Prior to the Alson's trade, how many times did we see Yao standing in the paint waving his arms only to be ignored by our guards who proceeded to jack up ill advised shots? He can only be scoring machine when the guards can make entry passes. Even when he demanded the ball.
Rafer has helped Yao. I'm not denying that at all. But the biggest change has been Yao himself. He's playing at a level of sustained excellence. Last season and before, there were times he disappeared from games and lack of entry passes had nothing to do with it. It was very frustrating and disappointing to watch. His game to game energy level right now is far higher than it's ever been at the beginning of a season. In fact, only his torrid finish last year matches what Yao is doing now. But, yes, Rafer is a better entry passer than Steve Francis or Bob Sura will ever dream of being.
to bob sura's defense... this team would benifit ALOT from his leadership and toughness... players like him, chuck, and shane are what makes good teams great. I think billy has the potential to be one of those guys too. rafer is our point guard now, and will be all year. he's proving to us his worth, and I think he'll only improve his play. how many games now has he lead off with 3's?
The thing with rafer is he only has a good game and only shoots well when the team is playing well...this is all and well but its when the team is playing poorly that i would love to see him step up and bring us back... I cant recall rafer having a good game when we lose and play poorly...consider steve nash...even though there is a HUGE difference between nash and rafer nash has still put up numbers of 20ppg and 11apg even though his sides record stands at 2-5. Im not unhappy with rafer, in fact i was happy with the trade when we first got him for james but i would like to see a bit more of a "spark" in him so that his game isnt dependent on the teams success.
Rafer's shooting has a direct correlation to the team's success, that's why when he shoots poorly, the team will likely lose. That doesn't make Rafer better or worse...it is what it is. The Rockets are going to live and die by the 3pter this year. I know there are other aspects of their game too (rebounding, fast break, T-Mac and Yao dominance), but the half court set is mainly going to come down to 3pt shooting. Teams will continue to double team Yao and trap TMac penetration. Alston, Battier, T-Mac, Head, and Snyder are going to anchor the Rockets 3pt shooting, for better or for worse. I really hope Novak gets into the mix. As for assisting Yao, the breakdown follows. But remember there are all sorts of assists: entry passes, fast breaks, drive and dishes. Yao's been assisted on 41 of his 59 made field goals for the 6 games so far. Rafer has assisted Yao 11 times for 26.8% of Yao's assisted fgs. Battier has assisted Yao 11 times for 26.8% of Yao's assisted fgs. T-Mac has assisted Yao 9 times for 22.0% of Yao's assisted fgs. Head has assisted Yao 5 times for 12.2% of Yao's assisted fgs. Others have combined to assist Yao 5 times for 12.2% of his fgs. Looking at the stats, I think Rafer is doing fine, but I also think Battier is the better post entry passer. Battier assists Yao just as much as Rafer, but Battier only gets his dimes to Yao from post-entry passing. Rafer get his dimes to Yao by post-entry passing, fast break/semi-fast break passing, and drive and dish plays. T-Mac gets a lot of his dimes to Yao by Pick N Roll. The stats are not the end all be all of evidence...but it's interesting non the less. But back to the point of the thread. I think Rafer's doing fine as long as he's at least 39% on 3pt shooting. If he drops to like 36% and keeps jackin em like he does, the Rockets will in deep trouble.
don't look at the stats, if u look at the games of the two players, james would undoubtedly be better for this team. Main reason: defense. rafer always got owned against speedy pgs. its just pathetic to see how guards drive by alston and make it much harder for our interior defense. besides, mike jame's 3pt% would DEFINITELY be better than 40% had he play on the rockets team. besides, james has a better driving game than alston. alston looks pathetic driving to the hole!!!!!! Comparing two players with a different game in two different system is stupid!
You are not going to change Mike's hogging personality if he was on the team do you think yao and tmac is going to combine for 40FGA?? no way so Alston > James
Mike James would fit in with this team but on a 2 spots, but he would not carry this team at the PG position. Rafer for PG! Straight up!
How is James is better for this team when he's a combo guard who can't make entry passes to Yao and uncle Moo? We have too many combo guards, how is he a better fit? If I rememer correctly, James DID play for the Rockets last year. Look up his 3P %. Mike james is just too damn selfish to play on this team. If he were our point guard, Yao & Tracy might not get as many looks. We're playing well right now. Let it be.
http://www.82games.com/0607/06MIN1C.HTM MJ with -2 PER net production http://www.82games.com/0607/06HOU1C.HTM RA with +1.5 PER net production Alston is better so far for ROX.
don't look at the stats, if u look at the games of the two players, james would undoubtedly be better for this team. Main reason: defense. rafer always got owned against speedy pgs. its just pathetic to see how guards drive by alston and make it much harder for our interior defense. And they haven't been doing that to Mike James!? besides, mike jame's 3pt% would DEFINITELY be better than 40% had he play on the rockets team. besides, james has a better driving game than alston. alston looks pathetic driving to the hole!!!!!! Ummm, yeah right. Comparing two players with a different game in two different system is stupid! Yet you just did that in trashing Rafer Alston.
Tracy has improved, not because he couldn't ever do it before, but just because he's doing it more often, and more in the flow of the offense. Battier is excellent at entry passes, and it's yet another plus from his overall high level of play. No surprise there. Rafer has improved A LOT in this department, especially RE-entry passes, where we fell woefully short in the past. Before, it'd be one attempt at an entry pass, and then go to another option, driving most of us long time Rockets fans, used to having the best big men in the league, bananas. So far, this season, they are giving Yao classic second reentry passes, immediately, and Yao is making the opposition pay. I love seeing it. I'm more concerned about the turnovers. I still think Rafer is an excellent backup, but he's what we've got, and he has made great strides this year, so far, in my opinion.
Actually that would be Bonzi Wells. Mike James is the perfect example of the PG the rockets need. He didn't have a great game last night but he is now shooting 41% from three point land. He will keep his numbers around that range. He is also turning the ball over less than Rafer. Rafer? He's at 38.5% and lucky to stay there as that one game vs. Dallas fades away. This is not a hard equation to follow. I know that it is for a lot of people on this board, but it doens't change reality. If we're going to have a PG that shoots a lot, which we do, I'd rather have the guy who can shoot better. One guess as to who that is....
You don't remember correctly. LMFAO, James takes just over 1-2 more FGA per game (as the second option and the only semblance of a perimeter threat, with far less help), hits at a better percentage, but he is branded a ballhog. These two posts are typical of the kind of logic you find in these threads. People just make things up.
