From the desk of Swordsman Yen The latest trade rumor swirling around is that the Clippers are offering Lamar Odom to the Rockets in exchange for the #1 overall pick. This would give the Rockets a proven big man that they desperately need, but is the #1 pick too valuable to trade?
Personally i'm not sold on Ming until I see him play, but i know all the scouts are. Is it a good trade for the Clippers? Sure, losing Odom isn't that big of a deal to me. But if I was the Rockets I probably wouldn't do it. I think the thing to consider here is how they would fit in the team. The Rockets have been centered around Hakeem for years, and Ming could take his spot. While I don't know if he really fits into the Clippers type of game. Although Jason Williams added to that team would be nice.
So if i was the Clippers, like I said sure i'd do the trade, if it was just straight up #1 for Odom.
Hey, if you liked Michael Olowokandi, you'll LOVE Yao Ming!!
Seriously tho, whether Ming is eventually good or not, he is sure to be a project for a couple of years. The Rockets are close enough to being good right now (I think they would have made the playoffs if Francis hadn't been hurt so much) that I don't think a project is what they need. If I were them, I would trade down in the draft. You could get a forward in the trade, and you could use the later draft pick to take a center who is closer to being ready (like Curtis Borchardt or Chris Marcus.)
Hawks get Antonie Walker and Tony Delk. Mavs get Jason Terry, Alan Henderson and a future first-round draft pick (which I'm sure they'll happily ship to Jersey for Jason Kidd come December.)