SACRAMENTO — DeMarcus Cousins scored 23 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Aaron Brooks scored six points down the stretch to lift the Sacramento Kings over the Golden State Warriors 94-92 Monday night at Sleep Train Arena.
Nov 062012
Aaron Brooks breaks tooth diving for loose ball during Kings’ loss to Bulls (VIDEO) (Ball Don’t Lie)
Nov 012012
Hey, what’s up, Aaron Brooks? Welcome back! We hope you had fun in that lockout-spurred year with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, but we bet you’re pretty happy to be back in the good ol’ NBA, your ol’ stomping grounds, the comfortable ol’ confines in which nothing bad ever OH WHOA HEY LOOK OUT
After making a 3-pointer to cut the Chicago Bulls’ lead over his Sacramento Kings to five points with 2:31 left in the fourth quarter of their season-opening matchup on Wednesday night, Brooks pressured the dribble of Chicago’s Kirk Hinrich, forcing the Bulls point guard to bang the ball off his leg and cough it up near midcourt. The two dove for the loose ball, with Brooks getting to the deck first.
In football, the time-honored adage is that in any head-to-head meeting, the low man will always win. In basketball, it seems, the low man will get his face driven into the court by Kirk Hinrich’s descending armpit, cracking a tooth and sending it skittering onto the floor. (Shouts to Kings athletic trainer Pete Youngman for stoically accepting the unenviable task of locating it, scooping it up, placing it on a towel like some kind of dark ring bearer at a wedding you’d rather not attend, and spiriting it away.)
Jul 162012
After not doing much for the entire offseason, the Kings got busy, trading for small forward James Johnson and signing free-agent point guard Aaron Brooks to a two-year deal.
The Kings got Johnson from the Toronto Raptors. In exchange, the Kings are giving the Raptors a second-round draft pick in 2014. Johnson will be entering the last year of his contract and is slated to make $2.8 million.
Although he’s certainly not a star, he should immediately help the Kings. As a small forward, he fills a position of need for the Kings. He’s not a great scorer, only averaging 6.6 points over his career and 9.1 points per game last season.
However, he’s a very good defender, he’s athletic and at 6’9″, 245 pounds, he’s bigger than most small forwards he’ll be going against.
Sacramento opened last season playing John Salmons at the three. But after an underwhelming performance for the entire first half of the season, Salmons was relegated to the bench.
Tyreke Evans spent some time playing the three at the end of the season. It wasn’t Evans’ most productive basketball. But after playing point guard for his first two seasons, Evans might have just needed some time to adjust to the new position.
Because of the logjam at point guard, it would seem that Evans will likely play much of his minutes at small forward this season. Even then, James Johnson should get plenty of minutes and have a chance to impact games for the Kings
Aaron Brooks will contribute to the aforementioned logjam at point guard. But he’ll also contribute much more than a simple rotational player.
Brooks played in China last season. He last played in the NBA in 2010-11, when he played for the Phoenix Suns.
Despite only being 27-years-old, Brooks has a storied and decorated past in the NBA. He was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2007. After sitting on the bench for much of his first season, Brooks started playing more and more minutes for Houston in 2008-09, starting the final 35 games and playing well during the playoffs.
Brooks hit the ground running the next season (2009-10), averaging 19.6 points and 5.3 assists. It was enough to earn him the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
The following season (2010-11), Brooks’ last in the NBA, was somewhat of a disappointment. He was supplanted by Kyle Lowry as Houston’s starting point guard to open the season. Then midway through the year he was shipped to the Phoenix Suns.
The Kings are hoping that Brooks can return to his 2009-10 form. Still in his physical prime, it would seem that Brooks still has the skill set that made him good. The question is whether or not he’ll be able to adjust back to the NBA after playing in China last season.
It’s a gamble worth taking for the Kings. It’s only a two-year deal. The first year is said to be around $3 million, so you’ve got to think the second year isn’t astronomically higher.
Considering the Kings had Isaiah Thomas capably manning the point last season, it would seem to be a position of strength now. Brooks will likely get a shot to start, but if he’s not performing up to expectations the Kings have a good backup in Thomas.
On paper, the Kings are better because of these acquisitions. They’re a deeper and more experienced team. Now they’ve got to go out and prove it.
