NBA Draft - buyer's remorse?

I've now had almost a week to process all the manic activity that was the 2008 NBA Draft.

I'm relieved I do not have to cheer for Pip.
Very much so.

I'm quite stunned that the Rockets got Donte Greene.
Very happy about this.

Greene looks to be a keeper. The dude appears to have been a fan of the Rockets before we drafted him and was utterly disappointed when the 25th pick came and went and two french dudes were drafted before him. For a time, I shared in his disappointment. But, as we've been saying for months now, our boy Mr. Morey is like a genius or something - managed to turn the 25th pick into Greene AND Dorsey AND another pick in '09...

even though the Rockets were more than willing to trade up in the draft to acquire the rights to Mr. Greene. Who legitimately has NBA skills and has been compared to all sorts of different players ranging from Tracy McGrady to Rashard Lewis to Kevin Durant. Yes, we all know he's a "project" player, but what else did we expect from the 25th pick in a draft completely lacking in sure-fire no-doubt can't-miss prospects?

That said - this entry is not about Mr. Greene...

I'm worried about Joey Dorsey.

The news is only getting worse about the Rockets' chances to re-sign Carl Landry. Certainly, drafting Joey Dorsey was intended to give the Rockets options if Landry decides to get too cute in his contract negotiations. (And, yes, I *definitely* want Carl Landry to come back -- if only for us to be able to use "Luis Landry" tags in the future. Though I do *not* want the Rockets to commit $8M+ per season for his services. That's just bad business.)

If another team takes some crazy pills and does offer Landry $8M or more per season... the Rockets would be looking at a PF rotation of Scola (who is a badass), Chuck Hayes (who I like, but I like winning more) and... Mr. Dorsey. Uhhhh, yikes.

Why am I worried? Well....... I don't really have any inside sources in the NBA. But I do have some people I know who knew Dorsey quite well during his stay in college. The moment we acquired him, I got messages ranging from:

1. He is a pretty big baby and doesn't put in the necessary work;
2. He has/had a stripper girlfriend but wasn't exactly faithful;
3. He likes to "make it rain" all over town.

Did we just draft a 6'7" 265 lb. NBA version of "Pac-Man"??? Uh, oh.

On the flip side....... it turns out that Dorsey already knows Tracy McGrady and they've been friends for a while. I have no idea if this is a good or bad thing -- but it is worth noting. I've just never considered T-Mac to be the mentoring type. Besides, Dorsey's rep has always been that when he plays he is good -- but that it's hard to get him truly motivated to play. With the NBA full of distractions (read: groupies and parties), can we really rely on Dorsey to get his act together and give us what Carl Landry gave us in '07/'08?

I'm not sure... I'm just sayin' I'm concerned.

Hope springs eternal: it's Draft Day!

Pursuant to NBA Blogger Law section 1995.4(a)(ii)(D)(3)... I'm informed that I am required to at least make a token entry/post regarding the 2008 NBA Draft.

Yeah, it's true - the NBA Draft is tonight!!!

For those that are really into the draft... and mock drafts... and trade speculation... and more mock drafts - I can only assume you've been visiting Ridiculous Upside with regularity and also waiting with baited breath each week for the next version of Chad Ford's guaranteed-to-be-wrong mock on ESPN.com.

(I only mock Mr. Ford because he keeps assigning the Rockets some random french dude each week as our likely pick... even though reports are that said french dude has heart issues. Yeah, that sounds like a smart 1st round pick to make to me. Even though I fell for it in the mock draft we participated in...)

Here are some goals I can only hope the Rockets have heading into tonight:

1. Trade Luther Head.
2. Do not draft Pip.
3. Find the next Carl Landry.
4. See what the market might be for T-Mac.
5. Do not use a 1st round pick on a tall, white center.
(Those guys never work out).

In addition, when the Rockets are on the clock with the 25th pick (which, I'm guessing will be around 8:30pm or so CST)... here are the players I can only hope are still on the board and available for us to pick:

1. CDR.
2. Roy Hibbert.
3. Donte Green.
4. Brandon Rush
5. Mario Chalmers.

Look, I do not expect the Rockets to stumble into the next Kobe... or T-Mac... or Monta Ellis... or even the next Sam Cassell (24th pick in 1993!) with this draft pick. I only expect Daryl Morey to maximize the value of the draft. Trade up if you can. Trade down if necessary. Find a diamond-in-the-rough in Round 2. Morey is like a genius or something, so I'll trust that he can meet these simple guidelines.

Of course, I must include the disclaimer that this time last year I was pissed that the Rockets passed on Big Baby and Nick Fazekas to draft a midget. That midget turned out to be Aaron Brooks - who turned out to be a decent player as a rookie. Not bad for a Chris Rock look-a-like. I can at least admit now that I was wrong to be angry with the pick (and hey, how was I to know Morey was going to acquire super-badass Luis Scola just a few weeks later?!?!?). Like I said, Morey is a genius or something and I've learned to trust his instincts.

I guess I am just anxious to see what 18-22 year old future millionaire will be wearing the Rockets jersey in October. Hopefully the next Robert Horry (hey, I need a new favorite player since Horry is probably going to retire!).