tracy at point foward is a horrible idea i didnt like it last year nor this last game him being in controll of the ball 95 percent of the time 1)consumes to much energy from him and 2) takes other players out of the game thats why we struggled in the playoffs to depended on one player
I'd like to see Brooks get some minutes. Bring him along slowly and see what he can do. If he does well, give him more minutes. If he starts turning into a Tony Parker who can shoot 3s (please, Lord!), then our PG problem is solved. Leave Francis in a glass case to break open in case of emergency-- or trade.
I agree with TheSummit. How many stops did we have with 5 minutes left or less? Concern #1 is our forwards are just not elite level. When Shane Battier is your best forward that is an issue. Hayes is a nice guy to have in your rotation, but has his obvious limits. Scola has his limits too--and that is a fairly unathletic front line with him and Yao paired together and Dallas killed our slow rotations when both were out there. The obvious solution would have been to add that KG fellow this offseason. With that oppertunnity gone, 1) either Scola has to really improve defensively, or 2) we need another athletic forward who can play defense and keep opponents honest with his offense. With Golden State struggling I might look there even if it just pick up another long swingman with those qualities.
Despite the aledged "glut" at PG, the Rockets may STILL not have this one totally covered. Our PG's don't seem to match up against the elite team's PG's in the West. Especially, in the area of shooting percentage and defensive abilities. Another question, do we really have PF covered as well? Still don't quite match up with the elites, which means we are yet to be one of the elites. It's early, but if TMac has to score 47 at a 60% clip to beat the best teams in the West, I think we may have a problem. Hope we get to see what Francis and Brooks can do eventually. Again, it is very early.
Our PG position obviously isn't on the same level with the elite teams like Spurs, Pheonix, Utah and Dallas (Harris could be debatable) Our SG position is obviously superior then all of these teams. The big interior men within the elite teams are pretty much equal in effectiveness for each team (I do not mention talent) -> Duncan, Stoudamire, Yao, Dirk, Boozer. Our offensive spark options off the bench have greatly improved this year. Having James and Bonzi coming off the bench serves the same role as: _ Terry and Stackhouse for Dallas _ Barbosa and Diaw for Pheonix _ Millsap and Harpring for Utah _ Ginobili and Barry for Spurs So basically, each team will have their strenghs and weaknesses. Our PG position is a weakness but definately not a huge problem. Just like the SG position for Utah and Pheonix or the C position for Spurs and Dallas. So yes, our PG position may not be as strong as the other contenders, but they are definately capable of being apart of a championship. Who was the Chicago bull's PG in their title runs? How about the Hakeem led championship team of the 90s? Saying having Rafer starting at PG cannot win a playoff series or championship is inaccurate and bias. Think of our PG position like Dallas's C position, does Diop or Dampier look like championship caliber Centers to you? But when they are used efficiently together they form a very strong 15ppg 12rpg Center. Now do you think the starting center position is that important? If our PGs combine for a decent 15ppg and 8apg with 2TO, I think that is a championship caliber PG. I know most of us fans just want to see our PG position being at least on par with the other contenders as to see us not get punished by Parker or Deron. But how many elite perimeter defenders can stop these players anyway? If there is a better solution at PG, I'm pretty sure Morey would have jumped at the opportunity. We all thought brining Francis in would move our PG position on par with the elite teams, but the showing reality of him not being able to fit with the offense and just being not-good-enough has shocked most fans, and hence still live in a bizaare delusion that Francis will become a All-Star PG like he used to be and play on par with the elite teams. Rafer Alston isn't a top 10 PPG, but he is good enough (Yes good enough for a championship caliber team if he plays 20-25mpg as an efficient player with pros outweighing his cons). Unless your going to suggest a way to bring in a better PG option to replace him, (I'm talking about elite level PGs like Kirk Hinrich without trading away the core of the team; and that means no bullsh*t 3 scrubs for 1 star trade proposals, they aren't realistic) I suggest all you people who use Rafer as scapegoats to stop dissing him and cease living in the illusion that Francis can be the answer to our PG problem. Stop using Rafer as a scapegoat and start looking at the team's faults collectively because Rafer Alston isn't going anywhere. _ Blues
and these delonte west,steve blake,jarett jack,jameer nelson's are not better than rafer alston or mike james if you want better pg's i suggest you try to get steve nash or baron davis
Almost all west playoff teams have better pg than Rockets. If no good pg, it is impossible to go far in playoffs.
alright i'm a rafer and james supporter but thats a joke. delonte west and steve blake are good pg's and would be good fits on this team since they can pass and score. i would LOVE delonte west on this team, but jarett jack and nelson shoot first pg's and mike james is better than them.
You make some good points. While I'm still not sold on a Rafer/James combo as a championship caliber PG platoon, if they can minimize mistakes at the position (re: turnovers), keep the offense moving efficiently, and play decent defense, I believe that point guard is a weakness that can be compensated for. Or in other words, it's a weakness that can be minimized while pushing advantages (T-Mac, Yao, bench depth).
