Kidd is the best defensive PG in the league. Only Gary Payton in his prime was a better defender in recent years.
If the rumor is true, then best of luck to you Rafer. Personally, I think Rafer did a great job, as far as assists to turnovers are concerned.
How long ago was that? I'll take the most recent evidence. He was a starter for a non-playoff team and was subsequently benched in place of a rookie on said non-playoff team. The guy is selfish and has an ego. He'll probably complain if he doesn't start just like he did last season.
Not to join in on the James bashing or antyhing, but Mike Wilks was also a reserve on the Spurs 2005 championship team. Bad players do get put in lucky situations at times. I am not saying James is a bad player because he is not and I am not comparing him to Mike Wilks, who is barely an NBA-caliber player. However, like Mike Wilks playing behind Parker and Udrih, Mike James was playing 3rd string (not 2nd string) on that Pistons team behind, not only Chauncey Billups, but also Lindsey Hunter. In other words, he didn't play. The point here is that, whether you support Mike James or not, you can't use that season to justify that he can play a role on a championship team because, the fact is, he barely got on the court. He did not contribute in any significant way to that team. I do think James has value as a reserve on most teams but he is a 15-20 mpg type player that gives you some quickness and scoring punch off the bench. That is his NBA role. He had one very good season, statistically, playing for a crappy team where he was able to dominate the ball while losing lots of games. In Minnesota, James got lost in the shuffle because, mentally, he has a strong need to be the focus of the offense. He could not co-exist with Ricky Davis and Kevin Garnett and accept his role as the 3rd scoring option. Most of last season (certainly while he was starting in the first couple of months), he was shifting between playing too conservatively (which is not his game) then trying to assert himself. He has never shown the ability to find a happy medium between the two which is exactly the reason why Mike James has yet to establish himself as a starter on a good team despite his raw athleticism and scoring abilities. I am not saying he can't do it but the clock is ticking...
Yeah, but he's not playing for a contract anymore and is back "home". I think he'll be fine as long as he doesn't ride the pine the whole time.
His 1-on-1 defense is average to be more precise. He is very proficient in steals thoguh and is probably the best shot-blocking guard in the league. Those are defensive skills, as well. Overall, I would actually say that Wade is an above average defender, if not pretty good.
Let me see, DCKid, I believe it was the same season (2004) that Rafer last went to the playoffs prior to last season, managing to shoot an incredible 29%, including an awesome 22% from three point line, while jacking up 52 3 pt FG attempts in jsut 13 games - that is 4 jacks per game in about 21 mpg. Hey, when you're feeling it like Rafer, you go to shoot it right? Thank god he has no ego and knows his role - to shoot, shoot, shoot, and then shoot again. LOL, but otherwise, you've got the same old argument percolating: "James can't be a role player on a championship team, except for the time he was!!!" VERY convincing, DCkid, very convincing. I'm very convinced. Convinced.
Wow, great comparison, too bad it completely sucks nuts: Mike Wilks, San Antonio Spurs, 04-05 (full season) Regular Season: Games 48 Minutes 278 MPG 5.8 Playoffs: Games 0 Minutes 0 Mike James, Detroit Pistons ( partial season, joined them after playing 55 games with Boston) Regular Season: Games 25 Minutes 512 MPG 19.7 Playoffs Games 22 Minutes 195 MPG 8.9 Right - almost 20 minutes per game - he was barely in the rotation. In other words, he didn't play Good point - if you purposefully ignore facts, it is definitely true.
The Mike Wilks comparison was used to make the point that there are always reserves on good teams that get a ring by barely contributing on the court. The only difference is that Mike James got a little more play than Wilks. Both players were non-factors for their respective teams even though James is the better player and got more playing time. The Pistons were a playoff team with or without James' 25 games. He was almost unused in the playoffs at under 9 mpg playing behind Billups and the more experienced Hunter. Once again, since you couldn't comprehend why I referenced Mike Wilks, the point of my first comment was not that Wilks is better than James, because he is not, or that he played more minutes that James, because he didn't. The point was that neither of them were of any significance to those championship teams. Try to absorb the point this time.
