I have never hated any Rockets player so as Rafer. And I think he can have his own role on this team,lesser than last season ofcourse.
Rafer's problem last year was too many minutes on the floor and too many bad shots. So far in the preseason, he's mainly shot spot up 3 pointers, which is he decent at. He also hasn't single-handedly faced opposing PGs who can eat him for breakfast. On Tuesday, it was a thing of beauty watching MJ make Chris Paul uncomfortable, which is something Rafer can only dream of doing to a good PG. What makes me want to keep Rafer for now is how slow SF is starting off. When SF gets a comfort zone, Rafer should be traded. These two early preseason games don't prove anything. When the regular season starts, opposing PGs will continue destroying him on offense while baiting him into shooting when defending us. MJ forces teams to change that strategy. Again, SF's slow start has me concerned some but he will get it eventually. Then Rafer needs to go. Keeping all three of them the entire season doesn't compute. Another possibility is trading Luther, which could signify Rafer is staying. I don't like that idea.
If you guys have read my most recent posts, you would think that Im a Rafer Hater. Honest to God, that couldnt be further from the truth. During the offseason way before training camp started, I told my sister(who also posts here and is a HUGE Rockets fan) that I was rooting for Skip to do well. She was dumbfounded and asked why. Rafer to me honestly was not that bad. The things he does well is a plus for our Rockets team. The things he doesnt do so well, lets just say that a starting PG for a championship contender, I expect him to do well in those areas as well. Thats just not where Rafer excells. Since he does do some things great, I woudlnt have a problem if he remained on our team. At the same time, since he doesnt do the other things well, I would have a problem if he remains as our starter. On the other hand, if Rafer remains and our other guards have to play the off-guard along side him because Rafer can only play the PG then Im not okay with that. Take James for example. Last night he had five fouls. I attribute that to having to guard the bigger guard and also he has to get his shot off against him, which would be much harder. Them struggling I see no different then when Shane is moved to the power forward spot or Tmac having to play the 2-guard because Shane can only play the "3". Maybe Im wrong in correlating James and SF3 having to do that with Rafer, but thats thats how I see it.
i have no idea where people get the idea that rafer has looked ok these last 2 games because of adelman. i can easily find a random 2 games where he played more minutes and looked even better under van gundy. this has absolutely nothing to do with coaching. when he's playing well and hitting shots you can keep him out there, but when he stinks(and he will) you can pull him for francis or james, thus limiting the amount of "bad rafer" we actually see. last year when rafer played poor, our choice was either let him play through it or put in john lucas III. since the best option was usually keeping him out there, we got a whole plethora of games where he looked terrible. rafer didn't suddenly change these past 2 games, but limiting his minutes to when he's playing decent will probably give us a better image of him as the season goes along.
what did u see from last season? are you watching the same houston rockets that i am? i'm hoping you're being sarcastic, cause tons of minutes = last year. believe what you believe, rafer might increase, but not alot... only reason he is increasing is due to RA's coaching.
I will toss myself in front of said wagon when the real season starts. I heard Rafer was riding shotgun on the wagon - i figure i have a 63% chance of not getting hit.
hello all, i used to live in houston, but moved out to the bay area for work. i've watched the Rockets for the past 17 years, and i now follow all rockets games through yahoo scoreboards, constantly hitting f5 to make sure i get the latest score, sometimes i even call my friends back home and ask for verbal updates (i can't afford nbatv, and it's pointless anyways because most games are over by the time i get off work [damn time difference]). now that i've established my rockets credibility, i'll continue... i've been a long time lurker, no time poster, and well - finally decided to say something. like denniscd points out, throughout the season people jump off and on a player's bandwagon. for instance, i'm pretty sure if scola sucks it up when the season starts, we'll be having trade scola threads - it's ridiculous. now i agree, sometimes when i'm able to catch a game, and i see skip shoot, i think to myself... oh no. however, i also get that same feeling of dread when tmac shoots sometimes. regardless, i'm ecstatic when/if the ball goes in, despite who shoots. frankly, as long as the rockets are winning, i really dont give a damn. my point to this long winded post, and i apologize, is that i really dont get how you can hate on your own team. i mean, if the guy is playing for houston, and he wants to be here, what more can you ask for? also, i'm pretty sure most, if not all, of us on this board can't run a professional nba team as PG - otherwise i dont think you'd be reading this. anyways, go rockets... and the season cant start soon enough
compared to the season Rafer had, SteveO and MJ only had worse ones. they couldnt even start for Knicks and Timberwolves. so far I 've not seen anything from these 2 that shows they can take over the point, be the floor general of this team.
I think that at the end of November, that might be the earliest time to either feel like jumping on Rafer's bandwagon, or not jump on it at all. I'm only thinking that if at that time Rafer is still the most effective amongst the PGs on the roster, then the Rockets better not trade him away just to trade him away, but instead, be sure that they get something good in return for him. Daryl Morey was not happy with what teams were offering for him in return over the summer. During this past offseason, Rafer Alston led the team in threads on this board. I wonder if there is any chance that they might have actually motivated him into playing better, let alone the player acquisitions the team got through making as well. However, playing under a different offensive system might also be working in his favor as well.
I agree. All this bandwagoning is ridiculous. I'm just waiting for the ONE GAME that Rafer has an off night to see all these fair weather fans go jumping right off the bandwagon again. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Rafer is the best pure PG we have, and is the only capable playmaker aside from TMac. No Steve and MJ are NOT playmakers. He may have shot poorly last season, but that was because he was thrust in a role of 3rd scorer, which he isn't. I'm glad all you guys are finally turning around from the Rafer hate. But sadly I expect you all to hate on him again once he has an off game.
Come on guys...this is ridiculous...its freakin PRESEASON...he's played against a foreign basketball team and a sub par nba team...its amazing how much you can forget about a player after they played well in 2 games. Did you guys forget just how horrible his FG% was last year...or the fact that Deron Williams tore him up in the playoffs...or that he shot more 3 pointers than dishing assists...and all the trouble he's gotten into this offseason...must I go on?? My point is don't judge a player based on two games...even worse 2 preseason games...The last time that happened the Rockets organization signed Calvin Cato to a long term deal...
I would like to have a better option than RA but MJ and SF have not shown they are an improvement over RA. SF especially seems to be over the hill and I think people will start jumping from his bandwagon soon
dude, chill. just preseason. francis and james may take a bit longer to adjust than rafer did. why? rafer was a streetball legend. just relax.
You don't remember the all the times that Rafer took ill-advised shots and when he was consistently torched when playing D? He did it all the time. Teardrop floaters and quick jumpshots. Sure, he was the only PG we had that actually belonged on an NBA court, but he was a liability and constantly had me pissed
