By Josh Reese

When Mike D’Antoni was announced as the next head coach of the Houston Rockets, daydreams and fairy tales of reviving the Seven Seconds or Less offense filled the heads of everyone from management to players to fans.

The easiest parallel a person could make between the old Phoenix Suns offense and the Rockets was the way James Harden would become Steve Nash 2.0.

Another parallel between the two teams are speedsters off the bench: Corey Brewer and Leandro Barbosa. The role won’t be as critical as Harden playing Nash, but if Brewer can become the second coming of Barbosa it will go a long way in making the Rockets a serious contender.

“Different games,” Mike D’Antoni said when asked if he can see Barbosa’s game in Brewer. “But the energy and just the fallout throttle all the time, yeah. I’m looking to having his energy on the floor every night.”

Barbosa was an all-out blur, during those years with the Suns — heck, his nickname is the Brazilian Blur — he could be seen streaking toward his rim after a rebound, and finishing off the play with a layup before the defense even knew what hit them.

To read more, please click here