You didn't even try to address anything I said in my post. You said Rafer Sucks 4 times and thought that would be enough for an "argument". This is a joke. How do you explain that a guy that supposedly sucks so bad got to play almost 40 minutes in the Clippers game, while Brooks didn't even get to play 10? Does Aaron Brooks suck more?
Aaron shot 0-3 and had a bad start to his game....Adelman pulled him out too early IMHO... Rafer played ok...but 1-6...on WIDE OPEN 3s? That...well....SUCKS. DD
I would bet my left one that Super Awesome Wizard GM Daryl Morey looks for a way to get rid of Rafer Alston and bring in an upgrade on a daily basis. I would take any starting PG in the league (and several backups) over our bricklayer w/ the exception of maybe Miami's and Charlotte's. Actually, scratch that... I'll take my chances with them, too. Atl - Bibby Bos - Rondo Det - AI or Stuckey Cle - Mo Will NY - Duhon (yup) Orl - Nelson Tor - Calderon Mia - Chalmers Chi - Rose or Hinrich NJ - Harris Mil - Ridnour or Sessions Cha - Felton (yup) or DJ (and yup) Phi - Miller Ind - Ford or Jack Was - Arenas Lal - Fisher or Farmar Utam - D Will Phx - Nash or Dragic (yup again) Noh - CP3 Mem - Conley or Lowry Den - Billups Dal - Kidd or Terry Por - Blake or Rodriguez or Bayless Sac - Udrih Gsw - Ellis Okc - Watson or Westbrook Sas - Parker Min - Foye or Telfair Lac - BD Yes, folks... our Houston Rockets unofficially have the worst starting PG in the NBA.
So you wanted Brooks to play more so Davis could torch him? He was already cold. If he's missing shots and not guarding well, he's a total liability on the court. Why can't you understand this? Once again, you aren't even acknowledging that Rafer's defense was a key to winning that game.
So then why didn't he do it last year? Maybe the Wizard knows something you haters don't. As for some of the players you put on your list, well that's just plain laughable.
He tried and tried again... and again... and again... he's still trying. Yes, I am a Rafer hater. I have a bumper sticker. Laugh on... while Rafer bricks on... and fails to penetrate and break down defenses on... and fails get to the FT line on... and hands the ball off to T-Mac and Ron on... etc...
Aaron Brooks played 9 minutes total, and Baron Davis was not in there for some of those 9 minutes.... Baron Davis played 40 minutes had 23 points and 8 assists, and you say that Rafer shut him down? LOL - maybe Baron got tired. Rafer is a better defender than Brooks against bigger PGs like Bdiddy and Dwill, but not that much better....because they score on him fairly well too...and Rondo went by him like he was standing in cement sneakers. I will give you that Rafer ran a nice pick and pop with Landry...which AB has been doing all season...glad Rafer finally caught on....can't wait for him to make that same pass to Scola...you know...our HOTTEST player these days? Why can't you acknowledge that Rafer Alston's better days are 5 years behind him, and they weren't all that good to begin with...?? Why would you risk a possible championship season on a guy that at BEST is a backup PG in the NBA? DD
Wanna know why Adelman only played him 9 minutes? Because he realized Davis could torch him at ease. It was a complete mismatch. Rick did the right thing for the team if your goal is to win the game. You play to win the game. How did BDiddy do in the 2nd half? Some of his points came from when Artest and Brooks were guarding him. LOL @ "maybe he got tired". You're in total denial of what Rafer did on him defensively. Pathetic. Hey, maybe Rafer got tired in the 2nd half too!... only makes his defensive performance THAT MUCH more impressive! He had to play almost 40 minutes because Brooks was a defensive liability.
Link? When did Morey ever say he's been trying to replace Rafer? He's been looking for backups though. That's why we got BJ last year since AB was a rookie. This year, AB looks like the real deal as a backup. I think we're set once we get healthy to win the whole damn thing.
