Dash Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 For the last several years, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey has been trying to package assets together to make a big deal on draft night. The 2012 draft is no different. Sources say that Houston has discussed deals with several teams in the top 10 about moving up in the draft. And the Rockets might have found two willing partners. Although sources stressed that no deal is imminent, Sacramento (No. 5) and Toronto (No. 8 ) have let Houston know that their top-10 selections are available. Sources say that the Rockets, in turn, have made both of their first-round picks available (No. 14 and No. 16), but the key to any trade going through could be point guard Kyle Lowry. The Raptors have been especially fond of Lowry, who has been regarded for months as a borderline untouchable in Houston but more recently has publicly expressed his disastisfaction with Rockets coach Kevin McHale. Whether the Rockets are indeed prepared to part with Lowry, as talks with the Kings, Raptors and other teams continue, figures to be one of the bigger stories of draft week. What’s clear from the Rockets’ end, sources say, is the player they’re fondest of in the upper reaches of the draft: UConn big man Andre Drummond. Many scouts believe Drummond has the second highest upside of any player in the draft behind consensus No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis, but the 7-foot, 279-pounder would almost certainly still be available at No. 5. Drummond, as the second youngest player in the draft at 18, registered an impressive 7-foot-6 wingspan at the NBA Draft Combine earlier this month. Personnel experts regard him as an elite athlete and shot-blocker who moves laterally especially well. But Drummond’s inconsistent play as a freshman, combined with questions about his passion for the game, have caused his draft stock to take a slight hit in recent weeks. The tipoff that the Kings are likely to deal the No. 5 pick between now and Thursday night, sources say, is the handful of players they’ve brought in that are expected to be drafted in the middle of the first round. Sources say two of those players in particular – North Carolina’s John Henson and St. John’s Moe Harkless – are high on the Kings’ draft board. Henson has already worked out for the Kings and Harkless is scheduled to work out on Monday. Sacramento has also tried to get several other candidates for the middle of the first round, including UConn’s Jeremy Lamb and Washington’s Terrence Ross, into town for 11th-hour workouts. http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/46492/rockets-set-sights-on-moving-up-in-draft Awesome to finally hear some news from the Rockets end and whats even better is that Daryl Morey has his sights on the player I want most from this draft in Andre Drummond. I don't really care for Lowry if Houston is confident in their ability to bring back Dragic but regardless at this point taking a wild shot at Drummond is much better than the status quo. The Kings would be the ideal trading partner for Houston as Drummond has often been linked to Portland at #6 unless Houston has reason to believe he will fall to the Raptors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted June 25, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Well, I wouldn't be shocked if Portland passed on Drummond for Lillard, but just to play it safe, I would expect Houston to push hard for that #5. I don't see Drummond going anywhere before that, especially with Cleveland so dead-set on Barnes or MKG (they will get one or the other, because Beal will not fall past Washington at #3). Assuming they do land the eighth pick, it does look like Portland is the only threat. I don't see why Sactown would want Drummond, and while the Warriors could take him as a back-up center to an always-injured Andrew Bogut, they also need a back-up PG for an always-injured Stephen Curry (Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten are sitting right there, assuming Portland takes Lillard). Even then, they are shopping their pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 (edited) Ford says he's now hearing that the move up is for Dwight. Assuming the Rockets fail as usual then owning a top 8 pick isn't a bad alternative. UPDATE (12:48 a.m. ET): Upon hearing of Sunday night's developments, one rival general manager told ESPN.com that he believes Houston's real aim is acquiring two top-10 picks this week to turn around quickly and offer both to the Orlando Magic as part of a considerable trade offer for Dwight Howard. The Rockets' willingness to trade for Howard -- even without the All-Star center's signature on a contract extension -- is an open secret around the league. But it's believed that two top-eight picks, assuming Houston managed to complete trades with both Sacramento and Toronto, would seriously pique the interest of new Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, who could then quickly start following the same sort of roster-building blueprint relied on by his previous employers in Oklahoma City. Acquiring those early lottery picks, though, only represents half of Houston's challenge if Howard is indeed the Rockets' target. The other hurdle is convincing Hennigan, who hasn't even been on the job for a week in Central Florida, to part with Howard so quickly. As much as he's been schooled in building through the draft while working alongside Thunder GM Sam Presti, Hennigan could opt to take a more measured approach, make one more run at trying to convince Howard to sign an extension before entering the final year of his contract and then trade him later in the summer if those efforts go nowhere. My problem with is, moving up for one top 10 pick is going to be difficult enough for Houston so how does Morey intend to trade for two exactly? Edited June 25, 2012 by Dash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted June 25, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Well, Houston has two picks in the