I swear, Alston's little swipes at the ballhandler at the end of the game are killing us. I can remember in at least 5 times in the last 6 games, Alston gets a foul called on him for reaching in. Then he turns to the ref and sticks out his arms saying he didn't do it. The refs are going to call that reach every time. I was taught in middle school not to reach. You'd think an NBA player would have figured it out by then. It's cost us earlier in the season, and it almost cost us tonight. Luckily we have Yao and T-Mac playing to make up for it. But this has got to stop!!!! One game it's going to bite us in the a$$
i know i've been noticing that too. i keep telling y friends but no one listens. and he likes stepping out of bounds on key posessions
It's just his habit..I also noticed it from him during his Miami days.He fouls nonsensely..but who else could play PG for us...
you do realize just about everyone swipes right? he just gets called for it more, tmac gets away with a lot of his swipes.
why don't u watch the next couple of games. Its always at the end of games during crucial points or when the shot clock is running down. to me its an annoying as francis dribbling the ball off his foot
Rafer's out-of-bounds turnovers, is to D. Anderson's travels, is to Luther Head's ball carries. They do it too much.
Alternatively, if the refs could just call a foul when one is ACTUALLY committed. I agree that you shouldn't play stupid...but the refs shouldn't call a foul unless it happens. If you want to complain about Alston, it is better to complain about his overall perimeter defense...can he stop anybody from penetrating?
I've always thought that Rafer looks very quick, but I don't think he's very quick laterally. He looks quicker than he is, I guess.
I always thought that most of the calls on the perimeter are BS to begin with. The handcheck foul calling makes a guard's job on the perimeter so much more difficult. When David Wesley can drive to the basket on an expiring shotclock, you know that something is up with how it's being officiated...don't so as much touch him!!! or you get a foul. But hack Yao all you want
At best Alston is a poor defender. He's not strong enough to keep most PGs out of the lane, and he's very soft on Pick 'n Roll defense (doesn't fight over the screen hard enough, and when he goes under the screen, he almost always takes a poor angle). In fact those swipes are actually the best thing he does defensively. He gets a lot of steals and knockaways with those quick hands. At this point, it's safe to say that Rafer is what he is: -Excellent ball-handler, who doesn't turn it over much. -Creative passer. -Good "mid-range and in" game. Nice Floater. -Inconsistent perimeter shooter. -Poor Defender Is this package good enough to get this team to the next level? Hard to say. I like Rafer. I like the good stuff he brings to the table. But he could really use a quality backup, preferably a good defender to finish games.
Right on! You may as well put a dress on perimeter players because you can't touch them. But at the same time, defensive players are allowed to abuse players down low to a ridiculous degree. Just plain stupid.
just as many times he may get called for a foul on these 'swipes', he sticks his hands in there other times and causes a turnover (gets a steal). these 'swipes' arent a concern...
Not an Alston fan, so I don't like much he does. He is good passer on occasion. Not a Wesley fan either and my gripe is that he almost always misses critical shots. His timing on misses is horrible. When it really matters I expect a brick and I am rarely disappointed. Surely this is Wesley's last year with the Rockets. Hopefully Alston will be moved to the bench, I am not impressed with him at all. I am glad the Rockets won, but every time I see them play I think of what could happen with decent role players around TMac and Ming. It is really a shame that this organization can't come up with some better ideas and better players.
Ya'll need to get off WEsley and Alston's case already. Both of these guys are playing thier hearts out for this team and if we make the playoffs both will be a big reason why we made it. Sura and Barry are coming back soon so they will give WEsley and Alston the rest they need to be fresh at the end of games. Go Rockets!!!
rafer does seem to commit alot of stupid fouls but i really didn't see any kind of contact on that last play. the guy who called the foul was on the other side of the ball and his line of sight was completely blocked out. rafer shouldn't have swiped but he didn't foul anyone.
You gotta be fair here...Plenty of players make stupid fouls. I think the play we are all talking about is b/c there was body contact. I get the "much like football" feeling where, in football, you can call a hold on every play if you wanted to. I believe the refs could do the same in basketball...and that to me, puts way too much power into their hands. I hate to get into the controversy lately, but hasn't officiating been the centerpiece of discussions lately, in all sport arenas?
I don't really understand what the gripe about Wesley is. The guy started out recovering from an injury. He has worked and worked and brought up his 3 pt. percentage to around 40%. He dives out of bounds for steals, never gives up on defense, and works super hard. The guy isn't an all-star who is going to carry the team, but if nobody expected that from him, then why is everyone complaining about him? It is like the complaining started at the beginning of the season when he wasn't shooting well, and despite him working on his shot and making it one of the best in the league, a lot of Rocket fans didn't take notice.
No doubt man...no love for the hometown team it seems like. I really pull for our guys, even when they are suckin it up. It's the natural thing for some people...to complain.
What you fail to mention Jeremy is that Alston's "swipes" also get the team crucial steals that lead to fast breaks. Try this exercise. Watch a Rocket's game and look for the good things, you just might enjoy the game more.
