More Houston Sports

Well the Astros have jumped off to a nice little 2-run lead, but they are playing in Colorado so they will need at least 25 more to secure the win, at least they aren't in Philly. At any rate, the first batch of Astros 2005 draft class have signed and reported to their respective minor league ballclubs. Two players of note, Billy Hart and Northwestern product Mark Ori, contributed in Class A Tri-City's 10-5 win over Vermont.

Tomorrow evening I will face one of the more difficult choices I will have had to make in my life: NBA draft or Real World Austin. Well thanks to my now illegal (i know, not really, but biting sarcasim is the most effective communication tool) TiVo system I can record the skank-tabulous alcohol induced orgy. No, that means I'm recording Real World, not the draft, that way I can gawk at ridiculous Melinda at the push of a button.

My beloved Houston Rockets find themselves in a familiar position in the draft. 24th. Unfortunately, the Rocket's can pride themselves on incredible draft ineptitude. However, as any dumbstruck fan, I am confident that Van Gundy and Crew can pull the scouting staff's collective head out of its ass and add that final Championship caliber piece to the Tmac-Yao foundation.

The Rockets have two glaring needs: PF and PG. The return of Juwan Howard will indeliably boon that Rockets front court, however, a platoon of Weatherspoon, Padgett, and Bowen in Howards absence was clearly ineffective (or exploitable) down the stretch. The point guard position was Houston's biggest bald spot at the beginning of the season, but the late addition of Mike James to the roster and a healthy Bobby Sura was a much needed dose of Rogaine. During the playoffs however, Sura, slowed by injury, and James were over powered by the speed of the Dallas Mavericks. Thus, a speedy point man with either supreme perimeter defense or shooting (ideally both) could significantly aid the Rocket's post season chances.

So who's available? Well with the 24th pick there are several young men at both positions whom I find very interesting.

Power Forwards:
1.) Ike Diogu -- this 6'7" forward from Ariz. St. is clearly undersized to play the power position, however he has incredible wingspan for perimeter D and a deft shooting touch. He might be the second best offensive big-man behind probable number one pick Bogut. Since he is undersized and got very little exposure on an ASU team which provided him zero support he will probably be available with the 24th pick.

2.) Wayne Simien -- at 6'8", Simien was one of the most dominant players in the Big 12 at Kansas....when he was healthy. That is really the only down side to drafting him. He is a leader, solid on D, and a force on the boards; however his history of knee and shoulder injuries make him a high risk/high reward pick at 24th.

3.) Ronny Turiaf -- the 6'10" Turiaf was easily the most recognizable player on the media darling Gonzaga team that made its predictable early exit from the tourny this year....again (long gone are the 'Zags cinderella seasons). He has incredible size for the position, translating into tremendous power. His offensive skills have improved each year but still needs work. He lacks consistency and focus, but that ain't nothing JVG can't fix.

Others: Julius Hodges -- combo guard can play bigger than he is, but too small to really be a PF. Sean May -- TarHeel star came up big in the Dance, lacks stamina and a jumper, but great inside. Brandon Bass -- best player on an up and coming LSU team entered too early, might be to early to take at 24.

Point Guards:
1.) Roko Leni-Ukic -- at 6'5" Roko can line up against any point in the game. A native of Split Croatia, he plays solid fundamental defense. A good defender, incredible ball protection skills and Ginobili like vision gives him a assist:turnover ratio worth drooling over; something that JVG's methodic offensive requires. Since he's an international player he'll be hit or miss, but I really like what I've seen of this kid. I was rooting for the Rockets to draft him last year, but he pulled out of the draft to continue playing in Europe. Many scouts think he's not interested in languishing on the bench in the NBA, and will opt to stay in Europe.

2.) Nate Robinson -- the 5'9" lightning-bolt leader from U-Dub will probably fall down to 24th in the draft because of his size. But as Earl Boykins and Allan Iverson have shown, lack of size can be used as an advantage when you have tremendous heart, something Robinson has tons of. He has speed, leadership ability, and incredible vision. Downside: size and turnover prone.

3.) Travis Diener -- 6ft senior from Marquette was second fiddle in a duo that led Marquette deep into the Big Dance (first fiddle was a man named Dwyane Wade, heard of him?). He has big shot potential, great leadership ability, and is an incredibly heady player. Lacks size and speed, but could prove to be a great sleeper. Probably to early to take at 24.

Others: Luther Head -- the Illinois guard was overshadowed by the play of teammates Dee Brown and Deron Williams, but can play Bruce Bowen type perimiter D and great shooting from the Arch. John Gilchrist -- great player, but discipline problems have him slipping in the draft.

There's no telling what will happen tonite. With the point guard position so deep, teams might be tempted to use a second round pick to fulfill their draft needs, dropping some better point guards down in the draft (i.e. J. Jack). Regardless, the Rockets need a PF and will probably pick one up tonite.