concerning Yao in that series. I do agree that some players like Ben Wallace & Rodman, etc. could dominate without scoring.
Thanks. You are certainly entitled to your own opinion and I apologize if I came across as too aggressive. I admit I am biased towards Yao as I really am his biggest fan. Like many fans on this forum I am (overly)protective of his legacy but also HUGELY disappointed in his injury time and time again...I believe he certainly could have been so much greater. BUT, it is just so hard to fault a guy that tries so hard...we're all humans afterall. My point simply was that Yao impacted the game enough to shift the opponent's defense to him - leading to more opportunities for his team members. A lot of people mentioned Ron Artest & Von Wafer...but if we actually look at the games one of the main reason why we beat Portland was actually Louis Scola. The fronting/double-teaming of Yao left Scola wide open for the 15-17 footer and he knocked them down consistently. That, in my humble opinion, is one of the main reasons why we won. I cannot disagree with you that Yao did not put up huge numbers, some pretty impressive stat for some and perhaps not much for others. But his mere presence changed the game and gave opportunities for his team to exploit. I do take your point that, if his was a super-superstar (Like MJ or Kobe), oh yes he would have taken his games to new heights (and just dunked over everyone..perhaps like Shaq used to dominate?)...But we should also take into account the game nowadays is ruled and officiated differently - what Shaq used to do would not be allowed these days. Even MJ admitted that if he was playing today he would have dropped 60 each game, but would be fouled out by the 1st quarter... In any case - hope you understand my point and I'm not here to cause any arguments. I just think Yao not scoring 30 might have been more of a tactical decision/limitations of his team mates etc...
With Yao and McGrady down, Brooks lucked into a situation last year that was custom-made for him to become MIP. He did a great job, but a drop-off this year shouldn't have come as a surprise. Morey waited too long to trade him. He sold low. Yes, this is a blemish on Morey's record.
Coming into the season, management felt that Yao would be healthy. If that were the case, then Brooks' 3 point shooting would've complemented Yao (as long as Brooks wasn't responsible for the post entry pass). There's not much Morey could've done differently unless you expected him to tackle Ginobili prior to Brooks taking that halfcourt shot.
I think Martin is better than Brooks in that regard. We aren't the Magic, we don't just toss the ball in to Yao and then everyone camp the 3pt line. You can't play Brooks and Martin together, many of us knew that before this season started. Something should have been done about this situation.
this is a 100% correct. I have backed brooks, and he has rightly proven himself in seasons past, but he was a direct benificiery of the situation we were in.
You need enough quality 3 pt shooters so that making the extra pass wont hurt you. Like I said, Yao was expected to be healthy this season. Don't underestimate the defensive impact of a 7'5 giant in the paint.
No, I think you make great points, and I agree with them. I think we're on the same page. And I never felt you were being adversarial. Thanks for pointing those facts out.
Don't think you can blame this one on Morey. AB was doing OK to start the season, looking pretty much like AB from last year. He just never quite got it right after the ankle injury forced him to sit out 6 weeks. I don't think Morey could have been expected to know that AB would land on Ginobili's foot while attempting a half-court buzzer-beater and that he should have been traded before that happened.
This is not true, Brooks and KM both tallied multiple 20 pt games when they played together. Before his mental breakdown Brooks was far superior to Lowry with a broken 3 pt shot. We were also counting on Yao to be healthy, and MIP Brooks was the player who worked well with him, not Lowry.
You can play Brooks and Martin together on the offensive end, but they can never coexist on the defensive end if the team is missing a rim protector. Yes it's fun watching both of them drop 20 on the other team, but when they return the favor on the other end, it is not so fun. AB and Martin would have been possible should Yao have made a healthy comeback. Unfortunately, that never happened and therefore it is not viable to have zero perimeter D AND porous interior D. Once Yao was down for the count (again), either Martin or Brooks would have had to go to the bench. I for one had always wanted to see Brooks on the bench, because Martin is simply a much more efficient scorer; he can finish, create, score multiple ways, get to the line, and play off the ball. Unfortunately, AB lacked the mental fortitude or capacity to handle his role as off the bench closer.
