Welcome king2440! We're a merry bunch here at the Rockets forum. This year, there are a lot of college seniors and juniors that are avaliable in the draft and many of them are not going to go in the teens. Guys like Ike Diogu, Wayne Simien, David Lee, Randolph Morris, Blatche and Turiaf could all fall or be around at 24. The Rockets have a bundle to choose from and I'll be confident no matter whom they choose as all of these players could be good role players immediately or down the road.
OMG! Blatch is a blocking machine man..despite these stats coming from high school, i bet he can get a few blocks in the NBA as well. I really think we can get a steal with this guy. Please oh please draft him at 24. *praying* I really have a gut feeling about him. Fifth-Year Senior (2004-05): Averaged 27.5 points, 16.0 rebounds and 6.0 blocks as South Kent went 32-9. Senior (2003-04): Averaged 25.0 points, 18.0 rebounds and 8.0 blocks, leading Henninger to a 20-5 record and the Section 3 Class AA Championship. Junior (2002-03): Averaged 20.0 points, 20.0 rebounds and 7.0 blocks, helping Henninger to a 16-5 record. Sophomore (2001-02): Seventh man for a Henninger team that captured the state championship. In the Class A state semifinals against Mount Vernon, scored a season-high 10 points and hauled down 13 rebounds in a 70-54 victory. Strengths: Long and athletic big forward with surprisingly good ball-handling skills. Has decent range on his outside shot and uses his length and leaping ability to rebound effectively.
Blatche is too raw in my opinion. McGrady and Yao are only going to be getting older and a project doesn't make sense. We're built for a championship now, now 3-4 years down the road when our stars will be a lot older. Houston needs an immediate impact role player that can grab boards, shotblock, and do the dirty work down low. When drafting a powerforward, I think the question should be, "Can he immediately contribute and get us further?" We shouldn't be taking a project when we're (I think) only a couple pieces away from going deep into the playoffs.
I watched the jordan classic and he was co mvp. He is a great defender and can rebound real well. He wont help us instantly, but who can help at the 24th pick can help a 50 win team. Next year, i think he should be able to backup yao. Its okay to wait a year on this guy. I would rather get a PF in free agency or somethin.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Eduardo:</div><div class="quote_post">I'm really into drafting high schooler, Andray Blatche. He may not be as NBA-ready as the college draft prospects but I really think he could be a steal. He's a 7 ft PF, averaged 27.5 ppg and 16 rpg in high school. You can say that he did that because he was playing with lower level players in high school but I really think he has great potential and there's a chance he could be an instant contributer. If given the minutes, I don't see him averaging at least 9-10 ppg and 8-10 rpg in his rookie season. What do you guys think?</div> I agree! I read this guys profile, and he has the size and athletism that we can use. He doesn't have to score, all he would have to do is play good D, and cover the weakside. I heard this Siemen guy can play, but I would give this Andray Blatche a look.
Glad somebody shares my opinion on Blatche. He plays PF but he can also be Yao's back up center..I've been thinking..After drafting a decent PF ala Simien, Diogo or Blatche, why not sign a decent SG who is at least 6"6 in height? Believe me, I really love Wesley but his height just gets to me. Wesley can be backup while we have a taller SG starting. Or we could draft a swingman then sign a good defensive, rebounding PF. I dont think we really need to draft a PG. If Bob Sura isn't healthy, MJ would do a good job and Ward could be his back up. Ward may not be starting material, but he'd be a decent backup. We can worry about getting a PG next off season. Just my 2 cents
The Rockets were fine with Wesley at shooting guard last season. Athough he was giving up 4-6 inches most nights, Wesley was still able to do a great job on defense. I think that we could look at getting a swingman through free agency and have him back up both the two and three. However, if we don't have enough money to sign him, we'll be fine without. James is great for a change of tempo but we've seen from last season that he can't start for the team and also lead it to victories. When he first came over and started when Sura was out, James had great individual stats but the team didn't win, and he didn't do a good job of getting the ball to Yao. A pure point guard is our second biggest need behind a PF IMO.
I agree that we need a bigman that can play PF and also back up Yao. I would prefer that he be 6'10 and up. The reason is that he'll have the length to block shots.
