Houston Rockets vs Minnesota T'wolves @ 6pm Central 11/07

[Teckon]

Brooks will be out 4-6 weeks. http://twitter.com/Jonathan_Feigen

Lowry has some back issues. Ish will have significant playing time in the 4-6 weeks.

[inquisitive]

Here is my question to any of you. If we get on a little winning streak for the next few games, should we continue to have Ish start even when Lowry and Brooks return? Or do we go back to our 'normal' rotation?

I say start Lowry.

I agree. He can play defense, so that is something we still need.

[inquisitive]

Per Jonathan Feigen Brooks out 4-6 weeks:

After 4-6 weeks,the Rockets will know what they have w/Smith.
If they’re comfortable w/him as the back-up,do they trade Lowry? (Using Lee as the defensive PG.)
If Ish shows he could be seriously considered for starting PG duty,do they move Brooks for another young player?
Suddenly the next few weeks will be far more interesting than just winning and losing.

Looks like we're having alot of depth at the point. Any of these 3 could be good trade bait in a month or two.

[Joseph17]

I'm not really comfortable with Lee as the starting pg, but if I had to trade a pg it would probably be Lowry. His contract is the worst out of the 3 and he could easily be replaced by another pass first defensive pg. I think it's a lot easier to find a pass first defensive guard than it is to find a talented scorer like Brooks. There's really no reason to trade Brooks since the Rockets could really use him as a spark off the bench and his contract is good.

[The Franchise_]

I think the offense looks a lot more fluid with Ish running the point than with Aaron or Kyle. We have enough scorers, and having a quick, pass first pg who gets everyone involved seems to be keeping them focused. The body language on the court looked better than it has all season the last two nights. I know it was only the Wolves, but even against the Spurs last night, the offense seemed to start clicking once he was inserted into the lineup. It's not only that he makes the right decisions, but he makes the right decisions on time. In all of the games so far there have been a lot of instances where a man would be open, yet Kyle and Aaron would make the pass a second to late for them to have an open shot. Ish already seems to have a better grasp on how to run the offense than both of them and he's only been here for two months. He may be a poor shooter, but he's an above average floor general which is exactly what this team needs. Not someone shooting us out of games looking to his next contract.

[M4P]

I'm not really comfortable with Lee as the starting pg, but if I had to trade a pg it would probably be Lowry. His contract is the worst out of the 3 and he could easily be replaced by another pass first defensive pg. I think it's a lot easier to find a pass first defensive guard than it is to find a talented scorer like Brooks. There's really no reason to trade Brooks since the Rockets could really use him as a spark off the bench and his contract is good.

Actually it's sort of the opposite. How many undersized scorers are there in the league? Now compare that with the amount of pure, defensive-minded PGs.

[Aaron Brooks]

Ish is great......................in transition, but in the halfcourt hes average. He'll dribble around and either pass or brick a floater, not exactly setting his teammates up. He has his moments though, and I do like his defense.

[Joseph17]

I'm not really comfortable with Lee as the starting pg, but if I had to trade a pg it would probably be Lowry. His contract is the worst out of the 3 and he could easily be replaced by another pass first defensive pg. I think it's a lot easier to find a pass first defensive guard than it is to find a talented scorer like Brooks. There's really no reason to trade Brooks since the Rockets could really use him as a spark off the bench and his contract is good.

Actually it's sort of the opposite. How many undersized scorers are in the league? Now compare that with the amount of pure, defensive-minded PGs.

The Rockets could get Will Conroy from the D-League if they are interested in a pass first pg. You could have Conroy as the starting point instead of Lowry and you probably wouldn't notice that much of a difference. You saw what happened tonight with Ish Smith at point. He's a 3rd string pg and even he did a decent job of filling in for Lowry. There isn't a 3rd stringer/D-Leaguer in the world who could step in and score like AB. I agree that finding a pass first pg like a Chris Paul type is rare, but it really wouldn't be that hard to replace a guy like Lowry.

[M4P]

I'm not really comfortable with Lee as the starting pg, but if I had to trade a pg it would probably be Lowry. His contract is the worst out of the 3 and he could easily be replaced by another pass first defensive pg. I think it's a lot easier to find a pass first defensive guard than it is to find a talented scorer like Brooks. There's really no reason to trade Brooks since the Rockets could really use him as a spark off the bench and his contract is good.

Actually it's sort of the opposite. How many undersized scorers are in the league? Now compare that with the amount of pure, defensive-minded PGs.

The Rockets could get Will Conroy from the D-League if they are interested in a pass first pg. You could have Conroy as the starting point instead of Lowry and you probably wouldn't notice that much of a difference. You saw what happened tonight with Ish Smith at point. He's a 3rd string pg and even he did a decent job of filling in for Lowry. There isn't a 3rd stringer/D-Leaguer in the world who could step in and score like AB. I agree that finding a pass first pg like a Chris Paul type is rare, but it really wouldn't be that hard to replace a guy like Lowry.

Kyle Lowry is miles ahead of some scrub like Conroy. There's a reason why he''s not in the NBA anymore.

If there are tons of talented, defensive PGs out there in the D-League, how come teams like GS, CHA, and SAC haven't taken advantage of it?