Uh, that may be your opinion but it certainly isn't the truth. Lowry hardly ever even got a chance to play with Martin last year, so just because Brooks and Martin played decently together you can't say that it's better than what Lowry would have done. The irony is that Brooks always played his best ball last year when he played with, you guessed it, Lowry. Best backcourt last year : Lowry and Brooks Best backcourt this year : Lowry and Martin These are facts. Brooks is not a PG.
"what have you done for me lately?" That is all that matters with fans. All it takes is one big incident. One big incident is all it took to write off Tmacs career in Houston. One play. After that, he was done in the H. Everything else just snowballed. Aaron Brooks walked out on the team during a game. That is pretty major. To add fuel to the fire, he complained about his contract and even coming off the bench, Lowry was playing better and Brooks played like ass. What do you want the fans to do? Kiss his ass? Maxwell gets a pass because he helped us win a title. Brooks and Tmac won't have has much fan fare.
Lowry playing better was not just a lately thing. Lowry and backups played great last season. Lowry and the starters played great this season. Dragic and 1st round draft pick project to be better than no one as Lowry made Brooks cost ineffective.
It is hilarious that you think this and put the blame all on the fans. I suppose its all our fault now for how he was treated the same way in Orlando and Toronto as well right? One event? One incident? As a superstar and franchise player, you know what T-Mac's legacy holds? - Burned bridges for every team he was a star for - Questions regarding his work ethic and attitude - First round exit every time he made the playoffs - Drama, drama, and more drama People don't dislike T-Mac because he was injured, people dislike him because he is an irresponsible motor mouth. The guy is a knowledge base of excuses and things not to say. It's fine if you are hurt and doing bad. Man up and take time off. Don't take yourself in and out of the lineup and give excuses for all your shortcomings. It wasn't just the Toronto game. That was simply the breaking point. It was years of empty promises and excuses during all the games he missed or failed to "impose his will" that made most slowly start to hate on him. As far as Brooks, it was a no brainer. His MIP season was a fluke. It was simply a situation he lucked out to be in where the Rockets were so desperate for a scorer, that we turned to a pint sized SHOOTING guard to be our number one option. You know how that turned out for us? Lottery season! This season though, things really went downhill for the little guy and he has my sympathies for it. Never could really catch a break from the moment his inflated ego convinced him that he was actually good enough to deserve an extension. Then there came the poor performance, injury, demotion, and finally, quitting on his team. Combine that with the fact that he is looking for a raise, it was a no brainer that he had to go. Judging from what I have seen from Dragic, this is a GREAT trade for us.
i agree with everything pointed out, except that it was a fluke. Whatever he did he did for more than a season, and it carried on for the beginning games of the season before the injury. Did he benefit from the circumstances? Was he in a great situation? He delivered, and for 2 seasons. I think calling a fluke is going too far and discrediting a player to a great degree. His game clearly changed and probably due to his own hardwork. Was it refined enough to the point that he would be useful in terms of diff circumstances? No. I think using the word "fluke" can only be used for a sample too small and disproved by the test of time while controling the other variables, or at least factoring them in.
I think the point your trying to make is correct. But I would prove it in different terms. Pre - Landry trade that rockets were a better team defensively (also before lowry got injured). The rockets were well in the midst of the playoffs and the talk of the league of how they were managing everything for so long. Post martin our offense improved to a great degree , brooks and martin avgd some insane numbers combined together, close to 50 for a LONG period, but our defense was abysmal and we actually LOST more games. Post martin and pre martin (factoring in the dip due to lowry missing a couple of games) we actually performed worse. Alot of people on here claimed that teams had "figured the rockets out". I think that excuse isn't too far fetches, the answer was cut and clear with respect to their own play.
