wow, i caught the game on NBA TV and i was so impressed with Brooks, not only his scoring capability but his amazing court vision, this kid is legit, i questioned the pick like many of us here but I am thrilled this kid is on our side haha i'm not sure if he will start any this year but based on what i've seen thus far, i wouldn't be shocked, yes it's summer league and yes JLIII put up sick numbers but im telling you he didn't do it like this, Brooks just looks so in control on the court and ready to make his mark on the NBA.
Wow I just had a flashback of watching that cartoon waaay back in the day. Didn't he kinda look like a purple Zoro? Anyways, there is one fundamental distinction of what Brooks is proving to us here and now and what Lucas was proving to us last year. Brooks has the makings of a real floor general. Lucas never quite could get past his own game.
I only saw him three times last year--in a loss to Arizona, then in tourney games against UNLV and Florida--but the kid really impressed me. Many of the same things we've seen these last three games were on display there: explosiveness in the lane and open court, ability to create off the dribble for himself and others, great range on his jumper, and a real aggressive attitude on the court. What I like the most is that, when his shot is not falling, Brooks still competes. Against Arizona, he was woeful shooting the ball (2-14, 0-6 from the arc), but he still willed himself to 10 boards and 7 assists and helped hold Shakur and McClellan to woeful shooting nights. Against UNLV, he had another game where his shot wasn't going, but he deferred to Porter, played very well defensively on both Kruger and Adams, and wound up with 3 steals. Then, against Florida, he went off from the floor. He consistently beat their guards off the dribble, scored over and around their bigs, and hit his shots from the perimeter. His defense wasn't solid, but he kept the Ducks in the game. As far as his lower ranking in most mock drafts and such, I confess to never knowing what the heck the scouting services think. I am willing to bet Brooks' size and suspect shot before last season may have been the reasons. But he always looked like a first-rounder to me. He may not have the sheer athletic upside of a Conley or Crittenton, but the kid can play.
I just saw my first two Aaron Brooks games on NBATV. I am really surprised with him so far. He seems like he really makes up his mind really quickly in terms of what he wants to do. Over these two games, it seems like he has only dribbled about as much as Rafer did in the final six minutes of the last game of the season. I think Tmac is going to like this kid. He is predictable in that you know he is going to pass it or take it to the bucket. Albeit he has not finished very well at the basket but I really like the fact that he has gotten there pretty much at will and just missed some of the tougher gimme shots. My prediction for this year is that he directly competes with Luther Head for the Bobby Jackson role.
Sorry to be somewhat negative. I loved the energy he brings, and I'm actually OK with a couple out of control plays, but does it occur to anyone else that AB running this offense tends to dribble the ball a lot? I'm guessing that it's just players not knowing each other and some of the picks were set at horrible angles while they're trying to run the high post most of the time, but he tends to overdribble and wants to make something happen instead of passing the ball and letting the play go out. Just an observation, but I'd hate to go back to Francis/Mobley ball when he's in the game. At any rate, he seems to be willing to distribute and a much better PG option than what JL3 was for us for the most part whenever he got a chance to play with the Rockets.
Hmmm . . . i actually thought the exact opposite. AB seems to 'rope' the ball pretty quickly i thought. but it's pretty much playground ball out there. I haven't seen the Rafer dribble the ball to '4' on the shot clock and then desperately look to battier of tmac yet. but hey, hes playing against scrubs. but seriously, i really like his decisiveness so far. i just want to see what he can do against a 'billups' like point guard. can he hold his own? all he has to do is not get dominated by the bigger guards when he is playing defense and i think his 'playmaking' ability will have the opportunity to shine through on offense. Once again, I really am impressed by this kid so far. And I am not one to just give out unwarranted praise. I can't wait to see this run to the scorer's table along side Bonzi Wells to bring in the instant offense we have been craving for so long.
Thumbs, I think Scola was about to sign a 5 year deal worth $10.7 million, and in Houton he is getting about $10 million for 3 years, so in years 4 and 5 he will make a lot more with raises etc, so the $3 million he has to pay for the buyout will be more than made up later. DD
All I can say is I told you guys!! I was excited because I knew what he was bringing to the team, but everybody hated the pick because he was so short. Some guy even called me dumb for being so excited to have him on the team. Hmmmm...
um.... brooks hasn't grown since the draft. In fact I'm not sure if he is actually 6'0" But he is still a hell of a player.
You are kidding right, or you are not comletly serious. If that is the case the average person in the usa is short. a 6 foot guy would be a point guard in pick up games in Holland. I'm a 4 or 5 and with my 6"7 It owuld be unfair to play a 6 foot 4 or 5
I watched Brooks in a couple of the summer games VERY closely. He most definitely has blinding speed and a very good stroke on his jumper. His handles are impressive. The one thing that concerns me about him is that with all his quickness, he doesn't have great anticipation on the defensive end of the floor. He has great court vision on offense, but doesn't seem to have quite the same skill on the other end of the floor. He had a number of matador defensive moves allowing guys to get buy him. Most of it, seems to me, is footwork. He has the speed to stay in front of guys. He won't be able to overpower anyone with his size and build, but there really should be no excuse for him not staying in front of his man. If he can improve on that part of his game and if his jumper translates to the NBA (remember, JLIII looked like Brooks in the summer league last year), he's going to be a very solid contributor.
From former NBA player, Eddie Johnson's, column on HoopsHype.com (during his post-draft analysis): Aaron Brooks will become the most popular small player in the league this year. This kid can flat out score. I saw Brooks dominate two fellow draft picks last week in workouts and it was embarrassing. If Brooks was 6-5, he would have been the third or fourth player taken in this draft. That’s how good his offensive skills are.
With his quickness, Aaron Brooks should get more steals than he does. He's recorded only 1 steal in nearly 100 minutes of summer league play. He didn't get many steals in college either.
