The Euro contract was 5 yrs, ours is 3. So, the per/year salary is about the same. Of course the tax & buyout eats into money some, but in the Spanish articles, he continually says how he wants to come to the NBA since he was a kid. Also, the Euro contract most likely had larger buyouts, making moving to the NBA nigh impossible later.
Highly doubt that governments would neglet to tax millionaires. Maybe in Russia, where things are a bit confused... can't imagine any Western European countries doing that.
I'm only concerned with his post and pick and role D. Chauncey billups and other big guards are going to push him down low requiring us to double up.
Aaron Brooks is fighting two battles, one of stature and one of philosophy. But he's fighting them well. The Houston Rockets first-rounder is undersized by NBA standards, a fact that has always dogged him and is one of the main reasons he lasted until the late first round. Also, some observers aren't sure he can make the transition from shoot-first scorer, which he was as the starting shooting guard at Oregon, to pass-first distributor. In Houston, the shots go to Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, not 6-foot-1 rookies. Yet Brooks impressed in the summer league, where he was named the event's top rookie and to the all-league team. After scoring 18 points in a win over the Hornets on Sunday, Brooks closed the summer league averaging 21.4 points and 5.2 assists. He led the Rockets in both categories. Daryl Morey, the Rockets' number-crunching general manager, noticed that Brooks' numbers and test results at the predraft camp mirrored those of Houston native T.J. Ford. No one is saying Brooks is the exact same type of player, but after seeing him speed up and down the court, one can understand the comparison. In a short span against the Hornets, he nailed a 3-pointer in transition, hit a cutting big man with a perfect bounce pass for a layup and tossed an accurate alley-oop pass from half court on a fast break. Chances are that when he does get minutes, he will be a part of some highlights. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=vegasnotesdurantgreen
Yes, look what happened to T.J. when he drove into the lane. Of the guards that small there aren't very many Allen Iversons who can take that kind of licking and keep on ticking. Also, Brooks is 6-1 standing on his tip toes in spike heels and is one of the lightest players in the NBA.
Aye! His biggest challenge will be if he can take the physical pounding that's sure to come his way especially on pick-and-rolls.
Well, to be fair didn't TJ Ford have a pre-existent narrowing of the spine condition that made him more prone to that kind of serious injury? But yes AB's durability will be tested as a little guy, we'll see if he can stand up to the little injuries he's bound to receive but I wouldn't say he's gonna miss a year like TJ.
Right after the season ended at Oregon Ernie Kent started saying how he believes Brooks will do well in the NBA because he is a TJ ford type of player with a better jumpshot.
Actually how many small guards have the problems that TJ had? Calvin Murphy, AI, Damon Stoundamire all seem to do ok
I dont remember Earl Boykins, Spud Webb, Mugsy Bogues, or Kevin Johnson spraining their spinal cords in their NBA careers and they were pretty small guards. Could AB get hurt, of course, so can Yao Ming.
Crash -- AI is Allen Iverson (as I mentioned). Calvin Murphy (the Pocket Rocket, one of my favorite players ever) was a "stop and pop" guy -- he made his living as a jump shooter and not a rim rattler. Damon Stoudamire attacked like Iverson early in his career but not very much after that. A case can be made for Boykins, but, as I said, there aren't many tiny guards who can stand up to the rigors of the paint. As I have said before, I would love to be wrong, but I won't believe it until it is a reality.
If I were betting who would miss the most games due to injury over the next 4 years between Brooks, Yao and Tracy, I'd pick Brooks last. Stockton, Isiah, Cheeks, Chucky A, Darrell Armstrong, lots of other small guys in addition to those mentioned had long careers. A little bit genetics, a little bit work ethic/prepartion, a little bit of good luck. I'd be more worried about Greg Oden's longevity from his hisotry than anything Aaron Brooks has in his history that I am aware.
Yeah but, unless I'm completely off base, that was 10.7 million euros - not dollars. 10 million euros = 13.6 million dollars. So he had a 5 year deal making about 14.5 million dollars. We're signing him for less than 10 million for three years, plus he has to pay 2.5 million dollars of his buyout. The only reason this makes any sense to me whatsoever is: 1. Scola is clearly very competitive and wants to play against the best players in the world. 2. When his contract expires, he'll be 30 years old and, assuming he is a success in the NBA, will easily get a full MLE deal that will blow away any deal he could get elsewhere. You did read that. Because the deal they were offering was nearly 15 million in American dollars.
If he's TJ Ford with a JUMPSHOT then he will be one of the top point guards in the league. Just think, if TJ Ford had a JUMPSHOT he would be pretty much unstoppable I became a Brooks fan the moment he shoved that Bonsu Bonsu dude from Dallas. I laugh at people who say 'well lucas was mvp last year' theres no comparison! Two different styles. Though they share similar heights, Brooks plays bigger than he is. Brooks can go left, right, middle, bull his way to the basket even. Thinking about it a bit more, he reminds me of Robert Pack, Robert Pack with a jumpshot.
http://www.hoopsanalyst.com/0607ew15.htm 10. Aaron Brooks, Oregon: Brooks made himself into a prospect as a senior. He became the leading scorer for a team that made it to the elite 8 and he got his percentages up to the point where scouts had to take notice of him. I’m still wary of him as a prospect though. When a player suddenly steps up his senior year my reaction is to ask whether the improvement is real or not. I’m suspicious of a player who posts a dramatic increase in FG or 3-point percentage for a season while his other numbers remain static, because that could be nothing more than a hot streak. Brooks cranked up his percentages, but also showed improvement elsewhere: What’s impressive about Brooks’ season is that he stepped up both the frequency and efficiency of his scoring. He also became a better defender. While he didn’t pass as often, he turned the ball over less, which is impressive because he was handling the ball as a scorer so often. Because his entire game improved and his improvement drove his team to a very successful season, I would say the numbers Aaron Brooks put up his senior season are probably real improvement and a good reflection of his real ability. But I’m still not sure that makes him a much of a prospect. He’s never improved his passing, like Shakur did as a senior, and that should be the strength of a player who’s 6’0” 160. He’s not that good at getting to the line either and that’s a bad sign for a PG. He’s a backup at best. His quickness, quick trigger and ability to hit the trey might land him a spot on a team that likes to run and he’d be a great part-time fit in such an offense, but that’s about all he can expect.
