HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610)- As Cam Whitmore’s draft day slide continued, Rockets general manager Rafael Stone did everything he could to trade up to get him, though as it turned out, he didn’t need to.
“I was shocked that he slid outside lottery,” Stone said late Thursday night.
The Rockets general manager always wanted to trade up from 20, even before Whitmore, who they thought would be picked in the top seven, started to drop. No trade materialized, but it didn’t matter. The Rockets pounced when the 19-year old was waiting for them when their second pick of the night came up.
Part of Whitmore’s drop on Thursday has been attributed to possible knee issues, but the Stone said the Rockets had no issue with his medicals.
“Cam physicaled in Chicago. “Every team had access to it. Our doctors had access to it. We were very comfortable with it.
“I think he's well positioned to have a really good career. so I guess different people have different opinions, and I don't know why any other team is doing what they're doing, but I know we're really excited to have him.”
Whitmore spent a good portion of the pre-draft process in Houston, and he worked out for the Rockets earlier this week after holding a workout for them in California last month.
“When he came in and we had a chance to interview him he talked about how much he loved the city, and it was very obviously genuine. I've thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with Cam, so I think this is a really good fit.”
Whitmore averaged 12.5 points and 5.3 rebounds during his freshman season at Villanova on 47.8 percent shooting. Thumb surgery forced him to miss the first seven games of the season.