Texas Two Step

Coaches around the NFL have continuously been saying that their draft class should not be graded until two or three years after the draft.

So with the 2010 draft behind us, let's look back and grade the 2007 drafts of the Texans and Cowboys.

In 2007 the Texans draft board looked like this:

First round: Amobi Okoye

Third round: Jacoby Jones

Fourth round: Fred Bennett

Fifth round: Brandon Harrison

Fifth round: Brandon Frye

Sixth round: Kasey Studdard

Seventh round: Zac Diles

The best: Zac Diles has proved that the later rounds of the draft are just as important as the first round. Diles broke into the top of the Texan depth chart in 2008 starting the first eight games before breaking his left tibia. He played in all 16 games,including 12 starts in 2009 and has recorded 132 tackles, 1.5 sacks and one interception since arriving in Houston.

The worst: Is it too early to call Amobi Okoye a bust. The defensive tackle, who has played three seasons in the NFL and hasn't even turned 23, has only eight sacks and 94 tackles since entering the league. The Texans are still hoping the Okoye can be great, but are already starting to look elsewhere spending a third round draft pick on tackle Earl Mitchell.

The rest: Jacoby Jones has become a fan favorite with his speed and improved his skills as a receiver last season catching 27 passes for 437 yards and six touchdowns.

Studdard had to fill in on the offensive line last season with all the injuries to the starters and showed why he should be considered for a starter for the 2010 season.

Bennett has shown sparks, but has also been picked on plenty of times by opposing quarterbacks in his first three seasons. He has intercepted five passes in his career, but did not see any playing time in the second half of the 2009 season and will likely be limited in 2010.

Frye and Harrison had short stints with the team and failed to remain Texans.

Final Verdict: C+ Until Okoye does something, this draft class will never get above this grade. Five of the seven picks are still on the team, but no superstars or playmakers and all five of them could easily be replaced.

The Cowboys top rookies following the 2007 draft were:

Round 1: Anthony Spencer

Round 3: James Marten

Round 4: Isaiah Stanback

Round 4: Doug Free

Round 6: Nick Folk

Round 6; Deon Anderson

Round 7: Courtney Brown

Round 7: Alan Ball

The best: Anthony Spencer has worked his way into the Cowboy lineup and started all 16 games last season at linebacker. He has 10.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and an interception.

The worst: James Marten has only played one NFL game and has been on three different teams in three season.

The rest: Still on the roster are Free, Anderson and Ball. All have seen playing time, but have not become consistent starters.

Folk was booed out of town late in 2009 after missing way too many field goals.

Final Verdict: C- Spencer has produced and is the only reason that the grade is not a D or lower. The others who are still in Dallas will likely be fighting for roster spots this summer as Jerry Jones wants to play in his own building in February for the Super Bowl.

The final week of the college basketball regular season begins this week and we are approaching arguable the best four days of the sports year.

The first and second rounds are approaching, and I feel that anyone is capable of winning it all. There is no clear-cut choice of who is No. 1. Expect one or possibly two top seeds to fall in the second round and for a five, six or seven seed to make the Final Four.

It is too hard to know now since we haven’t even seen a bracket, but here is who I think can make a run deep into March and possibly make it to Indianapolis. And since I mainly watch the Big 12, I am not going to try to analyze anything else and talk about things that I really have no clue about.

Obvious favorite:

Kansas: Sherron Collins is the most dangerous player in college basketball and is the player I would most want to have the ball in the waning seconds of a game (see 2007 Final Four). The Jayhawks are loaded with superstars and have been there before. They have what it takes to win it all.

Sleepers:
Texas A&M: Mark Turgeon has his Aggies playing energetic and exciting basketball. There are no superstars on this team, but they play smart basketball and use good teamwork and when on their game are capable of pulling off an upset.

Kansas State: They are not really a sleeper, because everyone already knows how good they are. But the Wildcats have lots of talent that plays well together. They will probably be a two or three seed and should cruise to the Sweet 16 and possibly the Elite Eight.

Baylor: All six of the Bears’ losses were close games that could have easily gone the other way. LaceDarius Dunn and Tweety Carter are the most underrated pair of players on any team in college basketball and will show it in the tournament.

First-Round Exits:

Texas: Has any team fallen off worse than the Longhorns who less than two months ago were the top team in the nation? As much as it kills me to say, the Longhorns are the most underachieving team in the country and will not make it out of the first round of the tournament. With all of the talent they have, it is hard to imagine this, but Rick Barnes’ squad is not who we thought they were.

Oklahoma State: James Anderson is fun to watch, but he does not have enough support around him. The win against top-ranked Kansas was a rare game when the entire Cowboy squad was playing at its best and the Jayhawks took a night off.

I can’t wait to see how wrong I am about all of these!

If you were to take away a team’s two best players, it is likely that team would be struggling and not be four games above .500 and in position to make a run in the Western Conference playoffs. But the Houston Rockets have found a way to win with a group of late draft picks and undrafted free agents.

