Which starting backcourt would you rather having, heading into next season? The current one -- Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin -- or Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley in their prime?
I thought about this the other day and its really tough. In the end, it seems like Cat adjusted better than Steve. I think Cat is a tougher player than martin,but martin is a very effecient scorer. On his best days, francis could be a walking triple double. When brooks is in the groove, he can drop high points and seem unstoppable. I would probably take the current pair.
I think this is hard to answer for two reasons: Francis' and Mobley's primes were so short, and Kyle Lowry is a so much better back-up than the 40-year-old Mark Jackson and Moochie Norris. If Francis had Lowry on the team, it would have done a lot to cover for his problems with the entry pass. That being said, I think Francis was enough better than Brooks and Mobley was close enough to Martin to rate them higher.
Thats a tough one. While Martin is an efficient scorer, Cat was an excellent defender. And while Steve in his prime was better than Brooks, Aaron is getting there real fast. As boneheaded that Steve was, I wonder if him and Cat playing with the likes of Shane, Ariza, Lowry, Landry (or Hill) etc. would've produced the same results as the current team....My guess is the our D would've been a lot better, but I just dont know if Steve had it in him to play a fast tempo style. Or maybe that was just JVG? Tough question to answer.
Well I think Aaron has more room to expand his game... maybe Kevin does too, so I went with this one. The only downfall was Francis/Cat were good scorers and decent defenders as well. It really is a shame they only got 1 year to play with Yao.
Francis used to be better than either Brooks or Martin, but the fact of the matter is his style of play wasn't necessary conducive to winning or team basketball. For that reason, I side with Brooks/Martin. They may not bring what our former backcourt brought defensively (especially Mobley), but both Brooks/Martin complement Yao better and are much cheaper. Let's not forget one of the main selling points of the original McGrady trade was the chance to move two players that we likely overpaid to keep.
Brooks Martin Backcourt has serious potential. They could avg. 50 PPG. They could also give up 40 PPG They'll just have to Score more
Brooks and Martin are going to win just because they are on the team. But after steve and cuttino's iso ball they changed the rules so that has to count for something. They also won 45 games with a very week supporting cast.
Personally, I think KM is on another level from AB, SF, and CM -- on the offensive end. I think this is why he receives "superstar" calls -- officials recognize KM is an elite player.
As much as I hated Francis and his ISO ways.... Him and Mobley at their prime (by the way was in different times) are better than Brooks and Martin.
If we're just talking about the talent (offense AND defense) of the duo and nothing else you gotta give it up to Francis and Cat. Hell I know Mobley would give it to Francis. Any day. All day. Sexually.
Its hard to evaluate because Francis meant so much more to the team before Yao. With Yao, Brooks/Martin, if the team relied more on the backcourt, Francis/Mobley. As much as I love Francis, his lack of a reliable jump shot without having to take a dribble was a serious drawback playing with Yao on a night in night out basis. Mobley and Martin are a wash because, Martin is the better score, Mobley was a really good defender.
I picked Brooks and Martin for the 3 Point shooting ability next to Yao. Then I did the math and discovered it was closer than I thought: Francis + Mobley = .3648 Career 3P% Brooks + Martin = .3788 Career 3P% Even though it's closer than I anticipated, I would still choose Brooks and Martin because I think Brooks is a better decision-maker than Francis was.
I am hoping that Brooks and Martin will be better then Francis/Mobely, but it is just too early. Martin and Brooks haven't played enough for me to take them over Francis and Mobley yet.
Stevie and Cat. Francis was explosive around the cup, had a ridiculous handle, was willing and capable in late-game situations, and he was as flamboyant and brash as they come.
I'd say Kev and Cat cancel out with Kev being a way more efficient scorer while Cat was a better overall player. Between AB and Stevie, I'd have to take AB. Stevie was a beast in his hay day, but we haven't even seen AB in his prime yet. Look at how AB has developed this season. He went from a choke-artist early this season to being incredibly clutch in what seems like every other game. To me, knowing what it takes to win games and the prowess AB has shown outweighs anything Stevie had to offer.
I think SF/CM are the better overall talent, mostly due to physical size. However, I'm not sure SF could have made the mental adjustment needed be effective with our roster next year. What a lineup though. PG - Francis, Lowry SG - Mobley, Chase/Battier/Ariza/Lowry SF - Ariza, Chase/battier/Jeffries PF - Scola, Hill/Jeffires/Hayes C - Yao, Scola/Hill/Hayes/Jeffries plus the draft pick. That's a very versatile roster. You can go heavy offense, heavy defense, slow down, and fast break.
My answer is limited by the fact that under Brooks & Martin I consider that Yao Ming has a better chance to get the ball passed to him. (I hope).
Francis prime > Brooks. Although Brooks can light it up whenever, Francis is very, very versatile. Martin > Mobley, but they have different games. Mobley was about moving without the ball and cutting to the rim, while Martin is all about moving without the ball, and taking a jump shot.
