With the 5th pick in the draft, the Houston Rockets select....

If they ended up with #4, although this would not be a popular decision, I would still take Sochan over Ivey.
I just dont see Ivey carving out a lot of playing time with the logjam of guards on the team. If we don't include Wall and Gordon, you still have KPJ, Green, Matthews, Nix, Queen and Christopher. Sochan, imo, plays right away. Possibly in the starting lineup. So it's not that I don't like Ivey, it's just that I don't like the idea of him spending a lot of time in the G-league.

 

for 5th I would go Keegan or Mathurin

Keegan to play SF or backup PF in year one.
Eventual replacement to C Wood. Good to get the replacement a few years
in advance.

If Mathurin: used like Bones Hyland or Duarte guarding Point Guards/SG's

Mathurin- guarding PG (6'6" shooting 37% from 3 on 6 attempts per game)
Green- guarding SG's (6'6")
Porter jr- guarding SF's (6'6")
PF- C Wood?-guarding PF's (6'9")
C- Sengun- guarding centers (6'9")
Good heights for the team with the shortest being 6'6"---(up for debate)

On offense it doesn't matter about position title or label.....everyone shoot, pass, and hit 3's.

Yeah, I've been against guards, guards, guards and more guards.

But I'm seeing the trend of NBA teams going multiple Combo Guards or
what I call Point SG's.

Point of attack could be devastating with JGreen-Porter-JoshC-JIvey
tandem or 3-headed monster on the court at one time. Plus Rockets
would be preparing for a Porter departure.

The Green-Ivey machine would get going as Ivey transitions into the
league and starts learning the intricacies of NBA travel and schedules.

I'm not sure Banchero defense is much better than Sengun and I have
Sengun giving me everything I could hope from the offensive end.
I'm not a fan of Embiid+Tobias Harris posting up 15 times a game,
so I'm not a big fan of Sengun+Banchero posting up 15 times a game.
6 to 8 times by one is enough for me.

Melo was 98 in NBA percentile as a Rocket in post ups.....we gave
him about 3 possessions in the post. I wanted it bumped up to 8 per game.

Banchero was so hyped as a highschool kid the previous year. He just fell
flat in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I would pick him high enough at
#4 but hesitate at #3 until I see him at the combine, height, weight, cone drills,
shuttle and in scrimmages. Still a chance I bump him up.

Address our rim protection and rebounding with our 2nd pick.

 

Here's something for us all to think about. Look at the All-NBA First Team players and where they were selected in the draft. I'll start naming names and going backward through the years but won't duplicate names:

1. Luka Doncic - 3rd
2. Stephen Curry - 7th
3. Nikola Jokic - 41st
4. Kawhi Leonad - 15th
5. Giannis Antetokounmpo - 15th
6. James Harden - 3rd
7. Anthony Davis - 1st
8. LeBron James - 1st
9. Paul George - 10th
10. Damian Lillard - 6th
11. Kevin Durant - 2nd
12. Russell Westbrook - 4th
13. DeAndre Jordan - 35th
14. Marc Gasol - 48th

 

Good plan.

Better plan, trade up.

 

He says so much, yet he said nothing.

 

He said, we like the guys we have, we might draft some guys, we might not, we might make some trades. What he DIDN'T say was. . . . These Assets.


Wisdom.

 

Except it didn't ....

Until 1984 there was a coin flip between the worst team in each conference. Not necessarily the two worst teams.

If you recall it was because the Rockets tanked back to back years to draft Ralph & Akeem, the other owners didn't like the principal of intentionally putting a bad product on the court that they instituted the draft lottery.

1985-86 each non playoff team had the same odds, envelops were picked to determine order.
1987 was the first year of the lottery and only the top 3 picks were determined by the lottery, the rest by record. All non playoff teams still had an equal shot at 1-3.
1990 was the first year of the "weighted system" - worst record had a 25% chance at #1. #2 16% and so on.

They make it more punitive with a 52-48 shot at landing in the top 4 picks and only a 14% chance at #1 with the worst record and teams still tank.
It was because of the 76ers tanking three straight years that the league put the current top 3 having equal odds system in place and expanding the lottery to the top 4 picks.


Essentially we've had a lottery in place since 1987 and it hasn't changed a thing, teams still tank. It's the only way for small market & less desirable locations to secure talent.

This year may have been the most tanked up season on record .... Portland's tank was epic to drop from a playoff spot to #6. They & Indiana each lost their last 10 games.

OKC was playing guys off the street ... after putting everyone on the shelf with a month or more to go.

The Rockets played the game too shutting down EG, Wood & Schroder ....


Sacramento was #7 and the first team that didn't appear to tank.

 

Definitely a trend that you could even get 1 or 2 more Euro players in there if you gave them more draft slots.

