14. Houston Rockets — Jonas Valanciunas/C, Lithuania
If Sacramento cracks under the pressure of outside influences (as management there has been known to do, redefining the “safe-pick”) they won’t take arguably the best young big man prospect in the draft. If Sacramento passes, Valanciunas plummets fast and hard. 14th pick hard. The Rockets want a big man to replace Yao Ming who has been one of the biggest busts in NBA history. Houston may be hesitant given they swung so hard and missed so bad with Ming, and Valanciunas is a young big man like Ming was coming out of China. But Valanciunas is too talented to fall any farther than 14 to the Rockets. If he doesn’t go here it would be because the Rockets traded up but the reason they would trade up would be to grab Valanciunas. Bottom line is Houston wants him and unless Sacramento gets smart, Houston gets him one way or another.