Aaron Brooks Burns Lakers

Written by Erik

Sunday, 10 May 2009 21:07

"No Yao, No Problem"

aaron brooks

Just when you (Laker fans) thought it was time to call it a series and look forward to meeting the Nuggets in the Western Finals due to Yao Ming's no longer being an inside threat; second year guard Aaron Brooks decides burn the LA for 34 points, which included 4 of 9 shooting from beyond the arc; 2 rebounds and 4 assists.

Looks like its still going to be an interesting series after all. Lamar Odom went down hard and had to leave in the 3rd quarter after having some back spasms. While the Lakers' losing Lamar is not exactly what I would call tit-for-tat compared to the Rockets' losing Yao, I am sure they still felt the impact of his absence.

Going back to Aaron, I personally feel that when young players get an opportunity to experience the higher level of play in the NBA playoffs; their NBA maturation process speeds up a notch or two. In the Playoffs, there are far more clutch situations and more and more plays become critical to execute to perfection. Aaron is in the thick of that right now. When the Houston let go of Rafer Alston, there must have been a glimmer of a bright future that they saw in Brooks.

On the fantasy front, I am looking forward to drafting Aaron next year. Not only does he not have any clear predators for his playing time and starting job, his willingness and drive to step-up in this Game 4 of the series has really given me cause to be optimistic about him. He will be one of the players whose "third-year bump" I will be looking forward to capitalizing on in next season's fantasy draft. Besides, we can almost count on - pretty much like clockwork - that Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming, and Ron Artest will miss some considerable regular season games due to one reason or another.

I would prefer to see him (Aaron) improve on his shot selection, his passing rate, and of course a few more steals too. The good thing about it is that he will have the opportunity to man-up and show what he's made of in the Rockets' series versus the Lakers. Frankly speaking, they really need him to do so. - There's no one left...

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written by Chay, May 11, 2009

More Assists would be nice for this guy.
But I think he will break out next season, like Rondo last season.

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written by Points in the Paint, May 11, 2009

I wouldn't be too quick to add the "like Rondo last season" part. I expect him to improve, but I have my doubts that he will be "Rondo" material just yet.

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written by with-malice, May 12, 2009

I'd hesitate before declaring this "an interesting series" just yet.
LA taking a supposedly weaker team for granted is nothing new, especially this season - something I pointed out in http://www.with-malice.com/200...it-is.html.