I spoke to Doc Rocket, and his contacts within the organization are telling him that Eric Mingji Zhang, Yao's cousin (half of his U.S. representation), will be in Houston Wednesday night or Thursday morning to meet with the Rocket coaches. Apparently it is 85-90% Rockets taking Ming, with that 10-15% probably being the question mark of what offers the Rockets get for the pick when it gets to serious time. I want you guys to know that there's more info to be told here...but not just yet. Can anyone think of ANYTHING the Rockets could do to make the franchise more valuable than selecting the 7-foot-5 star of China? No. I think they'll use the pick and select Ming.
I am not decided on Ming yet, but as for other improvements: Trade #1 to Golden State for #3, Dampier & and their 2003 1st rounder. Draft Dunleavy or Butler with #3 (or trade it for Odom). Trade KT & #15 and move up and get Amarie. Ultimate would be to find a way to get Kandi, but I do not see that happening. ONLY QUESTION is what about the comments Francis made? He sure didn't seem to high on Ming. Sounded like he thought they were okay at the center spot, and he definately wants somebody who can help them next year (see Butler). Almost every scout/expert seems to think that Ming will need a few years to develop. Not exactly what Francis had in mind, though I may have read his comments wrong.
ROFL HP. That was really funny. Very much to the point. Clutch, this news really has taken a load off my shoulders. I was starting to stress.
lol hp. That's twice you've made me spit up my drink tonite. GREAT news Clutch, thanks for passing it along. That 85% sounds just about right imo. You don't want to close off all possiblities, but it's hard to think of passing on the guy when he could potentially solve our most pressing needs. GO YAO!
Clutch, can you tell us what Rudy's thoughts on Yao is? The impression I've gotten from recent posts was that Rudy wasn't as high on Yao as others in the Rockets organizations and very high on Dunleavy. Was this true? Has this changed? I'd rather you protect Doc's sources than let slip something that could hurt the team, but if you happen to hear what SF the Rockets might target with the #15 (or #13 thru #17), let us know. I'm really interested in Nachbar, and wonder what the organization's take is on him. If the answer is "no comment," I'll take that as a good sign. Does anyone know if we'll get a chance to bring him in for a workout? Oh yes, and sincere thanks as always.
If I were Les I would demand my team selects Yao Ming. If I'm Rudy T and CD I am not sure I would pick Yao. For Les, Yao will equal MAJOR $$ in the first few years. Probably enough $ to make the pick worth it even if Yao ends up being a bust. Can you imagine how popular Rockets merchandise will be in that area of the world? For Rudy & CD, Yao is a major gamble. Their jobs areon the line. What if he turns out to be a flop? What if they don't make the playoffs this year and Yao becomes a joke of a player? They're gone.
Whether Clutch likes it or not, he is now "the press," and the primary source of disemination of Rocket information over the internet. And we all love it here, and are proud of its success. But, success has its pros and cons. Now he has access to vital information before many others, and has to deal with that in a responsible way, or his sources will dry up. He is also someone who the Rocket organization will utilize, just as they do the rest of the press. I don't know who Doc Rocket is, but I've noticed he's quite concerned about giving out information that would be detrimental to the Rocket's front office, although he will give us peaks into things we're dying to know, which is really fun. The Rockets have always been masters of giving one impression before they do another, then going and doing something outstanding, such as landing Drexler, Barkley, or Francis. You can't do those big deals, when stuff gets leaked before you can pull them off, and kills your poker face, or embarrasses a player you're considering trading or obtaining. Our site's inside info could actually have been the reason that the Dream deal with Toronto fell apart a few years ago. We could also have been a test baloon, to see how the public would respond, helping them to figure out if they could trade Dream or not before it went mainstream public. We can be a microcosm opinion poll. Obviously, the Rocket organization needs for people to believe that it's 85% the Rockets will take Ming, and they need to show the Chinese respect toward their favorite basketball son, deservedly so. I actually believe that taking Ming HAS to be the best scenario for the Rockets organization, but if someone will actually trade them value so they get a superstar in return, who will get the Rockets where they want quicker, then the Rockets are open to those offers, and are also letting it out that there is a 10-15% consideration of trade offers, but they had better be good. Don't waste our time... Actually, I don't see a contradiction in Pop's post at all. He has different people he's talking to with a different slant, although probably less filtered with more opinion. You also have to pick out Pop's opinion which he injected into this post more than normal, which seems rather negative toward Ming, nor confident of his short term positive impact. Many of us were dying for his insider report on what was really going on, even though it was a bit discouraging to me, I must admit. But, I have always valued Pop's inside info, and his opinions, as do many of you, and hope we continue to have both sources and many others for a long time... (POPs don't let this get your goat. We want you here! You are an integral part of this community, although I bet you give Clutch fits with Rocket's management.) <b>... let's not play them against each other ...</b>
