It would be a mistake to lose either one. We have the assets and talent good enough to avoid that. I would love to have Carmelo on this team, but we don't need him. Especially if we had to give up one of our core. BTW, doesn't Carmelo have some kind of say in how the trade should be composed, seeing as he would not want to come to a somewhat depleted team. Besides, Battier, Bud, Hill and Jeffries + TE(for Birdman) pick(s) and cash should be enough to convince Denver to bite.
But he gives nothing in the defensive end so its a wash. I think some people in here are forgetting 2 years ago, when Brooks put the Rockets on his back and gave the Lakers run for their money. Martin on the other hand disappears down the stretch of games when his team needs him the most. So if we can flip Martin and change for Melo it would be a success.
Lowry is a suitable starting point guard. Chase Budinger is NOT a suitable starting shooting guard, neither is Jermaine Taylor. So it makes sense to ship Brooks away.
Neither is Brooks much of a defender. I am not totally sold on Melo's worth as the proverbial "elite" guy we are seeking. So I hope they don't trade either guy for Melo. But if we had to make a choice between giving up Brooks or Martin, I'd give Brooks before Martin everyday. Neither guy plays much defense. Neither guy, as I see it, will improve his game very much. Brooks may have a little more room, but Martin is clearly the better player now and Brooks may or may not be able to surpass him. Because of the perceived potential of Brooks, his value is perceived to be as high as Martin. You always take actually over potential unless the potential is so high that it's worth the gamble. IMO, Brooks' potential is not much higher than what Martin already is.
Brooks does a better job at it then Martin does. And AB more then makes up for it in the clutch while Martin like I stated disappears.
I don't have time to do the research right now. But do you have data to support the claim that Brooks is better than Martin in the clutch?
Don't have research man, I just watch games, and I would rather have Brooks have the last second shot then either Martin and Melo to be honest. But here us his scouting report before he was drafted. Link Strengths: Brooks is an above average athlete with great quickness Shifty ball handler capable of getting separation with fakes and stutter steps Perimeter shooting has improved greatly this year in consistency and confidence Is a capable three point shooter, off the dribble or with his feet set Good ball handler who likes to have his man play him for the drive then pull up for the mid-range jumper Explosive scorer who can reel off big points in a hurry Defensively he does a solid job of using his lateral quickness to disrupt passing lanes Leadership has emerged this year as he wants the ball in crucial moments of a game Great rebounder for his position Good passer when driving in the lane where he dishes off to open teammates Possesses good fundamentals and a good basketball IQ enabling him to make quality decisions on the court Excellent free throw shooter Great in the open court where he uses his quickness to finish with ease Clutch player who has hit a number of game winners this season
I watch games too. Brooks was more clutch in the 2nd half of the season, but in the first half, he was downright terrible if we were down. Only Nick Anderson has missed more crucial free throws. A scouting report before he was drafted is useless.
I don't know about Martin. But I think it is well documented that Melo is one of the best in hitting clutch shots near the end of game, better than Kobe. I am not a Melo fan, and honestly, I'd rather have Martin than him, even though he is clearly more talented. BTW, I am one of those who think "clutchness" is overrated.
So you wouldn't give up Brooks for Anthony? May I ask why? Sorry, but I just found this quote in the thread: I am on the fence about him as a winner...... So you are on the fence about Anthony being a winner? Is this the same Anthony that made it to the WC Finals before losing and averaged 27.2 PPG, with a PER of 24.3? The same year AB struggled in half the games the Rockets played during in the playoffs? That Anthony?
How valuable is martin when he misses 25 games a year and is a no show in the clucth? People think lowry effeciency will go up, but when he had the chance and pklayed more minutes, nothing changed. Give me the mis match and the guy who will play every game anyday.
Are you stupid? A scouting report projects a player's NBA performance based on his college performance. Once the player has a few NBA years under his belt (assuming he's played relevant minutes), his scouting report is useless.
I'd rather have a guy who is good for, say, 33 minutes while sucking in 2 minutes of potential "clutch" time if the team gets there than a guy who is average for 33 minutes and great for 2 minutes of clutch time. We can disagree about it, but it's pretty clear how the Rockets management thinks. Morey has stated time and again that he's not convinced that the data shows there is such a thing as "clutch," only "luck" and "small sample size."
