Charlotte considering trading the #2. http://espn.go.com/nba/draft2012/st...arlotte-bobcats-considering-trading-no-2-pick
Watched NBATV draft preview last night (missed part of it when the woman arrived to give estimate on installing my new ceiling fan - had to mute to talk to her - she breezed in saying I hope you don't mind I'm wearing shorts - not at all, said I, and tripped over my tongue...) Anyway - the important part, they speculate Blazers take Drummond at 6 and Lamb at 11. They have GSW taking Lillard at 7. I have to say I am liking Lillard a lot because of what are called intangibles. It's not home town chauvinism, you do have to be tough growing up in Oakland. And he wants to come to Portland. He is coachable. I really want him. OTOH, it's the same reasons I have cold feet on Drummond. When they mentioned his 49% FT shooting all I could think of was oh god, Chris Dudley without the Ivy League degree.
Jonathan Givony @DraftExpress Updated Mock Draft: http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2012/ (until the next trade drops, which from what I hear could be any minute now)
Jonathan Givony @DraftExpress Updated Mock Draft: http://www.draftexpress.com/nba-mock-draft/2012/ (until the next trade drops, which from what I hear could be any minute now) Cue the suspense music
Chad Ford @chadfordinsider Our Mock Draft now updated to reflect Rockets getting 18th pick. http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/draft2012/story/_/id/8092454/nba-mock-draft-version-9 (insider) No change for Portland
Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine Houston is presumably going to have to manufacture multiple top-10 picks to get Orlando intrigued. But that's direction Rockets are headed
This HOU "thing" for Howard seems incredibly stupid to me, overpay for a ONE yr rental? Either I am missing something big time or this smacks of utter stupidity
It's really not. I will explain. Rockets basketball is maybe 7th most popular sport in the Houston area behind the Texans, Astros, Longhorns, Aggies, Cougars and maybe the Cowboys. They are stuck in the same situation Portland is. Not being good enough to win, and not being bad enough to get an elite draft pick. So by acquiring one of the games biggest stars, they will be able to generate some interest and put butts in the seasts. If he stays then they can build around him. If he goes, the team can then start from scratch.
They're a middling team thats not going anywhere. Too good to get any impact draft picks and too bad to do any kind of damage in the playoffs. The risk of Howard bailing is huge, but at some point they're going to have to blow up the inadequate Scola/Martin/Lowry core and start from scratch pretty soon anyway. Why not take a gamble on Dwight? He's been fickle and they might have enough ammo to get another star after a Dwight trade. If it pans out they make themselves contenders for the forseeable future. If not, they were about to blow it up anyway.
Interesting angle, so one yr of possible increase in interest, they may not be much better, and then a rebuild that lasts way longer than normal because they gave so much away. IMO stupid but whatever
or blow it up now in one of the deepest drafts in a long time and when you already have multiple picks? I would go that route as opposed to pie in the sky
I think it's brilliant. Most of the time picks in the teens and 20's aren't going to turn a franchise around. You need to get lucky in the draft if you are not a city high end FA's want to play in. Take a shot at Howard, and if he swears up and down that he won't re-sign, then deal him for assets at the deadline, and rebuild with a high pick in next years draft, as well as with the other assets you receive from Howard
The rockets have the rights to motiejunas too, who probably would have been a first rounder this year to send to orlando.