teens. Lowry + 16th pick to Sacramento for their 5th and Chuck Hayes? I'm assuming that's probably going to be the offer (assuming they aren't going to give Sactown both picks), not really saying the Kings will take that, though. Then, they can take the 14th pick and, uh...package Marcus Morris with it? LOL, I really have no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Well, I wouldn't be shocked if Portland passed on Drummond for Lillard, but just to play it safe, I would expect Houston to push hard for that #5. I don't see Drummond going anywhere before that, especially with Cleveland so dead-set on Barnes or MKG (they will get one or the other, because Beal will not fall past Washington at #3). Assuming they do land the eighth pick, it does look like Portland is the only threat. I don't see why Sactown would want Drummond, and while the Warriors could take him as a back-up center to an always-injured Andrew Bogut, they also need a back-up PG for an always-injured Stephen Curry (Kendall Marshall and Tony Wroten are sitting right there, assuming Portland takes Lillard). Even then, they are shopping their pick. Drummond must be Plan B and we'll happily take him if Plan A (Dwight Howard) isn't in the cards. Houston is probably the ideal destination for Drummond, we desperately need a center and we have a Hall of Fame coach that just happened to be one of the more skilled post players to ever play the game. Houston's staff is always being praised too, one of the internationals last year wanted to come to Houston (San Antonio was the other team and they got him) because the Rockets do a great job at developing their young players and just recently Austin Rivers said his agent listed Houston as team that could groom him well. Anyways its still probable Drummond busts but Houston is more willing to roll the dice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Well, Houston has two picks in the teens. Lowry + 16th pick to Sacramento for their 5th and Chuck Hayes? I'm assuming that's probably going to be the offer (assuming they aren't going to give Sactown both picks), not really saying the Kings will take that, though. Then, they can take the 14th pick and, uh...package Marcus Morris with it? LOL, I really have no idea. Both teams appear to want Lowry and Ford singled out Toronto as the team that really likes him, so that is where things get complicated and Morey is going to have to work some serious magic. Houston has assets, two picks this year plus the Mavericks top 20 protected first (per Jordan Hill trade) and then an abundance of youth and some vets in Scola/Martin (not much trade value at the moment). Lowry is the big chip though and is going to be difficult to get two top 8 picks without bringing him into one of those deals unless Toronto has interest in moving down from 8th to 14th and 16th and the Kings would simply take Lowry plus other assets. ...Or not. I really should stop trying to speculate any trade involving Houston. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted June 25, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Both teams appear to want Lowry and Ford singled out Toronto as the team that really likes him, so that is where things get complicated and Morey is going to have to work some serious magic. Houston has assets, two picks this year plus the Mavericks top 20 protected first (per Jordan Hill trade) and then an abundance of youth and some vets in Scola/Martin (not much trade value at the moment). Lowry is the big chip though and is going to be difficult to get two top 8 picks without bringing him into one of those deals unless Toronto has interest in moving down from 8th to 14th and 16th and the Kings would simply take Lowry plus other assets. ...Or not. I really should stop trying to speculate any trade involving Houston.I think the Raptors would pass on Lillard if that meant they can take Kendall Marshall at 14, then have that 16th pick to select someone else (say, Dion Waiters or Perry Jones). I don't know. Maybe we'll know more later, as players start to receive promises, cancel workouts, and trade rumors heat up even more. I absolutely love the final week before the draft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkinDerozan Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 If we somehow get Kyle Lowry I'll be thrilled. I'd be alright with trading the 8th for 14 and 16 if the right players fall. I don't know if I'd want to take the chance though.I'd hope we could get Austin Rivers with the 14 pick, but I doubt he goes past Phoenix. Maybe like RD said, we could get Kendall Marshall with the 14th and Perry Jones or Moe Harkless or Terrence Jones or something with the 16. For me, it depends on whether were getting Damian Lillard with our 8th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Posted June 25, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 (edited) 14th + 16th picks >>>>> 8th pick At least if you ask me, I've seen tons of trade up scenarios thrown around and one of the most frequent ones has been Houston trading both picks to get the 8th pick from the Raptors. Personally I would reject it without hesitation if I didn't know the Rockets were going to make one last run at Dwight Howard or Andre Drummond could possibly be available (would take an epic fall though) because this draft is very, very deep in the middle and I see very little difference from the 14th and 8th picks. Chad Ford was saying on ESPN Radio that Andre Drummond is the guy the Rockets intend to take if they are able to trade up and KEEP the pick. Chad Ford on ESPN Radio:Andre Drummond is the guy they are looking at if they make the trade AND keep the pick. . . . . We know it's the draft or trade deadline if the Houston Rockets are active. We hear a million different Houston Rockets rumors. ... 