With the 24th Pick, The Houston Rockets select ???

The Draft will set the table for the Rockets this summer. I expect either a 2/3 swingman or a PF with our pick. And then potentially use the MLE to address whichever of the two we dont address in the draft.

 

They've got to draft the best rebounder/defender on the board.

 

RE: the tweeners. I did not say these guys could not be good or contributing players. What makes GM's shy away from these guys are their size. If these guys were 2" inches taller they would probably be lottery.

With the size of Western Conference PF's, and the trend toward using PF's at C, l don't want someone that bigger guys can just shoot over the top or overwhelm with size.

Warrik is listed at 6'8 and 210. He sounds like an incredible "college" player, no question, but that is almost small for a SF. He better be pretty damn strong to keep PF's who will outweigh him by 20-40 pounds each night.

Like someone else mentioned earlier, if we were able to get one of these guys at #24, and they can contribute ala Kenny Thomas, I would not have a problem.

However, I would rather see us get a power forward with some legitimate size.

Turiaf's write-up at Draft City sounds exactly like what we need:

"Ronny Turiaf started his college career as a skinny unknown with a mean streak. In the four years since he has added an astonishing amount of bulk, but hasn’t lost a bit of the fire ... his strength lies in his ability to disrupt things around the basket. ... listed 6’10 and 250, it wouldn’t surprise me if he weighs 10-15 pounds more ... hasn’t lost any of that explosiveness that makes him so tough to contain. ... blessed with a fire for the game, and ... eager to knock people around down low. ... incredible offensive rebounder, a first-rate post defender, and an enthusiastic shot blocker. ... good position in the low blocks on offense, ... on defense, he might as well be a 7-foot block of granite. ... has great anticipation, and that unexpected burst in his legs. Where other players tire, Turiaf keeps coming at you. ... very reminiscent of your classic “enforcer” PF, ... has some work to do on his post fundamentals, but seems to understand what it takes to get his shot off down low, and has an adequate midrange jumper for this point in his career.

There are a lot of intriguing PF’s slated to go in the middle of the first round in 2005, and Turiaf might just be the most impressive of the bunch physically. He has the size, strength, and athleticism. It’s unlikely he ever becomes a top-tier scorer, but his intensity and ability to control the paint with his strength make him a future double-double machine in the NBA. There isn’t as much upside here as in many of the first rounders, but the team that takes Turiaf in the first round isn’t risking much, either. Ronny Turiaf is ready to succeed in the NBA. "

 

The trend towards using 4's at the 5 is exactly why having a undersized 4 is not a problem anymore. There are much more power forwards in the NBA that would rather beat you from the perimeter than bang down low. That's why it's better to have a 4 that is comfortable defending on the perimeter like a Hakim Warrick.

Outside of Duncan and Garnett (who give everyone problems), I don't see any big power forwards in the West that would give us problems if we played an undersized 4. The starting power forwards of the West consist of Marion, Kenyon Martin, Kenny Thomas, Radmanovic, Odom. These guys are all undersized 4s. We just shut down Dirk by putting our small forward on him.

 

Good point New Jack. This whole debate makes me feel that much better about our chances of getting a good contributing player.

 

Yup. These days with the transformation of the PF position, "tweeners" can find success by having two out these three qualities: Quickness, Length, and Strength. If you have long arms and strength, then you can succeed like Elton Brand has. If you have Quickness and Strength, then you can play like Marion. And if you have Quickness and Length, then you can be like Kirilenko. Length and Skills would make you Odom. All these guys are in the 6'8" - 6'9" range. And if they were on our team, our PF problems would be over.

Of course, al these guys were lottery picks (well except for AK-47 who fell because of his contract situation), but it just goes to show that players can succeed without the traditional height of a PF.

 

Boozer?

 

How come no one talk about Deng Gai? Isn't he the best shot blocker in college? and he's 6' 9" 250lbs, good size for a power forward...

 

How often does the 24th pick in the draft do anything for a team? Once every 5 years? I'm just curious to know...

 

http://bbs2.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?threadid=96501

... and someone pointed out that Sam Cassell was a 24th pick a couple of years earlier.

 

How many of those were an impact their rookie years vs. taking 2-3 years to develop? I am wondering if this 24th pick can help us out immediately or not...

 

Picking that low we would be lucky to get someone that can contribute right away...mostly you get developmental players there.

DD

 

Probably on Kirilenko would qualify by that standard. I'm not sure how long Fisher waited to contribute. A couple others are solid rotational players and the rest are comers and busts.

In other words, we might not want to get our hopes too high...

 

It should be noted Kirilenko stayed in Europe a year after being drafted.

Edit: I personally want to solve the 4 slot via free agency/trade...right now, I'd take Garcia at 24. This team really only has one true swingman in TMac. Dallas exposed us by running Daniels, Howard, and Stackhouse, all 6-6 or 6-7 athletes that we just couldn't match up with. We could use another guy in that size area to complement. Further, we were 6th worst in opponent turnovers. Garcia averaged over 3 steals+blocks the past two years. All of this, and I haven't even mentioned he's one of the best shooters in the draft and a highly skilled passer. Les certainly wouldn't mind a Latin presence, and I'm sure JVG loves his passion and mentality.

 

I would like to get Garcia as well, especially if we can get SAR or Swift in the draft. Garcia could fit in nicely behind Wesley and maybe even get some mins behind T-mac at the SF spot.

 

Julius Hodge-
This kid is long (in the arms too), he can pass better than anyone his size I've seen come out of college in a long time. He virtually played point guard last year in the tourney, and was amazing. Great court vision, great handels. He plays very good defense. So why will he be available when Houston picks? He's not a very good shooter. Of all the weaknesses that bother me about drafting players, shooting is overrated. Players who want to do well in the NBA, always improve their shooting regardless of how good they were when they were drafted.

This kid has a lot of heart (reminds me of Mobley in that respect). He plays with fire, and even though he needs to add a few pounds, I think he's tough. Could turn out to be the steal of the draft down the road. Man I'd love to develop him into an NBA point guard.

 

As a SG, Francisco Garcia led Louisville this past season in blocked shots and holds the Cardinals single game assist record with 15.

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

 

An NBA PG? No way.

He doesn't have the court vision or passing abilities nor the quickness to guard real NBA PG's. Can't shoot and is rail thin hence the reason he's projected as a late 2nd rounder.

Best case scenario for him is to be a very poor man's version of Jimmy Jackson.

 

He'll be a first rounder. He has really impressed in workouts from what I hear, and his stock is rising. I won't say that I watched every game he played over the past two seasons, but I have watched him over the last 2 years. Last year he really had a poor shooting season, but the previous year he was excellent. They've used him in many ways over the past 2 seasons. He can also cut to the basket at will, very quick. Last year in the tourney I think he averaged 6 assists, or something close to that. He was excellent at getting his teammates involved, and that's what a pg is supposed to do. He's not nba pg ready at the moment, but I think he has the skills necessary to develop into a pg. THe shooting and the weight will come, but the quickness and the court vision are already there.

 

He won't be a 1st rounder and it would be very bad Karma to have an NC State player that close to UofH.