I really did not want Summer League to end.

And with good reason. Not just because the week-long event is like the Comic-Con for NBA junkies like myself, but because things could not have gone much better for the Rockets in Las Vegas, and I’m not talking about their 4-1 record. Houston was all the rage at Cox Pavilion this week as the team’s four first round pick rookies (three from this year’s draft and one from 2011) took the league by storm.

I was struck by not just their talent and potential, but by the fact that they quickly came together as a team. Often in Summer League play, players are out to boost their numbers and stats in the hope of making an NBA team, but that wasn’t the case with these Rockets. They shared the ball and passed about as well as any team I’ve seen, and as a result, everyone’s stock soared.

After spending a very fun week in Vegas to watch the squad, here are my thoughts on the Rockets rookies.
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Kyle Lowry is on the way out and the Rockets hope to have Dwight Howard on the way in

The consensus was already that it had not been a good offseason for Daryl Morey and the Rockets, and then they traded the last point guard they had left on their roster.

The Rockets sent Kyle Lowry to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday, getting in exchange forward Gary Forbes (throw-in) and a future first round pick that is protected in such a way that makes it highly likely it will be a lottery pick. According to the Houston Chronicle, Houston receives the Raptors draft pick next year if it falls between 4-14. If not, it must fall between 3-14 in 2014 or 2015 or 2-14 in 2016 or 2017 to come to Houston. If it never hits any of those ranges, the pick goes to Houston unprotected in 2018.

The word coming from the organization is the same as it was when the team tried to move up in last week’s draft — whether it is in a trade for a superstar or to keep for themselves, they got a valuable piece in this move. The Rockets are still pursuing Dwight Howard and are “not out of it,” according to multiple sources with the team. The team also created about $4.25 million in cap room in the deal.

I don’t like this trade… I love it.
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I really like this draft, and that’s why I love that Chase Budinger trade.

There are several players in tonight’s draft that could make that trade for the 18th pick a steal for Houston — I’d say 20-25 that I think are well worth the price of Budinger — and to illustrate that, what better way than to just put them in order of who I like the most for the Rockets.

This wasn’t easy and it’s guaranteed to make me look like a fool a year or two from now, but let me be clear — I’d be pretty happy with just about anyone on the top 20 or so of this list. So here’s my personal top 25 for the Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft.
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Once again, there was no lottery magic for the Houston Rockets.

For the third straight season, the Rockets will pick 14th in the NBA Draft. Houston went into Wednesday’s NBA Draft Lottery having just a 1.8% chance of coming away with a top three pick, but the overwhelming odds won out yet again as the Rockets were called out first at 14.

The Rockets took Patrick Patterson with the 14th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft and selected Marcus Morris in the same spot in 2011.

The Rockets have another solid pick in the 16th selection (via New York from the T-Mac trade) and the team will almost assuredly try to package those picks to move up or acquire an established player.

The Southwest division also got tougher for the Rockets as the New Orleans Hornets won the lottery and are a lock to select Kentucky’s Anthony Davis in next month’s draft. Charlotte came away with the second pick and Washington the third. Some silver lining news for the Rockets was that the Brooklyn Nets did not win a top 3 pick, making it tougher for them to acquire a superstar via trade.