Well, we've come to the end of the 1994 Usenet draft.  I must say that
I think that this has been the best since I've been on the net.  I
think that we should take a moment to thank the net GM's for doing
such a great job on the team analysis' and picks.  I know that I, the
Commish, thank them :-).  If you've missed any of the picks, send me
e-mail and I'll get them right to you.  The draft (includeing scouting
reports) will also be available via anonymous ftp at:

  sunsite.unc.edu.

In pub/academic/athletics/basketball/pro/1994.usenet.draft.Z.

In compressed tar format.  Please give me a couple of days to get them
there.  I will post a usenet vs NBA draft on June 30th.

=========================================================================
The last pick in the 1994 Usenet mock draft belongs to the Houston
Rockets.  The Rockets first round pick belongs to the New York Knicks
so the Rockets will not be picking until 53 in the NBA draft.  The
pick 31st in the Usenet draft.  Their net GM is:

  John Carter


and he picks:

  Eddie Jones, SF, 6-6.  Temple

===========================================================================

CURRENT TEAM
------------

Overall: ROCKETS

Ever since Rudy Tomjanovich took over as coach and primary talent
scout, the Rockets are much improved.  They've had two straight
excellent drafts (Horry and Cassell), picked up some important role
players for peanuts (Brooks and Elie), and started to play like a team
(especially on defense).  They started the season with an NBA record
15 straight wins (9 on the road, I believe), slumped a bit during the
middle of the season, came on strong down the stretch (until they
rested a pile of starters in losses to Denver and Dallas when their
playoff position was fixed), and are now awaiting the winner of the
Indiana/New York series in the NBA Finals.  They won a team record 58
games and could very well be the NBA Champions in three weeks.  They
have a good balance of size and speed, are one of the best defensive
teams in the league, and are anchored by the league MVP.  On the
downside, they aren't the headiest bunch around, playing more on
emotion and athleticism than brains, they rely a lot on a pack of
talented but streaky guards, and they're a bit thin up front.
Overall, though, you've got to like their chances for success over the
next few years.


Center: HAKEEM OLAJUWON

I could bore the hell out of you by going on and on about what a
wonderful player Hakeem is, but I'm assuming that anybody with a
slight clue realizes that he's the best player in the NBA, and only
getting better.  Hakeem was named Defensive Player of the Year, First
Team All-NBA, and Most Valuable Player.  The way the Rockets are
playing right now, he could very well be named Playoff MVP and receive
his first NBA championship ring before the end of the month.  Hakeem
does it all: low-post offense, outside shooting (reliable to about 18
feet), man-to-man defense, shotblocking, rebounding, passing (an
amazing new trait), running the floor, etc.  He's absolutely deadly
from the left baseline -- if you double team him, he usually finds the
cutter or the open man spotted up behind the three-point line.  If you
don't double team him, well..., count the basket.  On top of all this,
he's a virtual ironman, averaging 42-45 minutes per game.  If I had to
nitpick and say a couple of negative things, his dribbling is still
pretty lousy, he throws too many interceptions or turnovers on his
long outlet passes, and he tires out at high elevation (Utah and
Denver).  Who cares - in a few years, you'll be able to visit the
Olajuwon exhibit at the Hall of Fame.

Power forward:  OTIS THORPE

Combined with Hakeem, OT gives the Rockets one of the most talented
front lines in the NBA (with only Robinson-Rodman being at about the
same level).  He can run the floor amazingly well for a player as big
and strong as he is, rebound with abandon, score inside, and hit a
streaking guard with a touchdown outlet pass as well as Dan Marino.
On the other hand, sometimes OT goes for long stretches without
asserting himself on offense, content to watch Hakeem battle for all
of the inside baskets.  His approximately 60% FG% and 15 ppg output
speaks strongly for how effective he is when he asserts himself, but
there are times when I wish he were more aggressive.  Defensively,
Otis has developed from a liability to a competent defender, as
witnessed by him virtually shutting down Barkley in the playoffs.  On
the other hand, good outside shooting forwards who also have power
moves (e.g., Malone) give him all sorts of trouble, and when he's
working on defense, he usually disappears on offense.  Still, I
wouldn't trade Otis for more than about a half dozen other power
forwards in the league.  His durability, rebounding skills, ability to
run with the other Rocket speedsters, and inside moves would be hard
to replace.

