Houston rockets wins the 1st pick

[Guest ant_7000]

Here's the draft lottery order:

 

1. Houston

2. Chicago

3. Golden State

4. Memphis

5. Denver

6. Cleveland

7. New York

8. LA Clippers (From Atlanta)

9. Phoenix

10. Miami

11. Washington

12. LA Clippers

13. Milwaukee

 

Well, Houston will get Yao Ming because they need a center more than anything else. And my Bulls will probably pick Jay Williams and might trade him, and have another 1 round pick due to Minnesota's Punishment. So this will be a intresting draft  so let the Mock drafts begin.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I wouldn't draft Yao Ming because I don't think he will be worth the trouble that the team that drafts him will have to go through.

[Guest bravesfan]

Here's hoping the Rockets trade down for an established NBA player and a good pick, leaving Ming to my Bulls.

[Guest starvenger]

That pretty much leaves Dunleavy to the Warriors, right?

 

Poor bastard.

[Guest DrTom]

"That pretty much leaves Dunleavy to the Warriors, right?"

 

Good.  That pretty-boy prick is too soft for the NBA, and I'd love for him to learn that lesson on a lousy team.  I really can't see him or Mr Overrated enjoying NBA success any time soon.

[Guest The Electrifyer]

How did Houston win??? What were there chances again????

 

I also hope the Bulls get Yao Ming, I just don't expect Houston to take the risk and pick him.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

I hope the Bulls don't draft Yao Ming for their own sake, but from the look Jerry Krause's fat ass was giving the representative for the Rockets, I think they want him. I don't like Jerry Krause at all. I think it would be great if one of the Duke guys (Williams or Dunleavy) ended up on the Grizzlies, but I could really only see the Grizzlies going after Williams since they already have small forward, although though another one wouldn't neccesarily hurt.

[Guest Ripper]

I myself wouldn't be suprised if the Rockets went after Dunlevey at the top spot.  They don't need Williams, and Ming might be too much of a risk for them.  That would put Ming second and Jay williams at the 3rd pick....That is my prediction.  

 

But My suns team has the 9th pick and hopefully they will take Nikoloz Tskitishvili because kid got game and size, something that they need.

[Guest]

dunleavy is too unposlished to be the 1st pick.  In my opinion he needs to go back to school.  Fuckin dukies are so overrated, jay williams going that high is going to be the biggest joke since shawn bradley.  The money players in this draft are butler,wagner, and wilcox.  Those will be the guys who are consistantly good for ten years from now.

 

--Rob

[Guest Ripper]

Dunlevey is what the Rockets need though.  He might be unpolished but he is a lot more shiney than Ming is right now and the Rockets are weak at the 3 spot.  Then add in that Dunlevey has perimeter abilities, he would fit the scheme of the Rockets.  i personally think they could do alot better than Dunlevey.. but I think they will go with him.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

But My suns team has the 9th pick and hopefully they will take Nikoloz Tskitishvili because kid got game and size, something that they need.

 

If that's who I think it is, I think any team should look at him. I overlooked him because everyone else is receiving all of the hype.

[Guest Ripper]

I have only seen a little of him, but the guy is 6'11 with a nice outside touch can pass, and handle like a guard with shot blocking skills.  He might be raw, but I would take him.

[Guest Redhawk]

The Rockets need an inside presence, but I wouldn't take Yao Ming. He just has "Asian Shawn Bradley" written all over him. Instead, take Drew Gooden.

 

Chicago should/would then take Jay Williams, but they will screw up and take Ming, even though they're supposed to already have Chandler and Curry running the middle for the future.

 

That would leave Golden State available for Jay Williams, a position they need to fill (Larry Hughes ain't the answer at PG). Golden State could take Dunleavy, though, which would be funny when everyone starts calling him "The Next Chris Mullin."

 

And I don't know what pick the Sonics have, but bet your bottom dollar they'll take a European guy in the first round who's highlight package will be filmed with a grainy camcorder. That seems to be the law up here.

[Guest]

How-come-nobody-talks-about-JUAN-F'N-DIXON?

 

He-is-in-the-dammed-draft.

