With the No. 23 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, the Houston Rockets selected Nikola Mirotic, a prospect from Montenegro who has played for Real Madrid in Spain.
2011 NBA Draft Results: Nikola Mirotic Taken By Houston Rockets With No. 23 Pick, May Head To Minnesota
Mirotic was seen as one of the best talents in the NBA Draft, at 6’10” with a face-up game. But Mirotic was also seen as a risk, because his contract with Real Madrid has an enormous buyout clause, and isn’t a great fit with the Rockets, who are looking to win sooner rather than later.
So it might make sense if Mirotic is included in Houston’s trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves, as ESPN’s Ric Bucher reported on-air during the channel’s NBA Draft coverage. Minnesota’s fantastic foreign scouting would no doubt have sniffed out Mirotic as a potential star, and the Wolves have a few more years to wait.
For more on the Rockets, visit SB Nation’s Houston blog, The Dream Shake; for more on the Timberwolves, head to Canis Hoopus.
The 2011 NBA Draft rolls on through Thursday night. Stay with this StoryStream for all of the 2011 NBA Draft results, check out our 2011 NBA Draft rumors and trades StoryStream for all the latest news from the NBA’s craziest day, and hit our 2011 NBA Draft hub for full coverage of the draft, trades and the aftermath on Friday.
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