assists are just numbers... Rafer is a good PG, but not for this team.. he might be successful with a running team (something like the Suns) but not for the rockets.. when he runs the floor, nobody runs with him... u cant have a "playmaker" on the 1 and a dominant center in the 5.. to make things even worse for Rafer, we have T-mac, another playmaker.... like I said earlier, we dont need a "creating" or a "pass first" PG.. all we need is a freakin PG who can hit the open shot and make NO turnovers (by saying no turnovers, that means few turnovers).... we need a freakin Kenny Smith... that's it... Sura is good, James was great... but well....
If we make a deal with Atlanta I want Childress and J.R.Smith for the Rockets, both are talented, athletic and young.
If we get to the playoffs next year and tracey is on the bench and yao is double teamed..I hope yall dont expect Rafer to hit the shot seriously or wesley
jr smith plays for the hornets though. but i dont mind trading for him coz hes one helluva an athlete who can develop into a goood shooter.
well, Wesly proved that he can hit his shots..even though he is undersized at the 2, he still serves a role.. he is perfect off the bench.. but Alston just cant shoot.. as simple as that... we cant have a G who cant shoot on the same team with a constantly double teamed dominant center and one of the greatest players in the game ..
I might pull the trigger on that trade , but never the less, who will distribute the ball? Unless we are going to have Bob Sura on our rosters the entire year and it will be a major impact. Oh! and regards to James, i'am having a second thought! Don't want no ball hog on this team. Trade granted!!!
Bird Rights. Also, I would be upset that we kept him last year only because our lottery position would have been on the order of #14 instead of #8 (though it should have been #6, thanks JVG/Karl/Juwan). I agree that I like James for this team. The MLE and #8 should REALLY help this team, can't wait.
.... what I dont understand is why do people keep saying that Mike James is a ballhog? .. I dont even have an idea.. the dude aint no ballhog.. he made the right passes when needed and he shot the ball when that was the best choice for the situation, and he still hit his shots... he never took shots away from others, actually, have y'all seen RAfer waving off T-mac or Yao and holding on to the ball to the end of the shot clock ?? I 've seen it more than twice everygame (or every other game, I mean, frequently).... I think the media and the rockets organization made the whole "ball hog thing" up (Rafer is a true PG, James is a ball hog) to cover up the extremely stupid trade they made.. I understand that if we kept him, we wouldn't have gone to the playoffs and we would've messed up our Draft position, but well, nobody can predict the future, nobody would've known that T-mac and Yao will have all of these injuries.. so overall: it was one of the worst trades in Rockets history... and talking about his free agency, I know he played extra hard this year because it was a "contract" year, but still, he played well last year and I would take him anytime over Rafer even with his "old" self...and it's not really a good thing that we got rid of an expiring contract, because we could've signed him again.. instead, we got Rafer's stupid contract.. I am sorry y'all, I know that this is not a "James for Alston" debate, and I dont want to turn this thread into one... but I am sorry, I had to say all that stuff because u cant talk about RAfer without mentioning the stupid trade that brought him here..
If the Rockets can pick up shooters at the 2 and 4, Yao's gonna have a lot of space to work in, and a 1 who distributes the ball well is gonna be more valuable than a 1 who jacks up shots whenever he feels like it.
i think rafer gets a bit of a hard rap. I remember when he actually had some weapons around him (i.e. tmac and yao) he was racking up consecutive games of 10+ assists and he was moving the ball well. I understand the bashing for his poor shooting, but he was asked to do a lot more this year than he is suppose to do, or is good at.
Mike James should replace D.Wesley as our undersized shooting guard. He wants to play here, has a better shot, better athletecism, younger, and at least a whole inch taller. The rap on James is that everyone expected him to be the PG. No one expects DWes to be a PG.
and on what planet do u live on thinking that mike james is going to take the mle....???? cuz that isnt happening
Would you rather have the explosivness of Maggette or the range of Harrington? I think both can be had by the roxs for the right price
I concur. If the MLE can't net James, I'd part with Swift and Rybo/Bogans/filler in a sign and trade for James. That way, James makes about 6-7 mils a year for 3 years. Then draft Sheldon Williams at #8, Novak at #32. Finally, use the MLE on Ronald Murray. Mike James/Rafer Alston Ronald Murray/Luther Head T-Mac/Novak Juwan/S.Williams Yao/Deke Or do the sign and trade for James, sign Tim Thomas at the MLE, Draft Roy/Gay/Carney at the #8 and Novak at #32. PG:Mike James/Rafer Alston SG and SF: T-Mac, #8, #32, Luther Head PF: Tim Thomas/Juwan Howard C: Yao/Deke With the vet minimum intact to catch a filler on the fly.
I really think thomas is a great fit for this team he is athletic and has endless range but i drool at the thought of Maggette in our lineup
I think a lot of people are giving Rafer unnecessary hate. I was briefly reading through the thread and saw how people said he was adequate at best, or that he held onto the ball at the end of the 24 clock. I think you should wait for one full healthy season for the team before evaluating Rafer. He is a set up point guard. You don't see him putting up MJ numbers cuz he needs good players around him. He may not make palyers better like nash or kidd, but i think he will facilitate greatly his elite teammates. I think you will see all his numbers shoot up significantly playing with TMac, Yao and hopefully a pure shooting FA or draftee. For the sake of the team, I really hope MJ doesn't sign back as the starting PG. From the past seasons, I've seen how he gets caught up in his own ego on the court. Although he scored at a good clip last year, the rockets need a set up player a la rafer. Hell, did you read about his comments in the media? But back to the thread topic, I would definitely not do the trade. We need Rafer to set up Tmac and Yao. Swift can be given another chance, or used as trade bait for a better deal. Hopefully we can get Shelden to replace Swift and have juwan backing him up.
I completly agree but i also think that if you can get a guy like harrington or maggette every one is up for sale execpt ming and mac
I would rather work out some kind of S&T for Harrington, perhaps for a future pick then deal Howard for somebody with an equally as bad contract, since there isn't much else you can do with him outside benching or releasing him. A possible idea that comes to mind is Q-Rich. He's still young, versatile and can score from anywhere. Draft: Carney (#8) Draft: shooter (Novak/Pittsnogle) MLE: James Min. Salary: Bogans PG James/Alston/Head SG Carney/Q-Rich SF McGrady/Bogans/Bowen PF Harrington/Swift/Pittsnogle C Yao/Mutombo/Lampe Idea: Cut Bowen and bring in Antonio Davis for vet. minimum. PG James/Alston/Head SG Carney/Q-Rich SF McGrady/Bogans/Pittnogle PF Harrington/Swift/Lampe C Yao/Mutombo/Davis