[Guest ant_7000]

I think its a logical choice for the Rockets to take Ming they need a Center. Rockets have enough forwards as it is (Griffin, Taylor,Thomas and Rice). Being a suffering Bulls fan, Krause cannot fuck this up and take Jay Williams which I like because he's a gamer eventhough he is somewhat overrated but I believe he's a hard worker. It doesn't matter if he can actually run the point IF the Bulls pick him they already have Crawford and Rose they can run the point, or trade him for Baron Davis or Andre Miller. As for Dunleavy he won't get in the draft because he was rumored turning down teams already, if he does I think he goes 3th and possibly trade bait because the Warriors don't need a Foward, Wagner continues his love affair with Memphis and play point and make White Choclate expendible. Butler goes to the Cavs, and Gooden goes to Nuggets. Bourchart or Marcus will go to the Knicks, and the Clippers will go with either Center that I just mention above, and the Suns will go for Woods. and Dixon will go either mid to late 1st round or early second round.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

The Rockets need an inside presence, but I wouldn't take Yao Ming. He just has "Asian Shawn Bradley" written all over him.

 

Shawn Bradley's teams didn't have the Chinese government to contend with.

[Guest Redhawk]

The Chinese government wouldn't have cared about Shawn Bradley anyway, even if he were Chinese.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

"While much has been made of the association's requirement that the 21-year-old Yao pay at least half of his pretax NBA earnings to the Chinese government agencies, team executives consider that a personal matter for Yao to deal with. More worrsiome to them is the asssociation's assertion that it has the right to recall Yao at any time for any reason. The Chinese would exercise that right almost immediately; they have already said that Yao must spend his summer training in China with the national team for the FIBA world championships, to be held in Indianapolis from Aug. 22 to Sept. 9. Yao will then play for his country at the Asian Games in Korea from Sept. 29 to Oct. 14, which would cause him to miss more valuable time.

 

'If we draft him, we almost have to expect that we're no going to get this kid in training camp for three of the next four years,' says an executive of a lottery team who has looked at the Chinese national team's schedule. 'That's a really big deal, because he's going to need a lot of off-season work under our supervision if he wants to be a good player in this league."

 

"Yao is a finesse player who must bulk up his upper body for the NBA. At the outset he would probably be more imposing as a perimeter jump shooter than a low post defender. When the U.S. beat China 119-72 at the 2000 Olympics, Alonzo Mourning and Kevin Garnett had no trouble fouling out Yao, who had five points and three rebounds in 15.8 minutes.

 

Most discomforting of all to NBA teams is the trheat of losing Yao next season. The Dallas Mavericks were without the 7'1" Chinese center Whang Zhizhi for one monh this season after he was summoned in November to play in the Chinese NAtional Games. If Wang - a secound-round pick - is handled that way, imagine how many demands the Chinese would place on Yao.

 

NBA executives are cautiously optimistic that an understanding can be reached with officials in China but know that negotiations won't be simple. Yao's rights are claimed by a quintet of Chinese groups that are competing against one another to profit from him. This Gang of Five is made up of the Chinese Basketball Association, the national sports ministry, the Shanghai Sharks (Yao's team for the past five years), the OTV network and the sports ministry in Shanghai.

 

People who know Yao doubt that he would defect, and Chinese authorities have made it clear they would punish Yao (and possibly challenge his NBA contract thorugh FIBA, the arbitration governing body) if he were to refuse any of theri demands. Further complicating the decision of NBA suitors is the declaration that they would prefer Yao to play for the Knicks, Bulls, Lakers or Warriors - all teams based on big markets with large Chinese populations.

 

A U.S. source with knowledge of the ongoing negotiations to clear the way for Yao to join the NBA says that the Gang of Five may soften its demands. NBA insiders say a key question is whether the Chinese would permit Yao to sign with an American agent, who would presumably be sympathetic to the needs of an NBA team to develop Yao. If the Chinese stick to their demand that Yao retain a Chinese agent, then the team that drafts fim should anticipate an adversarial relationship with China."

[Guest bravesfan]

Geez, the Chinese Government sounds like the Williams Sisters' father.

[Guest]

I'd hate to see that household.