Searching for Bobby Jackson

Searching for Bobby Jackson
From Yao Central

Daryl Morey is a genius. A stat guru if you will. No doubt he has a horde of interns stashed away in some dark place hammering out the latest in stat-based qualitative algorithms. But Aaron Brooks was Rick Adelman's guy.

Speed. That's the dimension that Adelman wants to add.

A lot been said, obviously, about the surprising to everyone but the Rockets selection of Aaron Brooks at the 26th pick, but all the Rockets did was hold fast to what they set out to do, draft for talent instead of need. But the perception of talent if subjective. Admittedly, my own initial reactions to the selection of Brooks and Newley were of disappointment, but that was largely due from the left-field nature of the picks, and shock really. I retract the statement that Brooks was a "terrible" pick, I thought he was a great player even then, just not right for the Rockets. John at Yao Ming Mania has his own take on why the picks make no sense and its financial. But actually, the surprise at Newley was only because I hadn't known about the trade for Landry until later. Newley might actually be the kind of slasher/shooter the Rockets need when he finally becomes available. He's an Aussie, too, so tough as nails, but if its speed they wanted, they didn't get it. Obviously, Spain's Rudy Fernandez would have fit the bill if the Rockets had been able to finagle the position, but they didn't.

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