Because Mike James and Steve Francis are similar players (combo guards) and are thus redundant. Alston presents a change of pace as a pass-first (well, sort of) PG.
Its good to see Houston actually gettin some love from ESPN...all you ever hear about is the big 3 and cleveland..ugh spare me ROCKETS FTW
Well, the summer's almost over and the Rockets are still the most improved team. Most of the big name free agents are gone. So, unless the Suns grab KG, the Rockets were the big winners of the offseason. Thanks boy genius Morey.
look for a long run of playoff success with morey at the helm...finally a man with a plan instead of a schtick
I totally agree. I like to be optimistic at this point in the season too, but let's not go overboard. I wish I was more comfortable with Scola, he's a pretty big unknown, at least to me. If he doesn't play very well (barring another trade) then we have Hayes to fall back on. I like Hayes a lot but we know we need better. I have to see what James and Francis bring us at the point. For all the Rafer hate, he played 82 games last season, 37 minutes a game, and we won 52. He was there during the Tracy and Yao injuries and I feel he stabilized this team. Imagine, heaven forbid, we have similar injuries this year. How comfortable are you going to war with James and Francis? I think I want Rafer to stay and I'm fine with decreasing his minutes (esp. now that we have the players). He doesn't need shots and most of the time that is a good thing with this team. If we need to play others more in some games then do it. He is an average point guard in this league and anyone who says otherwise doesn't know bball very well.
1. Rockets needs good health more than anything else. TMac's back has to stay in one piece, Yao has to avoid freak injuries, Steve has to be Steve rather than the shell of himself in NY... and on down the line. I'm not worried about meshing, as long as these guys are healthy, Adelman will find a way. 2. Morey's next move may be another total suprise again rather than anything talked about frequently here... Scola was a total suprise, so were the draft picks Brooks and Landry. Steve was talked about frequently for sentimental reasons, but Morey and Adelman sure did their best to shot it down in the press... Morey calling him a long shot and Adelman chuckling off the mention at the Scola press conference--- and Morey later admitted both Morey and Adelman visited Steve at home during that same time to recruit him. Morey seems to make moves that either make people go go "Why the hell did we get this guy?" or make them go "How the hell did we get this guy?"
Yes, health is a huge issue. If we are healthy then our chances for success improve dramatically. But in the playoffs it often comes down to talent. Do we have enough talent now to play with the SA's, Phoenix's, and Dallas? I feel better now about our chances against the Jazz, but I'm worried about those three. I'd love for Morey to pull another great move. I'd like a solid veteran who plays D, doesn't need shots, can shoot a midrange J, and is on a good contract. Or I'd take a promising (young) athletic PF (or just great rebounder/defender) who is scratching the surface of his potential. The chances of getting of either of those seems pretty slim, but I'm not Morey so you never know.
I don't see that happening, as far as the Suns getting Kevin Garnett is concerned. Afterall, Kevin McHale is not shopping Kevin Garnett around, but only listening to offers for him. Likewise, Mitch Kupchak is not shopping Kobe Bryant around either, and is less likely to trade him. My feeling about any team in the league trading for either one of those two superstars is this: A team would have to gut out a good chunk of its roster to get either one of them.
Sura, James, and also David Wesley & Jon Barry. Not a DANG ONE of them a "true" point guard. (Charlie Ward stayed on injured reserve and Tyronn Lue was dealt) Not worried about Francis and James being on the same team at all. Rafer would be a good 2nd/3rd guy but past and present circumstances have it where it doesnt figure him accepting a role as a backup. Head, Brooks, Snyder, and possibly Bonzi or McGrady figure into the 2 guard or part-time point guard spots also, so its easy to see Rafer and somebody else besides Francis and James getting squeezed out of there.
This Rockets team reminds me of my high school chemistry class. I'd throw a bunch of reactive agents into a beaker and sometimes I would get a big bang and sometimes I would get sludge. I have high hopes for a big bang but there are so many unknowns (can Scola play in the NBA, how will former stars handle reduced minutes, will Bonzi make an effort, will Stevie dribble and dribble till Tmac just throws a shoe at his head) As far as defense, remember Coach TR knows a little something about playing D. Of course most of these guys are to young ro have ever seen him play and may not give him the respect he is due.
I had this thought too the other day. While JVG is known for D & Adelman for O, but D wins championships, how much of JVG's defensive philosophy carry over? You think this kinda situation happens in camp? Adelman: "I want blah blah blah on defense." RANDOM PLAYER: "But Coach, Gundy preached this about defense or that about defense." Or does all that go out the window?
I dunno if Scola can play or not but the fact that Fabricio Oberto was Scola's backup at Tau tells me a lot right there.