Small forward: ROBERT HORRY

Horry is a bit of an enigma.  At the start of the season, the Rockets
were full of hope that he'd build on his selection on the All-Rookie
second team and turn into another Scottie Pippen.  However, Robert
struggled badly, so much so that he was pseudo-traded to Detroit with
Matt Bullard for Sean Elliot.  When Elliot failed his physical exam,
Horry and Bullard returned to Houston.  I expected him to be upset and
pout about being on a team that "didn't want him," but quite the
opposite came to pass!  Robert apparently took it upon himself to
prove to the rest of the team that he shouldn't have been traded, and
Rudy T convinced Robert that the only reason he had been traded was
that the Rockets wanted production NOW, which up until then Robert
hadn't been providing.  After the trade, Horry went on a mini-tear
through the rest of the regular season and on through the playoffs.
His biggest problem has always been that he is too unselfish on
offense, a rare treat in a Rockets team with Hakeem and Mad Max.  His
defense is excellent, he has true three-point range (something that
surprises most teams given that he's 6'10 and played center in
college), and he's a high-flying, slam- -dunking, jamfestin' machine.
I think he's played himself back into being a major component of the
team and is no longer in danger of being traded.  If he continues to
develop, ala his Alabama teammate Sprewell, he could be a real menace
in years to come.  As it stands, he's a slightly better shooting
version of Derrick McKey, with more time to take that next step.

Shooting guard: VERNON MAXWELL

Ah, what can you say about Mad Max?  Few people understand how
important a role Maxwell plays on the team.  Yes, he's a trash
talking, quick tempered, techical foul collecting, no conscience
bomber -- all things for which his critics correctly assail him.  His
FG% consistently hovers around 40%, he only shoots about 33% from
3-point land, and he's been known to put a string of 2-12 games
together back to back to back.  So, why is it that he's starting on
one of the two NBA Finalists?!?  Simple - Max's major contribution
isn't something that shows up on the stats sheet.  The rest of the
team feeds off of his fire and drive, his brash demeanor, and his
I-can-shoot-the-lights-out-and-then-shut-your-ass-down-defensively
attitude.  When he's on, Max is one of the most deadly scoring
machines in the league.  He'll rain in three's, drive to the hole and
hit shots that you (and I) would think are impossible, and
single-handedly demoralize a team.  When he's off, which is more often
than he's on to be sure, he takes too many stupid shots, lazes around
on defense, and easily loses his cool (collecting a "T" shortly
thereafter).  Overall, Max is probably a somewhat below average
starting shooting guard, but he fits perfectly on this team.  With
Hakeem attracting so much attention, he's often open for his morale-
-crushing three pointers, and his defensive intensity and athleticism
are major factors in Houston' smothering defensive schemes.  Also, at
the end of the game when the Rockets NEED a three-pointer, Max usually
delivers.  Long term, the Rockets need a better solution, but for the
time being, Max ain't a bad option.

Point guard: KENNY SMITH

Kenny must be a Gemini (actually, that's true for this team in
general).  Every other year he's awesome, with a lousy year in the
"off" years (an apt term).  He's one of the best jump shooting point
guards in the league when he gets his feet under him, which is just
what the Rockets need.  With Hakeem prowling the middle, teams are
tempted to drop down and double or triple team him, but with marksmen
like Smith (and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Maxwell and Horry)
prowling the perimeter, they often pay (e.g., games 1 and 4 against
the Jazz).  However, when guarded closely, Smith has a hard time
creating his own shots, isn't a great ballhandler, and doesn't really
set his teammates up very well.  This led to Scott Brooks playing the
majority of the fourth quarters before Cassell developed.  I really
like Kenny, but like Max he benefits a LOT from Houston's offensive
scheme (dump it to Hakeem, swing it around for the open shot if he's
doubled, 3!).  The worst thing about Kenny's game is that he has slow
feet, so he gets torn apart by small quick guards (e.g., Strickland in
round 1 and KJ in round 2).  He plays too much defense with his hands
instead of his feet, so he fouls a LOT when his man drives to the
hoop.  Lucky for him, Hakeem often cleans up his messes by swatting
away easy shots his man gets off.  All in all, Kenny's a competent but
unspectacular point guard.

Bench (in the rotation):  MARIO ELIE, SAM CASSELL, CARL HERRERA

Overall I think Houston's bench is underrated, but it's not nearly as
strong as Seattle's (for example).  As Herrera's injury during the
playoffs has made clear, Houston is very thin up front.  Luckily, both
Thorpe and Olajuwon are very durable and rarely injured, so it hasn't
hurt them too much.  Herrera has developed into a solid defensive
stopper and rebounder along the lines of Indiana's Davis "brothers,"
but he has never really found his role on the offensive end and his
ballhandling is atrocious for somebody who was the starting point
guard on Venezuela's junior national team (a while ago).  However,
given Hakeem and OT's physical condition and general health, Houston
only needs about 20 minutes a game at the 4 and 5 positions, and Carl
fills this need admirably.  Unfortunately, Herrera has been
injury-prone the last two years, which limits his value.

