I believe that we will fall somewhere about 6th in the drafting order this year. In that case, it will be the best drafting year Houston has had since the Dream. Some of you may dissagree with me about us being 6th, if so, please suggest where you think we will pick in the draft. Personally, I believe Golden State, Chicago, Vancouver, the Clippers, and maybe even NJ or Washington will pick before we do; that is, if we don't get a lucky random #. With that said, I believe Kenyon Martin will go top 3. Unfortunately, I would have loved to retain his services. Chris Mihm is certain to go somewhere in the top 6 as well. There's a 7"6' center from China that may be draftable as well. I don't know if 7"0' Arizona center, Lorenzen Woods will come out this year, but he's got real talent. Brenden Haywood will also be available. With other teams choosing from PGs like Cota, Cleaves, and Penn; SF's like Morris, Peterson, and Richardson; the Rockets have a real chance to get an impact player to complement Francis in the future. Where do you think we will fall in the draft, and whom shall we draft?
I think the 6th pick is about right. You make an excellent point about Chris Mihm going real early. If we do get the 6th pick, we can assume that at least two (or maybe even three picks before us) will be wasted on big man projects like Mihm. This will allow the Rocks to get the fourth best non-project player, who should have all star potential. Our biggest need is SF. The Rocks may be able to get the highest ranked SF in the draft! Morris is not out of the question.
Porter is undersized (6-6 218) to be a 4 - what he plays in college - and does not have a real perimeter game yet to be a great 3. That could be a problem (like Corliss Williamson and Antawn Jamison - good players, but not great).
All I know is that this draft is not better than last year. I think the Rockets should trade the picks and make moves to get one guy who should stay in Texas, that is Mr. Duncan.
Cabbage With all do respect, I really don't think Golden State will go after Morris before Cleaves. I also think that Porter will most likely go 12th or higher. I can't see us drafting another player who is limited to the alioup and mismatch post play. IMHO Porter is far from the type of player we need to draft. I believe in going for the best athelete available, however, that athelete has got to either be a center, PF or SF. Believe me, it doesn't hurt to load your team with big men, especially when all of your talent comes from your little guys. I think we have our SF all hooked up for the future, personally. Between Shandon, Bull, and Thomas(more suited for SF then PF), I would concentrate on getting a dominate big man. After all, its tough to get good big men late in the draft and we will have the luxury of drafting in the top 6 or 8 (maybe even lower). If we can't get our hands on an extremely amazing rare talent at SF (ie. the best athelete available), I say we go after a quality big man. Personally, I don't even want to draft a small forward. Who else thinks Kenny Thomas is our future SF? He can play the post, he has a nice outside shot, he can shoot the 3, he's only 6'7", he's fast and explosive, and he can slash to the hoop. I just don't see him hanging with the 6'9", 6'10", 6'11" PFs of the league. Between him, Shandon, and Bull, we don't need another SF. Besides, we have Walt's fat ass sitting on our bench and Rodgers could play the SF just as well as he plays the PF (granted he needs to work a bit on his outside shot). What big men would you guys suggest we draft?
I say we get Kenyon Martin. He could be our future Power Forward. This guy can run and rebound and score. Great Defense too. His name spells rockets on it. He has to come here.
Tonight Kenyon Martins team cincinnati played st.louis on ESPN. Kenyon Martin had 19 Points 17 rebounds 4 assists I dont know how many blocks. But this guy is so talented. Rockets got to get him.
Cabbage: That's how I felt about Kenyon before the season started. Now, he's a force in the post. I have no idea how the hell he finally developed an offensive game but he's going to be a quality big man. I really do hope we get Kenyon.
What if we fall just outside the 1-6 pick (7-10 range)? Let's say guys like Morris, Porter, Martin, and Richardon are all gone by the time we pick. Who is in that second tier of college players? Do we have anyone's first round pick this year other than our own? Who could be a second round surprise like Mobley? You never know, the Rockets seem to be just as likely to find a player who sticks with the team in the second round. Can anyone tell me a little about Shane Battier from Duke? How's he doing? Any offense this year?
Shane Battier is doing really well this year. He is doing well on offense and defense. He is a great player. But my #1 pick is KENYON MARTIN.. HE IS THE MAN!
Cabbage, I guess you and I both believe that Kenyon Martin will not go as high as he's touted. He's a good defender, but his offense is like a nightlight in the fog (so weak you can barely see it).
As a FYI, they said the same things about Olajuwon and Ewing coming out of college. No offense. Man, were they wrong. DaDakota
Kenyon Martin is a team player. He does have offense. Watch his games this man can play. Nice range and works hard for rebounds. Good Defense, runs well. He is going to be a good player.
