This ESPN page 2 article really made me think about the prospect of Starbury on this team. I think we need this guy on the team, especially now.....please get er done Morey!!!
So what, you'd rather have a winded francis or a luther "can make an entry pass to save my life" head as your other PG options? seriously guys, if he pulls anything, you can drop him like a bad habit. Hes already got his money, he just wants some playing time even if he'll be a primadonna about it
Yes to Marbury. He does things that the Rockets desperately need from their pg and aren't getting. He can hit open shots, he can create for himself and others, and he can drive and finish or dish instead of just settling for jumpshots.
no to Staph. his teammates don't trust him and his coaches haven't believed in him in years. i don't think his ego can handle being a role player off the bench, or being the number 4 scoring option... also he is messed up in the head.
You think its that easy just to sign somebody and drop him when it doesn't work? We would still have to pay him if we cut him. We don't just get to drop him for free. Knowing how the Rockets feel about money, that aren't going to waste it like that. Even if Francis isn't in game shape, he is the same type of player that Starbury is. I rather keep going with Alston/Brooks than to waste a couple millions on a guy we already have on the team. Not to mention that Steve is a better guy to have in the locker room.
After reading your Rafer-hating posts, and reading this, I am starting to think that you either don't watch the same basketball games the rest of us do, or you don't have a clue about what a good PG actually is. Is a proven locker-room cancer like Marbury REALLY what this team needs right now? With all the injuries, and recent struggles for consistency from this team, would a player who has absolutely no MENTAL STABILITY really be what we need? You CANNOT be serious.
Send luther to NY for a draft pick and sign Marbury once he is bought out for the vet min. for 1 yr or something. In that way, our salary situation is about the same, if not better and we improve dramatically. If things go wrong, he IS that easy to drop. All you have to do is look at the situation with Artest, there was the same uncertainty when we signed him. I'll give you the fact that we had the only coach that he ever liked on our team; but that was a minor thing that wouldn't even matter if Artest got upset about being the third option. Morey banked on the fact that Artest would have a huge impact on this team in terms of production even if it meant the risk of an implosion was there. Its easy to say that they knew things would work out, now that we know where his heart is. But all you have to do is remember how you felt about Artest before we signed him. IIRC his ranking on the "looney" scale was right around Marbury and Stephen Jackson. We need his skillset. A half-season rental to give us some sort of consistency. Its not a ridiculous idea; remember, you would have called me crazy if i started a thread in the offseason calling for us to trade for Artest and risk the incredible chemistry this team had (which is the most significant reason we had the 22 game winning streak). Yes to Marbury and No to the haters
Looks like you're describing your own comment. My criticism of Rafer is not out of any hate I have towards him, it's borne out of love for the Houston Rockets. Moreover, I think what I've said about him is based on fact. I actually felt bad that he was injured, but it could end up being a blessing in disguise. Don't be fooled by a few good games here and there. His body of work speaks for itself and since I believe the Rafer Alston experiment has failed, there's no need to keep supporting something that's not working. All your criticisms of Marbury have all been applied to Ron Artest at one time or another. I am dead serious about going after Steph. Pg play is so important and Rafer is this team's biggest liability. Since we are in win now mode there needs to be a sense of urgency. Rafer's weaknesses will be magnified in the playoffs. Marbury gives the Rockets what they need at the pg position. We need to hurry because the window of opportunity is rapidly closing.
