Clutch, the important thing you're forgetting is that James hasn't shown he can be a contributor on a championship team or for the Rockets, except for when he was.
I would have a agreed with you a couple of years ago. Possibly even this year. But that's a stop-gap solution and certainly isn't a solution for the long term (meaning 3-4 years).
yes. he lit it up. Appeared in 22 playoff games for NBA Champion Pistons, averaging 2.6 points, 1.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists I also will never forget his contributions against our Dallas playoff series - his fearlessness going to the hoop one on one. over and over.
Rafer and Kirk might be the two players that can help us advance through the playoffs. If Rafer just starts shooting the ball better; he is a very streaky player. His career percentages shows this.
It's amazing how people on this board are brainwashed...Without James we would not have Games 1,2, or 6 in the 04-05 series. He shot over 50% from 2pt. range during the course of the series and I distinctly remember Avery Johnson telling the media that they had to figure out a way to stop MIKE JAMES. Dallas even put Darrel Armstrong on James in game 7 in an effort to slow him down. To put down his contributions for our team, especially in the playoffs is pure idiocy. Talk about how Rafer is great all you want, but don't rewrite history for your own argument.
Hi, I'm an idiot! Rewritting history of Mike James amazing play during our playoff series with the mavs in which he hit a whopping 0% of his three pointers and dished out 2.3 assists a game while averaging 1.4 turnovers a game. His 1.9 rebounds per game and 11.6 points a game must be what you are referring to as the difference maker. sorry for rewriting the amazing playoff history of Mike James. or maybe you are referring to his professionalism in game 7 "James' fit was even more intense. So upset that Armstrong wasn't called for a foul while blocking a layup, James ran back and fouled the first person he saw. He began ripping the referee and was hit with one technical, then another. He even shoved away the team's trainer when he tried escorting him off the court." I'm back to work... you guys have fun.
while you real men discuss basketball try and keep in mind that 46.7% only equals 50% if you are going to round up stats. Try not to fall into that "brainwashed rewriting of history" trap as you are well aware I do from time to time. Best Regards, Brock
hey guys i'm trying to find Rafer's playoff stats but can't find it. I looked on NBA.com and all I saw was 7/2.2/1.7 (.77 TOs a game) on .319% shooting Surely this isn't the same Rafer that we know.
Yeah, you seem to be doing a great job on both items so far in this thread. Damn ... I got nothing that can top that. James shouldn't get anything that he doesn't earn. If the Rockets acquired him, he'd have to earn the starting job over Rafer (and that's not a given). I don't see the Rockets wanting to move Rafer... but even if they did, what could you get for him? (seriously) On the flip side, there is a difference between acquiring James via trade now (and basically bailing him out of a bad situation) and trying to lure him as a free agent from Toronto after a season in which he shot 47% from the field and 44% from long range and Rafer shot 37+% and 32+% from long range. Exactly how would Rafer have earned that position and how were you luring James with the promise of being a backup again? Last night Rafer was terrible with his stroke (though he had it going on the previous 3 games). JVG had him benched at crunch time, and the Rockets pulled away then. I'm not saying it's because Rafer was on the pine, but if he had not been on the bench, there would be fans telling us that Rafer running the offense was invaluable during that stretch -- or worse, the reason Yao and T-Mac got their shots. In my opinion, James is the best of Luther Head and "enough" of Rafer Alston's point guard attributes for this offense to not be the turnover/ballhandling/passing liability that Luther can be. And as Deuce pointed out, you still have Rafer. It's not like all your eggs are in one basket (as they somewhat are right now with Rafer alone). Rafer could possibly provide things that James can't at times, but that's why I've felt he is more of a situational role player than a heavy-minute starter -- or as I said then, <a href="http://www.clutchfans.net/news/1348/hard_look_rafer_alston/">a liability as a starter and a luxury as a backup</a>. However, if Rafer upped his percentages I would change my opinion ... his three-point percentage has gone up, which was very important, but overall he's still quite mediocre.
Heh - Mike James is to Clutch like V-Span is to me. At least Mike James has proven something in the NBA......V-Span.....well, we shall see. DD
The Detroit Pistons did not need Mike James' scoring. They had plenty of scorers on that team. Memet Okur, Rip, Chauncey, Sheed, Tay, and so on. They used him along with Lindsey Hunter to pressure the ball handlers on defense which seemed to work out pretty well if you ask me.
He wrote "from 2pt. range", not overall from the field. James hit 54.7% from inside the arc that series.
I agree... Except you called me emotional and now I want to fight. we'll see what happens in the off season. I would rather have someone better than James but I agree that he might be a bargain this summer. Hopefully someone else will be available and the lure of playing for the new NBA champions will be too much to resist. As for the poster asking about Rafer's playoff stats - they aren't pretty. But his last appearance in the playoffs (and he's only had three - his first two years in the league and then in 2004) he averaged 14.5 minutes in 22 total games - hit only 30.5% of his shots and only 22.6% from downtown. 1.3 rebounds, 1 assist and .2 steals a game while averaging 4.1 points a game. I expect him to do better... *really goes back to work now*
Rafer: vs. Dallas this year (4 games): 11.8 ppg 39.5% FG 6 apg 3.25 TOpg vs. SA this year (4 games): 12.8 ppg 45.5% FG 5.5 apg 2.75 TOpg vs. Utah this year (2 games): 14.5 ppg 33.3% FG 6 apg 1.5 TOpg I guess we could hope for the better.
Hey corby, look at my join date. And you're just NOW noticing that sig? Here's another one for you: the Pope is Catholic. Seriously. I know it's hard to believe, but, yeah, he's Catholic. AND European. I know! You totally didn't notice, right? I guess I'm just more perceptive than others.