I feel like this topic has been discussed ad naseum, and the key takeaways are - rafer is good at defense, ball distribution, low turnover - rafer can't shoot close or far for his life These two points get bashed over and over, and ultimately we arrive at the conclusion that we need change, but there is no viable solution. All star point guards are unavailable. Kirk Hinrich is a slight upgrade, whose salary is greater than's Artest's salary, so Kirk isn't worth it either. The reason we cry OFF WITH HIS HEAD is because the Rocket's offense sucks to the point that the defense dictates that our offense direct the ball to Rafer to shoot 3's. Rafer is what he is. That's why he's paid what he's paid. So when we complain that our 5M dollar salaried starting point guard can't hit 3's, why don't we complain that the offensive collective of Yao, Tmac, Artest, and Scola can't get a better percentage shot? Seriously. Think about it. With our talented lineup, we should be able to attack the weak point of their defense, instead of having the defense dictate that our offense rely on our weak point. its like complaining the Pitcher in baseball has too low of a batting average, and demanding a replacement that can pitch AND hit because our offense needs the extra offense. Sorry, there's only One Carlos Zambrano, and he's being paid mega millions and unavailable. Likewise, the DWill's and Dwade's and CP3's and Parker's of the NBA are paid megamillions and unavailable.
I hear you, bro, and I respect your opinion. My opinion on Rafer is just different. It's not like this is the first season he's with us and I'm passing judgment after a few games. This is his 4th year now of bricklaying, non-penetration, not breaking down defenses, not getting to the free throw line, etc... I don't know for sure what Morey is thinking, but like I said earlier, I'd bet a nut that he's been looking for a replacement for a while, if not from day one in his role as GM. How else do you explain bringing in Mike James and Steve Francis last season and signing a PG with our 1st pick on top of that? We came into camp with 4 point guards last summer. Adelman also came out and said he thought Francis would be the starter last year. I assume that Morey felt/hoped for the same. Unfortunately, Francis was a bigger bust that most people thought he would be.
They were all brought in to be backups. I think at one point they were all trying out to be the starter, but Rafer won hands down because he was in shape and playing the best in training camp. I honestly believe Francis was a PR move. Les knew it would create a good stir with the fans. They had to know he was washed up. I don't remember Adelman saying Francis would start, but I do remember him calling Rafer "a perfect fit" for us in his first year. As for Brooks, a part of that also had to do with Adelman, since he got to see many of Brooks' games in Oregon and really thought high of him.
That is it, you are in denial. Brought in to be back ups....SERIOUSLY???? LOL ---ROFLMAO ........OMFG.... Backups...yeah, that's it...let's fill the roster with backup PGs...... De-nial, ain't just a river in Africa (which is a continent by the way) So apologize for Rafer all you want.......the truth is...he sucks.....and is one, if not THE ....worst starting PG in the NBA. DD
Pitchers that can hit is not an equivalent to point guards that can shoot. Far more PGs are capable shooters than there are pitchers that can hit anywhere near league average.
Adelman said more than once that he thought Francis was going to become the starter last season. I guarantee it. I read it online and actually heard him say it in an interview.
With Hinrich out for 3 months it looks like the Rockets are stuck with Rafer. Though there could be some other long shot trade candidates: * Delonte West, drafted when Morey was with the Celtics. However he's currently starting for Cavs at SG. * Ben Gordon, unrestricted and might not even consider re-signing with the Bulls after the second year of failed contract negotiations, but he's BYC. BYC is a deal killer for the Rockets but Bulls do have a $5M TE to help even out salaries. Gordon has consistently made mention he prefers to play PG. * Baron Davis, if the Clippers keep on losing do they want his contract or would they try to start over?
It won't. On another note, CP3 just became the first PG in NBA history to start a season with six straight games of 20+ pts/10+ ast. Oscar Robertson had 5 straight. CP3's line tonight: 21 pts, 13 ast, 7 reb, 4 stl He also got to the line 14 times. Then, there's Rafer...
Tmac is a great passer, but he's not a natural point guard. His best strength is still scoring. He is a good playmaker when he draws double teams, but he should still look to score first. He doesn't know how to control a game or tempo of the game. He isn't the best at putting people in the best spots in our offense. Its not a bad thing, its just that it takes a natural point guard to be able to do those things. Rafer and Aaron Brooks are the only 2 real point guards we have on our team. As far as starting Luther, he's a turnover waiting to happen when does anything besides shoot with the ball. If he takes more than 2 dribbles or tries to pass off of the dribble nothing good comes out of it, and most of the time the other team is running a fast break the other way. His strengths are moving without the ball and shooting spot up jumpers, but he tries to do too much. If he sticks to his role, then I wouldn't mind him playing a little bit more, because frankly, we could use his shooting.
