A litle more insight from The Insider

From my inside source...who stumbled upon this article from

ESPN The INSIDER


May. 20 - Rumors continue to swirl that the team is looking at trading troubled forward Lamar Odom this summer. GM Elgin Baylor didn't exactly close the door. "We don't want to trade Lamar," coach Alvin Gentry told the OC Register Sunday. "But you always have to listen to teams when they ask you about players."

The Heat have shown the most interest in Odom over the past two years, but probably don't have the players it would take to get a deal done. The Clippers, who are said to covet Jay Williams, might be willing to part with Odom in return for the Rockets' No. 1 pick.

the thing i hear now is Rockets number 1 and 15 and Kenny Thomas for Odom, Kandi andthe number 8 pick.

May. 22 - The Rockets sent out strong signals Monday that they are leaning toward keeping their pick and drafting Yao Ming. GM Carroll Dawson acknowledged Tuesday that the team already had "five or six" serious calls about trading the No. 1 pick

The Knicks and Warriors are the teams most interested in getting the No. 1 pick. Still, the team thinks they're better off keeping it and rolling the dice with Yao. "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


1. Houston Rockets
Insider's Pick: Yao Ming, C, China
Number Two: Mike Dunleavy, F, Duke
Sleeper Pick: Caron Butler, F, UConn

The Skinny: The Rockets sent out strong signals Monday that they are leaning toward keeping their pick and drafting Yao. They'll spend the next few weeks researching the legal issues involved and working with Yao's U.S. representative, Erik Zhang. If they can get comfortable with Yao's availability, it seems like the team has already reached a preliminary consensus that it can't pass on the big man. Still, a trade isn't out of the question. Expect the Rockets to field some interesting offers for the pick

But, in the end, no team will be able to offer what the Rockets desperately need -- a skilled big man to plug the gaping hole in the middle left by Kelvin Cato. If, for some reason, Yao balks at playing in Houston, the Rockets may try to make a deal to move down a few slots and grab either Dunleavy or Butler.

2. Chicago Bulls
Insider's Pick: Jay Williams, G, Duke
Number Two: Yao Ming, C, China
Sleeper Pick: Mike Dunleavy, F, Duke

3. Golden State Warriors
Insider's Pick: Drew Gooden, F, Kansas
Number Two: Mike Dunleavy, F, Duke
Sleeper Pick: Chris Wilcox, F, Maryland

4. Memphis Grizzlies
Insider's Pick: Mike Dunleavy, F, Duke
Number Two: Caron Butler, F, UConn
Sleeper Pick: Nikoloz Tskitishvili, F, Georgia

5. Denver Nuggets
Insider's Pick: Dajuan Wagner, G, Memphis
Number Two: Caron Butler, F, UConn
Sleeper Pick: Nikoloz Tskitishvili, F, Georgia

6. Cleveland Cavaliers
Insider's Pick: Caron Butler, F, UConn
Number Two: Chris Wilcox, F, Maryland
Sleeper Pick: Maybyner "Nene" Hilario, F, Brazil

7. New York Knicks
Insider's Pick: Chris Wilcox, F, Maryland
Number Two: Curtis Borchardt, C, Stanford
Sleeper Pick: Dajuan Wagner, G, Memphis

8. Los Angeles Clippers (from Atlanta)
Insider's Pick: Curtis Borchardt, C, Stanford
Number Two: Nikoloz Tskitishvili, F, Georgia
Sleeper Pick: Maybyner "Nene" Hilario, F, Brazil

9. Phoenix Suns
Insider's Pick: Nikoloz Tskitishvili, F, Georgia
Number Two: Maybyner "Nene" Hilario, F, Brazil
Sleeper Pick: Amare Stoudemire, F, HS Senior

10. Miami Heat
Insider's Pick: Jared Jeffries, F, Indiana
Brown2127: 11. Washington Wizards
Insider's Pick: Qyntel Woods, F, Northeast Mississippi CC

12. Los Angeles Clippers
Insider's Pick: Kareem Rush, G, Missouri

13. Milwaukee Bucks
Insider's Pick: Maybyner "Nene" Hilario, F, Brazil

14. Indiana Pacers
Insider's Pick: Chris Marcus, C, Western Kentucky

15. Houston Rockets (from Toronto)
Insider's Pick: Bostjan Nachbar, F, Croatia
Number Two: Marcus Haislip, F, Tennessee
Sleeper Pick: Jiri Welsch, G, Czechoslovakia

The Skinny: The team owes the Grizzlies a pick either this year or next. The Rockets tried to send this pick to the Grizzlies before they grabbed the No. 1 pick. However the Grizzlies wanted to wait until next year. Expect the Rockets to address their need at small forward with pick No. 15. The best small forward left on the board is Nachbar, a sharp shooting 6-foot-8 forward who also has the athleticism to take it the basket. Earlier this year, Nachbar was virtually unstoppable for his team, Benetton Treviso. He leveled off toward the end of the year and his stock slipped just a bit. Teams compare him to the Sonics' Vladimir Radmanovic. At 22, he will be able to contribute right away

 

Read my other post about Finley and Lafrentz...that trade might be a better one.

I thought it was a rumor but now ESPN is reporting it. I am thrilled to know that my source is coming through for me. He only reports to me after he has done his homework.

 

could possibly land the Dirk clone from Treviso Italy that is 7 foot.