Houston Rockets: Draft Picks 25 and 42: A Look Back

Houston Rockets: Draft Picks 25 and 42: A Look Back

I love the NBA Draft, I celebrate it like a holiday! I even took off work one year to catch a Giants vs. Astros home matinee at the Juicebox — a win by the way! — only to watch it live later on at my favorite watering hole, Lucky’s Pub.  It was accompanied with good buddies, brew and pizza! Now I remember!  2010 — that was the year we drafted Patrick Patterson!

With the Houston Rockets season coming to a abrupt but understandable close, Daryl Morey and the rest of the Rockets’ brass have shifted gears in preparation for the NBA Draft.

One of Daryl Morey’s greatest strengths is usually being able to find diamonds in the rough that fall by the wayside in the NBA Draft.

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The NBA officially announced the sequencing of the draft order tonight and that has afforded the Rockets the opportunity to get a player that could provide immediate help to what the Rockets need. These picks could also be used as part of a bundle to enter in this offseason’s sweepstakes for the services of coveted free agents such as

,

or even

. With the latest, wildest trade rumors out there — they’re pretty rampant — the latter seems to be the prevailing thought.

But all aforementioned players would provide a valuable contribution to team that is already on the budding side needing that boost to jump over the hurdle of obscurity.

We all hope for the Rockets to get that free agent that we want but what if the Rockets kept those picks?

The Rockets have been in existence for a storied 47 years and thus they’ve had the opportunity to pick 25th pick once, and three times for the 42nd pick.

Let’s take a walk down memory lane. Here are the most recent notables:

No. 25 (2008) — Nicolas Batum — I need not say much here because he was quickly shipped to the Portland Trail Blazers and was never meant to be here. He, of course, is now a focal point of their team and has become a familiar Rockets’ foe. However, if this pick is based just off talent alone, it was a good one that may have Daryl Morey wondering if he should’ve kept the pick instead of dealing for Darrell Arthur and Joey Dorsey. I liked Joey Dorsey while he was here but when you see how successful Batum has been with his unconscionable knack to sharp shoot and play hard-nosed defense with those protracted arms of his as a way to a means of doing battle, it stings.

But let’s look further down for the impact — Aaron Brooks was picked at No. 26 in 2007. A fan favorite, the stubby but stalwart guard has carved out a solid career with multiple stops in the NBA, around the world and two stints with the Rockets.

No. 42 (1996) — Randy Livingston — The one season that he was here was memorable, but he didn’t get much opportunity to play because he was playing behind key veterans — he made the most of it and still recall as a teenager in regard to how well he could distribute the ball and how deadly he was with his shooting. His career spanned nearly decade which is a lot longer than most players get in the pro leagues.

Looking further up for the impact — Cuttino Mobley was picked at No. 41 in 1998. Also a fan favorite, the flashy, svelte-scoring shooting guard was featured for six seasons alongside Steve Francis making them a dynamic duo that was impossible to stop. Ahhh, I actually sort of miss those days.

You never know what these picks will turn out to be — will they get us that free agent we want or will we add them to a blossoming roster? Time will tell and we’ll know leading up to the big date of June 26th.