um with tracy and yao, you're expected to take more 3pt shots when all you get are wide open 3pt shots. we've been among the league leaders in taking and making 3pt shots ever since tmac came.
i was referring to rafer hoisting more threes than tmac. 529 3 point attempts that season, that's only 7 less than Reggie Miller's most attempts Reggie Miller 536 1996-97 And Reggie Miller is a much better 3 pointer shooter and a shooting guard too.
tmac has taken less 3pt shots b/c of his declining % but he also has more offensive skills than rafer (obviously). rafer's offensive skills primarily are either a 3pt shot or a floater. his mid-range/2pt game is non-existent. he has to improve that mid-range jumper.
i'd like to see the passing and assist/turnover ratio thing improve instead. though, he's vastly better under Adelman than JVG. 7 three point attempts less than Reggie Miller, that's still boggles my mind.
i actualy like rafer on this team but people only seem to talk about him for the things he does bad when he also does alot of good for this team
Man those were the good days of the NBA.... 126-124 high flying basketball....I miss those days, the league today has slowed down to a snails pace.
The decline in Rafer's # of 3's the past two years has coincided with Morey's addition of other pieces to the team that have taken even more of the offensive load off Tracy and Yao. It will continue next year with the additions of Barry and Greene and further development of Landry, Scola, and Brooks. Basically, the way I look at 529 three-pointers by Rafer is the way I look at the Astros' 2005 World Series appearance. In both instances, you can point to the GM who was in charge the previous year as being responsible for those two occurrences. Purpura and Morey had nothing to do with the Astros being good and T-Mac+Yao having no options on the court BUT to pass it to a wide-open Rafer or Shane. Respectively. Thank Hunsicker and Dawson. Respectively. THANKS CD. Now, aren't you glad we have a real general manager at the helm? (Too bad the Astros can't say the same yet.)
I rarely see Rafer taking contested threes except when the clock is running down giving him no other choice. Sure he takes alot of wide open 3's, but in exchange he takes less 2 point attempts. His over all shot attempts per game is pretty average. Especially considering how many times he has been forced into a primary scorer role due to either Yao or Tmac or both being injured. Combine that with lineups featuring other non-scoring threats like Mutumbo and/or Chuck Hayes, and what is Alston supposed to do when he is left wide open? Besides why would you want the 29% 3 PT shooting Tmac who is certain to have a defender on him taking a shot rather than the 35% wide open Rafer? I mean only Novak at 47.9 and Battier at 37.7 shot better from 3 last year. Head and Alston both shot 35.1% for the season.
Nobody complains about T-Mac's shooting. That's shocking! T-Mac's shooting was "Alstonesque" in last season.