Elie is the unsung hero of Houston's success this year.  Portland made
a SERIOUS mistake by trading him away for a 2nd round pick just so
that they could sign Sir Stiffalot (Dudley).  Like Mad Max, Elie has a
lot of fire and a real cocky attitude, which was sorely needed by most
of the "nice guy" Rockets.  He's a good ballhandler, can hit the trey,
and drives to the hoop with authority.  On defense, he's solid.
Basically, he's an almost ideal sixth man, and Houston is lucky to
have him.

If you've been watching the playoffs, you've probably been somewhat
amazed by how polished Cassell is for a rookie point guard (drafted
LATE in the first round).  He still makes plenty of rookie mistakes
(e.g., falling for Stockton's bait at the end of game 4), but I am
*very* impressed by what I've seen from Sam so far.  He is a very good
penetrator, and seems to be especially adept at finding the open man
to finish off his drives.  When the defense doesn't collapse, he's
effective at hitting the short jumper in the lane or going all the
way.  Cassell averages more assists per minute than any other Rocket
(easily), and collects more than his share of steals.  On top of all
that, Sam isn't afraid to take control of the offense, which he does
well, and he has a real attitude.  He has a number of obvious flaws
that need to be addressed (spotty outside shooting and the need to
avoid silly fouls and turnovers), but he's way ahead of the normal
point guard development cycle.  Could he be KJ in two years?  Maybe.
He's also the most fun Rocket to watch during timeouts, when you'll
often see him dancing to the music, flirting with the cheerleaders, or
firing up the crowd.  I expect to see Sam starting within a year.

Bench (deeper in the rotation):  SCOTTY BROOKS, MATT BULLARD

Brooks played a lot early in the season, but got less and less playing
time as Cassell developed and took his spot in the eight man rotation.
I really like him, and am glad to have him around as an insurance
policy.  He's one of the headiest players on the team (no, not 'cuz
he's white), who makes a lot of heads up plays late in the game when
less experienced players (e.g., Cassell) get "rooked."  There are
plenty of teams that would love to have a Scotty Brooks on their
bench.  Besides, my girlfriend thinks he's "cute."

Bullard was almost a no-show this year, and by the end of the season
he was practically out the door.  Matt seemed to have lost his most
important skill -- the ability to knock down three pointers.  I don't
expect to see him back next year.

Bench (getting splinters in their ass):  ERIC RILEY, RICHARD PETRUSKA

Houston drafted Riley and Petruska last year with the intent of
helping them to develop them into quality reserve big men, but neither
got all that much playing time (and both were left off of the playoff
roster to make room for veteran Earl Cureton).  Supposedly Riley is
"ahead of schedule" in his development, but that evaluation must be
based on his play in practice, as he rarely sees more than cleanup
duty during games.  Hopefully one of Petruska or Riley will develop
into a player who can give Rudy 20 quality minutes off of the bench
spelling Hakeem and/or Otis, especially given Herrera's history of
fragility.

Coaching/Management:  RUDY TOMJANOVICH, et al.

Like Houston's bench, the Rockets' management is underrated.  Rudy T.
took over a team that had a lot of talent, but never played up to its
potential.  Hakeem was unhappy with the Rockets, the Rockets were
unhappy with Hakeem, they hadn't drafted anybody worth a damn since
Olajuwon and McCray back in the early 80's, and it was starting to
look like the only way that Hakeem would ever get another shot at a
ring was to force a trade, which he tried to do.  Since Rudy took over
both the head coaching and player management positions, though,
Houston has steadily improved.  This year they won their second
straight Midwest Division title and are headed to the NBA Finals.  The
team plays like a TEAM, especially on defense where they play with the
same tenacity Rudy displayed as a player.  He seems to do a good job
of adapting to his personnel, which is the sign of a good coach.
Right now that means that they employ fairly simple, but effective,
offensive and defensive strategies.  Scouting-wise, the team has put
together two excellent drafts, picking Horry last year over the player
that most of Houston wanted (Miner), and finding a diamond in the
rough by picking Cassell at #23 this year.  It'll be a real test of
their drafting skills to pick up a contributor this year, though.