Thank God. I'm relieved. Woke up thinking about how the Rockets were going to blow it by picking up players to become an inferior version of the Dallas Mavericks. 85-90% Yao with it trending higher I hope. Yao is a virtual no brainer-- if we pick no. 1. Everyone. I repeat everyone believes this is a two person draft at the top. Yao and Jay Williams. As Francis said we already have a point guard. Messing with Francis and Mobley would be just plain stupid and set the franchise back three years. There isn't even a guarantee that Williams is better or as good as Cuttino or Franics. Every national writer or sports fan knows the Rocket are very strong in the backcourt and very weak in the front court. Hence it is Yao or trade. Please, no Dunlevy, Gooden etc. talk at number one. As far as trading, as has been said earlier, it will take a franchise type player. We know that player must be in the front court and tall. Needs to be young, too. As Will said not two or three good starters who don't fit this criteria. Possibilities: Gasol, Duncan, Rasheed, Garnett, McDyess plus , Odom plus Kandi, Curry or Chandler plus, , Jermaine O'neil, Kenon plus Vince, Lafrentz plus a lot, Golden State's best player plus no 3. etc. With the exception of Gasol, Richardson at GS , Curry, Chandler since their rookie contract, the others are all paid well and would have to take Rice/Cato/Taylor or a combination of two to make the trade work. The other team will have to virtually gut itself to get Yao. As Carrol said it is hard to trade the number one. When you throw in the money angle, the choice is virtually forced unless one of teams above goes nuts to get Yao. Back to Yao. Let's be optimistic. A gymn rat, improving rapidly, and a disciplined guy who can standup to the pressure. . 21 of 21 in the biggest game of his career to date. Excellent shooting in a gymn with hundreds of reporters and scouts looking at him. A good shooting big man, with a great touch that is working on a hook. Jabbar? A good passer. For those old enough to remember, Wilt Chamberlain led the NBA in assists one year. Can't help but alter and also block shots. CD and the braintrust are in shock,as are we on this BBS, but sometimes the best decisions are so clear that you just have to give into them. Go Yao, don't fight it.
Here is the blurb in ESPN Insider about Cuzin Yangie comin to H Town... Rockets thinking big with No. 1 pick Rockets GM Carroll Dawson did his best Tuesday to clear up any confusion about what his team plans to do with its No. 1 pick in 2002 draft. "Trading the first pick is very hard to do because there is kind of a good feeling about having the first pick," Dawson said in a conference call. "This is the fifth one that this organization has had. It's hard to trade it because the unknown value of what you're getting is hard to rate. I'm sure we will get offers for this pick because it happens every year. Very few people trade it. We're a franchise that listens to every thing and tries to do what's best for winning, but I think that this would be a very hard pick to trade." Dawson said that he's received "five or six" serious calls about trading the pick. Insider reported Tuesday morning that the Rockets sent out strong signals Monday that they are leaning toward keeping their pick and drafting Yao Ming. They'll spend the next few weeks researching the legal issues involved and working with Yao's U.S. representative, Erik Zhang. Dawson also said that the team is trying to schedule another workout with Yao, but said he has yet to receive an answer from the Sharks. Zhang is expected to arrive in Houston late Wednesday to begin hammering out details. If all goes well, it looks like Yao is the man. Dawson spoke in glowing terms about Yao Tuesday: "There are a lot of things thing impress you when you see him. First of all, he is overpowering with his size. He's already got a little bit of bulk with his shoulders and his legs being developed. His lower body strength surprised me a little. What you look at when you go watch a big man run is how much lower body strength he's got, how much time it takes him to stop turn around and go the other way. It takes a long runway for a lot of big guys to stop and turn around. This guy runs like a 6-5 guy. He's got quickness, he's got great size, he's got agility. He can put the ball on the floor from the post with either hand. He shoots the ball with range. He makes three-pointers. He looks like an excellent passer watching the films of the Olympics. "On of the skill part of it, he was blessed with a lot of talent. The growing part of it, the physical part of the NBA, he's not used to nor is anybody before they get into the NBA. It's big adjustment how physical this league is, so we'll just have to see how he develops there. To me, he's got a big upside."
i think we all are missing one big factor here: The Rockets Organization is a Business. It is the nature of all businesses to make money, regardless of the situation. This is what it all comes down to. I keep hearing talk of "we need a player that will help out now" and "we can trade our bad contracts away" Who cares? In 2-3 years, a good portion of our bad contracts will be gone. By this time, Ming will start to reach his full potential. This here, is the turning point in the Rockets organization. Remember! its all about the $$$, not the wins!
Thank you Clutch for the info,but i'm not sure if the Rockets Organization will shock us again in the draft!!!!!
