If a PG is not a play maker, he does not deserve any minutes in NBA. Rafer should be on the injury list this whole season.
I am now open to the idea but still lean toward keeping Rafer as the starter. I think the Rafer/AB or AB/Rafer combo is weak and want Morey to get another PG who is better than either one. That may not be possible without giving up a player the Rockets want to keep. Entry passing isn't AB's strong suit but watching him blow past players and draw fouls is exciting. He needs more playing to so he can learn and gauge his capabilities faster. Adelman should be more confident in letting AB finish games now. If that happens, moving him to starter may not be far behind.
I agree, but that's why I want Rafer to start. He works well with the starters. We don't need a whole bunch of scorers on the floor at the same time. Let Rafer be there to keep the offense consistent (no TO's, not the Brooks has a problem) helping get TMac and Yao going, and then when things slow down or people need to rest brnig in Brooks to burn the defense. Rafer and the starters have years of chemistry working for them, let's not throw that away because a player, who plays great with the second unit already, is donig well right now.
Rafer's game management skills could work with our second unit as well. Tracy has been the guy managing the game with the starters lately.
That's a fair point. However my point is that Rafer and the starters have been more or less the same squad for several years now outside of Scola. They know what they're doing. On the other end, Brooks has been playing great basketball off the bench as a change of pace scorer to complement Artest and the bench. When I said Rafer isn't a playmaker, I meant he's not gonna be a high assist guy. He get's the offense started for the starters and plays decent defense. I'm hesitant to change something that's been working quite well when all the pieces are healthy.
good point, but I think the upside of doing it is something to think about. I mean, Rafer has been the starter here for a while, and it hasnt gotten us where we want to be. That said, I know its not all his fault.
I agree it's something to think about. I wouldn't put any blame on Rafer for our lack of success the last few years. We were 2-1 in the playoffs with him last year. I don't know who posted it but it was in the other poll thread. You start Rafer and if he plays well you reward him with more minutes. If he's slumping you pull him quicker than you normally would for Brooks. Who starts isn't as important as minute distribution. But at the beginning of the game I don't know if I like having three pure scorers on the floor at the same time in McGrady, Yao, and Brooks.
McGrady aint the scorer he used to be and he makes amazing decisions with the ball. He is flawless right now as a playmaker. Having Aaron takes even more pressure off mcgrady and thats a good thing for the long haul. You double him or trap him, you get burned by a long 3 point J by Brooks.
Like I said, it's definately worth thinking about. I say let Rafer start and if he and Brooks are roling in their respective positions you leave it as is. If Rafer struggles for a prolonged period of time then you can start phasing in a switch. Hey look at it this way. In years past if Rafer was struggling the backup was Luther Head Now we have options.
True. When Tracy and Yao start with Rafer, he knows he's not the scorer. Now, if you put him on the bench and he comes in for AB, he's going to have the mindset that he needs to score. I dont want Rafer to think he needs to score. When it comes down to it, people coming off the bench need to score and bring energy. AB does both.
AB is an awesome PG off the bench. One of the better ones in the NBA in my opinion. That being said, Rafer tends to be more successful setting up the offense into half court sets. Our offense is primarily half court since it goes through Yao, so Alston should remain the starter. I love what Aaron is bringing right now, and having his scoring off the bench is going to be a huge benefit throughout the regular and post season. Keep him as the backup!
if only we could aaron some sort of magic pill that would make him grow 6 inches taller, gain 30lbs and keep his speed.
Hypothetically, if Brooks starts the next four games, have modest success against those point guards and the Rockets win, would that cement Brooks as the starter? Probably another poll
It would cement that a lot of people would want him to start. Rafer is going to start when he comes back, there is no doubt.
There's no question in my mind that Brooks is the better starter and is better with the starting unit than is Rafer. The problem is, due to the fact that I think Rafer would be completely ineffective with the second unit, by starting Brooks, you're basically making Alston worthless. Keep Alston as the starter but yank him early and let Brooks close out the 4th quarters.
I agree that Brooks is better with McGrady. He doesn't have to be the distributor with TMac on the floor. Without TMac, he is not as good as Rafer in setting up the offense. I also agree that Rafer is not very good coming off the bench. Basically, both of our PGs are better starting than coming off the bench. So what would you do if you were the coach?
