So is Brooks the backup PG by default?

[Guy986]

Brooks and Skip are really the only two point guards left on this team. Head is garbage and Francis is washed up. Is Aaron ready for consistent minute as a backup? The guy is like 160 soaking wet....

[Guy986]

No i haven't forgotten about Brent Barry. The guy will probably play some spot minute at the 1,2,3 but he's freaking 37. When was the last time he handled PG duty?

[tisbee]

Guy986,
Last yr some for the Spurs.
Adelman wil prob do something like he did last yr and at start of 2,4Q bring in Barry and Brooks together. Barry will act as the PG and Brooks will be free to do the Bobby Jackson role. If Brooks can't handle defending other points,we might see Head there(assuming he's still on team.)
But I woud expect the team to try and get a back-up PG. The catch is the teams that have a bunch of PGs all have young ones(Portland,Memphis). And it's hard to see the Rockets bringing in a young PG until they know Brooks won't be the answer.

[BaYBaller]

Head never was and probably never will be a PG. He's also not good defensively nor can he finish well around the rim. His only saving grace was his jumpshot but with Barry coming in I fully expect him to be out of the regular rotation next season.

As for Brooks nobody can answer the question if he's ready to play back-up PG. He certainly was not ready last season, which is the last time we've seen him. If Francis is healthy I believe he has a very good chance of taking on that role, but in all likelyhood it's going to be another season of Alston @ 35+ min with Barry taking up the remainder. With the additions of Artest and Barry there will be little minutes to spare at the guard positions in the regular rotation.

[RayStats34]

No i haven't forgotten about Brent Barry. The guy will probably play some spot minute at the 1,2,3 but he's freaking 37. When was the last time he handled PG duty?

Yea Brent Barry is the back up point guard even though aaron Brooks will be the back up he won't handle the ball much with Brent Barry in the game.

[tisbee]

BaYBaller,
If Brooks can't defend the back-up points he'll likely face,we'll prob see Head take his place. Either way Barry will act as the PG and Brooks/Head as a SG. Plus they'll prob be teamed w/Artest who can kinda make plays and can help bring the ball up against pressure.
Luther actually did a decent job as the back-up point a couple of yrs ago. Then Utah's Price destroyed him in the Playoffs. Just as Price killed Jackson and Brooks last yr. Then he did the same to Lakers' Farmar,effectively ruining Farmar for the rest of the Laker's run. Price may be the best back-up PG around,and he's going to be a FA after this season. He's one player I wouldn't mind seeing Rockets overpay for.

[franchise73]

if francis is healthy hes dafenatly going to be out backup point guard. We realy need his talent if he can bring it!!

[Guy986]

We probably have the weakest PG rotation among playoff teams.

Maybe Milwaukee is worse but are they even playoff contender?

[MaxRider]

our PG's primary job is to bring the ball upcourt and give the ball to T-Mac without turning the ball over
Barry, Francis, Brooks all qualify
problem is ... can they guard opponent PG

[franchise73]

our PG's primary job is to bring the ball upcourt and give the ball to T-Mac without turning the ball over
Barry, Francis, Brooks all qualify
problem is ... can they guard opponent PG

Rafer can do that plus he can hit the 3 if we need him. And if Steve is healthy he can panetrate inside if T-Mac is on the bench. I think Francis and Brooks are best at driving it in with speed. But they should only do it if were winning by 20 pts lol

[BaYBaller]

BaYBaller,
If Brooks can't defend the back-up points he'll likely face,we'll prob see Head take his place. Either way Barry will act as the PG and Brooks/Head as a SG. Plus they'll prob be teamed w/Artest who can kinda make plays and can help bring the ball up against pressure.
Luther actually did a decent job as the back-up point a couple of yrs ago. Then Utah's Price destroyed him in the Playoffs. Just as Price killed Jackson and Brooks last yr. Then he did the same to Lakers' Farmar,effectively ruining Farmar for the rest of the Laker's run. Price may be the best back-up PG around,and he's going to be a FA after this season. He's one player I wouldn't mind seeing Rockets overpay for.

I'm unsure why you believe Head is significantly better than Brooks defensively, other than size. While we have seen very little of Brooks and what he may or may not be capable of in the future, we've seen enough to know that Head is below average defensively. Head is neither fundamentally sound on defense nor does he have the athleticism, length, speed, or craftiness to compensate for it.

[rocketworld]

when does training camp start?