A couple of things: 1.It's possible we could end up with 3 first round picks this year. Our pick will be a lottery pick, then we have the Turkcan pick, and the Orlando pick. Hopefully those two will be right after the lottery. With the Rocket's ability to find talent, we could really stack up. 2.If Duke swingman Chris Carawell comes out this year, what do you say we try and nab him with the Turkan/Orlando pick if they are high enough? 3.I'll give Kenyon Martin time. I won't give Mihm time, and I really hope he doesn't come out this year. Hopefully Martin is as good as you guys insist he is and we can nab him. Then we can focus on swingplayers with the other picks. 4.Kenny Thomas has skills, but just doesn't have near the body a '3' should have. I would like to see him spend the offseason in the weight room 'Othella-style' and try to lose some of that body fat. Then we could have another Corliss Williamson-type, chiseled, load-to-guard-in-the-post, horse of a small forward. ----------------------------------------- You see, what we do with Mobley right now completely affects our future. There are so many possible routes the Rockets can take: Say for example we decide to keep him: (a)Logjam at small guard positions. (b)Risk losing him this summer. (c)We will definitely have to spend the lottery pick on a big man, with so many small people. (d)Talented backcourt. Trade him for a power forward [Taylor,Ratliff]: (a)Takes Kenyon Martin out of the lottery picture. (b)We will have to draft a small forward. (c)Well balanced lineup. Trade Mobley for a small forward: (a)We will have to draft Martin, maybe even trade up to get him. (b)Well balanced lineup. [This message has been edited by thacabbage (edited December 16, 1999).]
If we keep up the way we are we will be the odds on favorite to win the lottery. If we are going to be bad I would rather be the worst than the second or third worst. Who to draft? Well I have seen Morris play 2 times this year and while he did light the other team up I was not to impressed. Personall I kind of wonder why nobody id mentioning Quentin Richardson from Depaul. He will be coming out early this year.
TraJ-I was thinking maybe Pete Mickeal. He's a second-tier SF behind Morris and Porter. Mickeal should be around 10th pick. He's also won many Juco honors over Francis, Marion, and Porter. Don't overlook this guy, he's a winner. Here's some stuff at ESPN I found to give u some insight. "...Mickeal may be the most complete player in college basketball, or at least the most complete without an accurate three-point jumper..." "..Mickeal is a devastating one-on-one offensive player who can break down most any player he faces, especially when in position to use his spin-dribble... " "...An outstanding man-to-man defender against any sort of perimeter player, Mickeal should get a ticket to the NBA on that skill alone..." "...Mickeal's greatest contribution to Cincinnati could be as a leader. He is a natural-born winner but he was not able to take complete command of the Bearcats as a first-year junior..." [This message has been edited by rocketsfan34 (edited December 17, 1999).]
Cabbage: I actually want Mihm to come out that way someone will pick him and Kenyon should move down a slot. But then on the other hand, I know Rudy likes big men and I'm afraid he's going to pick him. Here's my purposed plan which is following not trading Mobley route. 1. Don't trade anybody to keep our guard depth. Francis, Cat, Anderson will be a killer backcourt in a few years, just have to keep them together. 2. Draft Kenyon with our lottery pick (i hope its high enough). He'll solidfy the PF spot. 3. Draft a SF with our other picks (Orlando, Detriot). Since everyone probably knows SFs are the deepest position that means we can still get a quality one pretty late in the round. [This message has been edited by rocketsfan34 (edited December 17, 1999).]
I think we'll end up picking at about 6th-8th. Mo Pete: I watched him go off for like 15 in the first 10 minutes of the second of the Arizona game, but I really wasn't impressed by him. Kenyon Martin: Like 'Da Man' has stated before, Martin doesnt have a refined low post game, and he is a prime example of a college player. Rack of blocked shots in College...anyone remember Adonal Foyle? Quentin Richardson: I think he'll be Top 3. If he was there, I would definitely draft him, and move Shandon to the 3. Predicted Draft Order: 1.Bulls - Quentin Richardson 2.Warriors - Terance Morris 3.Vancouver - Chris Mihm ((hopefully he wont be on the board when the Rockets pick...) 4.Clippers - Mateen Cleaves 5.Rockets - Chris Porter
Mckeal is a good player, definately in the second tier of college players. Guys, lets get real, we are not going to get Martin unless we trade up in the draft. With regard to his offensive ability, he has improved so dramatically since last year its ridiculious. They say he's a hard worker and it sure looks like it. I really do believe that he's the best big man in the draft and the team that pick before us will realize that also. Therefore, we may have to get the best athelete available and then trade him for a postion of importance to us. Either way, theirs plenty of talent in this draft. Dick Vital says the best 4 college players this year are Mhim, Peterson, Richardson, and Morris. Very interesting hey? Anyway, ESPN's college Bball analyist says the best center in the league is Cavery outta Gonzaga, watch this kid some time, he's amazing. Battier plays the best D in the league and I believe his offensive game will develope wounderfully in the pros. In short, we have a lot of options.
