With the Houston Rockets accumulating draft picks in an effort to acquire Dwight Howard, trade up for Andre Drummond or ... do something, whatever something is, it's hard to speculate on what exactly Daryl Morey is doing.
If they do end up keeping their three mid first-round picks, they will likely be faced with an interesting choice about Baylor star Perry Jones III.
Jones, a skilled and athletic 6'11 235 forward, has the type of star potential Houston desperately needs, but he was underwhelming at times in college and is now slipping due to concerns about his knee. As a result, there's a very good chance the Rockets have three shots at Jones on Thursday night, and SI.com's Sam Amick thinks they will pull the trigger:
Jones is an intriguing player for the Rockets (should they actually keep this newly acquired pick). While talk is cheap at this point, it's still worth noting that Jones seemed genuine and determined to be a high-level pro when I spent some time with him in Santa Barbara, Calif., last month. If he puts the work in, he could become quite a player with his unique blend of athleticism, size and skill. And there are reasons to wonder about his Baylor experience and whether that program was the best fit for him. Jones wants to play a significant amount of small forward in the NBA, and he has the ball-handling skills to do it. His ability to defend that position will be in doubt, though.
There are safer picks out there, but as Morey has shown in his desperate attempts to move up, safe is no longer the best option for a Houston franchise that has been stuck in neutral ever since Yao Ming's retirement.
Read more about the Rockets at The Dream Shake and SB Nation Houston.