lets just say the OP is right. okay, who is at the reins ? meaning Parker had a disclipinarian of a coach in Popovich to crack down on him when he was out of control, and to mold him into a player who knows when to attack and when to pull back. is Adelman the right coach for Brooks to learn the craft the way Parker has? RA seems a little too free wheeling for the task I believe.
If this isn't overrating a rookie, I don't know what is. As a PG, the points Parker scores in the paint is ridiculous. Brooks has ways to go if he wants to become a starter.
Just FYI: In 8 games between the 3rd of April and the 16th of April (we went 6-2) Aaron Brooks compiled the following stats: 18 minutes per games 49% from FG (28/57) 44% from 3pt range (11/25) 87.5% from FT (14/16) 10.1ppg 2.875 assists per game 0.875 TO per game 3.28:1 asst/to ratio This is what I was talking about. He showed improved passing, and was able to find places to score. I truly enjoyed his performance over these 8 games. If he can put in 20-25 minutes next season, with a 2.5:1 asst/to ratio, close to 40% from 3pt range, close to 45% from the field, I would be ecstatic. There would realistically be no one in the FA market I would rather have. We need to trade Bobby Jackson and sign Damon Stoudamire because THAT's how Brooks can mold his game.
He played well for 8 games but I wonder what his next 8 games looked like? The problem is he was a rookie and inconsistent. Inconsistency comes with being a rookie so Adelman did the right thing by riding him while he was hot and sitting him when he was struggling. We had an agenda and that agenda was to win. With Brooks making rookie mistakes winning becomes a difficult task. As for Stoudamire. You want to bring him in just so Brooks can mold his game after him? Stoudamire is done now and has nothing left in the tank. However, when he was young Brooks can only dream of having the type of career Stoudamire did. Mighty Mouse averaged 19ppg 9 assists and 4 rebs as a rookie while winning rookie of the year. Once again just let Aaron Brooks develop into Aaron Brooks and don't set the standards too high.
Brooks has far more raw talent than Parker ever did. And there is no player in the league any faster than Brooks, not even Parker. Brooks is also a better shooter than Parker, even though the percentages suggest otherwise. I know Parker has become a reliable mid-range shooter and is one of the league leaders in shooting percentage among PGs over the last few years. He worked hard to improve his shooting technique and consistency and was rewarded for that effort. At the same time, though, he plays in a highly disciplined system and is surrounded by the necessary talent that has allowed him to become a more efficient shooter and player, in general. Brooks' only clear weakness is his size. At the same time, he isn't Mugsy Bogues. He is a legit NBA 6'0 with long arms and big hands. If anything, Parker was a great student and was fortunate enough to come into a great system. If he had played for most any other team in the league, people would barely even know who Tony Parker is. Simply put, Brooks is the better talent while Parker is the more polished player thanks to being a Spur.
You're going about it all wrong. We're comparing Brooks to Parker in his rookie season. Also, I'm not saying he's as good, but I'm saying there are similarities in their rookie seasons and games which are interesting.
The next 6 games were the playoffs and he played poorly, obviously. But that's expected. Playoffs against Deron Williams and the Jazz? He did what he could. The experience will definitely help him though. Hopefully it will help him work on his game this summer. As for Damon Stoudamire, yes, we all know he's almost done. But the idea is that he can compete with Brooks for the backup PG spot. While competing for that, he can be a good mentor for Brooks with his STYLE. Rafer will get 30 minutes if he's here, which leaves 18 at backup PG. You don't think Brooks+Stoudamire can handle that? I think they absolutely can. Would be great for Brooks' development. I'm optimistic heading into next season that Brooks will bevisibly better. Hopefully he works on his strength because he will need it.
I just want to say, do u think Brooks could have done this as a starter? Year Age Team Lg G Min Pts PPG FGM FGA FGP FTM FTA FTP 3PM 3PA 3PP ORB DRB TRB RPG AST APG STL BLK TO PF * * 2001-02 19 SAS NBA 77 2264 705 9.2 268 639 .419 108 160 .675 61 189 .323 33 164 197 2.6 334 4.3 89 7 151 166 Those are Parkers numbers as a starter. The same yr they won a ring with Speedy as a backup. I believe Brooks could have did the same thing. I really didn't like the trade for jackson because if nothing else, Brooks was developing as opposed to the team going nowhere with jackson. I keep going back to the spurs for a reason. They had Avery moving on and his backup, antonio daniels all set to take over. They draft parker and in the preseason saw enough of him, they shipped daniels out and went with parker. He struggled, but sometimes you just have to go with a guy with the upside. We've seen th best of rafer,jackson,head and francis. Rafer,Francis,and jax are backup materiel. The unknown and the player with the higher ceiling is brooks. Once Yao went out and the championship dreams of the franchise was gone, the season should have been toward developing players while still making the playoffs. Brooks should have stayed playing through his struggles. I don't care what system u put rafer in, he always going to be a up and down shooter and scorer. Francis is washed up and jackson is a energy chucker.
