Because Terrence Jones has already shut down a 7 footer that was chosen ahead of him. http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=223383
I actually really like this thread. There hasn't been much interesting stuff lately, so please ignore those ignorant post police! Here's my take: I'm not in love with the rooks, but I AM excited about the direction our Rox are heading. We could have easily had 4 drafted rookies to all show NOTHING in the Summer League and probably with all 4 picks being between 12-20 in the first round, the chances were much greater to have NONE ranked in the top ten, but we had THREE ranked in the top 5! With the last one an honorable mention. And if it weren't for Royce's slow start, he wudda been right there with them. I think we all appreciate having just ONE player showing promise, but all 4? That's something to be a little excited about. We fans remember Derrick Chievous, Buck Johnson, Dave Jamerson, etc. Most mid-round picks are either boring role players or just outright busts. Yeah, they might not all become stars, but we definitely see potential here. Also, I think we were bored of the mediocrity of the Scola, Martin, Lowry days... This is truly a NEW team and we are finally going to get out of this mediocre purgatory. Add to this, the Dwight drama. I think makes us fans more attached to these newbies knowing how arrogant, ungrateful, and disloyal other "star" players can be. This point is made obvious by many of the previous posts. But mostly I think it's the unique skills that each rook brings. Almost like we are creating a brand new superhero team together (like the X-Men or the Avengers): 1) Jeremy Lamb - he was projected by many early mock drafts to go as high as #3 overall. Many have said that he is a top 5 in most other draft years. Many have compared him to Kevin Martin and up to Tracy McGrady. If he stays healthy and gets anywhere close to McGrady, we are set! Even if he becomes more Kmart, hey... A Kmart with a long wingspan and can actually play some defense is a pretty great little player. If Kmart could play D, he'd be a star for sure! Definitely Lamb has star potential. 2) Donatas Motiejunas - not only did he put up solid numbers, but he is also that rare 7-footer who has agility that can dribble, shoot, and rebound. Of course he needs to bulk up, and he already is bigger and stronger now than when we drafted him. You know the Rockets will have that in their plans. Imagine him 20+ lbs heavily and stronger. Could be extremely exciting. 3) Terrence Jones - 6'9" or 6'10" PF with SF skills? Wow! And he could still be growing? He also has championship experience and he learned from a great program in Kentucky. He had to share the rock with a team full of college all stars and still put up solid numbers. Many said he woulda been top 5 pick if if didn't go to Kentucky and his numbers woulda been much higher being the go-to guy. He can shoot, post, dribble, rebound and does it all quietly and efficiently even WITHOUT being the team's focal point. I can see a team making him a centerpiece & telling him to dominate and play more aggressively, making him stronger mentally and not deferring too much to unlock his potential. Possibly highest upside of all the rooks! 4) Royce White - he has the most unique skillsets of all and I think is still the most exciting of all the 4 rooks. If McHale can put him in a position to be successful (maybe as a 6th man), I can see him being that spark off the bench making plays happen with his excellent court vision and passing ability... All while Lin is resting. He defitely needs to improve his shooting and free throws, but I don't see confidence and a mental game to be needed here. If he can, improve his shooting and be allowed to get playing time, he can be that rare gem who has skills of a 1, with the size of a 4! How many bigs have point guard skills? Lebron? Magic? I'm not saying he will become them, even though comparisons HAVE been made. I'm just saying this combination of skills and size is rare and makes it exciting for fans to see what may come of it. Bottom line is that having 4 drafted rookies to be showing this much promise in one team probably has never happened before. They may flop, they may not. But as of now our "assets" have very high value (either for a trade or just for the local fans). Either way, Morey has put us in a much better position with all his moves and years of declining ticket sales and fan interest may be over. Add Linsanity (who seems to play better with athletic young role players, rather than overpaid superstars), I see lots to get excited about.
For some reason I have a feeling the people who are attached to the rookies now, were also attached to each first round pick we've had over the last 3 years before they actually played.
I think the team is good as they are just let them grow with each other Asik Jones(he will start and should start over Patterson) Parsons J Lamb (Martin has got to go) Lin Bench: White Machado D-Mo This super team thing is only a temporary trend...it will die off and the league will have balanced teams once again
No way! I really disliked Morris, PPat and Chase. Still do. I'd give them the benefit of the doubt but there was absolutely NO excitement for them!
The reason so many people here have grown attached to them are there summer league performances, and their attitudes. J-Lamb is a natural scorer, seems like Kevin Martin 2.0 with same laid back attitude. I think it will be a matter of time before people start calling him lazy and lethargic, espicially on defense like Kevin. Royce is extremely strong, great passer, and for some reason our board is obsessed with the thought of him playing point-forward. Also, he seems like Arian Foster, liking philosophy, poetry, photography, and he is open about his mental heath issues. Also that thing with him backing up Zoran Dragic, and calling him Zozo got a lot of people attached. Terrence also dominated the summer league, showing great inside scoring abilities and defensive/rebounding. I've tried not to get too attached, fearing any of them could get traded at any moment.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tzY7qQFij_M" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> We'd like to watch em grow
Who was that? All your link does is link us back to the last horrible thread you started comparing him to Duh-White Howard....
In the immortal words of Mr. Randy Watson: "I believe the children are our future... Teach them well and...let them lead the way!" ****Dirge**** -Sexual Chocolate!-
Because they have so much potential. We did not go with any safe picks like before. The Rockets have been playing it safe for the last 3-4 years on draft picks, but this year we made big moves to try and jump into the top 5, even when that didnt happen, we took 3 players with high potential/bust. Everyone loves an underdog, especially when its in your own personal interest (Rockets can be a personal interest right?).
Primarily because since the rookie class of Scola, Brooks and Landry, this is one of the few rookie classes where I think there is talent that can develop into very good players in a long while. Also compared to the alternative of renting a center that doesn't want to be here, I see these guys having a positive effect on the Rockets future.