Follow me on Twitter: @SimRisso
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Jul 162012
The Sacramento Kings have reached an agreement on a two-year deal with free agent guard Aaron Brooks, the Sacramento Bee reported Monday.
Jul 162012
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Sacramento Kings have signed point guard Aaron Brooks.
Jul 162012
The Sacramento Kings just added a new perimeter presence to the roster.
Update: Monday, July 16 at 5:50 p.m. ET by Sam Quinn
According to SI.com’s Sam Amick, the details of Aaron Brooks‘ contract with the Kings have been fleshed out:
Aaron Brooks’ deal w/ Kings averages $3.3 million on a two-year deal, player option in the second year, source tells SI.com.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 16, 2012
Brooks cashes in on a decently-priced contract for both team and player after spending a season overseas in China. The player option stipulation is nice for Brooks, as he can opt-out of the contract if his performance next season is worth more than $3.3 million.
The 27-year-old point guard is at the perfect age for a two-year deal, as he will surely be able to find another suitor when he hits the market when his contract is up before he hits 30.
—End of Update—
Free-agent point guard Aaron Brooks announced on Monday via Twitter that he would be joining the Sacramento Kings for the 2012-13 season:
Sacramento Kings…..
— Aaron Brooks (@Thirty2zero) July 16, 2012
That abbreviated announcement obviously doesn’t offer specifics, but the Kings now have another outside shooter to complement Marcus Thornton and Isaiah Thomas.
The 27-year-old former first-round pick out of Oregon is likely to be a backup to rookie sensation Thomas, who was a revelation for the Kings last season, leading the team in games played and finishing second in player efficiency rating behind DeMarcus Cousins.
Brooks spent the 2011-12 lockout-shortened season playing in the Chinese Basketball Association for the Guangdong Southern Tigers, where he scored 40 points in one game and was named to the All-Star team.
The last NBA team Brooks played for, the Phoenix Suns, withdrew its qualifying offer to Brooks, which put him on the market as an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Brooks was part of a 2011 deal that sent him to the Suns and Goran Dragic to the Houston Rockets.
In the 2009-10 season, Brooks averaged 19.6 points while starting every game for the Rockets and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player.
It isn’t known how much Brooks will be making this upcoming season, but the Kings don’t have much cap space left after the team acquired James Johnson from the Toronto Raptors earlier on Monday for a 2014 second-round draft pick, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein.
The Kings now have a full roster for the upcoming season, barring any other transactions are carried out.
Stay tuned for the specifics of this acquisition once they are revealed.
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Jul 162012
The Sacramento Kings are close to a two-year deal with free agent guard Aaron Brooks, according to Alex Kennedy of Hoopsworld.com:
Free agent Aaron Brooks is on the verge of signing a two-year deal with the Sacramento Kings, according to sources close to the situation.
— Alex Kennedy @AlexKennedyNBA July 16, 2012
Brooks himself somewhat broke the news this afternoon with this tweet:
Sacramento Kings….
— Aaron Brooks @Thirty2zero July 16, 2012
Brooks played in China during the NBA Lockout, and was contractually ineligible to return to the NBA until his deal with the Guangdong Southern Tigers finished. He played his first three seasons with the Houston Rockets, before being traded to the Phoenix Suns in February of 2011 for guard Goran Dragic. In 2010-2011, he averaged 10.7 and 3.9 assists per game but shot just 37.5 percent from the field
The Kings have two second-year point guards on the roster, with Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette likely to compete with Brooks for minutes.
Thomas, the incumbent starter, was the 60th overall pick in the 2011 draft, but finished with a strong rookie season, averaging 11.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. In the 37 games last season in which he started, he averaged 14.8 points and 5.2 assists a contest.
Fredette, the 10th overall selection in the 2011 draft, struggled his rookie year and averaged just 7.6 points on 38.6 percent shooting.
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Jul 122012
The NBA free-agency period has been a frenzy thus far, but the craziness is beginning to subside and O.J. Mayo is one of the marquee players still available.
Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry are all off the board. Roy Hibbert will reportedly be brought back to the Indiana Pacers, and Eric Gordon likely won’t be leaving New Orleans.
That leaves just a handful of impact players still available.
Here are all the latest rumors on some of the biggest names left in free agency.
O.J. Mayo
The Memphis Grizzlies opted not to send a qualifying offer Mayo’s way, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Mayo has had to wait for the market to take shape, but now that top shooting guards like Allen, Terry and Gordon have found permanent spots, he will be a coveted player.
