EVERY-THING SPORTS
Examining what the Rockets should do with the No. 2 pick
Jun 30, 2021, 1:33 pm
Nobody on this roster should be off limits. Composite image by Jack Brame.
The Rockets are in a good spot to help begin their rebuild by possessing the number two overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. They also have two other selections in the first round with numbers 23 and 24. While those back end picks more than likely won't pan out to be much, they could be valuable rotational players at some point in their careers. The true value lies in number two overall. That pick paid off for their horrendous season, finishing with the league's worst record. It also allowed them to keep the pick instead of the Oklahoma City Thunder taking it as part of the Chris Paul trade.
The scuttlebutt has already begun to make its rounds about which player the Rockets will pick or what other options are out there for them should they decide to trade it. I think a team in their position should keep all their options open. There are some really talented guys at the top of this draft that could help this team turn it around if they pan out. There are also several trade scenarios that could involve the number two pick that could bring back a decent haul. Let's take a look at a few options:
Drafting a player: Evan Mobley, Jalen Suggs, and Jalen Green are all expected to be available considering many evaluators believe Cade Cunningham is the consensus number one overall pick going to the Pistons. Mobley could pair with Christian Wood as a stretch version of the Twin Towers the Rockets had when they put Hakeem Olajuwon with Ralph Sampson in the 80s. Suggs is pretty NBA ready and tough as nails. Green is very athletic, explosive, and has a really high ceiling. Any of these guys would upgrade this roster immediately. Would they be franchise-changing the way some past number two overall picks have been? Not initially. Even draft picks this high in the NBA now are based more off potential instead of being can't-miss prospects. I'd love to see any one of them in a Rockets uniform, but the one that intrigues me most is Green. He could be the next dynamic scorer in the league à la a Bradley Beal, Donovan Mitchell, or Devin Booker. Suggs would be a nice addition, but isn't as explosive as Green. Mobley is redundant because you have Wood, but he could be Wood's replacement if he's seen as a similar talent, but on a more team friendly deal for a longer period of time (more on that later).
Trading the pick: The option of trading the pick has many tentacles. They could package the pick and other picks/players to vault the team into contention by seeking a superstar who's looking for a change of scenery (Ben Simmons or Beal), or a disgruntled star fed up with his current situation (Dame Lillard). They could even use it to trade back in this draft and pick up extra picks and/or players. For example- The Warriors are thinking about trading for Pascal Siakam. Supposedly, the number seven overall pick and last year's rookie James Wiseman would be going to the Raptors. They would then possess numbers four and seven overall. What would they be willing to give up for number two? I'd call the Warriors and see if they want number two for numbers seven, fourteen, and one of their good players. The possibilities are endless in any trade scenario. Nobody on this roster is off limits when it comes to being a part of any trade package I'd consider. Not even Christian Wood. He'll be on the second year of a three-year deal next season and has expressed his desire to be a max player for his next contract. If including him as part of a trade package that could net you a nice haul in return means parting with a potential building block, so be it. ESPN 97.5 Houston's AJ Hoffman (6/24/21, hour four) and Joel Blank have both recently commented on this, and I wholeheartedly agree.
I hope they take Green, or trade the pick. I believe Green has a really high ceiling and could be the ultimate boom or bust pick. He has the body type, scoring ability, and athleticism that could be a cornerstone to a rebuilding team. Should they trade the pick, I hope they get better value than they've gotten out of the CP3, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden deals. Trading the pick for more assets is only ideal if they can make those assets turn into reliable pieces. I'm nervously optimistic for this team. This could either be a quick turnaround, or the beginning of a long road.
How latest reports abruptly shift Houston Astros rotation x-factors
Mar 18, 2024, 7:23 pm
Bruce Bochy doesn’t ever want the Texas Rangers to let go of those memories of their first World Series title.
“We just don’t want to lean on them,” said Bochy, whose first season with the Rangers ended with the first World Series championship for the 63-year-old franchise, and his fourth as a big league manager.
While Texas has the opportunity to be the first team in a quarter-century to win back-to-back world championships — the New York Yankees were the last, with three in a row from 1998-2000 — the Rangers aren’t even defending champs in their own division.
And they aren’t favored to win the AL West this season.
Houston is again the odds-on favorite in the division it has won each of the last six full MLB seasons since the Rangers finished on top in 2016. The Astros won their regular season finale last Oct. 1, matched Texas at 90-72 and won the AL West since they were 9-4 head-to-head.
