Brooks really hasn't shown that he can play in the NBA yet. Last year he couldn't even really find his way on to the court as a change of pace guard or when the match up was favorable for him. Its not just his Hannah Montana frame, its decision making/ running the offense. Unless Morey really believes that Francis can be the backup PG then the Rockets will likely make a move to get a backup. In Brooks's case I would like to see him be able to get onto the court at times as an energy guy who could give you a nice 5-7 min stretch every few games, but he hasn't even shown an inkling of that so far.
Well Brooks is young, doesn't have expierence. BTW hee needs to play consistant minutes. It can't be like it was like year. If he is in the rotation he should play his minutes in every game. I still remember last year's playoffs and his 0-5 in game 6 but I like him and I think using him as a backup would be that bad idea
Brooks will not be the third string unless Francis has a bounce back season or the Rockets acquire a starting or backup PG. I'd have no problem if the Rockets got someone better than him as backup, but that doesn't mean I don't look forward to watching him improve as a player as I think he'll become an adequate distributer as long as he has help (read guys like McGrady, Artest that are good distributers at other positions), a good slasher due to his speed, already is a great FT shooter when fouled, and be a three point threat when other scorers are in the game. His shooting was horrid against the Jazz, but had been pretty solid after the all star game until then. From what I've seen, I think he'll be about .380 from 3 pt range when he is the worst or second worst offensive option on the court. Defensively, he is not ready to be the starter and this could keep him relegated to backup for his NBA career. He needs to become that offensive spark from the bench to be cliche.
The offense wasn't much worse with Brooks in the game over Alston. The offense wasn't pretty with Brooks, but the offense was nearly the same efficiency wise(against worse competition, though) due to Brooks being a better scorer and getting FTs for himself. The defense was a sieve when he was in.
i remember reading in an article somewhere that barry is supposed to play alot of point next season, he could very well be deamed our backup pg???
Backup point guard is the position of greatest weakness on this team. Brooks has proven himself barely competent to play in the regular season, let alone deep in the playoffs. I feel comfortable with Rafer in the game, but he simply can't play the volume of minutes that he did last year. Neither Mike James, Steve Francis, nor Aaron Brooks could take one single minute away from Rafer last year. That isn't good, for as important as Rafer proved to be, he broke down at the end of a long year. I expect the Rockets will make a minor move at some point to get some experience off the bench at the point if Barry can't provide it. I liked the Bobby Jackson trade last year because of this. He wasn't terribly good anymore, but he could legitimately spell Rafer for 20 minutes a game without making mistakes and on some nights he got hot. If we could get a guy who could come in and run Adelman's offense for 20 minutes a night without turning the ball over, I'd be all over it. Brooks has shown he can score, but not consistently, and he doesn't have any other NBA skills.
No. Rondo is not a "terrible jumpshooter". One of the big improvements he made from his rookie season was developing a consistent mid-range jumper. Indeed he choked and lost confidence in it during the playoffs but he's only a 2nd year PG who had zero playoff experience prior to last year. If the Rockets make the WCFs or NBA Finals, we'll see how reliable Rafer and AB are from mid-range. Don't underestimate Rondo compared to our two PGs. His (1) defense, (2) athleticism and (3) ability to finish on offense leave Rafer and AB way behind. Don't forget the two consecutive huge game-changing 3s he hit against Cleveland in game 5. Speaking of "begging" someone to shoot, teams did that to Rafer on a regular basis the last two seasons. In the playoffs, he shot 44% against the Jazz this year and it seemed like he was an all-star because of how bad BJax and AB were. In 2007, he was a major liability at 32% from the field. Assuming we keep Rafer, AB is not a good enough backup PG. We need a player that can consistently step in and put Rafer on the bench when he stinks.
What? He did improve, but that meant going from 21% from 3 to 26%. If Rafer shot that as a Rocket, this BBS would be rallying outside TC. This is a point guard that barely hits 60% of his free throws - you think he has a reliable jumper with that kind of touch? I'm not saying he sucks as a player or a point guard. But for someone to wish Rafer or Brooks had Rondo's shooting? That's special olympics material. Evan
I tried to caveat that he was playing against lesser competition, but he is also generally playing with less offensive firepower. There is also a reason Alston is starting and Brooks is not. I think Brooks can become an exceptional backup such that the offensive efficiency (points/possession) is greater when he is in there than the starter. I worry about the defensive side. This isn't to say he is better than the starter...only to say he compares more favorably against the other team's backup than Alston does to the other team's starter. I'd have no problem if the Rockets acquired a PG and Alston became the backup. He does need to be consistent with his 3 point shoot. Brooks's speed is less valuable if he doesn't force the defender to deny his shot. I think it is just a matter of adjusting to the NBA line as he is already a better shooter than Alston everywhere except behind the arc.
Brooks and Francis are questionable. I think the Rockets will go into next season with Barry as the primary backup initially. Now they've done the Artest trade they do need to find minutes for him
I agree with Laozi, even on the Hannah Montana comparison. However as a scorer he has given some other PG's trouble.
With Artest in the mix on defense, Brooks could be on the court more and his defensive deficiencies could be masked. We still need Alston, though. The Rockets have been able to win without Yao, or McGrady over the last few years, but they haven't won without Rafer. It's not that he's an elite point guard, but he's solid. He gets the team in the offense and is a solid team defender. I don't see the point in trading him unless you're getting a better point guard. Another wing player wouldn't help.
Of course Rondo is a complete dud as a 3 point shooter. No disputing that (except for those two vs. the Cavs). His FT shooting isn't that great either. But I saw a truckload of Celts games this season and, yes, Rondo was decent from mid-range. As a rookie, he was awful. He showed the kind of growth you want to see in a 2nd year player that proves he's dedicated to improving himself. If I were an NBA franchise, I would take him as my starter over any of our sorry PGs. I've gotta agree with hooroo that going into next season hoping SF or AB will be our backup PG is a very bad idea.
I don't think it's a bad idea. When I wrote questionable I meant Brooks is still unproven and Francis's knee is still up in the air.
I think what people are missing is he doesn't , nor should brooks turn into this standstill 3pt , spot up shooter. His speed and quickness off the dribble is what can elevate the Rox. Most people want to get supporting cast of the matt maloney types, but team defenses would be scared to death running at Brooks out of control. The spurs continue to play well with parkers 30% 3pt shooting. The Celts don't have a problem with rondos 30% either. The Hakeem rox had a low % cassell and maxwell, so what's the problem?
