Quote:
Originally Posted by CaliDude1
I think that's a pretty legitimate critique. It seems as if he couldn't look past the limits of his analytics long enough to see what everyone else saw up front.
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That's an absurdly off-base opinion.
No one disputed the fact that the kid could play. His
inability to play in the NBA had
zero to do with talent, analytics or the game of basketball, in general.
On draft night, the Rockets were given an
A- by NBA Draft Net for their selections of White, Jeremy Lamb, and Terrance Jones.
Yahoo gave them a
B.
CBS Sports gave Houston a bad grade based on their Jeremy Lamb at #12 selection, but had this to say about White at #16:
Royce White (16): Super high upside pick at a nice decent spot. No big reach, no huge downside at this spot. White can be dangled as a carrot for several teams, and brings a lot to the Rockets if he stays. Terrific pick.
Stop playing revisionist history and re-scoring a draft many years later as if you had inside knowledge that the kid wouldn't pan out before the draft; you didn't know and neither did any other NBA GMs. They took an uber-talented kid #16 overall and he didn't pan out. News flash:
most NBA draft picks do not pan out, and once you start getting into the teens, it's just an absolute crap shoot. I don't even like the Rockets - in fact, they're one of my least favorite teams - but don't be so blinded by this anti-Rockets/anti-Morey (in addition to anti-Royce White) sentiment that you just throw anything at the wall and hope it sticks; there's zero reason to hold some GMs to different standards than others.
So no, it's an absolutely ill-informed opinion and not legitimate critique. The Rockets made two solid selections with White and Jones and unfortunately, one of them didn't pan out. Of the remaining 40-some odd picks, you'd only have been better off if you had selected 5-6 different players. It's not as if they took the kid #2 overall, leaving a dearth of talent that you say, "Oh, what could have been." I'd also like to mention that those 5-6 players that you'd rather have, you only know that because of hind's site. It's so easy to look back and say, Oh, yeah, we should have taken him then. But at the time, would you have really taken Tyler Zeller, Jared Sullinger, Kyle O'Quinn, or Robert Sacre over Royce White or Terrance Jones? Maybe, maybe not.
Welcome to the draft folks, it's an inexact skill and people science.
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