Should the Rockets Trade Down?
Like everyone in the world, I sometimes struggle to be objective. I sometimes wear my heart on my sleeve, go with my gut, take a stand. Sometimes I look great doing it. I treasure those moments. Often I look foolish, and then I count on the internet to remind me in case I forget.
I may look foolish on June 26th (NBA Draft, first round only, day) with my particular “Do Not Want” meme and pasting it on UConn player Donovan Clingan. I’m sure he’s a great guy, kind to animals, a super kid, brave, clean, reverent and extremely tall. It’s a hill I may die upon, but I’m staying where I am. Do not want.
That’s why today’s report by Kelly Iko (formerly of this parish) that several teams are interested in the Rockets’ #3 pick in this draft would seemingly be music to my ears. Please, send us something Charlotte (not the domestic abuser), Memphis (not Marcus Smart), and Portland (Maybe Ant Simon? Makes Lillard’s defense look stout, but he can shoot it.), and then have the joy of drafting Clingan so the Rockets don’t.
Sounds great. Get a player you might want, a later but still high pick, draft the guy you wanted anyway, make Donovan Clingan someone else’s problem. Win, win, win, right? What’s not to like?
What’s not to like is a persistent and usual thing not to like in Texas NBA circles. The San Antonio Spurs, who are currently slotted to pick at #4 and #8.
The Charlotte Hornets pick at #6. The Portland Trailblazers at #7 and the Memphis Gristlies at #9, after not one, but two, San Antonio picks.
Given this the reputation of this draft, why is this a problem? Seems like much of a muchness, right?
Wrong.
He’s another fun comp sent to me by Friend of TDS, RollingWave.
Player A (per40)
70%TS, 17.2Pts, 5.7Rbs, 6.4Ast, 3.4Stl, 1Blk, 2.8TO.
Player B (per40)
65%TS, 17.7Pts, 4Rbs, 7Ast, 3.2Stl, 0.5Blk, 3.2TO.
The players are basically the same height, and build. The stats are for their freshman season in the NCAA.
You can probably guess who one player is, yes, my hobby horse, Reed Sheppard. The other player? You may have heard of him. Chris Paul, the Point God, future HoF player, who seems to have scraped along in the NBA with his height, build and athleticism.
Sheppard, with the slightly better stats is Player A. CP3 is B.
I honestly believe there’s exactly one player in this draft whose stats suggest greatness, and it’s Sheppard. Obviously this is just my opinion, but I have a feeling it might be an opinion shared by the San Antonio Spurs.
I truly don’t want to Wemby and Sheppard torture the Rockets for years, knowing the Rockets could have drafted him if they hadn’t tried to get cute. Is that what will happen? Who knows? But it seems a legitimate concern.
If you somehow knew who the Spurs would pick, and it wasn’t Sheppard, that’s fine with me. If Sheppard went 1 or 2, then sure, trade down. Trade all the way down, because I see players who project as later picks who seem to have just as much upside as most early picks. Take on projects later, not earlier, if you can.
In any case, there’s a lot of smoke around moving picks right now. Is there any fire, or it just the usual pre-draft smokescreen? Tune in next week to find out!