Yao Ming is out for the season and Tracy McGrady has yet to play a minute this season while he is recovering from an injury (or at least when I started writing this post McGrady had yet to play – he saw playing time Tuesday night against the Pistons).

Without those two, there are no All-Stars on this team (even though McGrady would start in the All-Star Game if voting were to end today).

Every night, the Rockets have a different player leading the way.

This is not your average team. General Manager Daryl Morey has only been in Houston for three years, but has already used his “Moneyball” type number crunching to get the most out of the least amount of money.

The tallest player in the rotation is 6-foot-9 Luis Scola. Houston’s starting center, Chuck Hayes, is only 6-foot-6, making him the shortest NBA center ever.

On the Rockets’ current active roster, they only have one player that was drafted within the first 23 picks – Shane Battier who was selected 6th overall in 2001 by the then Vancouver Grizzlies. Outside of Battier, here is how this current team was compiled:

Aaron Brooks: Drafted 26th overall out of Oregon in 2007, Brooks has become one of the NBA’s best point guards. Of course he is not Chris Paul or Steve Nash, but Brooks, who is averaging 17 points and five assists, is hovering around that second tier of point guards. He has the speed and creativity to find a way to the basket and somehow make the layup. He is one of the best long-range shooters in the league at 37 percent from behind the arc. And the man, who stands at barely six feet, can jump.



Trevor Ariza: He got his name recognized in Los Angeles over the past few seasons and is not a household name in Houston. If McGrady ever returns to regular form, the combination of him and Ariza will be dangerous as they are well balanced athletes that can do anything on the court. Ariza, who was a second-round pick in 2004, is averaging 17 points and five rebounds.

Luis Scola: Morey somehow found a way to get the Argentina native to leave his gig as one of the premier players in Europe to join the Rockets. Scola was traded from the San Antonio Spurs three years ago for Billy Spanoulis in what was an attempt for the Spurs to clear up some salary cap. Since arriving in Houston, Scola (and his hair) has been the starter at the power forward spot. He has a solid mid-range jumper and even though sometimes it is ugly, he finds a way to get the ball in the basket. The 27th pick in the second round in 2002, Scola is averaging 14 points and 11 rebounds so far this season.

Chuck Hayes: Known for possibly the strangest free throw stroke in NBA history, Hayes is one of the league’s best defenders. Always undersized, Hayes finds a way to make it difficult for the opposition to first of all get the ball and then get a decent shot up. Hayes was signed to a ten-day contract as an undrafted free agent in 2006 and has been in Houston ever since. Hayes is one of the toughest players you will find in the NBA. He will not shoot the ball often and there is a good reason why, but he is capable of making some sneaky passes to his teammates. With Yao out, Hayes has started every game this season and is averaging five points and six rebounds.



Carl Landry: Two months into the season, this is the man who should win the Sixth Man of the Year award. Morey’s greatest find so far has been the Rockets’ most impressive player this season. Drafted three years ago out of Purdue, Landry is one of those guys who will not give up – even if he loses a tooth. In 2007, Landry prolonged the Rockets season in the playoffs against the Jazz despite getting a tooth knocked out late in the game. He returned to the court and made the game winning play. Landry does it all on the court. He finds a way to get the offensive rebound and then manages to put it back for two. He is physical down low on the block and can pop out to drain a mid range jumper. And this season, Landry has excelled at the free throw line, shooting 88 percent. In just 26 minutes per game, Landry is averaging 16 points and six rebounds. Landry has also been extremely clutch. He is second in the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring this season, only trailing Dwayne Wade, and averages 30 points per 48 minutes played.

Chase Budinger: The rookie, whom the Rockets traded for on draft day after being selected in the second round, Budinger has exceeded all expectations. The former Arizona Wildcat filled the slot of a needed shooter with the absence of McGrady and Ron Artest, who was not re-signed over the offseason. Budinger is averaging eight points, proving that he is more than just a shooter as he is capable of driving to the basket as well.

Kyle Lowry: Lowry made his way to Houston in the Rafer Alston trade last season and has secured the backup point guard spot. Lowry was drafted 24th overall in 2006. Lowry brings quickness to the floor that keeps the Rockets uptempo offense to continue when Brooks needs a rest. His defense also gives the opposition plenty of trouble.

David Anderson: The rookie out of Australia is another one of those guys that Morey took a risk on and has not disappointed. Anderson had played in Europe his entire career and made the transition to the NBA. With the absence of Yao, Anderson has been able to pick up some of the missing minutes and contribute as a shooting big man.

When the NBA schedule was announced months ago, the networks did not want to show the Rockets without Yao, McGrady and Artest. Houston was not scheduled once on national television this year. It is a shame that not many people are able to watch this basketball team, whose style is a complete turnaround from what has become typical in the NBA. The Rockets will not win any championships and may not even make the playoffs, but they are playing beautiful basketball with a bunch of guys that no one really wanted.