TEAM NEEDS
----------

Basically, the only things that the Rockets really need are depth up
front (who doesn't) and a more consistent shooting guard.  Their
starting front line of Olajuwon, Thorpe, and Horry is as good as they
come, and their reserve 1-2-3 players (Cassell and Elie) are more than
adequate.

MY SELECTION
------------

Eddie Jones, 6-6 SF/SG from Temple

This selection is mostly a space filler.  With the Rockets only draft
pick being second to last in the second round, they would clearly be
picking the "best player available" and I think Jones would have a
chance to stick.  His defensive tenacity would fit right into the
Rockets' aggressive trapping defense (Zone?!?  What zone?!? ;).  I'm
guessing that they would try to develop his outside shooting while
using him to occasionally spell Maxwell, Horry, and Elie.  His size
and rebounding ability would let Houston go with a very big lineup if
he's inserted as a shooting guard.  My main concern would be his
ability to defend fast 2-guards.

OTHERS CONSIDERED
-----------------

Shon Tarver, 6-6 SG/SF from UCLA -- His defensive ability is attractive.

Deon Thomas, 6-9 PF from Illinois -- Could he replace Herrera?  He
definitely won't be around for the 53rd pick.

Antonio Lang, 6-8 SF/PF from Duke
Jamie Brandon, 6-4 SG from LSU
Askia Jones, 6-5 SG from KSU

WHO THEY'LL PROBABLY TAKE
-------------------------

Ha ha ha ha!  You expect me to look into a crystal ball and figure out
the 53rd pick of the draft?!?  Ha ha ha ha!  How the hell should I
know?

More seriously, I expect that they will choose the "best player
available."  Given their draft position, nothing else makes sense.  I
would not be at all surprised to see them package future #2's to move
up in the second round, or trade a future #1 to move into the first
round if somebody they like really slips, but otherwise they'll just
pick the player they think has the highest chance of making it in the
NBA.

Given their needs and the way that drafts tend to work, I expect that
they'll pick a swingman who can play some minutes off the bench and
develop behind Maxwell.  Elie can backup either SF or SG, and Hererra
can backup either SF or PF, so there's room for a backup shooting
guard if a good one is available.  Of course, if hell freezes over and
a decent C/PF project slips this deep (unlikely as hell), they'll snap
him up and add another player to the Riley/Petruska development squad
behind Olajuwon/Thorpe.

The other most likely use of their #2 pick is as trade bait for a
backup player on another team that wants to free up space under the
salary cap.  This trick has garnered Houston two quality players
(Brooks and Elie) over the last two years, and I wouldn't be surprised
to see it happen again.


OTHER LIKELY/POSSIBLE OFFSEASON MOVES
-------------------------------------

The only real offseason priority, barring a trade offer that cannot be
refused, is resigning Mario Elie.  He's a major part of the Houston
bench rotation that helped propel the Rockets into the Western
Conference Finals (and hopefully beyond).  Portland was incredibly
stupid to give him up for a #2 pick in order to sign Dudley, something
that more than one Blazer fan said last year when the trade happened.
I don't think this will be a problem.  He claims to like Houston, and
given their success this year I would be surprised to see him want to
leave.  The Rockets management team has become one of the better ones
out there, and I don't anticipate there being any problem with
resigning "Super" Mario.

The current team payroll (for salary cap purposes) is $16.8 million,
but this includes the salaries for Floyd (long gone, but under
contract until this summer), Jamerson (same), Bullard (UFA), and Mario
Elie (UFA).  If you remove these salaries, that leaves the Rockets at
$12.9 million.  I believe Hakeem's mega-buck contract extension kicks
in this year, although I don't know for certain.  Barring that and
other adjustments (salary increases), the Rockets would start the
offseason $2.2 million under the current cap, which will likely rise.
So, they may have some room under the cap to pursue a non-superstar
free agent to fill out their bench before working to resign their
current free agents (Elie).  As I said above, they could use a backup
C-PF to relieve Hakeem and OT, and I expect them to sign a veteran
free agent (Cureton?!?) as insurance in case Riley/Petruska do not
continue to develop or one of the starters is injured.  There are
several moderately talented C/PF's out there who might fit the bill
(Cage, ...), but given the general lack of center talent around the
league, players who might normally be subs can attract huge contracts
as starters (e.g., Dudley).

I don't anticipate the Rockets doing too much shuffling this
offseason.  There's something to be said for not tinkering with
success.  All of the players in Houston's 8-man rotation have a couple
of more good years of basketball left in them, so they should continue
to contend for a ring until Hakeem and OT retire in four or five
years.  Until then, they will build via the draft and occasional
judicious trades, both earmarks of Rudy's two-year tenure as head
coach.  Houston has traded #2 picks for quality bench players each of
the past two years (Brooks and Elie), and I expect they will try to
sucker somebody again this offseason to further fortify the bench, but
other than that, they will probably stand pat.

