Are the Houston Rockets going to break Thursday night's top ten in an effort to pull off a blockbuster that could also include Dwight Howard? There's certainly still talk that Houston is trying to get to lottery side of the first round, as Sam Amick's latest mock draft at Sports Illustrated has the Rockets flirting with Cleveland's No. 4 pick and Sacramento's No. 5 pick.
At the near-top of the board, Cleveland is projected to draft Kentucky's Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, unless the Rockets come calling with an unbeatable trade offer:
Given Houston's aggressive attempt to use its picks to get into the top 10 as part of its potential push for Dwight Howard, it makes you wonder if the Cavs might be considering swapping picks with the Rockets and possibly taking [University of Washington guard Terrence] Ross in the teens.
That's the highest pick the Rockets have been mentioned with, along with the next one - Sacramento's projected selection of North Carolina's Harrison Barnes:
With the obligatory "things can change" caveat attached, I'm told that the Kings are likely to keep their pick despite Houston's well-chronicled attempts to acquire it. Reports of the Rockets' push to get No. 5 continued on Thursday, but a source with knowledge of the situation said "no deal" when prompted in the afternoon
For more on the 2012 NBA Draft and the Houston Rockets, check out The Dream Shake and SB Nation's NBA page.
