Rockets Shooting Up
It's widely known that Rockets GM Daryl Morey is active on the phones this time of year and this week has been no different in Houston. Morey has proposed at least 12 different options to the Minnesota Timberwolves at No. 2 and several other teams in the top half of the lottery like Sacramento, Detroit and now, Milwaukee. Houston has the ability to package No. 14 overall with their second first-round pick, No. 23 to move up, but also would be willing to include shooting guard Courtney Lee, which would certainly attract the Bucks.
Houston would love to get their hands on a franchise center piece such as Enes Kanter or Jonas Valanciunas. Kanter will be off the board in the top three or four picks, but Valanciunas has a sticky buyout situation with his Lithuanian club team that has yet to be settled. It's possible that Valanciunas wouldn't be able to play in the NBA next season. On their current roster, Chuck Hayes earned 63 starts at center, despite being just 6'6" and averaged 8 points and 8 rebounds last season. Yao Ming's future is in jeopardy and backup center journeyman Brad Miller just underwent knee surgery and is expected to miss the start of next season (depending on the start-date and impending lockout).
Milwaukee is looking for a shooting guard with their pick at No. 10, most notably Klay Thompson, but if Morey can offer Lee, plus No. 14, the Bucks would have to listen to add pieces around young point guard Brandon Jennings and center Andrew Bogut. Shooting guard and small forward are the biggest needs for Milwaukee, but they could also stand to add a power forward- defensively, they were one of the best teams in the league last season, but offensively, they were one of the worst.
By President Corey Ruff - 6-23-11