Ok, I agree that Artest had the same criticisms coming here, and that's exactly why we DON'T need another questionable personality coming onto this team. Artest has been nothing but cooperative, and a great presence to have on and off the court so far, and I just don't feel like we need to roll the dice again....especially when, if anything, Marbury's past has been MORE checkered than Artest's. And, if you look at it, Artest has always been willing to be a team-first guy who never questioned his coaches, and he's ALWAYS been close to his teammates everywhere he's been. Yes, he's made bad decisions, and yes, he has caused the teams he's played for a LOT of heartache, but you could NEVER question his loyalty and his heart. Marbury has done NOTHING but be a dissenter to all his coaches, and his heart and loyalty have been questioned everywhere he's gone. And you say look at Alston's body of work, and that the experiment has failed, but I'm not seeing any reasoning behind you saying that. What exactly has failed about the experiment?? The fact that when he plays, we win much more often than we lose? Or the fact that in the games he missed last year in the playoffs, our offense looked like it was in molasses, but when he played, we were not only competitive in every game, but we came away winning one in Utah and another one by a BLOWOUT? I just don't see where your utter hatred of Rafer comes from, other than the fact that he's not a good shooter. And now that he IS a good shooter (I know it's not a permanent thing based on his career, but come on...give the man the credit he deserves), you are STILL calling for his head. And it would be one thing if you're asking for a trade where we get Nash, or someone.....but seriously, STEPHON MARBURY?? I just don't get it.
You make some valid points, but I've always felt that winning and success would minimize or get rid of the problems that the Artests and Marburys of the world supposedly create. Rudy T did a great job of managing all kinds of personalities and I think Adelman has shown that he can do the same. I also think Marbury might have reached a point in his career that he's matured enough and maybe realizes that his career is coming to an end and he wants to go out as a winner. I just see it as a low risk, high reward move. As far as Rafer, I just don't think he's a starting caliber pg for any NBA team, much less one that has aspirations of contending for a title. At most and I'm being very generous here, he should be a backup on a mediocre seeing no more than 15-20 mpg not the starting pg who sees a majority of mins for a team that wants to contend. I think he's a poor decision maker, can't create for himself and others, can't drive and finish at the rim or dish to others, and a horrible outside shooter given the fact that the majority of his shots are WIDE open. There's a reason he's always wide open and everybody knows why. I can just picture the scenario in May, the Rockets desperately need buckets in the playoffs and everybody gets double teamed and Rafer is continuosly left open play after play and throws up brick after brick. The end result will not be a good one. I'm desperate for a decent pg. I'm holding out hope for Francis and Brooks. I'll even take an injured Hinrich or Marbury. We're in win now mode (playoff success)..I don't think that'll happen with Rafer.
No to Steph. He can ball, but he's a perennial loser as far as what he does to teams and team records.
^ As long as the Rockets have a noticeable problem at the point and this guy is available, this topic will remain alive. You just wait until this offseason when AI becomes a FA...
Staph is not available. he is under something called a "contract" that's when the boss pays you and when he calls your name, it's your time. Staph has ruined his chances by his own actions on and off the court. without an agent, i repeat, Staph has RUINED his own chances to play again.
Ok, I'm with you on the fact that Rafer's shooting is somewhat of a concern, but his decision making is the pure reason why he IS our starting point guard. I understand that he is our starter simply because he's the best out of a bad bunch, but I just don't see Marbury as being the upgrade that we need. And you're saying that Marbury has hopefully matured, and is ready to take the next step towards winning, much like Artest, but there is one MAJOR difference there. Artest's actions have spoken much louder than Marbury's on this front, given that Artest clearly has his head on straight this season, and he is focused on nothing more than playing basketball. Marbury, however, has yet to concede ANYTHING to the Knicks, and when D'Antoni came to him with playing time, he refused. I understand that the Knicks are not innocent in the way they've handled the situation, but a mature player who only wants to play basketball and win gets humbled by everything, and does what a good teammate should do. He suits up. The fact that not ONE of his teammates has gotten his back throughout this whole ordeal speaks VOLUMES. I just think that there is nothing that Marbury would bring to the table that would help the Rockets win now, especially because he would be blocking the development of Aaron Brooks to boot. I'm all for taking away from Rafer's minutes if it means seeing what Francis has left in the tank (if Francis is game-ready), because we need to see what we've got, and right now would be the time to do it....not after the All-Star break. But if it means bringing in someone who would be a HUGE question mark right from the start, I am 100% against it. This team needs more stability and more answers about their rotation.....not more questions.
Yes. Yes, I'd rather have both of those. Would you rather have a brain tumor or no brain tumor? You have a .01% chance to turn into John Travolta in Phenomenon (minus the Galactic Emperor). Of course, you also have a 99.89% chance to die from massive organ failure. Which do you choose?
