Smith and Vecsey on the Same Page

During halftime of last night's Lakers/Kings game, Peter Vecsey reported that the Rockets seem intent on drafting Ming, provided the issue of how much of Yao's salary belongs to China is settled to everyone's satisfaction by draft day.

On Sunday in his column, Sam Smith stated that everything still points towards Houston picking Ming and the Bulls selecting Jay Williams. I suspect that perhaps the rumors of a Clippers/Rockets deal that included Odom, Maggette and picks were either proven to be unsubstantiated or wildly overstated. I also think that Mobley's unsolicited remarks about prefering Odom over Ming may have put the Rockets in an awkward position of reafirming to the public exactly who is in control of that franchise, and it certainly isn't the players.

Of greater interest was Smith's statement that both Andre Miller and Baron Davis would favor relocating to the Clippers. The Bulls have been interested in both players for some time now, though I hear that of the two, the Bulls favor Davis. If it turns out that the Hornets would favor a straight trade of Davis for Williams, you'd probably see Krause pull the trigger on that one. However, given Davis' interest in the West Coast, he'd better have a committment from Davis to sign a long term extension. If not, the best course of action may very well be to hang on to Jay Williams and seek veteran help elsewhere.