Long term, Alston should either be coming off the bench or he should be traded. He’s not a good fit in the starting lineup. We need efficient scorers on the floor with Yao and Mcgrady. The two players we’ve added so far (Battier, Snyder) and the point guards we’ve been linked to this summer (James, Banks) all had excellent field goal percentages (+45%) last season. After 7 seasons and a career fg% of 38%, it’s unlikely that Alston will ever be an efficient shooter. Furthermore, we need an opportunistic and aggressive point guard that can occasionally be the 3rd or 2nd scoring option on the floor. Far too many times last season Alston did a poor job of setting the tone to start out the game. We would come out lethargic instead of in attack mode. He had so many chances to step up last season and he didn’t do it. He wasn’t aggressive enough on offense (settled for too many 3’s), he wasn’t able to break down the defense (lacks quickness/explosiveness), and his jumper was extremely inconsistent. If the Rockets feel Banks, Lucas or V-Span can provide the things we need from the point that Alston failed to provide us last season, then I would have no problem seeing the team trade or bench Alston.
Why? People act like Alston sucked last year, he put up 12 ppg and 7 apg which is bad AT ALL for an injury-riddled squad.
His career average is close to 39% from the field already (not that that doesn't suck) but he is already shooting 36% from 3pt for his career.
The Rockets are not getting a new starting point guard this season. Mike James was the only possible person who would start in front of Alston unless we blow this team up. Here is why: This is essentially a contract year for JVG. He has to advance in the playoffs this year to keep his job. It takes a new starter about 30 games to pick up his system, between the defensive rotations and the offense. JVG isn't going to ditch Rafer, who already knows the system, for another player who has to learn the system on the fly. We've already got two new starter to heavy rotation players in Battier and Snyder. You bring in a new point guard (much like a new quarterback) and this team is screwed until the All-Star Break. The ONLY way that this team trades Alston after missing on M-James is if they're confident that Sura can start at the point the entire season. And I don't see that happening.
"Already"? You make it sound like he's working his way up Last 4 seasons of three-point percentages for Rafer: 39.2% 37.1% 35.7% 32.7% Not a good trend. The last 3 seasons were when he got starter's minutes also.
actually there aren't many point guards in the nba, who can handle the ball as efficient as rafer, shoot about 36 % from beyond the arc and are considered a pure pg. rafer alston has weaknesses, but he's also a really good fit for our team when mcgrady and yao are healthy and we have some shooters on the court. people need to realize that alston has indeed some strengths and that's why he is a solid player. he's not a superstar, but he will help cut down the turnovers, he will share the ball and he even will hit a couple of threes. plus, he has a reasonable contract. all in all he's definitely a keeper. if he starts and gets his minutes i'll predict he'll average 11 ppg, 8 apg and 1.5 spg along with only slightly over 2.0 topg and about 36% 3ps.
Alston would be MUCH more productive on a team that he is not asked to score too much...in other words THIS YEARS team. If he is asked to be one of the main scoring threats then he will struggle, but with the make up of this years team, he should thrive. DD
He did suck last year. 12 ppg when he had buckets of open outside shots, was doubled off of, and was the only thing remotely approaching a perimeter threat is not that impressive. All you have to do is watch the games. Of course, I don't blame you for not doing so as watchng Alston blow layups and then give one up on the other end isn't much fun. Alston is a terrible fit because he doesn't do the two things a Rockets PG should do most: Complement Yao and Tracy by spotting up and by playing defense. This was glaringly apparent this past season and why we went crying back to Mike James. I have little confidence that he's dramatically improved in either area presently.
people need to realize that alston's weaknesses outweight his "strengths"(lol) and that's why the rockets need to find a better pg.
Not for nothing but I think Salim Stoudamire will be a great pg one day. Since Atl has Speedy, Lue, Salim, and Joe Johnson playing point, maybe they would sacrifce him? I know he is on a min. contract, but there are a load of wing players the Rox would love to have. I know Josh Childress has been mentioned many times, and he doesnt seem to have much of a role on the Hawks.
Rafer Alston Juwan Howard Luther Head (Draft considerations/$4.3 Mil trade Ex on a sep. deal) for S-n-T Al Harrington Salim Stoudamire Josh Childress Why Hou does this trade: This gives Houston a youthful option for an aging team. The Rockets need more depth at the 2/3 position, along with a PF. Childress has lost his role in ATL behind Marvin Williams and Josh Smith. He could come in and possibly start at the SG spot. If Houston opts at Mcgrady back at the SG position, that he played for years, Childress could come off the bench at both the 2/3 position. The Rockets would love the hustle and heart of Salim. He plays with the fire that made Sura, Barry, and Mike James popular in Houston. He would be a crowd favorite instantly. The Rockets have been linked to be bringing their Greek PG project over from Greece, and would give him the oppurtunity to come in and get good mins. Salim would be great as the back-up PG. Landing Al Harrington gives the Rockets a younger, more atlthetic starting PF. Think Stromile Swift with a brain. He could be the answer to Houston's woes this off-season. Why Atl does this trade: The Hawks would actually have the depth to make it back into the play-offs for the first time in several years. This could be broken down in two seperate deals if the Hawks wanted the $4.3 Mil TE the Rockets have been dangling. That would be enough to get the Hawks a 3rd C, and push them into the 4-8 seed in the play-offs. Rafer Alston could start, and Atl could have Speedy Claxton (2nd in voting for 6th man) come off the bench. Juwan Howard, a well traveled offense Vet. seems like he would mesh well with the no-nonsense Shelden Williams. Shelden could start, with Howard coming off the bench behind him. Luther Head is a crowd favorite combo guard that plays big. He has a great drive to the basket, and excellent 3pt % from behind the arc, which he hit many clutch shots in the absense of Yao and Mcgrady. I think this deal would give the Hawks great depth, and a better over-all team. Hawks PG Alston/Speedy/Lue SG J.Johnson/Head SF J.Smith/M.Williams PF S.Williams/Juwan C Zaza/ (FA pick-up/or the Rox 4.3Mil TE) Rockets PG V-Span/Salim/Sura SG Mcgrady/Childress/Snyder SF Battier/Novak/Bowen PF Harrington/Hayes C Yao/Mutombo
I think we need a young, athletic, rebounding power forward that is not a liability on the offensive end. Gooden is a true power forward, not a tweener. The Rockets have two good prospects in JLIII if they will just sign him and V-Span. They also have a very good vet in Sura IF he gets healthy. I don't think any of us will question that Sura is simply a superior point guard than Alston if he is healthy. Banks is not a bad point guard either. Maybe he is not as good as passer as Alston but he is quicker, a better defender, more aggressive and he is a true threat to score with the ball in his hands. His defender can not lay off of him and play the passing lanes like the could with Rafer. If you want to say that Banks is a downgrade at point guard then I would have to argue that if he is a down grade it is not by much. With the addition of V-Span, JLIII and possibly Sura our point guard spot looks set and in much better shape than last season.
