK47 as you said is a fantastic, realistic idea. How about these? Jeff Green (Restricted Free Agent) (Would a good offer scare off Celtics?) Thad Young (Restricted Free Agent) (Would a good offer scare off Sixers?)(This would be a score) Lastly, we need to take a good, long look at Samuel Dalembert who is an unrestricted free agent. (Josh Smith is a guy that Morey has been after before, and honestly I can't think of a more perfect SF)
Morey never has done this, and most likely never will. We all know he is about the BPA, so if one of these guys is at the top of his draft board and available when the Rockets are picking, he'll take them. If Morey finds a 5' 3" Malaysian guy who he thinks is the BPA at (lets say) #14, he'll take him, he'd even take a 4' 9" Sri Lankan women if that's who he thinks is the best player available. Drafting for need has shown to be a very inefficient method of choosing players.
Jeff Green would be great but Boston ain't letting him go. Thad Young - my opinion on him has been terrific athlete, no brain. Don't know if he is a fit for a thinking man's offense. Haven't liked his efficiency in the past. Josh Smith- He's a 4 trying to be a 3. Horrible 3 point shooter, he jacks shots at the wrong time. Don't like him at the 3. Like him at the 4 with a strong minded coach that makes him keep his butt in the paint area. Dalembert - He's a lamebrain with incredible length and athleticism. I wouldn't be opposed to adding him, although he would be nothing but a garbage man offensive and would be terrible in the high post. He's essentially Mutombo with more athleticism and less drive. Don't feel he is a starter. But would take him off the bench for about $3 mill per. Dude, we're gonna wind up trading Scola this offseason. Yes, he's a gamer, he's good, I like him. But his trade value is relatively high and he's over 30 and he's not efficient enough offensively to overcome his defensive deficiencies. Martin....he's too efficient offensively with all the trips to the FT line for us to move unless it's a blockbuster deal for Chris Paul and Dwight Howard or something like that.
How about Terrence Jones or Jordan Hamilton at 14? I like Jones because of his upside, athleticism, and versatility. Hamilton I feel is like Budinger skillwise and has shown he can learn and improve (vast strides from freshman to sophomore seasons in every facet of the game). And then Jordan Williams with our second 1st rounder? Gives us a big body at 6'10 260lbs. Can run the floor, rebounds, and has a pretty good offensive game. Not a big time athlete who can block shots, but gives us some size and offense in the middle.
Bismark (inside presence) Chris Singleton (long, intense perimeter defender) Faried (a tough J. Hill) Honeycutt (a real swingman, something we don't have) ...realistic targets in that order
I'd really like to add Chris Singleton with our second 1st round pick but I'd trade whatever it took (except Pat Pat)to trade up and get Enes Kanter! That would be great :grin:
I had been thinking that Terrence Jones would be the person to target with 14 (or move up a few spots to get) -- but after seeing this Bismack Biyombo player, my head has been turned. That guy hunts the ball like some sort of predator and his viscous athleticism would make the entire team feel different on both sides of the ball. If Houston could somehow get both of them -- but that would be too much to ask for.
Yeah, we're in complete agreement. Sincerely, Lamar Odom Shawn Marion Shane Battier Carmelo Anthony Danny Granger Marvin Williams Kevin Durant Jeff Green (and many more!)
We can instantly turn our offense only team into a defensive stalwart by drafting Bismark with the 14 and Honeycutt with the 23rd. Honeycutt is a cheap AK47 clone.
hehehehehehehehe What I've been saying all along. If you are going to compete for a championship the next few seasons, you gotta get that long, skinny, athletic freak at the 3 that can give you something against all those terrible 4 players that were converted to 3s.
1) Durant and Marvin were never true post players. 2) I await your list of college PFs who tried to make it to the NBA as a SF and failed. Derrick Williams, Marcus Morris, etc are PFs.. not SFs. A few members of this board are in love with turning undersized PFs into tall SFs; too bad it doesn't work quite like that.
If they could somehow get one or both of Nogueira and Biyombo then also draft Jeff Taylor, who i think is the 3 that we are looking for, that would awesome.
Agreed completely on Morris not being a SF, but I think Derrick Williams has the potential to be an effective "combo forward" in the NBA. Like a little beefier version of Shawn Marion. And my list was comprised of LOTTERY talents who were college PFs and in whom NBA GMs had enough confidence to draft with a high pick, knowing that they could be effective SFs in the NBA. So, if we're going to talk about some of the TOP talents in this draft who are potentially "tweener" forwards AND who people think Daryl Morey & Co. might actually be interested in drafting, I think that limits the sample size to a group with a much higher probability of success than just ANY group of tweener college PFs.
Fair points. I'll say some of those on your list were obvious SFs in the NBA, whereas the "tweeners" are not as obvious. To me, I leave Derrick Williams as a PF -- he has the ability to pull his man away from the rim and blow by other PFs who try to guard him on the perimeter. He seems to have a big man's mentality, IMO.
Nice shooter. Poor defender. Imagine a younger, better version of Brian Cook. But if Morey likes him, I'm sure I'll like him, too.
I'd leave Williams at PF. His quick first step would be negated a little by playing quicker players at the SF.