ESPN’s Marc Stein reported via Twitter that the Phoenix Suns, who appear to have failed to get Gordon, will make a play for Mayo.
If Hornets match PHX offer sheet to Eric Gordon, as they’ve vowed, desert sources say this is definite: OJ Mayo will be courted hard by Suns
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 11, 2012
The other team reportedly pushing to sign Mayo is the Indiana Pacers, who, according to the Indianapolis Star’s Mike Wells, have “great, great interest” in the shooting guard.
Mayo is a potent scorer who has averaged 15.2 point across his career. Players who can shoot the ball like he can will always have a place on an NBA roster.
Ramon Sessions
Sessions is arguably the best point guard on the market after Williams, Nash, Kidd and Goran Dragic are all off the board.
The former Los Angeles Laker averaged 12.7 points and 6.2 assists during a partial season in L.A. this past year.
His speed and athleticism caught the eye of the Dallas Mavericks, who have plenty of work to do in order to complete their roster. ESPN’s Jeff Caplan reports that Sessions wants a long-term deal, but also wishes to make more than the $4.55 million wage he was set to earn before opting out of his contract.
He may have to budge on one of these demands, but Dallas is quickly running out of options and desperately needs to start adding quality players in the backcourt.
Aaron Brooks
If Sessions is not the best point guard available, then Brooks is.
Brooks spent last season playing in China, and the Phoenix Suns decided not to make a qualifying offer after signing Goran Dragic.
Now, the Houston Rockets are reportedly interested Brooks, according to Stein.
Word is Rockets coach Kevin McHale had an evening visit on this Sunday with a former Rocket traded before McHale got there: Aaron Brooks
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) July 9, 2012
This would be an odd turn of events, considering that these moves would reverse a trade that sent Brooks to Phoenix and Dragic to Houston in 2011.
JaVale McGee
The athletic center is a restricted free agent, and in all likelihood he will be back with Denver Nuggets this season.
Sam Amick of SI.com reported via Twitter that the Nuggets are negotiating with McGee and are interested in keeping him around.
Source says Denver’s talks w/ restricted free agent C JaVale McGee are progressing and all signs point to his Nuggets tenure continuing.
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 11, 2012
The Nuggets should hurry up and finalize a deal as the Blazers are throwing offer sheets toward every decent restricted free agent center across the NBA. The Denver Post speculates that Portland will go after McGee next.
McGee is one of the best shot-blockers in the league, and the Nuggets would be wise not to let this situation stall.
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Jul 112012
Dorell Wright is now on the way to Philadelphia for the rights to Edin Bavcic, a 28-year-old Bosnian power forward, and the first step of the Warriors revised off-season game plan is complete. The salary necessary to sign restricted free agent Brandon Rush is now available.
According to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group, the Dubs now have $8 million to use under the luxury tax threshold and makes them a legitimate player for the less attractive, but still quality free agents remaining. With the signing of Rush at $5 million per annum, they will have room for one or possibly two position fillers.
The Dubs could also use the $8 million for a trade, but they will probably elect to fill crucial holes on the bench. GM Bob Myers said they wouldn’t spend extravagantly, but they need to complete the roster. The Dubs also acquired a $4.1 million trade exception that could be used in the future.
Dominic McGuire, who was considered to be a non-factor if the Dubs secured the services of Brandon Roy, is now back a potential option. He had played with Washington, Charlotte, and Sacramento before joining the Dubs last year, and is looking for a permanent home.
Other names that have arisen in talks with GM Bob Myers have been JJ Hickson and ex-Warrior Antawn Jamison. Hickson is a former target of the Dubs, who lost their chance to obtain him last year when the Portland Trailblazers snuck in when he was on waivers.
Jamison can provide bench time, but he is at the end of his career and doesn’t have the strong body for a true PF. He has the tweener body that was criticized when the Dubs went on a tweener drafting frenzy in the early 2000s.
Carl Laundry is also available as an underrated free agent who plays PF, but has been down trending as of late. He made $9 million last year as a Hornet, and would have to accept a salary in the range of the $5 million mid-level exception.
The other dire need to be filed this offseason is at point guard. There are many options available including Jerryd Bayless, Raymond Felton and Aaron Brooks.
