Forgot to reply on this earlier. JVG hasn't said anything negative about any player he coached on the Rockets. It's been all positive. There is no reason for him to do otherwise. On the other hand, he has no problem unloading on some guys he's never coached.
what about Bonzi? I've always felt rafer was a good defender, above average for sure. its hard to see with all the great point guards in the west (parker, williams, paul, davis, nash...) but he has always done a decent job. if he can work on his floaters than we'd be set
Alston's d has been good since he's been here. A very pleasant surprise considering his build. I honestly thought he would get abused in that respect. It's his shooting that sucks ass. I will give him his props though, I think he definitely improved last year. In particular his floater. And he had a swagger about him last season that I really dug as well.
What does Bonzi have to do with anything? Are you saying JVG said something negative about Bonzi? If so, please point it out.
I can't believe that the one guy that every one hates is the same guy who many posters felt if he was healthy last year during the Playoffs there would be at least a game 7. Granted, we had Bobby the Brick Jackson in place of him but still. Rafer deserves props he's not an all star PG but you don't really need an all star PG to win in the Playoffs, look at Derek Fisher with the Lakers and Rondo with the Celtics.
I believe he's said some negative things about Francis, though he praised him a lot too. Jim Jackson also? He'll also point out their flaws. He's just not gonna rip into guys if they're guys who work hard and try to do the right things. And I think JVG got it into everyone's heads that they needed to try hard on the defensive end. When they did that.. he couldn't rip their personality/effort
It is really not Rafer's fault to play 40 minutes a night and have to take 12.5 shots per game as a non shooting PG. (the shooting first Mo Williams shot 13.9 per game). you don't need an all star PG to win. It is right, but...... you wont win with PG whose only asset is defense. and Rocket did not win anything since the Mike Jame for Rafer Alston trade. What is the defense of a PG for when the opposite PGs are Parker, Nash, Paul, Williams,and AI with all those PG favorite calls?
Okay, so we had Mike James back and guess what? All he brought was a bad contract. Defense is important, and Alston brings so much more to the table. I still cringe when he takes 3s though. It seems like a miracle every time he makes them.
I've always thought Rafer was a good fit for the Rockets. Most of the criticism of Rafer always seemed to be about his weaknesses and never his strengths. "He's not ______________ fill in the blank with an elite point guard’s name." Duh. He isn’t a elite point guard. He is a solid point guard. You can’t have everything. Everything’s trade-offs. I think we’d have to give up to much to get a player who is significantly better at point guard. It might be easy to get a slightly better, or just different PG, but not head and shoulders better. Rafer is a known commodity and generally gets the job done. He only really has trouble when he is asked to consistently play beyond his skill set, to play as an elite rather solid player. Even then, there have been games where he has pulled that off. I think, especially with this year’s team, he’ll be fine.
I think it's good to have him rested on the bench as what happened at a point during last season. In fact, a benched Rafer came back played better last year (when Francis played well and started in a game or two). I think Rafer is a guy who will up his game when his position is challenged.
He flipped out because his coach was a lunatic named Sam Mitchell. Even I don't blame Rafer for that blowup. Since then, Mitchell has toned it down a LOT because he also came out tarnished by that mess. Does anyone have the video of Sam Mitchell waving his arms like a complete crazy-man at an official? It's one of the weirdest things I've seen an NBA coach do and I thought he lost his mind.
Even still, JVG has no incentive to praise the guy. He could have easily not made any comment -- he had to go out of his way to say he's a good defender. It's not like he said he was an excellent finisher. No, Rafer isn't Gary Payton circa 1996, but he's an above average defender. Good thing Rafer is very good at taking care of the ball as well, then.
Adelman and Sam Mitchell are worlds apart. If TMac is used as the primary backup PG, then Rafer won't feel under-used playing less. With the addition of Artest and Barry, plus the maturation of Scola and Landry, we have a lot more depth and firepower this year at the 2-3-4 spots. Putting TMac at the 1 when Rafer sits give us a lot of flexibility at the wing.
IIRC, JVG's praise to Rafer in terms of defense was a bit more reserved. He said Rafer is a very willing defender. I think it's the expectation. Nobody expects Rafer to be a defense stopper, so anything he does on the defensive end is a plus for him. He also tries to defend. OTOH, there is nothing to stop Francis from being the best guard defender in the league, but SF3 is just not that interested in defending.
defense isnt just about keeping the opponents avg's below their normal avg's. it isnt just about how many steals you get. hes not an elite defender but he keeps the guys in front of him and shadows them so he doesnt make other players rotate to make up for his mistakes. that makes team defense that much more effective
adelman or jvg have no reason to tell the media these things to boost their morale. if they wanted to increase confidence i think tey wouldve used other methods. theyre just tellin it what it is. rafer is quick, strong, and tough.underrated on these boards...much like lamar odom was before lakers got gasol, he wasnt fit to be the 2nd option and rafer isnt fit to be a 3rd option...laker fans killed odom for not being able to be efficient and now that they have gasol they love him and wont let him go. rafer will be fine this season.
