Mini Draft Article: The Houston Rockets’ 2001 Draft Woes

The Houston Rockets’ 2001 Draft has proved to be one of the worst ever. The Rockets had 3 first round draft picks that year and botched all of them. With the 13^th pick the team took Richard Jefferson, who actually turned out to be a solid role player and scorer, but the team combined him, the 18^th pick (Jason Collins), and the 23^rd pick (Brandon Armstrong) in a deal for PF Eddie Griffin. Griffin averaged 8.7pts and 5.9rebs in his 2 years with the Rockets before he himself was traded. Like I stated before, Richard Jefferson was actually a great selection as he went on to average 16.4pts and 5rebs in his career. The problem was that the team traded him before he ever even stepped foot on the court in a Rockets’ jersey. The team’s atrocious draft didn’t end there though, as they took Jason Collins with the 18^th pick. Collins has gone on to average 4pts and 4rebs in his career, so from that perspective it was a great that the team traded. When looking at who they could’ve had in his place though, you might think otherwise. Zach Randolph, the seemingly perennial 20 point, 10 rebound guy, was selected with the next pick by the Trailblazers. Randolph has averaged over 17pts and 9rebs in his career, and despite having an attitude problem early on in his career, has been a reliable work horse and blue-collar player throughout his career. The next issue with the Rockets’ draft class obviously lies with their last pick: the 23^rd. With this pick they took Brandon Armstrong, who averaged a staggering 2.2pts in his short-lived career. Again, when looking back on it, you might say it was smart to have traded him. Think again. Not to quote LeBron but… “Not 1, Not 2,” but 3 stars were still left on the board! Gerald Wallace, Tony Parker, and Gilbert Arenas were taken within the next 7 picks. Gerald Wallace, although a solid player, is not the same caliber player as Parker or Arenas, and with Jefferson already on this hypothetical team, a PG is more fitting so we will stick to examining Parker and Arenas. Parker has an array of accolades under his belt, as he has averaged over 16pts and 5assts throughout his career, while winning 3 Championships and 1 Finals MVP award. Gilbert, although less equipped with hardware, has put up an even more impressive stat line with over 21pts, 5assts, and 4rebs a game, while receiving 3 NBA All-Star and All-NBA selections.

When adding these players to that year’s roster headlined by Steve Francis and Cutino Mobley (both 20+ pt scorers at the time), you had the potential for a competitive and championship-caliber team. Francis, Mobley, Jefferson, Randolph, and either Arenas or Parker, would have meant a very youthful core and a matchup nightmare.

So, looking back on the 2001 NBA draft night, tell me if you would have traded Tony Parker/Gilbert Arenas, Zach Randolph, and Richard Jefferson for Eddie Griffin? Nahhh, I didn’t think so.