Scouting Reports on your newest Houston Rockets..

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First round of reports to come from ESPN, other sources to be added later.

KEVIN MARTIN:

2008-09 season: Martin missed 31 games with ankle problems and wasn't totally healthy in many of the ones he played. Somehow he averaged 24.6 points a game anyway and once again did it with stunning efficiency. Martin's TS percent topped 60 for the fourth straight season, and he managed it this time despite being the go-to scorer on a team with few credible secondary options.

Martin shot 41.5 percent on 3s while taking a third of his shots from distance, but he still earned over 10 free-throw attempts per game. The latter figure is amazing in light of his thin build, giving him the highest rate of free-throw attempts per field goal attempt among shooting guards and helping him place second in TS percent.

Martin didn't fare so well when he wasn't drawing fouls, however. He shot only 42.3 percent on 2-point shots, partly because he had to force so many at the end of the shot clock, and slumped to 36.4 percent on long 2s. He didn't make life any easier for his less talented teammates either. Martin had the second-worst pure point rating among shooting guards and needs to see the floor better when he drives.

Scouting report: Martin has never been a good defender, and playing on a bad ankle for a team going nowhere last season made him a particularly bad one. He had more trouble than usual moving laterally and stopping penetration, and his largely invisible weak-side defense became even more so. The Kings were already a terrible defensive team, but they managed to be 4.5 points per 100 possessions worse with Martin on the court.

Offensively, Martin's scoring ability is impressive, and perhaps underutilized. He's a tremendous catch-and-shoot threat despite an odd release in which he leans to his left and pulls the ball off his hip, and at 6-7 he can get the shot off over closing defenders. Because defenders have to play him so close and he has so many head and shot fakes that get them up in the air, he draws fouls as often as any perimeter player in basketball.

Martin also is a strong driver who makes quick moves to the basket from either side. His skill as a penetrator should enable him to find some teammates for easy buckets, but at this point the pass has stopped being an option the second he puts the ball on the floor.

2009-10 outlook: With two good wheels and unquestioned go-to status, Martin is at the right age and right time to enjoy the best season of his career. While he'll have difficulty keeping his TS percent in such exalted territory for a fifth straight season given the constant attention he's likely to receive from opposing defenses, Martin should have no problem replicating last season's scoring average and is a dark horse threat to lead the league in scoring.

If so, he may have two other pieces of recognition forthcoming: a trip to the All-Star Game or, more likely, a long-overdue invitation to the league's 3-point contest. His team's near-total invisibility on the national landscape will hurt him in both pursuits, but his numbers could be too good to ignore.

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HILTON ARMSTRONG:

2008-09 season: When David Letterman compiles his list of the "Top 10 Ways the Hornets Squandered the Prime Years of the Best Point Guard in a Generation," he'll emphasize the 2006 draft. With two top-15 picks, New Orleans could have taken Ronnie Brewer and Thabo Sefolosha; Josh Boone and Renaldo Balkman; or Craig Smith and Paul Millsap. Instead they nabbed Armstrong and Cedric Simmons. Simmons is already out of the league, and Armstrong might be joining him shortly after a third straight disappointing season.

Armstrong mysteriously forgot how to rebound; the only rebound rate worse than his (10. among centers belonged to Toronto waif Andrea Bargnani. Armstrong fouled nearly once every six minutes, one of the league's highest rates, and he narrowly missed leading the league in turnover ratio by committing miscues on a staggering 20.1 percent of his possessions. The latter stat was no fluke. In fact, it was an improvement on his league-leading total of 22.6 from the previous season.

Armstrong did manage to hit 56.1 percent of his shots, but it came on a low volume of attempts. Only that prevented his season from being a total disaster.

Scouting report: Armstrong is a long, slender center who lacks strength and possesses a limited offensive repertoire. Despite his size he has no post game at all, because he can't establish position and has no moves once he gets it. He can beat opposing big men off the dribble with his quickness, but he's not a good ballhandler, so his drives often lead to disaster. Most of his buckets come on spoon feeds from his guards for finishes, but even this is fraught with peril, as Armstrong possesses some of the worst hands in basketball.

Armstrong came to the NBA with a rep as a shot-blocker, but he's been only average in that respect as a pro. He's a decent defender at the pro level because of his length and quickness for his size, but bigger centers outmuscle him near the rim, and his inability to rebound remains a puzzle.