Nate Robinson, who filled in for the injured Curry last year, is an option, but he is looking for a multi-year deal. The Dubs will sign him as a last resort.
The Dubs will have to maximize the money and spend wisely with the remaining funds. Their payroll will be clogged for the short term by the contracts of Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson.
However, the young foundation will really have a chance to grow when those contracts expire after the 2013-14 season. The biggest problem will be next offseason when Stephen Curry becomes a restricted free agent.
The Warriors will have to find some wiggle room or be able to trade the final year of either Biedrins or Jefferson in order to afford Curry. His injury will lower his cost unless he doesn’t get hurt next season. That will be next year’s off-season game plan.
Myers has set the Dubs up well for a big payoff in 2014 when the Dubs will have a solid foundation and it will be the first time that Golden State will be a legitimate attraction to marquee free agents.
Until that time, Myers will have to use one or two-year deals to fill the holes and let the young players develop into stars.
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Jul 092012
Deron Williams, Steve Nash, Jeremy Lin and others are already off the board or limited to two possible teams, but plenty of other solid options remain available at point guard.
These are the options that teams like the Dallas Mavericks—ones hungry for a floor general—should be looking at.
Point guard is always one of the more glamorous positions on the basketball court. The 1-guards have the ball in their hands, they call the shots and they make many of the highlights.
However, glamour isn’t all they’re about. Finding a quality point guard is essential if a team hopes to compete because the offense has to flow.
These are the six-best point guards left on the market.
D.J. Augustin
A restricted free agent who last played with the Charlotte Bobcats, D.J. Augustin’s foray into the market has been greeted with a surprising amount of inactivity.
While he may never be an elite floor general, he’s still one that’s more than capable of holding down a starting job. Additionally, the price to lure him away from the Charlotte Bobcats may be cheap, as he’s blocking the takeover by Kemba Walkers.
Blazingly fast and improving as a distributor, Augustin is a solid option for teams desperate for a point guard.
Jerry Bayless
Jose Calderon has prevented Jerryd Bayless from ascending into a starting role during recent years, but he’s still got plenty of time left if he’s going to blossom into a quality point guard.
Bayless is undoubtedly a shoot-first, pass-second floor general, but his ability to find teammates is well above average.
His all-around offensive games should earn him a larger role with some team out there, now that he’s an unrestricted free agent, although he’d garner more attention if he could play defense at a higher level.
Aaron Brooks
Don’t sleep on Aaron Brooks now that the former Most Improved Player has stopped playing for the Guangdong Souther Tigers and is looking to come back to the NBA.
Brooks last spent time with the Phoenix Suns in The Association during the 2010-2011 season. His play dropped off after his MIP campaign, but his 40-point performance against Tianjin Ronggang showed he’s still got some game.
The point guard is quite quick, but he has to become a better facilitator if he’s going to earn a starting role once more.
Raymond Felton
If Raymond Felton is motivated to stay in shape and to not join forces with Jamal Crawford in a rebellion against the coaching staff, he’s a legitimate starting point guard in this league.
He’s still only 28 years old even though it seems like he’s been in the league forever. I’d guess that the perception stems from his seemingly constant changing of uniforms.
Felton’s ability to involve teammates is impressive, and he’s a capable scorer although he can struggle in the painted area. His defense remains at a high level and should stay there assuming, once more, he stays motivated.
Ramon Sessions
Ramon Sessions is getting an undeservedly bad reputation right now, as he’s become one of the scapegoats for the Los Angeles Lakers’ exit from the playoffs. Yes, Sessions was terrible during his first postseason appearance, but don’t judge him based on just that small sample size.
This point guard is one who’s typically efficient, choosing the right spots to shoot and the right times to pass while limiting his turnovers.
He’ll never blow you away, but Sessions is a bona fide starter in this league and should be given that type of role.
Lou Williams
It’s hard to think of Lou Williams as a point guard because of his role as the sixth man for the Philadelphia 76ers who came into the game and led the team in points per game. However, point guard is indeed the primary position for this 6’1″ player.
Williams is a scoring machine who sometimes forgets that he has an off switch. He loves to shoot the ball as often as possible and becomes a rather inefficient scorer as a result.
Fortunately for whoever signs him, Williams does manage to limit the turnovers and mitigate some of the damage done by his inevitable missed shots.
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