Written By Jonathan Givony of Draft Express He has us drafting Klay Thompson and Nikola Vucevic. Pretty amazing if they fall to us. Tyler Honeycutt is a possibility if Vucevic is off the board. Word is, we've worked out Honeycutt multiple times. I'd be happy with Honeycutt and Biyombo or Thompson Vucevic. Spoiler http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ycn-8648301
Interesting... Klay, son of Mychal, #1 draft pick of 1978. Former U of Minnesota classmate of Kevin McHale, who has some sort of employment with the Houston Rockets. Nikola, son of Borislav and Ljiljana, both pro hoopsters. The last draft pick the Rockets used on the progeny of a couple of foreign pros turned out pretty well.
I'd rather Burks for our first round pick. He's better than Thompson imo... But, I think Burks is gonna go higher than our pick.
If Singleton isn't on the board at 14, then I like the Thompson & Vucevic picks. It'll be good to have a starting 7-0 center for the playoffs again.
6'6 is big enough to play SF, but it isn't really ideal, is it? Kevin Martin is listed at 6'7 (though that's with shoes), and he's our SG. His game doesn't strike me as "strenght" based, in the sense that a healthy Brandon Roy, or Dwayne Wade, you could plug in at the SF as necessary, because they are athletically quick enough but also sturdy enough to mess around in the paint. On the contrary, he has a very Kevin Martin, Chase Budinger feel to him. If Morey thought he was far and away the best player available, sure, but otherwise, I see no reason to select Klay. Just to pick two in this guy's mock that land below the Rockets that I think woudl be smarter picks, Jordan Hamilton is taller and 30 pounds heavier... a truer SF. Tobias Harris can't shoot worth ****, but we already have 2 guys that can (aforementioned Budinger, Martin) but provides the defense, rebounding, tenacity currently lacking at our 2/3 position. I'd agree that it would be better if Chris Singleton fell to us.
6'6 without shoes and 6'7 1/4 with shoes is pretty good. Not ideal for a SF, but I don't think we should draft a SF just base on need. We'll survive with the wings we have right now. Just for comparison, he is taller, has a higher standing reach, and has a longer wingspan than Chase. We shouldn't put too much stock into height. The guy has a Brandon Roy feel to him.
I say take Biyombo at the 14th and Vucivic @ 23rd if possible if there are no trades available this off-season.
That would be great. Scola would be gone if this happens, and I'm hoping for Granger or Iggy. Maybe something like Granger, Rush for Scola, Miller, and Williams. To the Pacers: Scola - Gives them a very solid post player Miller - Return of the Brad to Indiana Williams - young prospect To the Rockets: Granger - Exellent scorer in a position of need. He'll be able to make up Scola's scoring load. Rush - Gives us Depth at the 2 and 3. Better than Williams. I worry about our post scoring if we trade away Scola, but I think Patterson will step up next year.
Im not sold on Biyombo. Something just doesn't sit well with me on him. If he was 6'11 I would feel better. 6'9 C with no exp and no offense??? I hope we can get one of the euros at 14.
I'm not sold on him either. I believe people are making a mistake comparing him so much to Ibaka, who is a complete player with giant upside. Biyombo doesn't seem to have much on offense at all. Ibaka had the mid-range jumper from the beginning, although people don't seem to realize it.
I'm kinda on the fence with Biyombo myself. He doesn't seem very skilled, but what do I know. Won't surprise me if Morey goes with a Euro as his main pick in this draft.
I don't understand this need for a "shot blocking center." We have a 24 year old, 7'3" monster sitting on our bench. Sure, he sucks, but in order to fix that he needs to see the court. We're in rebuilding mode anyways, and playing him would ensure that we miss the playoffs and get our lotto pick next year.
If he was a defensive, rebounding, shot blocking monster we would not need Biyombo. At 24 he has not shown the mental make up to be a monster at anything. If it happens that would be great but as they say, "a leopard does not change his spots".
When I say monster I mean just in terms of physical attributes. The guy is humongous and athletic. He's unproven, but hasn't had a chance to play real minutes yet in his career. I'm just saying that I think this guy should play some before we give up on him and start our new project at center.
Scola will not be traded. Scola is a player that KM will not give up on like most on the bbs would do. You need a veteran player that play in the post.
I don't know much about Biyumbo, but for every Ben Wallace there are probably at least two or three Joey Dorsey's. You need some basketball IQ/saavy to play in the NBA, no matter what position you play. If Biyumbo doesn't have it, taking him at 14 is a reach.
This has to be the most interesting draft in the past ten years strickly because picks 4 through 30 can go any which way. Prospects are all over the place. Some teams are going to get some major steals in this draft. My take on Klay Thompson... He looks like a Kevin Martin clone physically, but with excellent shot mechanics and has been very effective in college with a post up/back to the basket offensive game. His effectiveness on defense is yet to be determined since he was the primary scorer in college. This guy could be a gifted scorer in the NBA. I like this pick but Tyler Honeycutt would be an interesting pick at 14 as well. Has very intriguiging athleticism, and versatility. If you want "ceiling" for a wing player, Honeycutt has a high one. Im really looking forward to this Thursday, and one things for certain... the Rockets will always leave us scratching our heads then 6 months later it all makes sense. Expect the unexpected.
It's not really KM's decision, and if we can get a star in return then I'd be willing to bet Morey does it. We have to give up something to get something... whether Granger's a star or not is debatable, but Scola's far from untouchable.