Also if TMacs back should flare up again...and I think if you look at him historically he is likely to miss at least 10 to 20 games, Gooden becomes even more valuable. A line up with out Tracy McGrady could look like this: PG Banks or Sura SG Snyder SF Battier PF Gooden C Yao That is still a very, very good team that can play both offense and defense. And there is not one single offensive liability out of that group. If we kept Alston and do not have an alternitive to Battier or JHo at pf then our line up would look like this Alston Snyder Battier JHO or Novak or Hayes Yao JHo is can still score some but he is old, not athletic and Novak is still an unproven rookie while Hayes has no offense .
of course he struggled. that's just not his role. his role is to distribute the ball, control the tempo, bring up the ball efficient and to hit occasional open shots. he's a role player, you know... when he has to be the primary or secondary scorer he will suck. that's no secret. but he won't be in that kind of situations when t-mac and yao are healthy. hmm, i watched about 70 games last season and stayed up late to do so. yet, i can't agree with you, because it's just not fair to judge him after that kind of a season. i won't say he has no weaknesses, because he has. but imagine how john stockton would have looked, if he was on that team. i'm not saying they are on the same level. that would be insane. but they have one certain thing in common: they are both distributors and so dependend on other players. he can make the three ball with a percentage that is high in the thirties. and he will do so, when he gets his confidence back and is not forced to be a scorer. his defense is not stellar. that is probably his biggest weakness. but he can compensate that with being our only pure pg and handling the ball efficient. that's what you can expect from him. and that's why he fits. hmm, i wasn't crying for mike james, because i thought that we should look beyond this season full of injuries. if mike james was on last season's team maybe we would have won about 5 more games. that would have brought us really further, i guess. rafer doesn't need to improve dramatically. he just needs to play the game of a role player.
So, what you folks are saying is that Rafer's a great fit when surrounded with superstar players and there's no pressure on him and can have the occasional non-sh-tty performance I've got a word for players like that: back-ups. The book on Rafer is written. I can't believe people are still willing to buy the same line one year later. It was a dumb move then and he hasn't gotten any better - and reality shows it.
This would solve a lot of problems including PG Why not just trade for Francis. Thomas wants expiring contracts/young players with potential on rookie scale deals according to a few rumors out of New York in exchange for Steve, and would like a PG in return. No problem................ "Moneyball" has the perfect answer since so many cheap scrubs will be lining the Rockets roster. Send them cap filler -------> Chuck Hayes, Lonny Baxter (signed at minimum), Ryan Bowen send them trade for Francis --------> Luther Head, Rafer Alston send them some other scrub we can find signed for one year like Pat Carroll or whomever (guys like Baxter and Bowen that they can just cut cheap right off) and send them Deke, since he would be an expriring deal, and could at least help them for one year more than Jerome James. From a financial perspective it is exactly what Knicks want AND what Rockets want because it frees up a bunch of contracts they probably really don't want. Also Knicks get Head and Rafer in place of Francis in essence. Caveat, the Knicks would then turn around and cut Chuck Hayes and Baxter, who could then be immediately re-signed. All the Rockets then have to do is split the MLE on Spanoulis and Jumaine Jones....... sign Padgett to a minimum deal, and Lucas III to a minimum deal. Use part of the big TE to acquire Kelvin Cato use the last part of the big TE to get Travis Diener. Baxter can be re-signed to 10 days after the Knicks cut him and be used as a reserve body whenever Yao or Cato went down. PG Francis/Diener/Lucas III SG Snyder/Spanoulis/Sura SF T-Mac/Ju Jones/Novak PF Battier/Ju Howard/Padgett/Hayes C Yao/Cato It's 100 percent Moneyball and it's the sure fire way to get that 3rd option. It would also give the Rockets probably the toughest supporting cast around Yao and T-Mac they could possibly get. It would UPGRADE the team and be easily done.
http://www.realgm.com/src_wiretap_a...n_griffin_continue_to_watch_gooden_situation/ The Bulls are looking into possibly trading Chris Duhon and Michael Sweetney. There is know reason we could not come up with as good a deal as that with Alston and someone else. I don't really expect anything to come from the Rockets on this but it would damn sure beef up our team if we could aquire Gooden