2009-10 outlook: Unbelievably, it appears Armstrong might keep his job as the Hornets' backup center. New Orleans painted itself into a corner with its other personnel moves over the past few years and had no budget for a real backup center, meaning undersized Ike Diogu is his only competition for frontcourt minutes off the bench.

Most likely, Armstrong will get 10-15 minutes a night in his final chance to prove the Hornets didn't waste their lottery pick four years ago. He's a marginal backup at best, but if he can cut the turnover rate to something less outrageous and pick up the rebounding, he'll become an acceptable stopgap.

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JARED JEFFERIES:

2008-09 season: I love when news organizations parrot what they're told by teams without questioning it -- like when the Knicks listed Jared Jeffries as a "center" and everyone dutifully reported his position as such. Hey, call him what you want, but if he never guards centers, centers never guard him, and he never plays in the paint, I'll go ahead and call him a forward.

At any position, Jefferies remains a brutally awful offensive player. He made one 3-pointer the entire season, racked up the second-worst turnover rate among small forwards, and has shot 32.1 percent on 2s away from the basket in his three years as a Knick. His one positive was his offensive rebounding -- he led all small forwards in offensive rebound rate -- but he didn't convert a lot of them into points. Jeffries shot only 52.6 percent in the immediate basket area, an embarrassing mark for a 6-11 guy, and nailed only 61.1 percent from the line.

Strangely, he couldn't get a defensive rebound to save his life -- he was 59th in defensive rebound rate -- and he offset his generally strong defensive play with the sixth-highest rate of fouls at his position.

Scouting report: Jeffries is 6-11 and a decent athlete, but he has no offensive role because he's a poor ball handler and a poor shooter. He could get double figures just off transition dunks, putbacks and feeds from teammates, except that he has hands of stone and continually misses layups.

Defensively, he's very good in traps because of his length, and the Knicks often used him as a double-teamer. He gets his hands on a lot of balls, takes charges, and has the versatility to guard several different positions. That said, he isn't great moving laterally and is always checking smaller, faster players -- he can't play against post players because of his thin frame.

2009-10 outlook: The Knicks will spend the year furiously attempting to trade Jeffries to clear more cap space for their 2010 free-agent push, and they likely will showcase him early in the season to achieve that objective. New York has several forwards who are better so his use shouldn't extend beyond a 10th-man role as an occasional participant in a trapping and pressing unit. Nonetheless, he's likely to play 20 minutes a game given New York's apparent fixation with him.

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JORDAN HILL:

2009-10 outlook: While Hill's college numbers were underwhelming -- he ranked only 26th among college prospects in my draft rater -- one could make a credible argument that all the dysfunction at Arizona the past three years unfairly harmed his output.

Certainly, he demonstrates some skill. Hill is a long-armed 6-10 forward who can run the floor and retrieve the ball. His offensive game lacks polish, but he can knock down face-up jumpers, and his steady improvement in three years at Arizona is another item in his favor. He'll probably come off the bench behind Al Harrington initially, but he's also likely to see time as an undersized center, given Mike D'Antoni's proclivity for playing small.

[Steveo Duperstein]

S U P E R B O W L !

[Steveo Duperstein]

So we didnt get Huges?

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So we didnt get Huges?

Larry Hughes was traded to the Kings.

[rsilva]

S U P E R B O W L !

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From Draft Express:

Kevin Martin (from8/8/09):

Overview: One of the top scorers in the NBA these days and the cornerstone of Sacramento’s future. A super efficient scorer who makes a living at the free throw line. Good height for the shooting guard position. Lacks ideal bulk for his position. Exceptionally quick and possesses fine leaping ability. Spent a ton of time working on his perimeter skills and it definitely shows. Blossoming into a great scorer. Still needs to improve his passing ability and defensive skills. Put together an impressive career at Western Carolina. Showed the raw talent to warrant a first-round selection after his junior year. Appears to be extremely coachable. Has become quite a steal.

Offense: One of the most impressive young scorers in the game right now. Can score in a variety of unorthodox ways. Will make significant contributions as a finisher in transition, a one-on-one player, a spot up shooter, and a ball handler in pick and roll situations. Doesn’t display a textbook shot in terms of fundamentals by any means, but is one of the most consistent and efficient shooters in the game, both on the catch and shoot or off the dribble. Can score from everywhere. Will knock down shots with contact, a hand in his face, and off balance. Has amazing touch and superb creativity improvising offensively. Terrific ball handler. Will get to the rim at a superb rate. Displays an extremely quick first step, and will run the floor hard in transition. A master at using shot-fakes to keep his defender off-balance. Uses his length and athleticism at the rim. Finishes at a high clip with contact despite his lanky frame. Goes to the line like a machine and shoots a great percentage. Lead the entire NBA in free throws made in 07-08. Has a terrific feel for moving off the ball and putting himself in position to make a play. Timing, awareness is superb. Not a playmaker at all in terms of creating for others, but also doesn’t turn the ball over all that much. Willingness to become a better passer could be what puts him over the hump.