2 picks in the top 10 for Dwight Howard, I'm still not sure that's enough. Ford: It may not be but there are a limited number of teams Howard will go to. Most would not give up any assets for him because he'll leave for FA at the end of the year. So you have a very narrow list of teams. Of those teams he wants to go to, very few have assets to give anything to Orlando. Dallas has nothing. If LA doesn't give up Bynum, nothing really that would excite Orlando. NJ, maybe a signed Lopez [on a huge deal] and Brooks or whatever. If you're Hennigan, coming over from OKC, how they've built in the draft, maybe Houston could offer the best deal. Howard hasn't said he would play in Houston but Morey is one GM willing to role the dice much like Brooklyn last year with Deron Williams and say we'll convince him to stay with another year. That may be the best deal they'll get for Howard--a couple of first round picks and maybe a couple of players off the Rockets roster. http://espn.go.com/espnradio/play?id=8094476 Edited June 25, 2012 by Dash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 I really don't like the idea of giving up Lowry and the 14 pick to move up to the 8th spot. I find Lowry (borderline allstar) to be worth more than a 14 to 8 jump maybe even a 16 to 8 jump. But with that being said. If moving to the 5 or 8 spot REALLY helps us to trade for Dwight then obviously it should be seriously considered. IMO best case scenario would me moving Lowry and the 16 pick to sac for the 5 pick. And then trading both the 5th and 14th pick with other assets for Dwight. Make it happen Morey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Check my Stats Posted June 25, 2012 Report Share Posted June 25, 2012 Houston involved in a rumor for a superstar? what else is new. Why would Houston bother. A. I don't think they have the assets to pull it off to begin with. And B: they would basically be in the exact same position Orlando is right now with Dwight, a gutted roster that probably isn't ever going to win a championship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 (edited) Houston involved in a rumor for a superstar? what else is new. Why would Houston bother. A. I don't think they have the assets to pull it off to begin with. And B: they would basically be in the exact same position Orlando is right now with Dwight, a gutted roster that probably isn't ever going to win a championship. A. We have plenty of talent/assests to trade. B. There is a damn good chance if we managed to grab Dwight, DWill would fallow. Edited June 26, 2012 by ChosenOne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted June 26, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 David Aldridge @daldridgetntSource: "not a chance" Dwight Howard stays in Houston after next season if traded there. Story up soon on NBA.com. Damn, lol...Dwight is making enemies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunkinDerozan Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 Like i've said plenty of times, Dwight is a little bitch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Posted June 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 (edited) Houston involved in a rumor for a superstar? what else is new. Why would Houston bother. A. I don't think they have the assets to pull it off to begin with. And B: they would basically be in the exact same position Orlando is right now with Dwight, a gutted roster that probably isn't ever going to win a championship. 1) What is wrong with a front office that is aggressively trying to find ways to become a title contender? 2) Maybe, maybe not but by reports they're going to be able to put together a competitive package. Houston was confident they were about to trade for Dwight on the eve of the trade deadline but then he opted in and ruined a potential deal. Houston has done nothing but stockpile assets the past few years and Magic fans don't appear to be against dealing Houston either because we will sacrifice quite a bit to "rent" Dwight. Unless the Lakers are ponying up Andrew Bynum, I'm not seeing anyone that can beat Houston's deal especially if they can land that 5th pick. Aldridge reported Houston has worked several scenarios, onel where we might have 4 firsts by draft night.3) Wrong. Orlando is a team one superstar and a terrible supporting cast, Houston has a great supporting cast that annually wins 40+ games by itself but lacks a superstar to lead them. Orlando has zero flexibility, Houston is probably the team with the most flexibility in the league because that is how they set themselves up. See the differences? Also we could be offering Deron Williams a max contract come free agency depending on what Houston does on draft night. The Lakers, Mavericks and Nets are the teams Dwight wants to end up with. However, Brooklyn and Dallas don't have anything worthwhile to offer and who knows whats going on with the Lakers? No other team is willing to part with a significant piece for what may possibly be a rental but Houston and maybe Golden State. Damn, lol...Dwight is making enemies. Empty threats from Dwight's camp, I doubt this effects Houston's stance at all. Edited June 26, 2012 by Dash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Posted June 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 (edited) More scare tactics from Dwight/Deron camp: Sam Amick Source close to Brooklyn PG Deron Williams says Houston not likely to be added to his free agency wish list even if the Rockets get Dwight Howard. Williams is focused on the Nets or Dallas, his hometown team. If Williams felt differently and headed for Houston, and Howard signed the extension that no one thinks he'd ever sign, I'm guessing Rockets GM Daryl Morey would then be given a 27-year extension of his own. Edit: Amick also tweeted this "could be" a bluff as well. Edited June 26, 2012 by Dash Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted June 26, 2012 Report Share Posted June 26, 2012 I really feel that If we get Dwight, DWill is ours without a doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheNotoriousBANG Posted June 27, 2012 Report Share Posted June 27, 2012 Drummond is Hasheem Thabeet 2.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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