I'd love to keep Battier, so doing a deal just for Billups (after they trade Carmelo elsewhere and realize they need to rebuild anyway) sounds just as good to me. I would even try to keep Brooks in such a scenario, even though that would certainly be problematic for one year, as Billups, Brooks, Lowry would be a total logjam.
Very true. The reason for trying to include brooks in my trade suggestion was basicly for the reason you stated above. If and when they aquire billups they simply cannot keep Brooks. It wouldn't be fair to him at all. If he goes to Denver he will have the opportunity to flourish in their uptempo offense. The rockets also have quality depth at the 3 that will benefit greatly from playing with billups. To a certain extent the Rockets would conceivably regain a level of defensive tenacity lost with the ron artest trade as they would have a defensive presence at the 1, 3, and 5 positions,
You sure about that? I see that he appeared to be 21st in point guards, but most of the guys ahead of him weren't the primary scoring options for their teams and didn't put up nearly as many shots.
34 years old, so while he is declining our two PGs would be getting much better. No thanks..... Last year his footspeed was noticably reduced, and players that age are not going to get better....his shooting percentages are declining, and his defense is just not there anymore. And he dominates the ball and does not move off of it......so again...pass....we are good at PG already. DD
I agree, DD. By the way, we had our chance to trade for Billups several years ago with Detroit ... T-Mac for Billups and Prince?
doubtful the sixers would pull the trigger on a deal that involves bringing in 8 new players... still fun to think about though.
This. He's not really what this team needs right now. He'd probably be a better fit as a one-year rental for a team like the Lakers or Celtics.
Ask yourself this though. Wouldnt you rather have Iggy/Billups than Iggy/Brand ? Or would you decline on both?
His shooting % is not considerably declining considering he was better than his career avg. from the field, FT line, and .02 off of his career mark from 3 not to mention besting his career avg. for rebounds, steals, and ppg
I would trade for Billups assuming there was a seperate trade sending out Brooks or Lowry for another major piece at the 3(Iggy, Granger, etc.)
The Rockets wouldnt be giving up both Brooks and Lowry in order to aquire Billups. Once Billups starts to decline the Rockets can start to increase Lowrys minutes. Another thing is that even though Billups is declining he was and will continue to be a better overall defensive player than Brooks, which is crucial in big game situations. What exactly do you think Brooks' ceiling to be as a player. His impact on the court is fairly one dimensional when compared to Billups. You speek of foot speed and quickness, but the Lakers won a championship with Derek Fisher running the point and in the playoffs teams are relegated to playing mostly halfcourt sets because of the defensive pressure. A player that can run the pick and roll and take contact is going to be very effective in those types of situations. Finally, Billups is a championship player that is not likely to get rattled or make a costly turnover in a high pressure playoff situation. Brooks in that regard is unproven. I agree that Billups is definetly getting up there in age, but how big do you really think the Rockets window of opportunity is?
Translation: Chauncey plays the same posistion as my butt-buddy so lets bad mouth him with no support in reality. His FG% last year was .418, after shooting .418 the year before. Great decline! More to the point, his TS% was .602 last year, after being .592 the year before. So he actually got more efficient last season, while scoring more per minute than ever before. In fact, Billups' TS% has hovered around .600 since 04/05. So there's no noticeable change whatsoever in his scoring efficiency over the last 5 seasons. (Brooks' TS% was .549.) As for him dominating the ball and unable to move off the ball: Usage % Brooks: 25.7 Billups: 24.3 So, Brooks actually used more of the Rockets possession than Billups did. % of FGs assisted Brooks: 39% Billups: 37%. Billups got pretty much of the same % of his FG off of someone else's work (i.e. off the ball) as Brooks did. As for defense... Not sure how much Billups slowed down since 08/09. I am pretty sure he slowed down since 04/05, but since when was Brooks even average on the defensive end? So what the hell are you really talking about?
QFT. Its not crazy to think that amidst the Melo aftermath the Nuggets would be willing to go into a cost cutting mode and take in expirings and future picks for Billups. A player with his experience and overall impact would solidify the Rockets position as a championship contender very much like the Piston's most recent championship team.
I wont pretend to know DD's mind. But consider the relative direction both players are going. Billups has sometime ago peeked, and is obviously going to decline in the next 2-3 years. How steep a decline in arguable. Brooks is still getting better and has yet to reach his peek. If your looking at this coming year alone, I might give a very slight edge to Billups mostly on the basis of his experience. But 2-3 years from now, Brooks will be the greater asset.
Billups is so much better than our PG's it's not even funny. He struggled the second half of the season last year, but the guy is still a beast. He's not selfish and doesn't dominate the ball, he's just a perfect floor leader. Look at Detroit now, they still haven't found a replacement PG that can give Hamilton the ball just where he likes it. You think it's easy to hit a guy coming off a screen, but timing is everything and few PG's have the game sense that Billups does. Don't forget that Martin's offensive game is just like Hamilton's, relying on screens and cuts. Playing next to Brooks, Scola, and Lowry forces him to be an iso player at times where he's a lot less effective. I swear the only player that consistently hits guys on cuts is Chuck and that's just f'ing ridiculous. Billups doesn't get a lot of fancy assists, but he'll get you the ball where you like it. IMO, that's just as good. Anyone downplaying Billup's abilities will change their tune in a second if he somehow ends up on the Lakers.
I dont think how good he was when playing at Detroit is relevant right now. And the 2nd half of last year may be indicative of things to come.
Age is obviously an issue, but that's not what DD talked about. Instead, he attacked Billups as having decling shooting %, dominates the ball, and does not work off the ball. He will eventually decline, but a few other smart PGs who don't rely on speed have thrived in old age (for example: Nash, Cassell, Stockton) and there's no reason why Billups cannot be effective for a few more years, particularly given that he has remained quite productive as he aged. A couple issues: 1. The 2nd half of last year is a relatively small sample, players have fluctuations in their shooting % often as a matter of luck rather than sign of aging. 2. Even during the 2nd half of last year, Billups had a TS% of .580. The primary factor in any decline from his earlier average of above .600 was lower shooting % from the 3 pt line. The cause of the declined shooting may be luck or may relate to George Karl's absence making the team kind of chaotic. But consider the following-- First, .580 is still a lot better than what Aaron Brooks put up. Second, unless there is a reason why 3pt shooting for a guy who doesn't jump much to shoot is affected by aging more than, say, 2 pt shooting or drawing fouls, I don't see how this proves Billups aged.
I think he's about as effective in Denver as he was in Detroit. Yes, his latter half of the season was horrible, but for a stretch of 25-30 games in the first half he was absolutely unstoppable, even when Melo was out. You can't focus on the second half and ignore the first. I'm not saying we need to get him. Age and contract are definitely a concern. But if he does somehow end up on our roster he's going to be productive in some way. I think he'll earn his contract.