Defense: An average defensive player who has good awareness and makes smart plays, but lacks a significant amount of strength and isn’t always as intense as you might hope. Possesses a below average wingspan, which hurts him being a great presence contesting shots on the perimeter. Has the quickness to keep most players out of the lane, but doesn’t get in much of a defensive stance and seems to settle for swiping at the ball excessively. Gets overpowered by stronger players making their way to the rim. More concerned with leaking out in transition at times than he is at helping his team finish off a defensive stand. Fairly solid defensive rebounder. Needs to improve on this end, just like Sacramento’s entire roster.

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HILTON ARMSTRONG(from 8/20/09):

Overview: An athletic forward-center who is a legitimate backup at this point. Not very tall for a center, but compensates with a 7-4 wingspan. Extremely well built, and has added some bulk since his college days. Could stand to continue adding weight. Not a late bloomer physically, but is the definition of the tag from a basketball perspective. Averaged roughly 10 minutes per game in his first three seasons at UConn. Blew up as a senior, primarily on the defensive end. Named Big East Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. Showed enough promise offensive to propel himself into the lottery. Hasn’t been a major impact player in the NBA, and needs to have a similar spike in production to avoid being labeled an underachiever. Turnovers, an aversion to rebounding and his inability to stay out of foul trouble have all been major issues for him thus far. Will need to work hard to earn his minutes behind former UConn teammate Emeka Okafor and faced competition from Ike Diogu. Consistency and focus will be the name of the game for him moving forward. Question marks abound regarding his physical and mental toughness.

Offense: Has covered a huge amount of ground on the offensive end in the past few seasons. Much more skilled than he was early in his career. Has all kinds of potential on this end, but rarely is able to show it on a consistent basis. Gets about a quarter of his offense in the post, with the rest coming from hustle plays and an occasional spot up jumpers. Shows a solid turnaround jumper from over his right shoulder when operating down low, as well as a developing hook with his left hand. Appears comfortable making hook shots with both hands, but isn’t as consistent when he takes one on the move. Shows a drop step to the baseline and an up-and-under move every now and against as well. Will often just turn into his man over his left shoulder and shoot over him. Has a high release point on his jumper, which helps him taken advantage of his quick leaping ability and not get his shot blocked under defensive pressure. Strong enough to take contact at the rim and still get the ball up. Excellent finisher on the whole. Not a great foul shooter though, which hurts his efficiency. Shows adequate form on his jumper, but lacks consistency. Doesn’t have a fluid release, which hurts him. Would be well served to take the time to refine his midrange game, as it would help his face up game immensely. Has all kinds of issues when he puts the ball on the floor against pressure, but isn’t a bad ball handler in space. Wants to go left or come back to his left hand with a spin move if he does put the ball on the floor. Has some issues catching bullet passes in the lane. Struggles badly with turnovers, coughing up about 30% of his possessions over the last two years. Often looks lost in his team’s half-court sets. Decent offensive rebounder who uses his mobility well on the glass and in transition. Shows signs, but seldom strings together good performances. Needs to continue working hard to polish his skills, and especially become tougher and more aggressive on this end of the floor.

Defense: Average defensive player who could definitely be better. Not aggressive defensively and doesn’t seem to have a great deal of fight in him. Uses leverage to compete for position down low, but doesn’t always keep his man from catching the ball on the block. Lack of ideal bulk hurts him when defending the center position. Susceptible to fakes as well, which takes away from his quickness and lets his man score with counter moves. Has improved his weakside defense to an extent, but only to the point that he attempts to contest shots, often still arriving a step late. Will block most of his shots coming from behind, or surprising his man with his wingpan and leaping ability at the rim. Uses his length well out on the perimeter too when contesting shots, but needs to be more aggressive and work harder when defending the midrange. Extremely poor rebounder on the defensive end, has the tools, but just doesn’t pursue the ball hard enough. Needs to give his all defensively in an effort to compensate for his still developing offensive game. Doesn’t look bad when he’s giving a good effort and throwing his body around, but that unfortunately does not happen enough.

