I think its a very good trade, rockets get a starting PG that can come in and start now . Plus I think that the drafting of Luther Head all makes sense now...they are grooming him to be our new mike james, good defender, athletic, and can shoot the 3. I think this sets up the team pretty nicely for the next couple of years, instead of having to go through negotiations for a PG again next year when MJ's contract would have been up.
look at it this way, no way Mike James resigns with us he wants minutes and money, already has a ring coming off the bench. Would have left us for nothing, we got a decent point guard who can come in and start. Bob Sura can come off the bench in crunch time and play the 2 when he can match up. Its solid. I am so excited i started my NBA live franchise over again and added Rafer, i feel like i am cheating. its great. one thing i have to say is in the last 2 years CD has been alot more active and for better or worse it has been exciting. I wonder if we are done. we could still use a starting 2.
First question. How many players in the NBA sat down and watched all 82 games of the season to evaluate what they could do better????? Second question. How many players in the NBA ON LOSING TEAMS sat down and watched all 82 games of the season to evaluate what they could do better???? That stuff has VAN GUNDY written all over it. I haven't been impressed with Rafer in the past and couldn't see us trading for him because of his supposed "attitude". But all along I have been able to see that Mitchell didn't have a clue how to handle players in his first year either. I'm not justifying Rafer for anything but I'd be willing to bet he becomes a major player on this team this year. You can't deny he loves the game and is a student of the game.
I think there's a huge difference between playing behind a "franchise" player for about 10-15 min a game versus competing "fairly" for the starting spot/PT. I agree that Sura will ride the pine for a while (no disrespect to Colin ) before he can compete for the starting spot again. He is a warrior, so we might all be pleasently surprised with his recovery time.
Very few, I suppose. Because they might be traded at the very first day of the training camp. Then all the suffer will be wasted.
When I first saw the trade I wasn't a huge fan because I had really liked James in the stretch run/playoffs last year, but the more i read this stuff and think about it I think you have me convinced. Bring on Alston!
I'm glad that TMac & JVG like the trade... from Rockets.com “It helps to have a guy like Rafer Alston coming in and helping our team because he’s proven he can do that,” Rockets forward Tracy McGrady said. “I see a guy that loves the game of basketball and who thinks pass before shoot. We don’t judge on guys until you’ve been his teammate and see what he can do. Just like how I was criticized for so many things before coming here, ask these guys here and they’ll say none of that stuff is true. We’re not worried about that (his past) and we’re excited about having him.” Alston has posted career numbers of 8.2 points and 4.2 assists per game, while shooting 36% from 3-point range. Yet over the past two seasons, as he has seen significant minutes and played a more important role for his teams, he’s averaged 12.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 1.43 steals per game while averaging 150 3-pointers made per season. Last season, his first as a full-time starter, Alston compiled 14.2 points and 6.4 assists per contest. “We feel Rafer is a better fit (for us),” Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy said. “He’s high-energy, a good 3-point shooter, and a very good passer. We feel he can guard the ball very well. I think he has a good basketball character, and that starts with working, passing, and caring about your teammates. He does those things.” E-mail this story
I LOVE THIS TEAM that said,.... its funny how my grudge against mike james has hurt soo many, yet the grudge that some morons have against steve francis rarely gets noted or frowned... Steve Francis has done much more on this team and for this team than Mike James ever willl... Thank you, and thank god that ppl will stop comparing that scrub mike james to Steve Francis...
Decrypt the code behind JVG's comment, We feel Mike James is a not fit ( for us)," Rockets head coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "He's lack of energy, a ok -point shooter, and a bad passer. We feel he can't guard the ball very well. I think he has a bad basketball character, and that starts with working, passing, and not caring about your teammates. "
yeah i bet Slam magazine are pissing on themselves right now. skip to my lou is like the poster child for slam magazine. what ever alston says to slam; they allways put it in wriiting. (next to marbury).
LOL, that's funny. Gotta feel sorry for James (but this might be good for his career/salary long-term). But man oh man do the rockets look damn good !! This team is solid, all positions covered, we are real CONTENDERS !
Based on player/coach/GM reaction, the same things that made most of the board nervous about James as a starter made the Rockets nervous. And the players get a much better look than we do, seeing him at practice and off-the-court as well. Good luck to Mike James, but hopefully Alston will prove to be more coachable. Sura will be fine because he will have to work his way back slowly and can get minutes at 1/2/3. Mike James can shoot a lot in Toronto and go for a big contract. Everyone wins. Now all we need to do is trade Moochie and Baker for Lebron James, and our starting 5 will be set.
Nice move. Lose some intangibles that Sura gives us out there, but added stability at the point. I like it. Still doesn't change the fact Wesley is pretty much useless out there. No use running a break if the 2 can't finish. We need a shooter now and someone who can finish other than T-Mac. Will be interested to see if he can hit the open shot, which I believe, is still the most pressing problem with the team, and the most observable flaw. If he can' thit an open shot it will be frustrating for everyone.
I read somewhere that Wesley had his knee fixed this offseason and promised that his shot will come back.
Wesley was easily one of our most solid finishers off the break, with his nice touch off the glass on layups. Stro I could qualify as a good finisher as well. DA, when spelling Wesley, is also steady. Barry can spot up and hit the three, and is also solid attacking. Basically, I'm not worried about our fast breaking ability one bit.
