What is the difference between Aaron Brooks and Allen Iverson?

Just because you don't like Iverson's personality, doesn't mean that he was any less a special talent than most recognize him for. You can put him down for his personal life to no end, but he was a great player. Brooks might be a great player, but at similar points in their career, as great as Brooks is, it isn't even close.

 

Tfor3
I stated that AB is young and thus I don't think he will be remembered on a AI level. I, like nobody else knows the future. As for the whole AI being a thug argument, please, so the guy has made some mistakes in life. Who hasn't? Not that it's any business of ours what occurs in someone else's life. He's shown remorse, it's over. The guy was a great basketball player, who never played with anyone special for the prime of his career. I guarantee you that if you asked AB himself about AI he would say he isn't on his level. And that's nothing against AB, I like him, he's probably the best player on this team. Besides Yao, of course, though injured.

 

Your reasoning is why we have Gilbert Arenas bringing guns into the locker b/c as long as you are damned good you can do what you want.

Iverson was a GREAT little guy. Yes he was, GREAT. But AB is a GREAT little guy as well with a similar game. He can be as good as AI or damned close--especially when he gets the calls that he is due. Stat wise and entertainment wise, AB will never generate those stats when Yao and Mac's replacement hit the floor--he won't need to.

 

no, gilbert arenas was wrong for what he did and iverson was wrong for his past mistakes but that doesn't take away what he did ON THE COURT.

tiger woods screwed up but he is still a great golfer. like i said bringing ones mistakes has no validity in a conversation about skillset on the court.

 

No doubt, b/c AB is a class act.

 

well said

 

we are also talking about how one is remembered and frankly all the off court stuff makes iverson a career scrub...with no rings to boot.

u may not agree, but that is how I see it.

 

Iverson can't run offense of a team (team player)he was along with eric snow


brooks can run the offense of a team

 

no, people were talking about how one is remembered on the court.

but you think what you want and other people have thier own opinions.

i like t think about someones legacy and greatness at their craft not dwell on personal mistakes because i myself am not perfect and not a saint.

iverson has cleaned up his act off the court and left his stupidity in the past is now a positive role model for people with mistakes in the past to see it time to grow and leave that foolishness behind.

 

and they lived happily ever after.......

once a thug, always a thug.

I already said he was a GREAT, GREAT scoring little guy with no rings---that sums him up.

 

Brooks is getting better,he has a long way to go before he can run the offense of a team. Iverson could pass better than Brooks,and there were times when he got double digit assists but he was resistant to playing team ball.

 

Granted, it's true that the man may not have had the highest basketball IQ, that much is true, but he was still a heck of a player. Morey himself said that hustle is a skill, and it's one that Iverson certainly had. I'm certainly not a person with a "thuggish" mentality, and I'm not one of these guys littered with tattoo trying to make personal statements like Iverson, but it's not fair to deny the type of player he was. Would I choose Iverson as a role model? No. Would I choose Brooks as a role model? Certainly before Iverson, but this isn't really about that, this is about their individual basketball abilities. As to the arguments of a person's morale in the NBA, frankly you shouldn't follow the sport at all if that's what you care about since so many of them are out there having illegitimate children and being knuckle heads.

 

Not a game, not a game,

we talking about

 

forgot Brook can shoot from three

 

I think Iverson's ability to get the line and finish around the basket better is entirely due to being both physically and mentally stronger as well as having better body control.

I'm not sure how you're coming to the conclusion that Iverson has longer arms and, particularly, bigger hands. It may be true but I'm not sure what you're basing it on. Brooks has longer arms and bigger hands than Chris Paul but Paul is also a better finisher around the basket and gets to the line more frequently.

Brooks has pretty long arms and big hands for somebody his size and I don't think Iverson is more than half an inch to an inch taller than Brooks, if that. I've seen Iverson's true height listed in a lot of places as closer to 5'11. I also remember seeing Brooks and Iverson standing next to each other a few times in recent seasons and there was no discernable difference in their heights from my perspective.

Check out how Brooks measured up compared to some other small players, particularly in terms of wingspan and standing reach: PRE-DRAFT MEASUREMENTS

I don't have any numbers on the size of his hands but I imagine they're as big as anybody's in his size range.

 

I would say one more thing: Iverson could lead a team, like he did back then. The guy, faults aside, is a dude who seriously, seriously cares about basketball, and is insanely hellbent on winning. Basketball simply is the dude's life. It's not that way with Brooks, who understands that there are things more important than basketball - remember when he was in Oregon or something, he seriously considered quitting basketball because he was worried about his girlfriend and new kid or something and how they would survive. I can't see Iverson doing that. At all. Not that that's a good thing objectively, but from a purely basketball lens, it's an incredible thing.
Honestly, I love Brooks, but to compare him to prime Iverson is ridiculous.

 

They might be equal in quickness but Iverson is stronger, longer, can jump higher, better body control and has slightly better size. Also, on the top off all that Iverson was relentless as well. Those are basically the reasons Brooks just doesn't have the upside which Iverson had and that's fine with me.

 

if that's your perception then so be it but i just have to disagree because i've seen and read stories of guys who once were considered "thugs" that changed their lives around and turned into god guys who has done many positive things for others and their community.

but this has already gone to ff-topic about things other than basketball skill.

at least we both can agree he was a very good player.

 

How is this thread still going?

Anyone see Iverson's FIRST NBA game?

Hell if AB in his prime could be a rookie AI i would be very happy.