Houston - With the 2010 NBA Draft Lottery scheduled for May 18th on ESPN, Rockets.com joined forces with writers from participating teams to weigh in on lottery-related questions about their respective squads. Check out what each club thinks about its needs, what would happen if it finished in the top three of the lottery and whether luck has been on its side before (teams also listed who will be representing them on stage in Secaucus, N.J., though in a few cases the choice was TBA at publication time). HOUSTON Jason Friedman, Rockets.com Lottery slot : 14 Team needs: No doubt about it, the Rockets could use an injection of additional size along the frontcourt. In order to compete with the likes of the Lakers, teams need to be able to combat LA’s abundance of size and length, and the Rockets are no exception. Yes, Yao Ming will be back next season and his presence alone will clearly go a long way in helping Houston protect the rim and own the boards – a pair of areas which plagued the Rockets at times this year. That said, it’s still too early to say precisely what Yao’s timetable for return will be and how many minutes he’ll be able to play when he does find himself back on the floor. So finding an athletic big who can both spell Yao to ease him in his transition and play alongside him to help board and block shots, will certainly rank among Daryl Morey’s top priorities this summer. If the Rockets finish in the top three of the lottery... Look out NBA, because the already ridiculously tough Western Conference just gained yet another superpower. Without an All-Star on their roster, the Rockets still found a way to coax 42 wins out of their squad during the 2009-10 season. In other words, Houston already has a great supporting cast in place – now it’s just looking to add a couple headliners to the marquee. A top-three pick would clearly do exactly that, giving Morey an opportunity to add one of the top talents in the draft, while also potentially sweetening the already-attractive package he’s preparing for what figures to be a rather robust sign-and-trade free agent market. Lottery luck: The Rockets hit the jackpot in 2002 when the ping pong balls bounced their way and allowed them to select Yao Ming, instantly transforming the team into the club with the league’s largest international fan base. Since then, Houston has only made one appearance in the annual lottery, in 2006 when the club made the bold move of trading the draft rights of No. 8 overall selection Rudy Gay to Memphis for Shane Battier, a player whose myriad “beyond the box score” talents have come to symbolize the value this regime places on the numbers which truly impact winning and losing. Representing the Rockets at the lottery …will be 2010 Most Improved Player award-winner Aaron Brooks. The 26th overall selection of the 2007 NBA Draft, Brooks is a perfect symbol of the Rockets’ recent ability to unearth hidden gems outside the lottery. This time he’s trying to help the team make a splash with more of a known quantity but he and the Rockets will need a major assist from Lady Luck to do so since there’s a greater than 98 percent chance Houston will end up with pick No. 14.
Here's a link to the rest of the article, if anyone is interested in the other teams. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/2010_nba_draft_lottery_preview_2010_05_14.html
That is correct assuming no trades. All the lottery does is determine the order of the first three picks. After that, it is inverse records. So if David stern or whoever DOES NOT draw the rockets logo out of the number 14 envelope, realize that it's in the top 3. It's not number 10, it's not number 7. They'll go to a commercial before showing the top 3 with the faces of the represenatives. They'll show Aaron Brooks ****ting bricks because he knows at that point the rockets have the first pick and are going to pick John wall.
I was talking to Moestavern19 about this last night. I heard some moron on 790 call in and say he felt lucky and the rockets might get in the top 7. You can hear Matt and Adam snicker in the background.
I want them to do live LOTTERY....where you actually get to see them take the ping pong ball out of the box rather than just having the result already sealed in the envelopes. It's more exciting that way.
Is it possible to do a sign-and-trade with draft picks involved? Seems like it would complicate the matching salaries requirement... I can't wait to see that Memphis logo pop out of the #14 envelope =)
Hey Kam, it would be awesome to get John Wall, but is that someone we need for this squad or do you think we might end up trading the pick for more picks? Or maybe choose a big man at #1?
If he's drafted high up, its going to be because of his potential. Athletic bigs like him usually climb up the draft boards in the last week or so of the draft. Whiteside has alot of holes in his game, but you can't teach athletic size.
I will literally SHAT my pants if the guy announces: "Okay Ladies and Gentlemen, lets get the lottery started: The 14th pick will go to: The Toronto Raptors. *This means the Rockets have moved up to the top 3* *Aaron Brooks faints* *fredv craps his pants and dies*
I'd try to offer the pick to someone and collect future picks. With that pick we receive, take a big man. Morey has a plan to turn that 1.8 percent at the top 3 into something real good.
No because the lottery is only for teams that did not make the playoffs. We are already in last place for the lottery. No way we get pushed back unless we trade down.