 

Oh no Sochan would not start, imo. He is a 59% FT shooter and 29% (3P) shooter.
Wood is 62% FT shooter and 39% from 3. You would taking a big step
backwards from Christian Wood. The good offense is sometimes the
making of a good defense. Getting the other team to inbound as you make
more baskets. The spacing Wood would provide is priceless to a Porter-Ivey--Green.

Ivey or Mathurin would start over a Nix or Mathews and Eric Gordon would be
gone. His expiring contract would then be dealt. Someone would take him.

Sochan was a 1.9 defensive win share (16th in the Big-12) while Mathurin was 2.2
and 2nd in the Pac-12 and Jaden Ivey was only 1.4 and 16th in the Big-10.
_________________________________________
Playing defense on opposing Point Guards is a big need for the Rockets as well.

I'm not saying drafting Mathurin #3 or #4.......but I'm saying we shouldn't draft Sochan
#3 or #4. Just my opinion. Going back to Mathurin at #5 possibly.
per basketball-reference.com
Chris Duarte spent time at each position: 23% (PG) 62% (SG) 15% (SF) at 6'6"
Bones Hyland: 52% (PG) 47% (SG) 1% (SF) at 6'3"

I believe Mathurin could be a dog on defense better hybrid than Duarte and
Bones Hyland mixed while supplying 6 to 8 three point attempts per game.

And if the defender closes too fast look out.....you better send defenders to meet
him away from the rack, because he will finish with authority.

Just my take, thank you for your opinion.

*Sochan is not the Dennis Rodman as many comp. In 25 minutes his rebounds are puny
and his shot blocking is sad.

 

Teams are going to tank. It’s just trying to reduce the number. If anything, I feel the play-in has had a bigger impact on tanking than the lottery odds.

 

He seems to be phony and Carroll Dawson had more charisma in his little finger.

 

Hypothetically if the Pacers got the 3rd pick and we have the 4th pick I would do something like:

Houston receives:
3rd pick
Myles Turner

Indiana receives:
4th pick
Christian Wood
Brooklyn's pick

We take Ivey and pick up a center we really need. Indiana could walk away with Banchero, Wood, and, say, Kessler all in one draft. The would have basically overhauled their entire front court to accelerate their rebuild around the Haliburton/Duarte backcourt. Turner's injury history is a bit of a head scratcher but if you told me I can walk away from the draft with Ivey and Myles Turner and all it cost me was two picks and Wood, I'd say "sign me up".

But of course this all depends on the draft positioning and situation. I think in most situations I would just stand pat and take BPA at 4.

 

Can't speak for everyone; but me personally, would like the ideal situation
of being number 1 or 2 and taking either Jabari or Chet and then using our Nets pick
and assets (Wood, Eric Gordon, Nwaba) and/or future pick(s) to move up and take
either Keegan Murray or Mathurin.

But to be #4 or later and move up to #3.....I'm probably passing.

Moving up one spot from number 4 *might take 3 first round picks. Pretty
hefty cost for Ivey or Banchero imo. I'm not that enamored with both.

*[ If moving up to number one or two takes 4 first round picks ]

 

That's an intriguing one. Trying to make it worthwhile for Pacers. If you were Pacers GM, would you pull the trigger? ... Turner>Wood, but are the extra side dishes sweet enough. They'd be tempted at least.


One other minor 'freebie' from HOU to IND this season is in the Levert deal, Pacers got upcoming 2nd round pick from us. With us organic tanking having the worst record, that pick converted into a top 2nd round pick.

 

I think it's a pretty even deal tbh. Turner is much better defensively but he's had more injuries in the past few years than Wood. Indy at 3 could take Banchero and call it a day but picking up another floor spacer for that team in Wood as well as, potentially, a new center at 16-17 could be enough to sway them. I think, given the cap situation right now with the Pacers and Brogdon's contract, Hield's contract, I don't think the Pacers are going to want to fork over near-max money for Turner if they can get Wood (who I think is slightly less than Turner, overall) for a fraction of Turner's potential cost, that's a move Indy should make. I just place more value on Turner's defensive ability than Wood's offensive ability.

Of course this is all coming from a Rockets fan and people might have good reasons as to why it's a lopsided deal.

 

That's a lot better than Morey exposing everything in media talks.

Look at the best gms over the years like Popovich, Presti, Riley none of them blab to the media about their plans.

 

Why would you need a backup center? Rox arent contending anytime soon backups shouldnt be a priority. Just make Sengun the backup in that case snd keep your assets.

More importantly if you get 4rth you will prob get Ivey anyway cuz he is ranked 4rth behind Banchero, Smith and Chet.

 

By backup center you're referring to Turner? Just want to make sure we're on the same page because if you're thinking Turner is just a back up center then I'll just say we'll agree to disagree.

 

Who cares he filled the Rox to the brim with young talent 1 yr into the rebuild. CD the "real" guy who gave the max to Kelvin Cato off a triple double preseason game amirite?