I personally would like to see him stay. Although it doesn't seem too likely. BUT, if Steve can run the offense, I'm all for it, and wish Rafer the best. I was one of he few Rafer fans.
I think that the Rockets are looking to at least get a player in return for Rafer Alston, which is something I personally don't see happening. I understand that the Miami Heat are interested in him due to their current point guard problems, but I wonder what Pat Riley wants with him when you consider that he is a guard who has proven that he can't shoot straight. Throughout his entire eight-year NBA career, he's only had two seasons in which he shot better than 40 percent from the floor, and has shot 38.4 percent overall. If I was a GM, I wouldn't even want to trade for him at all due largely to his contract I would be left with (three more years) along with the proven fact that throughout his NBA career that he can't shoot straight as well as the fact that his caliber in the league is backup point guard at best. To me, he would be worth no more than a second round draft pick. Afterall, he was a second round draft selection nine years ago by the Milwaukee Bucks at #10. My fearless forcast concerning where Rafer Alston will be on opening night next season is this: He will still be on the Rockets' roster. On the other hand, the only question I have concerning his status with the team is this: Will he be starting, or be sitting on the bench in favor of the likes of Steve Francis, Mike James, and/or Aaron Brooks?
Alston NEEDS to be traded for his own good. He is not the direction of the team is heading. New coach wants all 5 players to be a threat to score. He has proven he is not a real threat. He is a decent ball handler but all you who things Alston is good enough must not remember his infamous floaters that always seem to be a foot short. How he never gets contact on drives so he's not shooting the easy shot (FT). His defense is decent but then I think James plays better defense and Francis is a better scorer. If he cannot be traded, he is only to be one unhappy player. "he started for the last 2 years" so it's going to be bad blood if he is on the bench. IMO, no way he starts over either Steve or James. One of them is the starter. You start your best players and sorry to say he is not the best PG on the team anymore. So hope Moneyball can do his magic and get another diamond out of the coal we have
I agree with you on this assessment of yours concerning Rafer's well being with the Rockets, let alone the rest of the league. I personally see the distinct possibility of his playing days ending at some time before his current contract is due to expire. My fearless prediction for his future in the league is this: Whoever winds up with him after next season might just buy out whatever is left on his current contract, much like what the Portland Trailblazers did with Steve Francis. After that, he might be fortunate if he can sign with any team for the veteran league minimum.
Don't trade rafer??? are we talking about the same O-fer that I know? the guy that can't make a layup? I'd trade him for the grizzlies head janitor.
The real question is not whether or not to trade Rafer - the real question is who gets to be your starting PG. If it's Francis, then you have a PG who turns the ball over, does not handle the press, is terrible at running the fast break, makes bad decisions and cannot run a structured offense. He can score but that alone does not make up for his other deficiencies. If it's James, then you get another version of Francis. It still remains to be seen how he'd fit into an offense designed to give the lion's share of shots to the two best players - McGrady & Yao. I seem to recall how James chaffed at having to defer offensively to Garnett in Minny. Anyway, you still end up with a PG who does not perform on par compared with the other PGs in the West. As I see it, the biggest problem will come when the other teams choose to pressure the ball when these one of these two are handling the ball. When Francis was here before, the press killed him and forced him into making horrible decisions on the perimeter and when he tried to penetrate into the paint. From what I remember of James, he wasn't much better so what do you do? You can't depend on Brooks who is a undersized rookie and the plan is to stop having McGrady play PG. Head is not a PG but is another SG in a PG'g body (like Francis & James). In this situation, Alston does make some sense because he can give you the PG skills the others don't have.
I don't know if Rafer's got to go but we've got to get rid of one of our point guards. While Francis and James aren't as good as ball handlers as Alston I don't think that will be too much of a problem with T-Mac. T-Mac last season showed a flair for passing but seemed to lose his edge for driving to the hoop so why not let T-Mac do most of the ball handling and let Francis and James do the driving to the hoop?
exactly. why anyone has faith/trust in james/francis/brooks managing the pg spot is beyond me. Rafer is an easy target because what he's poor at is what everyone seems to care about "offense", in particular shooting. But the guy IS a decent spot up 3pt shooter, which always helps when you have yao in the paint and tmac kicking out. But even despite the obvious scoring abilities, the guy is a good ball handler and a very good passer as well as an underrated defender, particularly off the ball. it will also be interesting to see him with the option to pass to other viable offensive threats like james, francis and bonzi. I dont think you get rid of rafer just to get rid of him, though. If there is a good trade (and not just saving money) then you think about it but assuming that the pg position is set because francis is here...well then you must of forgot what he played like with primary ball handling duties.
Should we start a "Save Rafer" campaign? Somebody start a petition in front of Toyota Center. This will catch Adelman's attention.
lol Really. Rafer is hardly decent behind the arc and frankly this team needs more than 3 point bombers who get cold and useless during games. Stop hating on Steve and Mike James and give them a chance. We've seen what Rafer can do and it turned out to be a huge liability for us in the long run.
I think the reason why so many people hate Alston (other than the obvious which is he sucks) is that he was brought in to replace a guy that many people liked in Mike James. Then when James had his great season in Toronto while Rafer struggled, that just intensified the hate on Alston. Factor also that Rafer was a Gumby favorite and it is not surprising why so many people here can't stand the bum. And the reality is that Rafer is really not that good; he's at best a backup PG on a good team and a starting PG on a really bad team.
i agree with everything you say. In addition, Rafer is a good open court point guard and he is a decent defender due to his fast hands. With that said, the main problem is that he is not a good penetrator and he lacks finishing moves around the rim except for the little floater. The playmaking responsibilities fell on T-mac's shoulders. With James and Stevie, T-Mac doesn't have to wear himself out. In conclusion, Rafer does not fit with our current system or the direction we are heading although he is a decent point man.
shooting over 35% career and last year over 36% from 3pt range is more than just decent. And if you adjust to morey's stat of pure spot up shooting it increases even more. no one is "hating", just being honest. francis and james have had a lot of chances and they have always shown the same thing, offensive ability in creating but poor game management and average to below average pasing and ball handling. Yes, we hve seen what rafer can do on a flawed roster with only 2 viable offensive weapons with no legit backup for him. win 50+ games, and be in great position to win a playoff series against a dam good team. thats a fair point. he isnt great at finishing but like you mention, with guys like francis, james and bonzi (assuming these guys play well of course) this team suddenly doesnt have to worry too much about finishing. Those guys are finishers, creators, scorers, etc. What they are not is distributors, good passers, ball controlers, etc. Does not fit our system? we havent seen "our" system yet...how do you know he wont fit? But you're right maybe he wont, but then again he could very well. I'd love to see rafer pushing the ball with someone on his side that can actually run with him (last year he was running alone half the time). I want to see rafer on a team where he isnt the 3rd or 4th best player on the team but rather the 6th or 7th. He is probably the 2nd best passer behind tmac and why not utilize one of his skills to assist (no pun intended) in the skills of others around him, i.e. finishers/shooters like MJ/francis/bonzi/yao?
