To sum it up... And it's not like Rafer is great at getting into the paint and creating shots for others. He isn't some superb floor general either. With Yao and Tracy being the SOLE legitimate playmakers on this team, Rafer better make those outside shots.
I voted "yes" on the Clutch Poll, however, not until long hesitation. Clutch and the others who say we need good shooting from the PG spot are dead on. There is a reason Jason Kidd has not won a title, while all these lesser PG have done it: B.J. Armstrong Jim Paxson Sam Cassel Kenny Smith Steve Kerr Ron Harper Derek Fisher The story has been, you need your PG to knock down the open shot if you want to win a title. People were right who said that having a liability on offense can be exploited by the opposing defense. However, you also need quality posessions. A PG who can shoot the ball would convert on a possession, it is true, but what if they waste possessions in other ways - say by a turnover or by having Tracy bail us out with a low percentage shot? How is that reflected in the player efficiency? Ideally you would have a competent (if not briliant) PG who would set up up the table and also knock down the shot. Rafer is definetely competent in the first, so he would give you the quality possessions; he is not great at the second, but I wouldn't say he is awfull. If his percentage from 3 was in the 20%s I wouldn't play him. Would Mike James be a better option? Perhaps. At the time of the trade, I didn't see it necessarily as a bad move and I am one of CD's harshest critics. MJ was by far a better shooter/scorer, however he would boggle up the offense on occasions. The flow was definitely worse when MJ was running the team. In retrospect, they should have probably let him develop more. After all, he was only for half a season with us. Now, let's look at Detroit and San Antonio. Tony Parker is not a better shooter than Skip. Detroit has an excellent PG in Chauncey, however, they are a prime example of how a team can win with a four on five offense because of Ben Wallace. So, you can win in this league with some offensive defficiencies. having said all that, though, I wouldn't be surprised if Luther eats into Skip's minutes. He's not really a PG, however, all he needs to do is not to waste possession by boneheadedness and I think he can get there. Most likely thing to happen is that Skip will start games and Head would finish them. That's the logical thing to do. Head is a clutch player, he was in college and he showed it last year. In crunch time you run set plays, so you don't need any high IQ improvisational stuff. Plus, I would expect T-Mac to bring the ball in crunch time too. He is capable, it's just a wase of energy to do it for the whole game. With respect to V-Span and Luke, we can't really expect much, at least for this season, however any upside surprises there could also mean bench time for Skip. All in all, high quality threat.
This is a good point, but when Alston was in Miami and Toronto he was on running team when Houston ran Alston was one of the better point guards in the league. With TMAC and no Yao the lane is open so he is better at getting to the basket and the team is quicker overall so he can push the ball more. The problem with Houston as a team is this they do not have good perimeter defense and when they stop someone they only have one good rebounder. This is where Stromile really disappointed JVG, what Houston needs now is someone who is a good rebounder and Mr. Diapper Dandy Shane Battier will not get this done as a starting power forward (although we will be quicker) they need a solid rebounder. This will result in more running from the perimeter and less crashing of the boards by TMAC in particular. Rafer is better at getting Yao into the game but it is at his games expense. Mike James was better at scoring with Yao in the game but it was at Yao's expense. As a running team Rafer can do so much more for this team than James which is why besides being trade bait Kirk Snyder is an important piece to this team. I see a lot of people talk about how James is a better fit for this team than Alston. Mike James may be the better scorer and would have made houston look better when TMAC was injured but Rafer is the better point guard and when this team is healthy he will prove to be better than James. Alston has to work on his J no doubt but the key to his success is not in his control, it comes down to health so that he can play his game and rebounding so that he can push the ball. When Houston was hot in Feb 06- early March Houston was pushing the ball because of good defense and solid rebounding. Alstons assist were up and he was also efficent.
The score is tied its down to 5 seconds I trust Alston to make the right decision before I would ever trust Mike "put your head down like clyde but you ain't no drexler"James. I can live with an inconsistent jump shooter much more than a ball hogger who doesn't give the rock to the guys getting paid the most to take the shots. Alston can't shoot well neither can most of the league, face it he's a better team player and runs the point effeciently. I have a feeling if he was hitting the shots, some of you would be complaining about his lack of penetration. ITS THE NBA, not every team is stacked at every position, if the salary cap allowed them to be, we would be watching the Globetrotters against the Generals every night.
I was going to start a new page for this but as usual am too late!!! I loved reading the #s you posted, C. rafer is good in spurts but the shooting shows he needs less PT!!!
Sometimes you wonder why people post without reading... Name one instance of this happening in either example, e.g., James making the wrong decision and Alston making the right decision to win a game in the last five seconds.... .... .... .... yeah, I thought so. Apparently the Rockets couldn't, which is why they went after James, who shoots better than McGrady, by the way. LOL, well, "most of the league" isn't called upon to make open jump shots for the Rockets which happens to be Alston's role. As far as running the point "efficiently", the numbers say otherwise. I have a feeling if he were hitting shots, hell would freeze over, but no I don't see why i woudl cry about missing his penetration in which he gets blocked by the rim or misses a layup. It's not a question of being stacked, it's a question of being adequate. He's not adequate as a starter. That's the point.
Regardless of who the starter is if everyone stays healthy the Rockets are going to be a wrecking crew this year.
There are so many things wrong with this post, I don't know where to start...First of all, with 5 seconds left, I wouldn't want either James or Alston to have the ball...I would hope Tmac or Yao would have the ball..for that matter, even Luther Head has proved he has big shot capabilities... Second, you say that just because most of the league can't shoot, we should give Rafer a break? I don't give a rat's a$$ if nobody else can shoot. I'm a rockets fan and with our offense, we need a PG who can shoot the outside shot. Coupleed with his poort defense, he doesn't make a great option as a starting PG for this team. You said IF, he could shoot well then we would gripe about his Shooting skills. Unfortunately for us, he can't do neither one of those well. I'll say it again. What we need most from our PG position is a Lights Out shooter from the outside who can play good defense. Anything extra he brings would be icing on the cake. Alston, did neither of those last year. He will be a good player off the bench, but from what I see, he is not the option for us as a starter.
LOL what offseason moves lead you to think that.....we haven't improved on what we needed going in which was better shooting all around and a better PF....
good stuff. i feel that all we need from our starting point guard is penetration. he can even be a decent shooter, which is why i think kill bill will surprise us all and take alston's spot, because he wont just camp out behind the three point line. along with yao and tmac, if we have somebody else who can penetrate and draw fouls were unstoppable.
Shane Battier is a better PF than Howard and can also hit the three. He's better defensivly to. We got bigger, younger and more athletic at the 2 guard to with Kirk Snyder. Novak can shoot the three. Spanoulis looks like Manu Ginoboli. Luther Head will be better this year than last. Yoa will be better. TMac will be Tmac if healthy which he now says he is. Not a Rafer Alston or John Lucas Fan. THIS TEAM IS WAY BETTER THAN LAST YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE. Defense and chemistry fit nicely.
