He is not a winner. He is not a defender. He is a scorer, but not someone who can impose his will onto the game. Or create a shot off the ball like Rip Hamilton. His basketball IQ is very low, although he's quite crafty with the ball in his hands and space to operate. While I like what Morey is doing by accumulating assets, I don't like how he masturbates to statistics to make up for lack of basketball savvy and gut. That's exactly what puts the Rockets in no man's land... no where near landing a high draft pick, and no where near being an impact team in the playoffs. This team needs some thugs, some gangsters, and some ballers. Nothing is going to happen with Chase and Shane and Kyle Lowry re-enacting scenes from Full House on the basketball court. Patrick Patterson. Terrence Williams. Aaron Brooks. These are the professional thugs who will rise to the occasion for the Rockets in the future. The question is, are the Rockets willing to let go of Scola and Martin to see if they can get any youngsters to join these guys? Kyrie Irving wants to know. Derrick Williams wants to know. Look at the blueprint of teams like OKC and Orlando. You need to get a few game changers from the draft, only then can you use Morey analytics to surround them with "solid" players.
Oh I forgot, here we like to pamper and coddle our 10th seed heroes. You know what, as long as we're ahead of Minnesota and Sacramento, changes aren't needed. It's good being not the worst.
In what world is Aaron Brooks a gangster? Seriously, I have no idea how anyone could argue Brooks is more important to this team than Martin. I guess we can blame Martin for us not having a 15-win team and a high draft pick.
stupidity or ignorance? he's not meant to be someone whose job is to impose his will on the game, they get paid 100m over 5 years not 50.
I gave this thread a lovely 1 star. The opinion expressed is neither logical enough nor original enough to warrant its own thread.
Aaron Brooks can take over and finish games. That makes him a gangster, and more valuable than KMart as a scorer. Neither are anything special as playmakers for their positions. He doesn't have the size to do it consistently, but he gives the Rockets something KMart doesn't. Rip Hamilton was paid a similar salary and could impose his will onto games. Why? Because he could move off the ball and had a patented go to move, curling off a screen for a jumper. It couldn't be defended. And being a real scorer is about knowing you can score when the game is on the line, or being confident with the ball in your hands. I doubt Martin will ever be that guy. Stupidity to me is justifying having such a flawed player on your team because... he only makes half the money an Amare makes. The team needs to be blown up. Battier, Scola and Martin have to be dangled to bring in talent. Otherwise the Rockets will just be a rich man's Cleveland patiently waiting for Carmelo to call them if his first 5 options don't work out.
AB is the junior version of Kmart. Plain and simple. At least Kmart is the bigger version of the two SG's. Because yes, AB is a SG, like it or not. Neither play defense but yet you rag on Kmart and praise AB. You are ignorant. AB hasnt done shiet this year and quite honestly, he isnt as 4th quarter effective as you claim. But AB fans will only remember the good, not the bad. I would have taken the 1st round and Johnny Flynn for AB ina minute.
People said the same stuff about Ray Allen before he went to the Celtics. I firmly believe that a guy that offensively efficient, with no ballhog tendencies, and no real flaws in his offensive game, will be part of a championship contender when you can surround him with the proper stars who would handle the ball in late game situations. No one asks Ray Allen to iso in the last minute of a Celtic game; that job goes to Rondo or Pierce with kickouts to Allen or rollouts to Garnett on the baseline being other, super, offensive options. Right we're missing those other pieces, but Martin to me remains a piece you build around.
Guys like Ray Allen, Reggie Miller and Rip Hamilton are a tier or two above Martin. A tier that requires great off the ball acumen that is instinctual, not easily taught. And therefore a tier I don't think Martin can ever reach. Ray Allen was still hitting tons of late winners in Milwaukee and closing out games because he had the ability to get a high percentage shot off in a lock down defense. Not the way Kobe or Tracy does it, but by smart movements off the ball, using screens, and finding open spots. I think the Rockets roughly envisioned Martin being something like that, but that's just not his game. He's more in the Corey maggette mold.
Has AB done that AT ALL this season? I mean, virtually every single game I watch, either him or Lowry completely hog the ball the end this season, and 90% of the time, it sputters. He simply dominates the ball as he is the PG, meaning he gets to take the last shot, which means you do remember the time it works, and don't remember when it doesn't. Which is most of the time.
martin was brought in to be a sidekick to yao (which would have been amazing to see.) im sure morey understands that he is not an alpha dog but he's still a good player who could be an important piece to a contending team.
True. I like AB as a 6th man, not as a starter because he lacks natural playmaking tendencies and court vision. The rest of the league see's this as well and no one is going to offer him an outrageous contract this summer. But he does have an x-factor, and you saw it against the Lakers in the playoffs. It doesn't matter if Derek Fisher or Chris Paul is guarding him, no one is laterally quick enough to do anything, and overplaying + getting physical that far away from the basket works in AB's favor. This season has been frustrating for AB... he's been whining, not sure of his place in the rotation, and you haven't seen the same confidence from him on the court because in his mind he may not be the most pure PG, but he's definitely better than what a <.500 Rockets team puts out there.
martin was not brought in to be THE guy. all the pieces u see here (scola martin ab were to compliment yao ming, if the rockets can get a decent center al least with 70% of yaos ability this team would be some what better! deadline cant come any faster!!
