Cassell is the best player of the 4. So I'll take the Cassell-Smith combo. Aaron is probably the 2nd best out of those 4.
Brooks and Lowry haven't done anything yet. Jet and Cassell each have two rings. Cassell almost guided the Clippers the WC Finals...granted, both were riding with one of the best centers to ever play the game. If Yao could stay healthy for more than one playoff series maybe there would be an argument here.
I remember Kenny in his prime and AB backers might not like this but... Kenny>AB Kenny was a far better shooter and better assist man. He wasn't as quick or fast but he was VERY athletic and a bigger guard.
Kenny/Cassell For their clutch performances throughout the playoffs, and finals... Cassell was a major part of our Championship years as a rookie and sophomore in the league. Enough said.
Cassel and Smith had The Dream and got 2 rings.... AB and Lowry got Yao and 0 rings, also one of the worst Rockets record in years I'm not hating on AB and Lowry but I just liked Smith and Cassel better.
Who would you have pass Yao the ball? this is easy. Kenny Smith was the #6 player in the 87 draft. shot 45% from the 3point line in the playoffs. the 90-91 Kenny Smith averaged 17 points and 7 assists a game, shot 52% from the field. out of those 4, he was the best pure point guard. Best player = Cassell best scorer = Brooks toughest = Lowry <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nOIuvZ7zzGM?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nOIuvZ7zzGM?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object> <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H6pdmBjDUjA?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H6pdmBjDUjA?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
Are we talking about career or just players in Rockets uniforms? If we had a time machine that allow us to trade Brooks/Lowry for Cassell/Smith of 93, I'd make that trade. Because I have the hindsight of knowing Cassell's consistent near-all-star level performance for 10+ years. If the trade is only for Cassell as a Rocket pre-Barkley trade. Then I want Brooks and Lowry right now.
i think brooks and lowry are easily betetr than kenny smith, butg i dont think brooks nor lowry are effing with sam i am man. im sorry. hands down cassel is better than all of em, so i vote 90s rockets point squad easily. cassel was just way too clutch. plus he used to post up other point guards. thats nearly a lost artform in todays nba.
I assumed the OP meant Kenny and Sam during the championship years. Its a close call, but I went with AB and Lowry.
Unfortunately we didn't get to see the Smith/Cassell combo for long enough but as a combo they were my pick. Though if I was mix and matching it would be AB/Cassell. AB has some versatility speedwise that Kenny didn't have.
I like or current duo but I think that Smith has a lot more basket ball IQ then AB. Or would basketball savvy be a better term? Would like to see the DREAM play with this team in place of Yao .
Kenny Smith was a beast at NC until he got flipped on his head, then he became a coward at driving into the paint. He was never the same aggressive player, but he was a GREAT jump shooting PG, imagine if Rafer Alston could shoot, that is the type of player that Kenny was....perfect for a Dream led team, but you could intimidate him on the perimeter....Derick Harper owned him. Cassell was special, when Rudy T had him in predraft he asked him about other PGs...and Cassell said "Ain't none of them better than me"....that guy just competed....he is the best player out of all 4 here. AB has the potential to be better than any of the PGs listed, he is off to a great start, I often think he could learn a lot about the midrange game of Cassell, that is his last missing piece to being an all star......AB has more range than either of them, and is a much better dribbler and creator off the bounce.... Lowry - the Bulldog out of all of them, a guy that plays hard...and forces everyone else on the court to play just as hard or get left in the dust. Man, if he only had a jump shot, or a midrange game he would be all world with his attitude. So, in all honesty you have to take Smith and Cassell, but the final book is not written for AB and Lowry, so a more apt comparison would be in 10 years...and by then, hopefully they will have MORE rings than Jet and ET ! DD
Right - brooks is a better "creator" off the dribble than Cassell even though he has 1) a worse midrange game 2) is not a good a passer and seldom looks to and 3) is a much worse at finishing due to his size and inability to draw fouls. What exactly is he superior at "creating"? A turnover or a missed layup?
I think its pretty close especially if we are talking the Kenny Smith that was on the Rockets championship runs. If we are talking about Kenny The Jet Smith of his early career I think its no contest as DD noted not only was he a good outside shooter but a lightning fast get to the hoop player like Brooks is. I like both pairs of PG's but they bring different skills to the table and were asked to fill different roles in their respective Rockets' teams. I give the edge in D and athleticism to the Brooks / Lowry combo, the edge in passing and outside shooting to the Smith / Cassell combo. What tips it narrowly to the Smith / Cassell combo is the intangibles.
