1) Trade for a Superstar.(Duncan, Garnet...) 2) Draft Jay Williams, trade him along with our bad contracts. 3) Draft Yao Ming. 4) Trade with Memphis to release our obligation.(nevermind 5) We can correct all of our weaknesses by drafting a center first and then a small forward. Trade down. Endless Possiblilies!
Perhaps they can work out a deal with the Clippers. They have two lottery picks and probably want Yao Ming. My fear is that the chineses govt would use Yao for politaical grandstanding. If it were not for the Chineses Govt being involved I woudl say Ok lets se what he's got. But with that situation as it is and the Clips loking to unload Odum its time to make a deal.
That's not a bad idea - trading down with Memphis. I wonder if they'd trade picks with us for Shane Battier and a release from our obligation? We could throw in the Chicago pick(s) for Drew. Or maybe just Battier. I'd be cool with that. With the #4, we could take Borchadt, or maybe trade down again with Cleveland for their #6 for an extra pick next year, and take Borchadt there. With the #15 pick, we have so much leverage.
This is a no-brainer. Take Ming. The comparisons to Bradley are offbase. The only simularity is the height. Ming has more athleticism, better low post moves, more range on his jump shot, better passing, better shotblocking ability, etc. This is a true gift. Not only did we get the top pick, we got it in a year where the top player is at the position in which we so desperately need. 7'5 centers with the overall skills of Yao Ming come around once a generation. I'm so thrilled to have a shot at drafting him, and I really hope we don't pass him up.
We're too weak at SF. This is the dream: Cato #1 for Odom Kandi Sweeten the deal however. Then trade KT for a god backup C, like Doleac or something. Kandi/Doleac MoT/Griff/T-Mo Odom/Rice/T-Mo Cat/15th pick (Caron Butler?) Francis/Norris You tell me, when the weakest player in your starting line-up is the Kandi man, how good are you? The Mavs worst player is Najera. Kings have Christie or Bibby. Spurs have Bowen. Ours is Kandi, an above average C in the league. That team is SUPER.
I would draft Ming. But if I were to trade, how about trading our pick and moochie for Odom and their two picks.
I love Yao's size and game, however it is not as simple as you may think. What happens if the Chinese government decides they don't want Yao to play in Houston? What happens when Yao becomes a free agent in 4 years and goes directly to New York? If it weren't for the damn Chinese government, it'd be a no-brainer. Remember you're never going to have this guy in training camp and the Chinese can call him back to China at anytime. I say shop the pick and see what you can get. If only Lebron James were in the draft!
This may be a no-no since I posted this in another thread, but I'm too excited over our good fortune: The Rockets can now negotiate a solid contract with the Red Chinese complete with a $100M (plus or minus) surety bond to be forfeited if Ming Yao does not attend training camps, big man camps and regular and post season games. In return, we can propose setting up training camps for Chinese players at Westside and in China. We can also sign Zhi Zhi Wang as a free agent so that old teammates are reunited. They can call plays in Chinese and have some cultural balance while they become more acclimatized to ours. Everything can be negotiated! If so, draft Ming. PS -- My girlfriend gave me a porelain Buddha and told me that if I rubbed it while chanting "Ohhhhhhminng....Ohhhhminnng" my wish for the No. 1 would come true. (See my post last week in the College Draft Section).
I would go shopping and see what it is offerred. Ming would be the likely choice, the only problem is the complications surrounding him. This is a great problem for the Rockets to work out. The solution, however, will probably decide the teams fortunes (or misfortunes) for the next several years. BIG DECISION!!!
I would trade: Glen Rice and the #1 for Odom and the # 8 With the #8, I would select either Borchardt or Chris Marcus (which ever one is still available at 8). The net would be a young stud SF in Odom who will contribute right away and a true center to groom.
Triple amen. The only question about Ming is will the Chinese government let him play for us. Some of you really make me laugh....trading the #1 pick for Odom (essentially - that was the deal)? Ummm...no....Sane - you said in another thread, that the Clippers' fans were talking about trading Odom for freaking Micheal Curry!! I obviously think that we could do a better deal with them than just trading this pick for Odom. Why on earth do you trade a guy that is 7-5 or 7-6 and has the skills that Ming has is beyond my comprehension. The only way you trade him is if you know without a shadow of a doubt that he will not be able to be released from his Shanghai Sharks contract.