[tisbee]

BaYBaller,
I completely agree Head doesn't have the speed to stay w/the top Western PGs and that overall he is weak defensively. The problem is Brooks has shown almost no ability to defend anyone. He hasn't learned to use his quickness to harass,draw charges,etc. On the offensive end he wasn't drawing fouls and was struggling w/his shot. So if Brooks can't offset bad defense w/offense Adelman may well go w/the guy who can at least hit the open 3 and make the cuts Rick's offense calls for.
Please note I'm not proclaiming Brooks a flop. Morey said it would be 2 yrs before Brooks would be ready to contribute. For Brooks to be able to get rotation minutes on a 55 win team in his rookie season exceeded all expectations. It's just that if Brooks wants to stay in the rotation he's going to have to produce on either the defensive or offensive end. If he doesn't he'll be replaced by Head.

[A.J.]

Brooks should be the starter, but if Francis doesnt get cut and has a great training camp and preseason, he gives us the best shot to be great than Brooks.

[Guy986]

Brooks should be the starter, but if Francis doesnt get cut and has a great training camp and preseason, he gives us the best shot to be great than Brooks.

Starter? You must have high hopes for Brooks.

[MaxRider]

our PG's primary job is to bring the ball upcourt and give the ball to T-Mac without turning the ball over
Barry, Francis, Brooks all qualify
problem is ... can they guard opponent PG

Rafer can do that plus he can hit the 3 if we need him. And if Steve is healthy he can panetrate inside if T-Mac is on the bench. I think Francis and Brooks are best at driving it in with speed. But they should only do it if were winning by 20 pts lol

problem with
Francis - turnover
Brooks - defense

[TMACFORMVP]

Brooks should be the starter, but if Francis doesnt get cut and has a great training camp and preseason, he gives us the best shot to be great than Brooks.

Starter? What does he honestly do better than Skip, lol?

I'd be pushing for Francis, he was actually playing consistent ball last season off the bench. When we made him a starter and started giving him extended minutes was when the past problems of ball dominance and turnovers became an issue. If he comes into camp in shape and accepts a back-up role he could still potentially be a very valuable asset to this team. As of now nobody's proven anything, training camp and pre-season should tell a lot.

[BaYBaller]

BaYBaller,
I completely agree Head doesn't have the speed to stay w/the top Western PGs and that overall he is weak defensively. The problem is Brooks has shown almost no ability to defend anyone. He hasn't learned to use his quickness to harass,draw charges,etc. On the offensive end he wasn't drawing fouls and was struggling w/his shot. So if Brooks can't offset bad defense w/offense Adelman may well go w/the guy who can at least hit the open 3 and make the cuts Rick's offense calls for.
Please note I'm not proclaiming Brooks a flop. Morey said it would be 2 yrs before Brooks would be ready to contribute. For Brooks to be able to get rotation minutes on a 55 win team in his rookie season exceeded all expectations. It's just that if Brooks wants to stay in the rotation he's going to have to produce on either the defensive or offensive end. If he doesn't he'll be replaced by Head.

I just don't see Head's perhaps marginally better defense warranting him a spot at back-up PG over Brooks. Brooks still is far and away the better ball-handler and is overall better on offense. Brooks can really change the pace of a game with his speed, really push the ball and give the team another look (potentially, he hasn't shown much yet).

Sure Barry can probably bring up the ball and do some limited playmaking instead of Head when he's in the game with him, but you do not want Barry bringing up the ball vs pressure. You need a true back-up PG for that.

Like I said though I still hold out hope for Francis. It is still unclear to me how much of his struggles last season were due to injury, being out of shape, or him just pouting. He would be our best defensive option by far at back-up PG and he has the handles as well.

[DraftBoy10]

Head's not "marginally" a better defender than Brooks is. Head has guarded two guards, while Brooks can do **** on defense against 1s.

Head will have a much easier time guarding 1s. On top of that, Head over the course of the REGULAR SEASON is a much more consistent and efficient shooter than Brooks. Head is someone who puts up in the low to mid 40 percentile beyond the arc.

However, I feel neither should play

Alston-34/Barry-14
Tmac-34/Battier-8/Barry-6
Artest-30/Battier-18
Scola-14/Landry-24/Artest-10
Yao-34/Scola=14

[A.J.]

Brooks should be the starter, but if Francis doesnt get cut and has a great training camp and preseason, he gives us the best shot to be great than Brooks.

Starter? You must have high hopes for Brooks.

Oh snap, Type error.