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One thing that has been common knowledge around here for weeks, ever since general manager Carroll Dawson spoke openly about it, is that the Rockets are trying to move up in tomorrow's NBA Draft.
What has been widely assumed, if they do move up, is that Washington guard Brandon Roy is the object of their affection, given the Rockets' obvious need at the two-guard and Roy's last-minute workout with the Rockets.
One source with the team tells ClutchFans: Not so fast.
"I've only been involved in a few of the important conversations," said the source. "But from what I've gathered, the talk has been on how to get Rudy Gay."
The Rockets' lips have been sealed up tighter than Fort Knox, so like almost all draft talk, you have to try to decipher what is smoke screen and what is real, with almost a zero chance of "confirming" it... so take it with the same grain of salt that should accompany all draft buzz. However, this does come from a source that has been reliable in the past.
The Rockets may not even get to sniff at the chance to pick Gay -- ESPN's Andy Katz reported Tuesday that Rudy Gay is being considered as a potential #1 pick by the Raptors. To show you how crazy this draft has been, this comes just a day after Katz projected Gay to fall to the Rockets at #8.
Further adding fuel, Rockets assistant GM Daryl Morey appeared on local radio Tuesday and had high praise for the Connecticut forward.
"Rudy is a player who played on a team with multiple draftable players, and obviously a good team," said Morey referring to the Huskies. "He has a high risk, both up and down. Generally the reason guys like Rudy Gay are the ones you'd be interested in is ... you need guys who are significantly better than the average to win. When you're picking a guy like Rudy, even though there may be a higher downside, it's rational to go for those players. If you do get an all-star caliber player or one under, that helps you get to being a championship team."
Morey did not sound highly optimistic about trading up, saying that generally you talk about 100 trades, but do less than one.
"The handicap would be you keep 8 and 32," said Morey, referring to the most likely scenario. "[After that] I think moving up would be more likely than moving down at this point."
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