[aznkillabeezZz]

Ish is great......................in transition, but in the halfcourt hes average. He'll dribble around and either pass or brick a floater, not exactly setting his teammates up. He has his moments though, and I do like his defense.

agreed. He looked gr8 today though. Halfcourt D is below avg. His shooting is horrible but he is streaky sometimes. Great FB player. I'll say i'm confident with him running point vs ridnour or telfair.

Now that we beat the worst team in the league, we should get some momentum to beat a wee bit better team next. Btw , I'm still not impressed with kevin love, for the kevin love riders out there.

[inquisitive]

I'm not really comfortable with Lee as the starting pg, but if I had to trade a pg it would probably be Lowry. His contract is the worst out of the 3 and he could easily be replaced by another pass first defensive pg. I think it's a lot easier to find a pass first defensive guard than it is to find a talented scorer like Brooks. There's really no reason to trade Brooks since the Rockets could really use him as a spark off the bench and his contract is good.

I would trade Brooks or Ish though Ish is showing promise. They might all end up still being with the Rockets for the whole yr considering Lowry's ongoing back issue which can linger all year like T-Mac a few seasons ago. Thus, they might keep all three unless there is an offer they can't refuse. I am also hoping that JTaylor gets some playing time and does well. Thus, the league can see how good he is and JT will become good trade bait also. This injury to Brooks could be a blessing in disguise. I'm already liking the pace of how we play. Now, does anyone think that maybe Yao is not quite the fit for this team? Should we dangle Yao out there to see what kind of offers we receive?

[Mr. E]

New Drinking Game Rules for 2010-2011:

1) Any time someone suggests we trade Yao, you must take a drink.

2) Every time Mr. E responds, pointing out how valuable Yao is to Les, you must take a drink.


Yeah...that's right - I'm in an official rule. I'm going to get proactive in my efforts to destroy livers this season!

[Joseph17]

If there are tons of talented, defensive PGs out there in the D-League, how come teams like GS, CHA, and SAC haven't taken advantage of it?

Didn't Garrett Temple come from the D-League? He did a pretty good job for the Rockets. Obviously him and Conroy aren't as good as Lowry, but that wouldn't matter that much because we don't need a lot out of that postion. They are like LA in that aspect. Fisher isn't really a great player at all at this point in his career, but the Lakers are getting by with him at point.

[Joseph17]

I'm not really comfortable with Lee as the starting pg, but if I had to trade a pg it would probably be Lowry. His contract is the worst out of the 3 and he could easily be replaced by another pass first defensive pg. I think it's a lot easier to find a pass first defensive guard than it is to find a talented scorer like Brooks. There's really no reason to trade Brooks since the Rockets could really use him as a spark off the bench and his contract is good.

I would trade Brooks or Ish though Ish is showing promise. They might all end up still being with the Rockets for the whole yr considering Lowry's ongoing back issue which can linger all year like T-Mac a few seasons ago. Thus, they might keep all three unless there is an offer they can't refuse. I am also hoping that JTaylor gets some playing time and does well. Thus, the league can see how good he is and JT will become good trade bait also. This injury to Brooks could be a blessing in disguise. I'm already liking the pace of how we play. Now, does anyone think that maybe Yao is not quite the fit for this team? Should we dangle Yao out there to see what kind of offers we receive?

The NBA is a business. That's all I'm going to say about you wanting to trade Yao. If you want to trade him for a superstar I'm all for it. If not, the Rockets are better off keeping him.

[grond]

I'm not really comfortable with Lee as the starting pg, but if I had to trade a pg it would probably be Lowry. His contract is the worst out of the 3 and he could easily be replaced by another pass first defensive pg. I think it's a lot easier to find a pass first defensive guard than it is to find a talented scorer like Brooks. There's really no reason to trade Brooks since the Rockets could really use him as a spark off the bench and his contract is good.

Not sure at this point you can really make Brooks a spark off the bench for this team given his history with the team already - though I agree that is the role most suitable for his capabilities and playing style.

> re: Ish

Did not see any preseason stuff, so the Spurs game and this game is all I've got to go on, but ... pretty much agree with what 'the franchise' said about Ish and the way our offense is much smoother under his direction. He's a little taller than both AB and Lowry, plus has superior handles to either (especially Brooks), which gives him the time to see and make decisions. Defense is good as well (QUICK hands, good lateral mvt), and will only get better as he gets more game experience, dealing with screens etc. Seems to have instinctive awareness of spacing and where he ought to move to.

Loved the move where either Scola or Yao was in the post and his man was laying off him, doubling Scola/Yao without the ball and daring him to shoot, so he cut past the post dribbling through the lane and when his man followed him just dumped the ball into the post off-the-dribble-behind-his-back and continued his cut to the other side taking his defender with him and leaving a nice post-iso. That's the sort of move that gives you confidence in your PG right there.

[Aaron Brooks]

Someone make a gamethread

[MaxRider]

Someone make a gamethread

someone with a better luck make one
i'm 0-2

[rocketsballin]

1-0, i am 1000 precent, the proof is in the hot dog

[Aaron Brooks]

1-0, i am 1000 precent, the proof is in the hot dog

Make one, you have 2 minutes