Looks like the opportunity for Brooks to cement his role in the rotation just opened up even wider. Harden's foot and now Lin's knee. Brooks has a big 2 weeks ahead of him. This could determine the path of the rest of his career. He either proves he still has it and can make either Bev or Lin expendable or he shows that he is just a good veteran 3rd string insurance policy. I think his shooting and ability to break down defenses off the dribble can potentially be devastating next to Harden. And he is a proven playoff performer. He doesn't have to pretend to be a creator or facilitator this time around. He was miscast in that role.
When did he ever lose it? Once he decided to go to China his value plummeted, but he's never lost any game. He's still a baller. Still super quicky, nasty and accurate range, and a good scoring punch. Everyone just assumed he sucked. I don't get how that started. Everyone besides NBA 2k they still put his rating high lol.
Just saying instant offense is his strength. When he was the starting pg years ago we would bash him for his lack of pg skills. He can drive and kick to the open man just fine, but is really just a sg in pg body. A pint sized James Harden. Maybe you're saying we need Lin in this role? Seems to me like this team does just fine moving the ball around the perimeter and scoring off of penetration and kick outs. We'll see. There are 2 weeks of no Lin against good teams to see what this looks like. That's why I said its a big 2 weeks.
Oh wow, David Thorpe said that? No seriously, Bev's D has been pretty disappointing as a starter. Against Paul it was great, but ultimately his intensity and D is simply just a game-changer when it's done right. It's only done right against top PGs because it makes them work harder and exert more effort. Against teams with average to below average PGs, he's a waste of space if he gets 25-30mpg. Those guys his MPG needs to be 15-20mpg tops. Against Paul, Westbrook, Curry Lliard, Parker, the top of the top...yes 25mpg is a healthy dose of an aggressive Bev because they play 35-40mpg and he can go all out in those 25mpg. That's when he changes the game. Not against Jameer Nelson's of the NBA or Jeff Teague.
Brooks has been completely irrelevant as a basketball player since even before he left Houston. After the ankle injury that led to him losing his job to Kyle Lowry and his lackluster play because Morey wouldn't give him the contract he felt he deserved. We traded him for Dragic AND a 1st round pick and he has been completely off the grid ever since. I'd say he has a lot to prove as a guy who once averaged 20 points a game and found himself signing a minimal deal to be 3rd string option this year. His MIP season really wasn't that long ago and he is still relatively young.
You need Lin's defense as well as his offense. Can you imagine Brooks on Kevin Martin? Lin played great defense on him, Dwight made a note of that. Lin is an above-average defender, not a defensive liability. He is also a solid passer, it's just that he hasn't built up chemistry with some of his players yet. Brooks was brought in to do exactly what he's doing. Big a factor in some games and be an insurance policy for when Bev and Lin miss games. When Bev missed a lot of games you saw why he was needed. The same thing is going to be true of Lin. Brooks is a big asset to the team, as long as he isn't overused.
Because he did suck or at least he did for a really long time after his injury? Besides, even when he didn't suck, he wasn't that good. One dimensional players are never more than role players. The guy is a shooter. He can't do anything else basically. His entire "game" depends on that and when his shot doesn't fall, he is a complete waste of space on the court.
Nope, what I'm saying is that if what you're saying is correct (AB isn't a strong facilitator), then there will be significant stretches of "ring around the PG". While it turned out well against Atlanta, we've also seen games where Garcia, Casspi and Parsons become really painful in terms of facilitation. Hopefully Bev + Brooks is enough to make it work. We'll see over the next 2 weeks.
I agree with Ab starting. He brings some leadership and I think he is our toughest player mentally. Poor little guy has been here since tmac and Yao.
Are you talking about me? I was NEVER, EVER a YOF. If anything, I wanted to dump him for someone who was not injury prone. I even had r****ds asking me how I could hate Yao as a fellow Chinese. If you are talking about AB, I never hated him. I also never thought much of him and wanted him bench in favor of Lowry, who proved to be the far superior player and PG.
sorry for the confusion old chap' I was thinking of the guy that wanted AB to fall and break his leg on a drive to the basket ( names might have been similar).
Not a problem at all. I don't hate AB as a player, though I can be a bit tough on him. I just don't think much of him at all. The guy is what he is, a shooter that is fast because he is tiny as hell. People as small as AB need to be super fast in order to simply survive, but you need far more than being naturally speedy and a good shooter to "excel" in the NBA. Unless you are Kerr and can hit any long ball whenever necessary, you have to offer something else. AB never had that something else. He was a crappy PG and passer, too small to defend anyone, and too small and slight to take it hard to the rim consistently. He is a pint sized SG and that is it, basically Nate Robinson with less hops. Does he have a place in the league and on our team? Yes. Should we start him over Bev or Lin? Hell freaking no! If AB is a top option on a team, that team has serious issues to fix.
I agree. The reason I value AB is because we live and die by the 3. There are too many games where the ball gets sticky and I just wish we had some movement and someone could knock the 3 ball down. When AB is on, he provides that and keeps the defense moving. Someone like that is extremely valuable as a spark plug off the bench for this team. The biggest problem with AB is that his confidence dictates his play. He folded when he came back from his injury because he was mentally weak and couldn't handle not being paid that contract. It was rational, but had he handled it differently the outcome would have been different as well. I think he is a lot smarter now and realizes that a quick shooter off the bench is what he is going to be. The fans in houston seems to love him as well, the crowd is at its loudest when he enters the game which is one of the reasons I think he signed for less so he could get the no trade clause in.