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Jared Jefferies (from 1/27/09):

Overview: Defensive role player who has been unable to live up to the promise he showed out of college, partially due to injuries. Tenure in New York has been a disaster at best. Has tremendous size and length for a forward, at 6-10 without shoes and a 7-1 wingspan. A solid athlete with good quickness and leaping ability. Not physically strong, but has added some weight since entering the League. Could stand to put on some extra muscle. Not a scoring option at all, as he is a mediocre shooter and ball-handler and is very poor from the free throw line as well. Brings a solid defensive presence as his main virtue. Named the Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Year in 2001. Spent only two years at Indiana. Showed a lot of promise in his two seasons, earning his spot as the #11 pick of the 2002 NBA Draft. Has been unable to find a position for himself in the NBA, as his skill-level just hasn’t improved from what he showed in college. Injuries and his incredibly bad contract have completely diminished his value.

Offense: An extremely inefficient offensive player whose lack of scoring ability makes it tough to justify seeing minutes on an NBA level. Gets most of his possessions off of hustle plays, but is also asked to function as a spot up shooter from time to time. Has a decent looking jumper, but simply doesn’t have the touch on it for it be even remotely effective. Proves to be an awful jump shooter off the dribble, possibly one of the worst in the league. Gets most of his rare offense by being active in the flow of the offense. Moves well without the ball, showing good awareness. Pulls down offensive rebounds at a very high rate due to his size and athleticism, as well as the fact that he can focus solely on that due to his nonexistent role. Uses his speed to get some opportunities in transition. Not a good finisher at all due to his lack of touch at the rim. Will get some dunks and easy lay-ins, but struggles when he has to take contact. Can put the ball on the floor and go to the rim strictly with his left hand, but isn’t a good enough ball handler to consistently get there. Turns the ball over at an alarming rate on a per-possession basis. Lack of midrange game makes him very predictable. Goes to the line at a semi-decent rate, but shoots a very questionable percentage once there. Displays good court vision in half court sets, and will use his size and passing ability to get some open looks for his teammates.

Defense: A very solid defender due to his blend of quickness and length. Does a fantastic job getting a hand up on shooters. Has such a big wingspan that he’s a pretty intimidating player to shoot over. Won’t block many shots because he tends to sag off his man, but is a presence nonetheless. Knows he isn’t quick enough to stay close to his man out on the perimeter, opting to give himself a cushion in case his man drives. Will get beat off the dribble from time to time, but isn’t a major liability due to his ability to recover. Deflects some passes due to his length. Gets caught out of position on the pick and roll periodically. Too big to go over the top, but not always quick enough to get under the screen in time to recover to a shooter. Concerns himself more with denying penetration than effectively closing out shooters. Not a great weakside defender, sagging into the paint unnecessarily and not always knowing his rotations. Poor defensive rebounder.

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From Wikipedia:

Jordan Hill:
(born April 17, 1981 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA) is an American singer/songwriter.

In 1994, Hill was signed by producer David Foster to his own label 143 Records, a division of Warner Music Group. Her first song, "Remember Me This Way", which was produced by Foster, became the film Casper's theme song and released as single.

Jordan Hill's self-titled debut album was produced by David Foster, Greg Charley, Rhett Lawrence, Jeff Pescetto, SoulShock & Karlin and Mario Winans. Jordan covered many songs, such as Cheryl Lynn's "Got to Be Real", Oleta Adams' "I Just Had to Hear Your Voice", and Lisa Stansfield's "Make It Right." "For The Love Of You", produced by Foster and Winans, was released as the first single; it became a hit both in Billboard Hot 100 and R&B/Hip charts. However, the remix version by Tony Moran became her biggest hit, going Top 10 on Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts.

The second single, released only in Europe, was "How Many Times" (which was later covered by Aretha Franklin) and the third single, also a Europe exclusive, was "Too Much Heaven", a cover of a Bee Gees song and featured Barry Gibb singing backup. Due to a lack of support and promotion, she left the label.

She worked with some notable artists, such as the Bee Gees and Jim Brickman, on whose 1999 Top 10 Adult Contemporary hit "Destiny" she was a featured vocalist, along with Billy Porter.

Jordan is currently writing and recording a follow up album.

Strengths:
Doability

Weaknesses:
White, short, female, no low post game, no outside shot, terrible one on one defender.

[K_mf_G]

i'm not sure that is the same jordan hill
i could be mistaken though