With time running out - we will start moving to 2 of these posts a day to finish all the teams before the draft.

With an injured Yao Ming, and the hurt, and then shipped to NY, Tracy McGrady, the Rockets went through some tough stretches last season, yet they still almost made the playoffs.  GM Daryl Morey now has the luxury of a lottery pick to add to a team looking for redemption after last season.  So what are Morey’s options here?:

Returning Players-  Yao Ming (C – Player Option); Kevin Martin (SG); Shane Battier (SF); Jared Jeffries (PF – Player Option); Trevor Ariza (SF); Jordan Hill (PF); David Andersen (PF); Chuck Hayes (PF – Team Option); Kyle Lowry (PG – Qualifying Offer); Aaron Brooks (PG); Jermaine Taylor (SG); Chase Budinger (SG)

Team Payroll (12 Players) – $58,094,278

Estimated Salary Cap – $56,000,000

Team Needs- Backup Center, eventual Yao replacement;

Position Needs – C

Picks –  1^st Round (#14)

The Dallas Mavericks are now out the point where they are running out of chances to win with the current roster as players such a Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, and Shawn Marion are now well into the 2^nd half of their careers.  Can the deep draft in 2010 provide the Mavericks with hope for their future?

Returning Players-  Dirk Nowitzki (PF – Player Option); Erick Dampier (C); Jason Terry (PG); Caron Butler (SG); Jason Kidd (PG); Shawn Marion (SF); Matt Carroll (SG); DeShawn Stevenson (SG); Eduardo Najera (PF); Jose Juan Barea (PG – Team Option); Rodrique Beaubois (PG)

Team Payroll (11 Players) – $84,013,850

Estimated Salary Cap – $56,000,000

Team Needs- Future frontcourt players

Position Needs – SF, PF, C

Picks –  2^nd Round (#50)

Just wanted to let my readers know that they should check out some other sites where I have made some guest appearances recently:

• Remember to check out Scott Levin's Sacramento Kings Examiner for great Kings content as well as my input on some possible Sacramento draft picks.

• A big thank you to James at Dino Nation Blog  for having me as a guest on The Starting Five.  James does a great job with his Raptors coverage and you can find my 2 part talk with him here.

• Make sure to check out Chris Bahn over at Arkansas Sports 360 on ArkansasBusiness.com, where he gave some coverage to my recent interviews with former Razorbacks Courtney Fortson and Michael Washington.

Everyone knows Solomon Alabi as the seven-footer from Florida State, but a lot of people don't know much more than that about him.  Let's take a look at the different parts of his game and see what he needs to improve to play at the NBA level:

Solomon Alabi, Florida State, Sophomore           

Center-  7'1, 250

 11.7 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2.3 bpg, 53% FG, 74% FT    

 DraftSite.com Mock Draft Position - #28 (1st Round, 28th Pick)