[Hollinger] Chris Paul continues taking shots at Rafer

I'm not concerned with all the chatter between Rafer and whoever on the Hornets. The bottomline is the Hornets are young and inexperienced and also have some really stupid players on that team, starting with Chandler and Peterson. Even without Yao and without homecourt adv I think we can beat them in 5-6 games should we meet in the playoffs.

 

Just because you couldn't turn it off once you hit the locker room doesn't mean others can't. There are plenty of people who trahs talk all game long but never have comments like Rafer's or CP3's in the paper.

Blind support of players for the simple reason they are on your team is stupid and why horrible human beings (not these two but guys like wife beaters for instance) still have places in the NBA. Fans will support them just because they are on their team. If someone does something wrong you shouldn't just let it slide because he is on your team. You talk about being hypocritcal that exactly what that is. You are okay and support one guy because he's on your team but if someone does the same thing on another team watch out.

 

You people that continue to defend Rafer need to take your blinders off. When you start something, the other team has a right to finish it the way they want to. Like I said in another thread, our resident punk, Rafer, has painted a target on his backside and invited other teams to kick it. Chris Paul and the Hornets happily obliged. Earth to Rafer: If you can't back something up, just shut your big mouth and don't say anything. The way Rafer let the streak go to his head has hardened my attitude against him and again proves to me he isn't mentally stable (or talented) enough to be a championship PG.

Those of you who think this bravado from Rafer is toughness don't know anything about toughness, including mental toughness. I doubt any team in the NBA sees our yapping poodle-dog of a PG on the other side and says "Oh no, it's that tough guy Rafer Alston".

I don't like Chris Paul. He has become a great player but there are several things about him that annoy me. But when you are a career nobody and talk like you are somebody, you deserved to get knocked down. I hope Rafer has learned his lesson and gets himself back under control.

 

I dont think Rafer's statement was negative. His point was valid. The problem was the way it was interpreted by players who never finished college.

 

Chris Paul REALLY wants to be in t-mobile commercials.

 

CP3 is right though......as is Rafer.....

DD

 

Paul did a good job of imitating barkley and planting his lips on Battier's butt cheek as well. He is becoming a dirty little punk.

Bill & Matt pointed out pretty clearly that the refs were calling very little last night, until it was a lock for a Hornets victory. Interpretation: the refs and the Hornets never let us get into our offense. Adelman was livid the whole game with the refs and the hard non-called fouls.

I noticed Mike Harris gave some hard hard D against the Celtics- but will coach let him continue to become an enforcer? This team plays like the guys we used to call on the blacktop "p*****s". Ain't gonna cut it in the playoffs. Get ready for some more Horry knocking down Nash, and the Jazz pulling every dirty trick in the book.

 

David West is an all star and will be an all star again multiple times. Right now, he's the best midrange shooter in the WC and perhaps the best or 2nd best midrange shooter in the NBA, right up there with Hamilton. He can get his shot off in an instant and on anybody. He's a constant matchup problem for every team because of how quickly and accurately he can get his jumper off. Bigs have to faceguard him which doesn't work because he can just go around them and when you put a small on him he posts up the little guys and shoots over them. Duncan can't guard him. Boozer can't guard him. Pao can't guard him. Amare can't guard him. Kenyon can't guard him. We can't stop him. Nobody in the West can defend him effectively. Write it down. He will be an allstar again, multiple times. I'd love to have him on our team. West in combination with CP3 is gonna be H.... to deal with for the next 10 years. His game fits CP3s and CP3s game fits him. He's the perfect guy next to CP3 because he can pick up the ball anywhere inside 18 feet and get the shot off over anybody with a high degree of efficiency.

You gotta admit the truth guys. This team is going to rival us for years to come. We will despise them like we despise Utah but the bottom line is you'd better respect them just like you respect Utah.

When we play N.O., it just brings me back to reality with our PG situation. We've got to upgrade there this offseason. Brooks had better get it or we need to bring in a top tier point guard from somewhere.

 

lol, in yo face rafer
and i do think rafer is have "too much" confidence in him these days, picking up technicals, making left-handed cross court passes... not good....

 

These fools need to leave that talking on the court. Rafer usually says the right things to the media. I think the point he was making is we were missing a true superstar, and they were just missing an allstar.

CP3...is just being classless. He needs to leave all that out of the papers. Makes him look like a school kid. I have so much respect for his game, but man...he's really starting to show how much of an ass he is.

Getting techs during a game is one thing (heat of the moment), making comments post-game is another.

 

I give up.

 

I got to side with Chris Paul on this one. You cant compare Yao and David West, but that doesnt mean David West isn't a superstar. He's gonna be one of the top PF's in the next few years....and that's saying a lot becuase that postion is stacked.

 

I don't get it, Rafer... WHY FUEL THE FIRE? A simple "I wouldn't compare West to Yao. I love my big man." is more than enough.

There's a line between playing with fire and being cocky, and Rafer is crossing that dangerous line, without too much game to back it up. What Chris Paul said was idiotic, but it doesn't justify how Rafer is getting T'ed up every game now.

 

No, he doesn't have much of a post game but he is very good.

If Tracy isn't a superstar, then David West sure as hell isn't. Tyson Chandler is a better player than he is because he affects the game much more.

 

I just can't find fault in anything that Rafer said. He seems to be very candid in interviews but Chris Paul always seems to take it like a punk.

Rafer comes from a street ball environment where you talk trash to get into the opponents head. I think some of these young guys grow up in a sheltered prep school environment where no one says much to them. I heard Lebron say similar things about Paul Pierce and the celtics, this isn't golf you don't have to be quiet.

Seriously, you don't think there were guys who talked trash to MJ, Bird, or Magic.

 

That's more than a little bit of a stretch. First, as noted, David West wasn't that great his first few years. Which is fine, except we're not talking about a 1 year college player. He'll be 28 soon. Not old by any strecth...in fact, just a month older than Yao, but when you still have Boozer, Amare, Dirk, Brand, Duncan, Gasol, Al Jefferson, Chris Bosh, Kevin Garnett, Josh Smith...all of whom are either younger/same age, or better, or both, that becomes a stretch.

Of the current top 7 teams in the West, the only team that would trade their starting PF for David West is the Houston Rockets.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be great to have David West. He's worked hard, gotten better, and is a very serviceable player. I'm hoping Scola can improve over the next few years to become David West like for a few seasons.

But there is not way in hell David West is a superstar. He's barely an all-star.

 

Stay Humble, Stay Hungry..

 

dam cp3 got his ass

 

First off, today's game is much much MUCH different than the days of MJ/Bird/Magic.

Second, Rafer made the West comment to the media before the game.

Third, just because the comment isn't "wrong," it doesn't mean you should say it. West had a sprained ankle and was a GTD. But Rafer just had to give the him and the Hornets the extra motivation to play hard, while hurting our team's chances. Why fuel the fire when you can help it?

 

Hard to tell if this is serious or not??? I think Rafer can be an idiot at times...he's certainly played like ass the last few games (yay, left handed bullet passes across the lane...smart )....

but David West is not as good as you think. He's only shot above .500 once in his career. Is he a good mid-range shooter? Sure, respectable. But Boozer takes a lot of mid-range shots, too..he's never shot less than 52% from the field. Does he get a lot of layups, too...sure, but partly because he is more deadly from mid range. David West is a very serviceable player, will be an all-star a few times, but not much more.

but it will be tough from him to be an all-star every year...too many good forwards in the West.