ESPN’s Chad Ford, in his latest mock draft, has big man Jonas Valanciunas falling to the Rockets due to his buyout dispute.
It’s funny because while such a stroke of good luck would be just what the doctor ordered, one can almost even now foresee the reaction from some in the local media over acquiring a prospect who can not yet come over; delayed gratification seems a bit difficult to grasp.
In any event, it is probably a worthwhile bet that the team will not remain at both 14 and 23. As I explained last year, if the team selects at 23, they really like who they picked; the lower 20′s in the draft are financial no-man’s land. You’ll either see Morey package the picks to move up or trade the #23 to either move down or for cash.
In other news, Yahoo touches on Josh Smith’s alleged interest in Houston as a potential destination. If the deal were for Scola, show me where to sign, but aside from that, I’d have some slight concerns. Overall though, it could only be a net gain to acquire a shot-blocking forward, not even taking into consideration the strides Smith has taken to tone down his chucking tendencies.