الأربعاء، 9 فبراير 2011
Rockets' Brooks apologizes for leaving bench Saturday
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Rockets guard Aaron Brooks said he was frustrated with his playing time in Saturday's win over Memphis.
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Contrite and “embarrassed,” Rockets guard Aaron Brooks returned on Tuesday from his one-game suspension vowing to make up for leaving the court in the fourth quarter on Saturday.
“Just a lot of emotions, just a bad, bad, terrible decision,” Brooks said. “I’m going to try to make up for it any way I can, just play hard and show I’m truly sorry.”
“Emotions got the best of me. It was an embarrassing moment for myself. I wish I wouldn’t have done it. That’s not the type of guy I am.”
Rockets coach Rick Adelman said he was convinced that Brooks would not make the same sort of mistake again and would return him to his previous role in the rotation as Kyle Lowry’s backup at point guard, often playing as a shooting guard with Lowry and sometimes finishing games. He said the Rockets do not intend to trade Brooks.
“He just made a big mistake,” Adelman said. “That’s not like Aaron. He’s one of the guys I gave the ball to and I still think he can be a terrific success in this league. I told him that tonight. ‘There’s a lot of people in this league who love you.’ Now everybody … is going to think we want to trade you someplace. That’s not going to happen either.
“It’s just one of those things. I think he’s truly sorry it happened. As a coach, you have to move on to. You can’t sit there like you’re holding any kind of grudge.”
Brooks said he intended to apologize directly to the team having already apologized to Adelman and the coaching staff and to general manager Daryl Morey.
“Emotions got the best of me,” Brooks said. “It was an embarrassing moment for myself. I wish I wouldn’t have done it. That’s not the type of guy I am. I love this team. I just want to send apologies to everyone, to Mr. (Leslie) Alexander, to the GM, to coaches and especially to the team because I let them down. It was just a big mistake. That’s not me. That’s not part of my character. And it won’t happen again.
“I don’t just say stuff just to say it. I’m genuinely sorry. Hopefully my play and my hustle will show I’m genuinely sorry and I’m here for the team.”
Brooks, last season’s Most Improved Award winner, had been upset in the preseason about the Rockets’ decision not to extend his contract and has been frustrated by his struggles since returning from six weeks out with a sprained left ankle. He said the contract status was not part of why he was upset on Saturday, when he left the court after being removed from the game with 6:45 remaining in the fourth quarter.
“I love being a Rocket,” Brooks said. “I love being here. Right now, my play has not been where it needs to be and I need to pick it up personally. I feel when I’m doing what I’m capable of doing, what I’m accustomed to doing, then everything will take care of itself.”
Adelman said he had spoken to Brooks about his place in the rotation, diminished since last season and before the injury this season, about 10 days ago. He has often cited his difficulty distributing backcourt minutes.
“I’m not going to change the way I coach the game based on someone’s reaction to what happened,” Adelman said. “I told the players that all along. That’s one thing that’s in my control; who I’m going to play. I’m going to play the people who I think are going to win. But they control what they do on the court with the minutes they get. That’s what he has to understand.
“I told him that tonight when I took him out, it wasn’t just him. The game was slipping the other way. I put our five best players in to try to turn it around and win the game and we did. You’re not worried about one person’s feelings.”
Memphis led 80-77 when Kevin Martin, Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola returned to the game.
“I’m not really mad at the coaches for the way they’re handling it or the way they’re doing things,” Brooks said. “I just have to be a better person, kind of man up and take responsibility and take responsibility for what I’ve done.”
This post was written by: Franklin Manuel
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