Go Rockets!

========================================================================
Draft Summary:
1.  Milwaukee Bucks
    GM:   Bobby Davis 
    Pick: Glenn Robinson, PF, 6-8.  Purdue University.
2.  Dallas Mavericks
    GM:   Theo Wendt 
    Pick: Jason Kidd, PG, 6-4.  Cal.
3.  Detroit Pistons
    GM:   Eric Iverson 
    Pick: Grant Hill, SF, 6-8. Duke.
4.  Minnesota Timberwolves
    GM's: Kevin Hansen 
          Toni Morgan 
    Pick: Donyell Marshall, SF, 6-9. Connecticut
5.  Washington Bullets
    GM's: Jim Nagle 
          The Crossjammer 
    Pick: Juwan Howard, PF, 6-10. Michigan
6.  Philadelphia 76ers
    GM's: Brent Halliburton 
    Pick: Yinka Dare, C, 7-0. George Washington
7.  Los Angeles Clippers
    GM:   Paul Osmond 
    Pick: Carlos Rogers, PF, 6-11. Tennessee State
8.  Sacramento Kings
    GM's: Don Hearth 
          Daniel W. Huang 
    Pick: Clifford Rozier, PF, 6-9.  Louisville
9.  Boston Celtics
    GM:   Ellie Cutler 
    Pick: Lamond Murray, SF, 6-7.  Cal
10. Los Angeles Lakers
    GM:   Kosh 
    Pick: Jalen Rose, SG, 6-8. Michigan
11. Seattle Sonics
    GM:   Aaron Gill 
    Pick: Wesley Person, SG, 6-6.  Auburn
12. Miami Heat              
    GM:   Rob Clough 
    Pick: Sharone Wright, C, 6-11. Clemson
13. Denver Nuggets
    GM's: Rick Grubin 
          John Exby 
    Pick: B.J. Tyler, PG, 6-1. Texas
14. New Jersey Nets
    GM:   Matthew Mitchell 
    Pick: Dontonio Wingfield, PF, 6-9. Cincinnati
15. Indiana Pacers          
    GM:   Richard Burton 
    Pick: Charlie Ward, PG, 6-0. FSU
16. Golden State Warriors 
    GM:   Mike Moore 
    Pick: Eric Montross, C, 7-0. UNC
17. Portland Trail Blazers  
    GM:   Mike Northam 
    Pick: Jim McIlvane, C, 7-1. Marquette
18. Milwaukee Bucks 
    GM:   Bobby Davis 
    Pick: Brian Grant, PF, 6-8.  Xavier
19. Dallas Mavericks 
    GM:   Theo Wendt 
    Pick: Kendrick Warren, SF, 6-8.  Virginia Commonwealth
20. Philadelphia 76ers
    GM:   Brent Halliburton 
    Pick: Voshon Lenard, SG, 6-4.  Minnesota
21. Chicago Bulls
    GM:   Andy Knipp 
    Pick: Eric Piatkowski, SG, 6-7.  Nebraska
22. San Antonio Spurs
    GM:   Varun Singh 
    Pick: Khalid Reeves, PG, 6-1.  Arizona
23. Phoenix Suns
    GM:   Curtis Hill 
    Pick: Aaron McKie, SG, 6-7.  Temple
24. New York Knicks
    GM:   Alan Sepinwall 
    Pick: Arturas Karnishovas, SF, 6-10.  Seton Hall.
25. Atlanta
    GM:   Mark Mitchell 
    Pick: Billy McCaffrey, SG, 6-4.   Vanderbilt.
26. New York Knicks
    GM:   Alan Sepinwall 
    Pick: Gaylon Nickerson, SG, 6-3.  NW Oklahoma St.
27. Orlando Magic           
    GM:   Tom McGuian 
    Pick: Bill Curley, PF, 6-9. Boston College
28. Charlotte
    GM:   Richard Shoffner 
    Pick: Derrick Phelps, PG, 6-4.  UNC
29. Cleveland
    GM:   Mark Wensell 
    Pick: Eric Mobley, C, 6-10.  Pittsburgh
30. Utah
    GM:   David Pugmire 
    Pick: Monty Williams, SF, 6-8.  Notre Dame
31. Houston                 
    GM:   John Carter 
    Pick: Eddie Jones, SF, 6-6.  Temple