Jason Terry also doesn't play more than spot minutes as a 1. Rajon Rondo is pretty overrated on this ranking, but it's tricky because Pierce and Garnett hide a lot of his flaws. A lot of mediocre PGs would look good in that lineup, just like Delonte West looks like a player in Cleveland. Evan
I think people forget how bad he was shooting in the first half of the season. He was shooting around 30% and his tear drop made me cringe but around the all-star break to the end of the season his shot improved a ton. His tear drop was pretty consistent. He was creating his own shot with McGrady and his 3 pter was money too. I think if you take off the first half of the season where the coaching staff was still working on his shot and look at the all star break stats of him you'd see a significantly improved player. I think Adelman's coaching staff has done wonders to improve Alston's shot and I don't think its some minor hot streak. I still think he's worth keeping on this team.
You're analyzing it as if he's some first or second year player still refining his game. I don't think it's impossible for a veteran player to change their mechanics and become a consistently better shooter... BUT I certainly don't think Rafer has done it. It's not like this is the only year where he had stretches of good games either. The only difference this year is that he seemed to go on his hot streak for a 22 game stretch or so... Rafer will always be hot and cold. He will always be more cold than hot. He will always have enough hot games, where he and the team then plays well enough to make you think, maybe he's not so bad, only to take a step back and realize that, no he's not that bad for those good games, but on the whole is mediocre at best and how great it would be to have the better Rafer version all the time.
He'd get exposed. He's not half bad as a slasher, and can get hot some nights, but he's a 10 ppt, 4 assist guy that can be turnover prone and gets killed defensively by any above average PGs. If he came here, he'd be a very good backup, but he wouldn't beat out Rafer for the starting job. He was the second best Cav against the Celtics, but that only tells you how terrible LeBron's supporting cast is. Evan
What does that say about Rafer Alston, who has spent three years playing with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady?
Roy is great at running the point. He is the best at it on the Blazers. He would be the best point guard if he was on the Rockets as well. Great Ball handler, great court vision. Makes me mad just thinking that Minnesota jacked it all up for the Rox and made a mess of the draft so that the Rox ended up not being able to move up to get him This team would be lights out with him in the back court! Probly could have beat utah w/o yao.
I don't think it says very much. I'm not excited to open another rehash of the great and never ending Rafer debate. I haven't said Rafer should be higher on this ranking, nor do I think he should. I think he's serviceable and average, which is more credit than he gets from a lot of people on the BBS. He's a C+ PG who is a D+ primary scoring option, and very few people understand the difference. He's put in an ugly position, not unlike Delonte West, where there are so few teammates that can create on offense besides Tracy that he shoulders a burden he can't carry when our stars are out. I think he would do just as well if you swapped him with Delonte West, if not slightly better (13 and 6 versus 10 and 4). I think this BBS would lose their minds if you switched Rafer out for West in our lineup. I think it's a closer call with Rondo. He has strengths (quickness, creating off the dribble) well above Rafer and weaknesses (SHOOTING) far scarier than Rafer. Besides, Tracy isn't half the playmaker LeBron is as this juncture. Perimeter tap dancing doesn't make your teammates better. Yao can create for others, but only so far as kicking to open shooters or hitting guys on cuts. Elite centers by nature don't elevate others' game on the court as much as elite PGs or elite passing swingmen. Evan
that's who we should go for, not miller or redd.... people gotta be realistic instead of fantasize big name or overrated players who we'd have to give up our key players.
Love to get Calderon, Udrih, Navarro, or Monta Ellis but man, all are Restricted Free Agents except for Udrih. Monta Ellis would have the biggest impact on this Rockets squad but it's probably a pipe dream.
I think that's fair enough -- it just seemed like you were focusing on players ahead of Rafer (Rondo) because they had good teammates, when Rafer has been with T-Mac and Yao for three years now. Similar to West, Rafer doesn't lead his team in assists/game. Personally I would take Barbosa, Hinrich, Fisher, Harris, Ford and Bibby ahead of Rafer (even though all ranked below him). The rest below him are debatable/close -- some are not better while others perhaps upgrades.
Monta Ellis barely played PG last season. Seriously - how do he, Roy, Terry, Head and even House/Bell make the list?? OR if they do, why isn't McGrady/ James on there???? get a clue RealGM!!!
Rafer gets too much hate. I said there were 30 starting PGs in the NBA and he was about 15 so I was not far off. There are a lot of studs in frontof him but this list has him ahead of guys like TJ Ford, Beno, Hinrich and Bibby, guys that many on this board want to trade Rafer for. I give Rafer credit, I think we can win with him, I would think hard about moving him if only for the chemistry he has with the team.
RealGm again, just disregard all of this. Rankings are worthless in itself, but this one includes small shooting guards and doesn't show a players ability as a distributor. Its also bias in that it includes Roy, but not Tmac or Wade.
I would take most of the players ranked below Rafer, especially Hinrich or Devin Harris. The only exceptions would be Bobby Jackson and Luther Head.
Found this on Spursreport.com (a forum i am member) some of you could find it interesting to see how a PG translates and goes over some good overseas PG´s (not greek) that the poster like to add to SA. It is very interesting the fact that Calderon had only 3 assist per game in the spanish league and here in the NBA he gets like 9 per game, awarding assists here in the nba seems quite easy for the scorekeeper.
Sorry, didn't see that Clutch had already said essentially the same thing. Really, Fisher and Barbosa below Rafer!
