It's been only three days since The NBA lottery and if you listen to the media the order that players will be selected is already paved in stone? or the first two anyway.  The Houston Rockets, again if you listen to most people, will select Yao Ming out of China and surely Jerry Krause is not silly enough to pass on Duke phenom Jay Williams? right?

This, of course, is excluding any possibility of a trade going down.  The draft is two players deep, and even the team with the third pick is desperately trying to move up and have a shot at Williams or Ming.  But they are not alone in that category, many teams including New York and Dallas have been reported as trying to put together a package to get their hands on the 7-5 Chinese monster with a solid big man, a rare commodity in the NBA these days.  Why do you think Jerry Krause got both Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry last season, trying to corner the market?

Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle reports that in the last two decades only one first overall pick had been traded.  In 1993 the Orlando Magic sent the rights of Chris Webber to the Golden State Warriors for the rights to Anfernee Hardaway and more picks.  If you listen to Carroll Dawson speak it is clear that he is not thinking of becoming the second team to do so this year, labelling a trade a distant long shot but not closing the door on the idea entirely.

"I don't foresee anything like that happening, but you've got to consider everything when you're in a rebuilding process like we are," Dawson said Tuesday. "That may be possible, but I don't see that happening.?

"Trading the first pick is very hard to do because there is kind of a good feeling about having the first pick. This is the fifth one that this organization has had. It's hard to trade it, because the unknown value of what you're getting is hard to rate. I'm sure we will get offers for this pick, because it happens every year. Very few people trade it. We're a franchise that listens to everything and tries to do what's best for winning, but I think that this would be a very hard pick to trade."

Dawson also admitted he had received six preliminary offers thus far for the top selection, but giving up a player such as Ming is a hard prospect.  As expected there are still complications with selecting Ming ? the Chinese government for one ? but for the team that ranked last in attendance for the last two seasons Carroll is having a hard time turning his back on the recent excitement about the Rockets.

"There's such excitement," Dawson said. "It's looked on with a special aura to have the first pick. That's why you hardly ever see it traded. Every time we go out, everybody's saying it: `We're sure happy you got the No. 1 pick.' And it's worldwide.

"It's a great weight. The first pick has a great feel to it. Being on the inside is exciting. We still have a real big high from getting this pick. Everywhere I go it's, `Yeah, yeah, yeah.' It brings a lot to the table. That has to be considered. Believe me, it will be. ?

The Rockets are set to start their search for their ideal player with Qyntel Woods scheduled to come in today, Caron Butler Thursday and high schooler Amare Stoudemire Friday.  The Rockets would also like to get a closer look at Ming before the draft but at this stage nothing is scheduled.