That point may be true, unfortuantely it is inapplicable in this case, because, as previously shown, it was not just a little more, just FOUR TIMES AS MUCH PER GAME. Here, let me make this simple for you: Mike James, Detroit 2004 Season = Rotation player, 22 games, 19 mpg, 0 DNP CD's (Started 55 games with Boston) Mike Wilks, San Antonio 2005 Regular season= NON rotation player, 48 games, 34 DNP-CD's Mike James Playoffs 2004: Minutes cut in Half Mike Wilks Playoffs 2005: DNP-CD ENTIRE PLAYOFFS P.S. - Lindsay Hunter barely played any PG for the Pistons in 2004 - in fact he spent less than half the amount of time at PG being with Detroit for a full season, than James did in just 22 games. Likewise by your definition, he barely played in the playoffs, putting up 11.9 mpg. Of course that is understandable - when Chuancey Freakin Billups was having an MVP performance.
Francis defensively tends to get slightly more blocks and steals than Alston because of his sports center mentality which causes him to gamble alot going for the high light play, and as a result get burned more often. Last season Alston averaged 1.6 steals a game to Francis's .93, while their career number's have Francis at 1.48 to Alston's 1.2 steals per game. While Alston set his career high in minutes per game last year with 10 more than his average, keep in mind that Francis's best statistical years were when he was playing 38-41 minutes a game and dominating the ball as the first option scoring wise, which is unlikely to be the case on this team.
I agree that Mike James had greater significance than Mike Wilks but you are comparing a nobody to a bigger nobody. That was not my point in referencing Wilks. I am well aware of the difference between those 2 players and even took mention to that fact. Even though James got 4 times more playing time than Wilks, as you accurately but irrelevantly cited, both of their roles were still relatively insignificant and both players ended up having even less signficance in the playoffs. Hunter got more time than James when it really mattered (which I assume was the Pistons' plan all along) and the Pistons would have made the playoffs with or without Mike James in those 25 games in the regular season where he was seeing nearly 20 mpg. In fact, the Pistons might have acquired James to rest Hunter because he was nursing an injury. Either way, that really doesn't matter in making my point which is that Mike James had little to nothing to do with the Pistons' winning that championship. Citing James existence on that roster (which the original poster did) does little to support that James can be a leader on a contending team. That was my point.
Rafer Alston, you may not be the best PG in the league, but you're one of best in terms of personality and character. You were devoted, worked hard, humorous, and all in all, a real nice person. If you were forced to go, thank you for all your efforts, and may you have always the best of luck. I think we'd regret trading you three months later.
http://www.miamiherald.com/588/story/181316.html Posted on Wed, Jul. 25, 2007 FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ Stockings void of Shaq-Kobe By BARRY JACKSON bjackson@MiamiHerald.com After three years, the NBA and ABC wisely concluded the novelty has worn off Shaq vs. Kobe/Heat vs. Lakers on Christmas. Instead, word is the NBA will have the Heat play in Cleveland on Christmas, creating a Dwyane Wade vs. LeBron James matchup. Though the schedule circulating is tentative, Heat-Cavs is expected to be one of two ABC games that day, a league source said. The Heat is tentatively set to open at home against Detroit on Nov. 1. • The Heat is focusing on trades to find a point guard, and talks continue with Houston regarding Rafer Alston (due $14.7 million during the next three years). Though Miami would move Michael Doleac, the Rockets are exploring what other teams would offer. Talks with Sacramento about Mike Bibby have not materialized -- the Kings aren't eager to take back ex-King Jason Williams. Meanwhile, Washington has shown little interest in accepting a Heat draft pick for FC Barcelona combo guard Juan Carlos Navarro.