The only thing that Brooks has in common with Parker is bad court vision for his position. Parker is the best finisher in the league at the point. Aaron Brooks isn't close.
It's too early to tell whether he'll be anywhere near Parker. Comparing first year is still not very accurate. Currently, he is very confident, hesitate in his play and inconsistent but he is in his first year only. I have got to see him play for another year.
His size limitations doesn't concern me as much as at 1st. When the 1st drafted the guy, I'm thinking jl3 over again. Now I think his size isn't as big of a issue because he can get from a to b in a hurry. We've tried this broken down, nobody want pg for long enough. I'm always amazes at how the rox are in win now mode, eventhough they haven't won anything. At some point just develop ur players and let them play. We're all sitting here and coming up with 3rd scorer ideas and trade scenerios because the win now mode cost the team rudy gay. If the organization drop the dead weight like rafer,jax, francis at the pg and actuall add a guy with a great talent, then u roll. When u look at the pg crop minus brooks, none have a great talent. There isn't anything that rafer,jackson, and francis has that u can say they have great talent. Francis used to be a great athelete. Rafer was a great playground legend. Jackson wasn't ever great at anything. The rox have a guy with a great talent which is speed and quickness. With the rules about handchecking, he should be starting or at least playing a lot of minutes.
Probably take another 2 years before we see a good NBA pt guard in Brooks if he can get over his bricks.
Tony Parker is deceptively strong. He's able to bully Rafer Alston around the basket despite not having any sort of size advantage. He is able to take the bump and still finish. I don't think Brooks will ever be close to being as good a finisher at the basket.
He would have to model his game after Monta Ellis or Iverson. I don't think Brooks has the leaping ability that Iverson has but he is quick. He plays out of control right now like a lot of rookies. He needs to slow it down and learn when to turn the afterburners on.
Good Thread. I agree that pg upgrade is the # 3 priority behind getting a scoring 6 ft 5 plus wing and a solid PF/C to back up yao. Dont get me wrong though. If they have an opportunity to get a hinrich or calderon via trade they should def listen up. If the Rox address their top 2 priorities and cannot find a definate upgrade to Rafer, I dont think they should go out and make a lateral move just to try something different. I think Brooks should earn his minutes by way of Rafer. Rafer has what Brooks lacks. If he can learn from him battling in training camp it will do wonders for his development. Signing pot head stoudamier is not the way to go. He is washed up and no longer competing at a high level. Rox already have Francis for another season so it makes no sense to aquire a fourth washed up pg to clog the rotation. I definetly feel that Brooks has the potential to beat out Rafer for the starting pg spot. If and when he does beat him out he will have earned that spot. Until the I think he should be the Rockets 2nd pg in the rotation. As far as the Tony Parker comparison is concerened, I think it is legit and warranted. I think he can contribute in the way that parker did early in his career. When Morey drafted him he envisioned him contributing in the way Parker does for the Spurs. That being said, Morey and Adelman are going to be patient with him. They will challenge him and keep him in the teams plans for a couple more years while monitoring his progress. I think Adelman is very intent in putting AB in a position to succeed with the team. The reason AB has not made more of an impact yet is because the game hasnt slowed down for him yet. He has the ball handling ability speed and athleticsm to make it happen, but until he sees the floor better it wont matter. I agree that what he is lacking in actual height when compared to Parker, he makes up for in standing reach and jumping ability. I mean the kid was catching alley oops in the summer league, when was the last time anyone seen parker do that? If nothing else, I hope the Rox do not trade him for a player that is not a definate upgrade at the position. I hope they keep Brooks as the # 2 pg and give him consistent minutes through out the season. IMO, Jackson and Francis are expendable. If they have to lose pg depth by way of trading B Jackson and or Francis in order to plus up the sf-sg/center position. I am all for it!
Now he is, but early in his career, he wasn't strong at all. He was all speed and quickness. It wasn't that long ago after winning a ring ring when the spurs flirted with the idea of trading parker for kidd because of parkers lack of focus and maturity. They stuck with him and the game is slowing down for him. Brooks has long arms and big hands to go along with his quicks and speed. Will he be a finisher like parker? Dunno, but if he gets stronger in the core, he'll definitely be able to abosorb contact better and finish. When I referred to the similarities, I'm saying in terms of quicks and speed early in the careers. As a rookie, parker avg 9.2pts on 41% fg. His 2nd yr he was 15ppg and over 45%. I would rather go with brooks and his up and down as opposed to rafer as a 31 yr old and his up and downs. Brooks probably could have been a 9ppg rookie this yr. Then next season, he would be 12-14ppg type guy. Most people want this 3pt threat at the pg, but parker is a terrible 3pt shooter who rarely shoots them because he can get to the paint. That's what brooks can and should do. A penetrating guy that can get below the ft line really compromises ur defense. U add a artest to the mix now u have something that can work.
