Don't get me started with the TO's. All these ROOKIES had them, just cause they were rookies and the refs shall call them more frequently than experienced players. Besides, for the last game, the entire team was like that in the area(but still managed an only 4 points loss which is a good thing in my book). As for the comparison it's clearly laughable to compare an NBA experienced player and team starter point guard to an NBA rookie. I'll remind, how so many people here blamed the FIBA regulations for the loss of Gold for team USA and claimed if they were NBA style things would be easier. I hope I'm not needed to mention that this can work the other way too, and Spanoulis who's coming from Europe will have this problem as well, naturally, you prolly thought of it too, but neglected to mention. Now if the Rockets were so lousy a team to need a rookie for PG starter, it'd be a legit question to ask, but I don't see how. The PG needs improvement, but you're supposed to have good players in the other positions. A good PG would be pointless in a team of Rodman-like scorers of course. Billy has weaknesses still and is not ready for starter, but I'd judge him, by the periods of time he plays with the starters, since, the rest of the team, will ofcourse not be equally able to execute his ideas as well, hence they're not starters. Teams take time to develop and progress, so do players, simple as that. He'll evolve, isn't a static player.
tiger0330 has said in this thread that his intention was to see how V-Span fanatics would respond because there were numerous posts from some saying V-Span should start. I don't have a problem with that kind of a thread. If you go back to the posts most of us have made going back two years I feel we've been vindicated despite the naysayers. V-Span will play in this league and has shown great promise in preseason and most of us knew it would take time - and all the better to get him here ASAP. Everyone in the Rockets organization expected him to be here last year - and for a reason.
True the last part, but I doubt he'd be as good if he didn't stay and work with Obradovic(a great defensive and tactics coach) for that year he did. He'd have significantly less chances to play then. He improved SO much the last year. If he was with the NBA he'd be a bench warmer, I like to believe, which for a European player is not good(see Machiyauskas) He picked the proper year to move IMO. Now, if he'll be succesful is another story, but the decision was well taken. He's a mature player in a way that he'll avoid most of the mistakes rookies will do. That is not enough of course. However I'm glad he's starting to display fragments of his talent already, and I want to believe he'll be even better, for normal season, as he'll take his job even more seriously than now(PS) which was mostly for testing things.
I agree with everything you said except I'm not sure he wouldn't be further along now if he'd been here last year. The NBA is so different than international ball that even as a benchwarmer (inactivated) I think it would have benfited him - getting used to the culture shock, our organization and everything else. I do think he'll be better 3 months from now and it could end up being significant for our season.
Not an Alston fan, but, overall, you have to go with him now over VSpan. By the end of the season, I say VSpan has his job. The eye of the tiger. VSpan won't quit, book it. He will have a break out game that shocks everyone before the All Star break. Put me down for a "classic quote."
Rafer is better than Vspan now. I hope Rafer can keep shooting 3pt like he did in preseason. Vspan on the other hand cannot find his shooting touch right now. Both guys are good at steals, I hope Vspan won't gamble too often and commit silly fouls. And most importantly, Vsapn's TO number has to come down otherwise JVG won't play him much. I wish we hadn't signed JLIII, then we could have kept Casey.
