Two out of eight isn't all that bad of a ratio considering where we picked from. It should be the Griffin pick, not the others, that you're so upset about. When you're picking at spots like where Rhodes, Turkcan, Langhi and tonight are, you're out of touch with reality if you expect much more than a scrub or marginal rotation player at best. Occasionally they'll work out and that's great, but it's not worth getting all worked up about. They're supposed to suck! Griffin, on the other hand... I agree the Rockets won't rule out power forwards. But if I had to bet, I'd say that swingmen are slightly higher on their list. If we end up with Marshall instead of Swift or Brown, we'll have the same glaring hole at the 4 in a couple of years. But SG/SF is the easiest position for a rookie to come in and contribute at next season, imo. That's why I think if the players are equal, we'll go there. But, if our first couple of choices at the wing are gone, we can (and should) take best available big man instead of reaching for an athletic wing with second round talent. Or I could be completely wrong and PF was/is our target all along.
Was CD the one calling the shots all those years with the draft picks or was it Rudy who was making the decisions? If it was Rudy, then I think CD will do fine. Notice how all the player moves he made this past season couldn't have worked out better now that he was consulting with Jeff Van Gundy instead of Rudy?
Right on Yao NJRocket, but we traded for Francis. Still one of the biggest shockers -- to acquire the second pick of the draft for Michael Dickerson, Othella Harrington and a pick in a draft that had Elton Brand, Steve Francis, Lamar Odom, Baron Davis, Rip Hamilton, Andre Miller, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry and Ron Artest among others (plus Andrei Kirilenko). The Rockets acquired Francis after the draft of course... they never had the pick to select with. Massive, massive blunder by the Grizzlies though. What would everyone's feelings be if we were to get Stromile Swift or Shareef Abdur-Rahim later on? I have no idea if we will, but if we are -- would you still want a power forward at #24? Maybe the Rockets know something that we don't.
The Rockets previous draft's have not been that great but they have found some value in the back end of the drafts with Cassell, Thomas, and Mobley. Plus, this is the first time that we get to see JVG and CD working together in a draft. We all saw how great that combo did with trades during this last season. Lets see what they can do before we start trashing them before the draft has even happened.
Absolutely. Last year we had to suffer through watching Ryan Bowen and Scott Padgett in the playoffs. Juwan Howard's future as a basketball player is still in jeopardy, and there's no guarantee that we can get either Swift or Rahim. We have a GAPING hole at the power forward spot. At times last year, it felt as if we were playing 4 on 5. With such little depth there, I don't know how you can pass on a Wayne Simien, Ike Diogu, or Chris Taft. It boggles the mind.
We don't have as strong a NEED for a pg/sg/swingman as we do for a POWER 4 who can play defense and REBOUND REBOUND REBOUND. Plus, it would be extremely nice if that player also happens to be someone the other team cannot simply ignore on the offensive end, a la Ryan Bowen. JHoward is helpful to us now because he can hit that 17 footer from the top of the lane consistently. But he just doesn't have the speed, power, and agility necessary to be a dominant rebounder and defensive player. Having said that, the question then becomes: Who, among the 4's whom we might be able to get in free agency, fit that bill? Who among them is a monster defensive player, rebounder, and can score reliably when called upon? Birdman? Stromile? Really? Harrington? Because in order for us to justify NOT taking one of the 4's in the draft, whoever we pick up as a FA *MUST* fit the bill on all counts. Otherwise we get left with holes that will once again be exposed when the playoffs roll around again. On the other hand, who among the potential rookies, would fit this bill? Not having seen them play, but after reading as much as is available, it appears that the best fits would be: Sean May, Ike Diogu, and Simien. Not nearly as sold on Villanueva, Taft, Blatche, David Lee, or any of those others. So it seems to me that when #24 rolls around, and if any of those three are still on the board, we HAVE to take one of them. I would much rather do that, than go into the season with a tattooed offensive liability nutter like Anderson, or Swift, who also has plenty of knocks against him. We have Mike James, we have Spanoulis, we have Barry, and Sura (who, heck, may finally get healthy).. no need to draft another clone of what we already have, and then depend on what other teams are willing to let go. Diogu's wingspan is making me drool. We have GOT to get a monster rebounder out of this offseason.
The difference between past drafts and this one is JVG. Rudy was the head scout and had a whole lot of input in every draft, even when he was an assistant here. JVG does not have much imput, but he does have a voice in it. It'll all turn out fine.
Oh yeah - another thing I'd like to add: If we do draft at #24, no matter WHO we take, CD is guaranteed to say: "We could not believe our luck that this guy slid to us. We were trying to trade up to get him. We had him as #1 at his position on our board."
I'd still go for the pf and try hard to get rid of Howard the second I could get something of value for him.
There are really no expectations here, so I don't really think there is anything to screw up myself. Maybe we get lucky. Maybe no.
I heard the Rockets are going to draft Linus Kleiza. Who? Exactly? We will all be pissed off by the end of the night. Besides Yao, any remember a recent draft night when we weren't left scratching our heads and wondering wtf?
CD has been on fire.. why would that stop now?? Even if things dont seem right about our pick, it could be part of a bigger idea that we wont know about till the start of the season.. Trade? Maybe, maybe no...
I think CD will make a smart pick, I think Rudy T tried to pull suprise picks out of his ass after he found Horry and Cassell to surprise people.
The last 8 # 24's... Delonte West Brian Cook Nenad Kristic Raul Lopez Dalibor Begeric KIRELINKO Felipe Lopez Roderick Rhodes So...there is hope...but to say you can actually screw this pick up is a little unfair.
Too be quite honest I do have a bad feeling. I would not mind trading down if it meant picking up two 2nd rd picks THIS year, but I do not want to move down if it means getting a 2nd this year plus a future 2nd. The draft (so they say) may go down as one of the deepest of all times, so there would be little guarantee that the future 2nd rd pick would have as much value. No matter what... I pray they do not lock into a deal before we know who is actually going to fall to 24. I would be sick if they had a prearranged deal with someone and one of the hot commodities slipped to 24. I hope I am wrong!
Ever thought of the possibility of TRADING James or Wesley? I mean if we bring in Head (assuming we draft him) and VSpan, then chances are we might move any one of or combination of James/Wesley/Sura. The draft is just ONE PART of our offseason moves.
