I was at my day job when I first read it on my phone, Rockets deal Alston to Magic for Cook, Lowry. It took a moment to sink in. We traded Rafer? Not McGrady? Not Artest? Was this the move thats going to put us over the top? I didn't know what to think. I didn't know who to ask. I didn't even know who Cook and Lowry were. ESPN was touting this as the biggest trade of the deadline, saying Rafer was the missing piece for the Magic as they had lost Jameer Nelson for the season.
That could be. After all, Rafer was our leader, the floor general who we so desperately needed in the playoffs last year. He might have his nights where he was 1 for 9 with more turnovers than assists. Those nights where he couldn't hit the bottom of the net if it the goal was the size of a medicine ball. But he meant more than that, didn't he? Some would say he gave us heart, attitude, toughness. He doesn't miss many games, and he always left everything he had on the court.
Not only that, but who was left in his place? 24 year old, second year in the league, six foot if he's got six pairs of socks on, Aaron Brooks. Now Mr. Brooks has been a fine player, in a back up role that is. Is he ready though, ready to take Skip's spot, ready to take this team into the playoffs?
After the initial shock, I thought about one man, the Rockets GM Daryl Morey. And i remembered all the good moves he's made since he arrived. And that helped to ease the tension. Somewhat.
I immediately did a little research on the two new Rockets, and it raised my eyebrow just bit. Brian Cook just seemed like a throw in, probably to make the money work. I doubt he'll get many minutes with guys like Scola, Landry, and Hayes in front of him. But Kyle Lowry seemed to have potential. He's about the same height as AB, but is around 40 pounds heavier. A star out of Villanova, he'd been playing in a back up role in Memphis, and everyone who spoke of him had nothing but praise. He was a "hard worker", "smart player", "attentive on defense", "takes charges like a man". He was young, only in his third year, but I started feeling a tad better about the swap.
Maybe this will work out after all. It wasn't a sexy trade by any means. We lost a floor leader and a sometimes fan favorite, and gave up some size at the point(Brooks and Lowry give up two inches to Alston) as well as experience. But on the flip side we got a little younger, a little faster, and a better starting scorer. Houston's been on a tear lately. Brooks has had some of his best games so far and Lowry has been impressive in his limited minutes. Rafer has brought together a team who looked lost without Nelson, as Orlando has only lost three games since bringing him over. So, is it possible this is a win-win for each team? Seeing how the Rockets and Magic, in my eyes, are the third best team in each of there respective conferences, I certainly hope so.
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