[Chron] Rockets' Brooks makes strong first impression

I had my doubts and still do (post defense), however, the summer league games have given us a good idea of what he can do in an open court situation. I think he will make Rafer expendable after allstar break.

I've been impressed by his ability to breakdown the defense and score in a variety of ways while getting everyone else involved. I can't wait to see the Rockets in camp and watch hm against Rafer, James, and Head.

 

he's already better than francis

 

i agree with your post but ultimately i don't know how important a pg's post defense is. yeah there's some guys like billups and williams that can post you up but they're not post players and if they do that every trip down it's going to be to the detriment of their team. i'm not saying brooks size won't ever be an issue, but as long as he can keep himself in front of guys he'll be ok. it's how guys like steve nash and tj ford at least survive defensively.

i'm trying to temper my enthusiasm over this kid but his ball handling skills are just nasty. he's quick and he can stop on a dime and i like that he's trying to be a pg who can score. he looks up for it.

 

It would be nice to have someone other than Alston & T-Mac who can bring the ball up court in traffic.

 

Agree 100%. This is exciting. His PnR defense in Vegas was pretty bad too but he can be taught.

 

I agree. Post defense could be a liability but he played great perimeter defense in the summer league. So at least he's got that covered and I think he can only get better.

 

I thought we had more trouble guarding quick guards than ones that can post up. Paul, TJ Ford, and Williams lit us up last year and neither Rafer or Head could keep up with them. I am fine with us losing on a few matchups here and there from a guard that posts, because they are really far and few in between.

Having opposing point guards post up can also work to our advantage, because if they miss, we can capitalize on the temporary loophole of the opponents not having their players back fast enough since they PG usually plays last guard.

 

Not to sound like Debbie Downer, but at this time last year, weren't we all talking about JL-III and how his impressive performance during the summer league surely meant he would be our PG of the future and how we HAD to sign him before someone else snapped him up?

That being said, I'd much rather have Brooks playing well than not playing well. I hope he can contribute this year.

 

I actually don't recall the huge JL-III bandwagon. I think people were pleasantly surprised to see him doing well int he summer league, but if anything people were raising their eyebrows at the 3-year contract that resulted from his SL play. Brooks has some similarities to JL3, but his outside shot seems better and seems to be a better distributor.

 

Oh trust me........there was a band wagon cruising right down the GARM main street with its high beams on.

 

There was no JL3 bandwagon. People were happy that he did well, but no one thought that he would be our PG of the future. The excitement was all saved for Vspan and we all know how that turned out.

I'm thinking we should all hate Brooks right now. All the players this board hates at first turn out pretty well.

 

My apologies but I was never sold on JLIII, I watched him at the Fonde Summer League get torched by Moochie, Daniel G., Daniel E (who got cut by the clippers), and neighborhood dudes like Myron and Dwayne Rogers etc.. the list goes on.

JL cannot go right and finish with a layup, he always stops and shoots a twisting turnaround over his right shoulder.

I think Brooks is different because he did it against my alma mater FL. He gave them fits going to the bucket and hitting the jumper. Kept Oregon in the game.

 

I remember Rockets fans demanding that they sign him to a three year deal before someone snatched him from the Rockets. Everyone saw JL-III as a diamond in the rough.

 

Granted, my "pg of the future" remark was playful hyperbole, but there were a lot of people here praying that the Suns wouldn't sign him. Check this thread out:

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=115450&highlight=lucas

Or this one after we signed him:

http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?t=116037&highlight=lucas


EDIT: Here's a post from our good friend DaDakota on the Lucas signing last year...

 

I don't remember any of this. People had him 3rd in the PG rotation behind even Luther, who people thought could run point at that time. No one thought he could start. If you could pull up a JL3 thread, that'd prove my memory wrong. But for every JL3 thread you find, you'll see at least ten for Vspan.

 

Well you have to consider the fact that Aaron Brooks is a rookie and comes in and dominates the Summer League while JLIII was in his third year in the summer league when he blew up. And he also played a few NBA games beforehand.

 

Being cautious is a good thing, but.......

I think there are obvious differences in how AB and JL play.

JL has NEVER looked as in control as AB did towards the end of the SL.

Brook's demeanor and game just looks much more polished than JL3's.

better shooter, better driver, better finisher....better everything.

the only similarity is their height.


Im sure it will take the first half of the season at the least for him to really start to get comfortable in the difference between college and NBA.

 

Also, God has not announced that JLIII is a bust. He is still a project with a lot potential. His career might just be held back a little by JVG and Rockets. Who knows.

At least JLIII is asking for another chance to prove himself. I hope Alston has the same gut.

 

I'm a better shooter than Rafer, bet I can beat him in HORSE. JLIII never impressed me either. Brooks does. They are similar, yet very different, though it is hard to be specific. I think a good deal of it is attitude and confidence. Lucas seems to dribble around like he doesn't know what to do, Brooks attacks. During the regular season in the little action JLIII saw he seemed to struggle with his shot. Who knows, people develop at different rates, personalities have a huge impact on performance in different situations.