Francis screws the Grizzlies once again, WOOHOO!!! As for the pick, you gotta go with Ming - 7'5" with skills is just too much to overlook. Downside: (1) If Ming ends up being a bust, he still provides a presence in the middle just by virtue of his size. Worst case scenario he is till better than Bradley/Muresan/Bol, at least from what people have been saying; (2) China has a problem with him playing in H-town; We can still trade his rights to NY, Chicago, or Golden State ala Francis and Vancouver. (2a) He chooses to run when his rookie contract is up. But here again we could trade him for decent value before he runs. Upside: If he actually has skills, he can be something the NBA has never seen. He could be a superstar. At the low end here, he is a solid center, something that escapes almost every team in the league. At the high end here, he is Kareem Abdul Jabar plus half a foot. Mix this with Francis, Mobley, and Griffin... things look good for the future. That said, if we move the pick, we better get something very nice in return, like twi first rounds and a solid current player... Whatever happens, isn't it GREAT to be a Rockets fan!!!!!!
It's hard to express my overjoyment of the Rockets' situation. They are golden with opportunity of and for a bright future. When Amhad Rashad was reading down the countdown, I was like......sweet, we're in the top 6 picks.....then 5, no Rox, 4, no Rox, then, we get into the top 3......I remeber thinking, top 3, #3 is the highest we should go, but then he announces us at #! BABY!!! This is really great. The Rox will finally start getting some highly needed publicity! Now the question stands.....what to do??? The only thing that troubles me about this draft and our number 1 pick is the fact that there is no clear #1 player; no can't miss prospect (unless Jay Williams is it, but the Rox don't need a point). Of course when we think about #1 pick, Yao Ming's name floats around. I would truely love to have this guy on our team but there are a ton of question marks, as we all know. Will the Chinese gov't. let him play here? Will he want to play here for the long term or will it be 4 and out? Can he develop into a banger, and a low post dominant player like the #1 pick should warrant? While we're on the subject will he become the best player out of this draft? This last question, and all of the other ones are things the Rox must find out before being sold on him. I really think we trade the pick for another high selection and a stud player at a position of need, unless we come away with what will be the best player in the longrun, from this draft. This hasn't always been the case, nonetheless. Last year's first overall pick was Kwame Brown, and even though he has potential to still be a star, he was not, by far, the best rookie. Other previous first picks from recent years include Kenyon Martin, Elton Brand, and Olowakandi. All are good players, but as of yet, are not close to being the best players of their respective drafts. Anyways, I have always hoped the Rockets could get a number one pick, which is why I am so intrigued by the possibilities this phenomenon has brought us. If only Lebron James was in the year's class. With the #1 pick we should take Ming.....if....we can get a talented SF with our #15 pick. Can we get Butler, Nachbar, Tskit., etc w/ that pick, or would we have to trade it and KT or Mooch to move up to a pick where we could get one of them? Should we draft Jay-Will, start him at point and move Franchise to the 2-guard or take the best trade offer for him? Do we trade Ming or J-Will and Kt or Mooch to the Bulls for Curry or Chandler and their pick? Or maybe we trade the #1 and #15 & Mooch for the Clippers' 2 lotto picks and Odom??? It's just hard to imagine us not coming out of this draft with a talented SF. All are forseeable actions the Rockets should and will consider and I'm confident the best scenario for the team will be chosen. The only thing we must all remeber is that with this ultimate prize comes great ability to improve our team in a number of ways. The Rockets move into a new, state of the art facility in a year, we have a core of young, talented players, and we just lucked out and got the #1 pick in a loaded draft. We have endless possiblities, and with all this, the Rockets are poised to breakthrough into the elite class of the NBA!!!!!!
How about our #s 1, 15 and somebody to the Clipps for Odem and their #s 8 and 12? We use 8 on Borchardt and offer the 12 to Memphis to settle up on the Steve Francis debt. Steve / Moochie Cat / Oscar Odom / TMo Eddie / MoT Borchardt / Cato This limits our team to just one Rookie (not including who ever we get in the second round) settles our dept to Memphis and addresses our small forward spot and center spot. Odom is NBA proven and Borchardt is about as ready for the NBA as any prospect in this years draft.
