Trial & Aaron The Rockets know Aaron Brooks will struggle but were pleased to see him bounce back after Saturday’s debacle in Chicago Knowing it would happen eventually, Rockets coach Rick Adelman needed to see his new starting point guard flop, or more to his point, he needed to see what would happen next. Adelman knew there would be some tough times along the way, though he might not have predicted the crash and burn of the Rockets blowing a 17-point lead in fewer than six minutes Saturday in Chicago. The test would be in how he bounced back. “He’s got to go through it,” Adelman said. “He’s got to figure out what decisions he is going to make, and he’s got to stay aggressive. I thought he got very unaggressive in the fourth quarter. We were very impatient. Aaron will get better as he goes through it. He’s going to have games like that where things aren’t going to go his way, especially on the road. It’s a process.” Adelman is so confident in the Rockets’ move from veteran Rafer Alston to the second-year Brooks, he let Brooks, 24, suffer through most of the meltdown, believing it would make him stronger. When everyone else fell apart, too, the Rockets had the greatest fourth-quarter collapse in franchise history. “There were times I thought about changing things up, but you got to let him go through it,” Adelman said. “Unfortunately for us, it wasn’t just Aaron. I don’t remember ever seeing a collective effort like that.” Turnaround Sunday But a day later, Adelman saw just what he expected. A game after Chicago rookie Derrick Rose burned Brooks, scoring 16 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter while Brooks went 2-for-9, Brooks hit the Timberwolves for 22 points and a career-high 10 assists with just one turnover in an easy win. “I’m really pleased,” Adelman said. “He came out aggressive.” Brooks (6-0, 160 pounds) played with the mix of poise and aggressiveness that had abandoned him less than 24 hours earlier against the Bulls. “Personally, I thought it was probably the worst quarter I ever played,” Brooks said. “It’s 82 games, as I’ve been told. I wanted to make sure that game didn’t get me down for (the next) one. “I’m glad the (next) game was quick. I think as a team, we bounced back.” That was not all. When the Rockets built the 17-point lead midway through the fourth quarter they coughed up the night before, Brooks said he never checked the scoreboard, never let himself think about avoiding another breakdown, concentrating, instead, on the game. “I tried not to look at the clock this time,” he said. “I think if you start looking at the clock, you start … trying to run the clock out.” Dual point guards The other difference was that for the first time since the Feb. 19 deal for Kyle Lowry, the Rockets used Brooks and Lowry together extensively in the second half, largely to force the Rockets into better ball movement. “He’s a great penetrator,” Brooks said. Playing with Brooks allowed Lowry to play deeper into the fourth quarter. It requires he take on some tough defensive assignments, but does allow him to play to his strengths on the other end, getting the ball into the lane. “He can relax and let me bring the ball up, and come off scoring,” Lowry said. “That’s what he’s good at. I like it. I think it can be a dangerous combination. Him coming off the ball, coming off screens, it’s hard to guard because he can score the ball. “I don’t have any problem going out there and getting him the ball and being a complementary player to him. I think I’m starting to get familiar with the guys. Everybody is starting to jell together. I’m starting to learn players and learn situations. All it takes is a little time and things will get smoother.” That is roughly what Adelman wanted to see emerge from Saturday’s struggles. It was progress. The Rockets added that it is not enough. “I’m still not satisfied,” Ron Artest said. “I know he (Brooks) played better. I’m not totally satisfied with him the same way I’m not totally satisfied with myself. I know he can play better.” http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6290472.html
Gotta love Ron Artest. He says things to make sure players don't become complacent and gets them motivated to improve.
Perfectly logical play Brooks and Lowry together. Brooks plays combo; Lowry plays point; team gets better ball movement.
I was wondering why Adelman didn't bring in Lowry when Rose began torching AB, so it was deliberate because he wanted him to play through it. Not sure if I like Lowry/Brooks as a back court pair either, that's an awfully small back court.
o come on, he played THE WOLVES...if he bounced back against A DECENT team that's something to say, but the wolves? cmmmmonnnn mawwwn when aaron has the confidence to just tell artest NO he will leap tiers in the pg world
This is good news - Aaron saying blowing the 17 point lead to the Bulls being his worst quarter he's ever played. Alston has been responsible for blowing many huge leads this season, and that's just Alston being his normal self.
Brooks should not be a starting point guard in the NBA, not now, anyway. I was so upset how he was abused and still made poor decisions. If you can't play defense due to physical limitations, whatever. But you make up for it by being a smart player. Trial and Aaron? Soooo clever, like totally
hoping prob not good enough, he 'd better start to pray to whatever gods he believes in, now. I m sick and tired of ppl prasing AB while trashing Rafer, the way I see it, the only thin AB is more promising than Rafer is, well...he looks more promising.
I knew adelman had left him in there intentionally...thats what I love about this coach..he is a genius...he doesn't mind taking a loss here and there just to teach his players something....he is always looking at the bigger picture...I really really hope he stays the coach here for a long time.
I don't think AB could made some achievement. or lowry improve his shooting this summer,he should be more compentet the first PG than AB.
What exactly has Rafer done for us? NOTHING! Now I'm not one of those people who thinks AB is the next coming of AI, but he is an extremely solid players and he is only a sophomore. The guy has improved a lot really fast...giving him the starting position was the right thing to do...this is how great players are created. He will suck on the defensive end some nights, but I guarantee you that he will improve his defense because he has shown he is capable of improving necessary aspects of his game.
I guess you can say Adelman lost that game on purpose... well then I guess I was wrong in my assumptions...
Well, what else is he gonna say? I made a mistake, our pg can't and never will be able to guard anyone bigger than 170 pounds? He's just making crap up now because its easy to after a win. I sure as hell didn't hear any of this after the loss.
If you follow basketball then you would know that Adelman is known for his patience with players....he lets them play throught almost everything...that is why you do not see him call timeouts that much when the opponent catches on fire....he expects his team to play thru it and learn. IMO that is one of the main reasons he has been so successful as a coach.
That, Ladies and Gents, is the biggest difference between Rick Adelman and Jeff Van Gundy. Van Gundy worshipped every game. He had a better record of beating the teams that should be beaten, because he focused on ekeing out victories night by night. He also had a solid record of losing regular-season games to the teams we would eventually face in the playoffs. What remains is to be seen is whether Adelman's alternative approach, letting the team lose games in the hope of developing greater capability in the long term, will pay off in the playoffs.
