As we all know the Rockets are a fairly young team entering this upcoming season. It's been a looooooooong summer and I'm curious to know which player you guys think has worked on their game the most to fill their holes and will make the biggest improvement from last years campaign? I didn't include any of the veterans like Scola, Battier and Hayes because we all know what we're going to get out of them or NOT in Cook and Barry's case . I also didn't include any newcomers like Andersen or any Rookies including Dorsey (basically a rookie) cause his sample size is so small and Tmac because they're all wildcards. Biggest room for improvements. Aaron Brooks Overall consistency and playmaking. One night he looks like a Superstar scoring 25 and dropping some nice dimes and grabbing a couple steals. The next night he goes 3-11 and has a bunch of turnovers and looks totally lost. He's not a natural PG by instinct but I feel his passing skills and timing can be improved upon. Kyle Lowry Midrange/outside shooting. I love Lowry's tough-nosed defense and his fearless penetration. He's a solid playmaker as well. The only area that he could use substantial work was his shooting. Trevor Ariza Ball-handling and shooting. How will he react to the increased role? Was he a playoffs wonder or is he ready to step into the limelight full time? How will he adjust to not having Kobe and PJ? I felt Trevor was able to play well in LA because he played to his strengths and was able to play within himself. My concern is will his increased role bring out the weaknesses in his game and expose him or will he thrive under the increased PT and produce better numbers and become a leader? Carl Landry Consistent midrange jumper, post moves, 1 on 1 defense and rebounding. Although he can improve on a lot of things none of them are really glaring weaknesses. I Can't really complain too much about Landry's game as he brings it every night with his hustle, heart and pure effort. He also makes the most out of his limited size at the 4 spot. He's not great at anything but he's not terribly bad at anything either. Minor improvements in his game could easily be made to make him a better overall player. He's never going to be "great" but he can go from pretty good to good. My vote goes to Lowry mainly because I'm *hoping* to see improvements in Lowry because his weakness (shooting) is the main culprit which is hindering him from being an upper-tier PG. Also, his improvements would be the most noticeable. If he can become a threat as a decent shooter it would open up so many other aspects of his game. Come on Kyle keep workin that jumper!
Biggest issue with Landry is he has a tendency to fade out of games. His rebounding is very inconsistent, especially on the defensive glass. I wish we could combine Carl and Chuck into one player.
I picked Ariza b/c he seems to have a chip on his shoulder since the Lakers didn't do everything in their power to keep him........
I'm actually surprised Tracy McGrady isn't on this list. He had a piss-poor season last year. If he scores about 25ppg he would be a prime candidate.
Need Landry to stay consistent and keep up with his improved shot blocking. Hopefully get some defensive rebounds too. He will definitely see big minutes. We need him to have a solid showing so we can deal him with either Cook and more contracts or McGrady to get a real player.
I'm in a toss up between Kyle Lowry and Trevor Ariza....The two newcomers of the Houston Rockets. Lowry came to the team halfway through the season around the trade deadline last season, so I think he'll have a lot of improving to do especially learning more about the system of the team. I voted for Kyle Lowry though.....I just feel his jump shot is going to improve greatly and he showed decent glimpses of hitting the mid-range jumper. Not very consistent or good at shooting the 3 ball, but he was smart enough when to shoot and how good he was at shooting unlike Rafer Alston. I think the more he learns about this system the better he gets, because in my opinion I thought he should have been the starter as soon as he traded to this team. He reminds me a lot of Rajon Rondo, Tough defender, excellent slasher, good stabilizer and a very good at getting to the free throw line. I've had high hopes that he could start for the team, but it seems unlikely with the run Aaron Brooks had in the playoffs. But as I said, I stand by my opinion that Kyle Lowry will be the most improved Houston Rocket for the 2009-2010 season.
I think Landry gets a bad rap for being inconsistent. He is inconsistent in rebounding/scoring but he ranges from average to really good, as opposed to Brooks who ranges from awful to good as a playmaker. One night Landy might rake in 9 boards in 20 minutes and the next he might drop off a little. Scoring wise, he's great when his shot is falling. If not, he doesn't have the post game to score inside easily. Still, he shoots a really good percentage and rebounds at a pretty good rate. He really only needs to drastically improve his defense. If he does that I could see him being a starter on a playoff team.
You'd be looking at a comeback award. Best case scenario for each: Brooks: Consistent powerful scorer Lowry: Solid Point Guard Ariza: I have no idea.... I don't think a player can improve ball-handling significantly enough to be noticed. Landry: Dominant player? Hopefully he can learn how to create for himself, whether it is by posting up or off his quickness.
I strongly agree you, especially your comments about Brooks. Most of Landry's inconsistency comes from his pick n roll defense, post defense and just defense in general. He's really not inconsistent when it comes down to scoring or shooting. Usually his mid-range jump shot is money on a nightly basis, and he usually works his ass off on the boards each and every night as well. Most of his inconsistency comes from his defense, sometimes he make me a huge block, sometimes the opponent will be able to get an easy layup over him, I have no problem with his scoring habits because he's a finisher not a creator. Most of my problem comes from his defensive game.
I have to vote for Brooks, because the ball is in his hands more often and his position on the floor requires the most improvement. Landry can get better at some things but any change will be less dramatic, and besides, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets shipped out September 25 anyway in some sort of deal. Lowry? If given some minutes, I'd almost vote for him. Ariza? His role is going to change too much for him to be most improved, he's going to look a little lost sometimes unless we upgrade the PG spot.
I am going to go with Lowry. Mainly because this will be his first full year getting a lot of pt with a good coaching staff... and he's the youngest of the bunch you put up there. I think with more time under his belt with Rick (and the assistant coaches) he will improve both his outside shot and his leadership on the court. Plus I think his is the next jersey I am going to buy (if he doesn't get traded!)
Lowry will have a tougher time out there next year because there won't be a Yao to dump the ball to. All this time we've been looking for a PG that can get it to Yao, and now when we might have one developing Yao goes out. Of all the four, my hopes are riding on Landry showing up actually. He's got a great skillset that will do well if he can get the ball on a more consistent basis.