The Astros have made the AL Championship Series the past seven seasons, even when not division champs in the 2020 season shortened to 60 games because of the pandemic. They made four trips to the Fall Classic and won two titles in that span.
Dusty Baker retired days after Houston lost ALCS Game 7 at home to the Rangers last fall, finishing with 2,183 wins over 26 seasons as a big league manager with five teams.
New Astros manager Joe Espada, their bench coach for six seasons, is certainly familiar with a lineup that has big hitters Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker, and a loaded starting rotation.
Espada isn't the division's only new manager. Ron Washington, who took the Rangers to their previous World Series in 2010 and 2011, was hired by the Angels, who still have Mike Trout but not two-way star Shohei Ohtani, now with the other team in Los Angeles.
Seattle again revamped its roster without big spending in free agency and hopes for a quicker return to the playoffs. The Mariners missed by one game last season, a year after its first postseason appearance since 2001.
And just like last year, the Athletics go into another season not knowing if it will be their last in Oakland.
HOW THEY PROJECT1. Houston Astros. Three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, reacquired in a deadline trade last July, will start this season on the injured list. But the 41-year-old’s IL stint is expected to be a short one. The Astros still have lefty Framber Valdez (12-11, 2.45 ERA, 200 strikeouts and a no-hitter) and right-hander Cristian Javier. Eight-time All-Star second baseman Altuve signed a new $125 million, five-year contract that goes through 2029. But two-time All-Star third baseman Bregman, the only other position player to make all seven ALCS trips, is at the end of a $100 million deal.
2. Texas Rangers. After going from six losing seasons in a row to a World Series title, the Rangers should be playoff contenders again. They return ALCS MVP Adolis García and most of the lineup that hit 233 homers and scored an AL-high 5.4 runs per game. But World Series MVP and AL MVP runner-up shortstop Corey Seager (sports hernia), Gold Glove first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (oblique strain) and All-Star third baseman Josh Jung (calf) missed significant time in the spring. All-Star right-hander Nathan Eovaldi tops a rotation still missing injured multiple Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Jacob deGrom.
3. Seattle Mariners. The front office put together a roster that might be better than last year, but everybody has to stay healthy. Seattle should be better offensively with the additions of Mitch Garver, Mitch Haniger, Jorge Polanco and Luke Raley to go with young superstar Julio Rodriguez. If J.P. Crawford can replicate last season at the plate and Ty France returns to his 2021-22 form, the lineup will be deeper. Couple a better offense with one of the best rotations in baseball led by Luis Castillo, George Kirby and Logan Gilbert, the Mariners should once again contend in the division.
4. Los Angeles Angels. They feel like they’re starting over yet again and still haven't been to the playoffs since 2014. Ohtani left after six seasons for a record $700 million with the perennially contending Dodgers. The Halos added almost nothing in free agency, only revamping their bullpen again and taking low-cost flyers on Aaron Hicks and Miguel Sano. Trout and Anthony Rendon are back, and an open DH spot will allow them to rest their injury-prone bodies more regularly. Their rotation is last year’s group minus Ohtani. The 71-year-old Washington brings a unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm, which should benefit an exciting crop of young talent ready to break through in the majors.
5. Oakland Athletics. This could be the final season playing at the Coliseum with a lease set to expire. So the A's are still trying to figure out where they will play beyond this year with a new ballpark and move to Las Vegas scheduled for 2028. Manager Mark Kotsay has been committed to keeping his team focused on what it can do to be better on the field after two years with a combined 214 losses (112 last season). The A’s acquired Ross Stripling from the San Francisco Giants and added Alex Wood to the rotation.
OLD SKIPPERSWhen the 74-year-old Baker retired, Bochy became the oldest manager in the majors. That lasted only a few weeks until the Angels hired Washington. Bochy will turn 69 on April 16, just 13 days before Washington turns 72. Bochy, with 2,093 wins going into his 27th season, is one of six managers with four World Series titles, his first three coming in San Francisco (2010, 2012 and 2014). Washington won a franchise-record 664 games in eight seasons with Texas from 2007-14. He was on Atlanta's staff the past seven years, and part of the Braves' 2021 World Series title.
RELIEF HELPSeveral new relievers are in the AL West, including hard-throwing lefty Josh Hader with the Astros, veteran right-hander David Robertson and former All-Star closer Kirby Yates in Texas, Gregory Santos and Ryne Stanek in Seattle and Robert Stephenson with the Angels.
Hader's $95 million, five-year deal was the biggest after becoming a first-time free agent. The 29-year-old, once in the Astros' minor league system, turned down a $20,325,000 qualifying offer from San Diego.