[Chron] Guard glut? What guard glut? More the merrier, according to Mike James.

i could only get through like 2 pages of you responding to every single post because you can't let something go for some pitiful reason. rafer is dumb. he throws the ball away with 1:15 left in the 4th when luther just got the crowd going with a 3 to bring us within 1 and Shane knocked the ball loose for the steal. he throws that ball away. he takes a r****ded shot. a point guard in a jvg system gets a lot of playing time, ball in hand time. this means lots of minutes and statistics. rafer did what he could, better than smush parker, but francis could have done, and can do, way ****ing better. you'll see.

 

It depends on what you mean by a large percentage of games. Yao yes, T-Mac, no. T-Mac missed 11 games and the record in those games was 2-9. Rafer without T-Mac led us to a 2-9 and record.

Does Rafer deserve less blame for us not advancing this year? Yes. Does he deserve more credit for the season? I don't really think so. I think Tracy deserves more credit. As has been previously noted, Rafer didn't even lead his own team in assists. And if you compare assists in wins vs losses, the difference is even greater.

More durable? He was healthier than Francis, but James played in all 82 games. I believe his minutes were more a reflection of his situation in Minny, than they were his durability. Just as Rafer's minutes here were more a reflection of his situation, not his ability. Prior to his arrival in New York, Francis had been arguably more "durable" than both (his migraine year not withstanding.)

Not necessarily: Rafer's shooting percentages have gone up and down with various levels of minutes. His best year shooting both 2'sand 3's came when he was shooting much less and playing only about 20 minutes a game. If that is the case he maybe the first guy on the floor, but he is not your best PG. As a matter of fact, there is more of a correlation between location and his percetages than minutes. Both his best shooting years came in Toronto. Maybe that is where we need to send him.

I think we are going to see a lot of different combinations on the floor. I just don't see Rafer getting much time with the current crop of guards.

How about the Rafer Alston for free movement? Just kidding. I really like Rafer as a player. I just don't think he has much of a place here anymore, and I don't think we need him.

 

I am responding because that is what you are "suppose to do" on a board like this. It is like carrying on a conversation with folks. While some of my use of stats might be flawed, I am trying to have a constructive conversation instead of throwing out remarks like "Rafer is dumb" and "he is r****ded".

 

The problem I have with this viewpoint is that it conveniently chooses to ignore the PG weaknesses that both James and Francis possess. They are not good at passing the ball, nor are they good at making decisions in the half court. They will both turnover the ball needlessly. And honestly, knowing this, why would you believe that teams will leave them open in the halfcourt when the proper way to play them is to press them at the point of attack and knock them and the offense off stride? I can accept the fact that you dislike Rafer but don't let that dislike blind you to the foibles of the other two guards.

Plus another thing to consider is that Adelman's offense won't be predicated on the same things that JVG's was and that could be a positive for Rafer as well. The JVG offense was designed to leave the guards open for 3 point shots because it directed the ball and the corresponding defensive attention to Yao & McGrady. In it, the PG's primary duty was to bring the ball up and lob it into the post or give up the ball to Tmac so he can create "something". That approach clogged up the lane when the other players collapsed around Yao and the other strategy I saw was teams forcing the ball out of McGrady's hands which forced the guards into a scoring role they weren't equipped to handle. Again, I don't see this happening under Adelman. Heed my words here: they are going to need a PG who can operate under pressure in the half court particularly against the likes of Dallas & San Antonio and I'm not convinced that James or Francis fits the bill.

 

This had nothing to do with his disappointing play last year?
The same youth movement that had them trade James for an older player?

 

That is a pretty good point.

 

Hmmm...no it doesn't. If you still believe that James turns the ball over "needlessly" then you're a complete idiot. Sorry to be frank, but read the damned thread.

 

I don't mean to defend MJ, but his play was affected by his big mouth. He was on the outs with Casey, Wittman & KG who apparently told him to shut up and get with the program. MJ has ability; it's his weird personality that stops him more than anything.

Keep on bringing it. I disagree with you about Rafer but keep making your point. There ain't nothing wrong with taking a stance most people disagree with.

 

Just an idea though not possible, trade SF, MJ & RA for Mike Bibby. If so all our point guard problems are solved. But seriously like many have said keep Rafer unless we have something good from trading him.

 

davidkconover, how much did you pay BallBoy for this diversion? This is truly a "pinata" post.

 

really, weird, I went to look up these guys' stats and rafer one ups james in everything

james born in 6-23-75
rafer born in 7-24-76

therefore rafer is better

 

Funny. I don't like Bibby anyway. He shoots too much. Or as SamFisher says... "he is prolific".

 

That is pretty funny. But doesn't really count as Rafer have been around longer. The stat is flawed.

 

Look if you find it hard to civil, then you're the complete idiot here. There's no need to be a jackass. The point I'm making is that both James and Francis will cough up the ball under pressure and that I am not confident with them in a half court game. While he's certainly not in the league of Francis in terms of turnovers, I have seen MJ make his fair share when he was with the Rockets. That's all I'm saying and it's a perfectly legitimate point. Now you don't like Rafer and that's cool. He has his shortcomings but the one thing he has that the other two don't is better pure PG skills. All I'm pointing out here is that's something they will need that before the season is over. Is that frank enough for you? Oh and trying reading the entire post for a change. It might actually help you see that you are really engaged in a conversation and not a confrontation.

 

You're right about this one. They should both be judged on their relative strengths and weaknesses and not against each other. They are different players who happen to both be point guards. There is an awful lot of Alston hate going on right now. It sort of reminds me of all the Francis hate around here 4 years ago.

It's the off season and things are slow right now and James did put this out so I guess it was worth some discussion. It's always good to see what other folks are thinking.

 

Very well put. I don't see why James and Francis (the latter who in fact has always produced a lot of TOs for a PG) have been put in the same company other than they both have better scoring skills than Rafer.

I would add in addition to James low frequency of TOs he is an oustanding FT shooter. He really helps our "closing" lineup. You can be free to press Head or Francis as PGs because they will turn the ball over, you can press Rafer because though he probably won't turn it over, nor will he punish you for overplays, James, and possibly Brooks, are a different story.

Though I am not as negative on Rafer as others. I don't mind if he back-ups up James. And if James and Francis really are on the down, and Brooks isn't ready, Rafer could still be very important. But if there is a good value trade to be had I certainly feel confident enough in James/Brooks/Francis to handle things even if James has to give 30+ minutes like Rafer was asked last year.

 

No, as has been said about 5-10 times in this thread already, he's virtually identical to Alston in terms of turnovers last season (his nadir, compared to Rafer's crowning glory of a season) and made very few when he was with the Rockets.

So, aside from pointing out things that are false, which is the object of my frustration - what are you pointing out here really? Anything?