the thing I find funny is that if any player on this team is in the mike bibby mold its james. a good shooter all around, who's also a good point guard. mike bibby isn't a pure point guard, he's a good point guard. this system doesn't call for a pure point guard, it requires a point guard who can shoot from all over the court. alston was more suited to jvg's system than this one.
Ya, you won't find me defending rafer anywhere. I think he is a great backup PG because he defers to the other players, protects the ball, and plays acceptable defense. But, he can't shoot or create for himself if necessary. This can really hurt you if things break down in your normal offense. I personally think Steve is our best option but we have to get him to pass the ball early in the clock. With Steve out there at least you never cringe when the ball is in his hands with under 7 sec left. I think because of SF3's abillity to finish he is going to start seeing how easy things can be for him if he moves and cuts well in this offense.
I don't think so. JVG was about feeding Yao low, set patterns, and outside shots. This system is about moving without the ball and creating scoring opportunities, and improvisation. It's read and react. Those are Rafer's strengths. It mainly calls for a passing, improvising point guard who can move without the ball. The half court offense is about slow, deliberate screens and such. Creative basketball suits Rafer much, much more.
I agree. Rafer's strengths weren't shown when he was called on to be a "steady" type point guard under JVG. It's hard to fit that mold when for all his life, Rafer was a streetball guard. Everyone will see how much better Rafer is this year in the new system, running the fast break, increasing the tempo of the game, and making crisp passes. By the end of the season (if Rafer is still with the team), we will see that Rafer IS a better playmaker than Tmac who ran most of the offense last year. Trust me.
rafer strengths are breaking down the defense and creating and running the fast break. This offense calls for a point guard who can find open spots, without the ball, and knock down jump shots. the reason i say jvg's offense benefited him more is because he's a good three point shooter, and if the offense bogged down, he could create shots for others, especially battier. its not that he can't play in this system, its that james is more in the bibby mold imo.
What Rafer did really well for JVG is still play JVG's game when others resisted. That's how he suited JVG. So he might have fit that system but he fits this one better. His role is not to be a jump shooter. It is to look for a cutter, or try to cut to make the defense react to create open shots (for Yao and Tmac). He's not a shooter, he is an initiator. If he does get the ball from a pass on a play, it's mostly going to be from a forward while he is cutting to the basket. And hopefully there are other players still moving without the ball for him to pass to if needed. MJ wants the ball too much and Francis needs it. But I'm glad we have both of them, they both have big upsides. I just think this offense with Yao and Tmac on the floor suits Rafer better. I do like Brooks too though, much more than Lucas.
