How bad does Rafer and JLIII have to play before you think VSpan deserves a shot?

Yeah, that was a very good post Jopatmc. I don't know why Rafer doesn't throw himself into people more. Some guys just aren't good enough to do that. When driving, I think Rafer does look to draw defenders and then pass, but when that option isn't there, he decides to shoot. Only if the lane is wide open would he get a layup, but usually there's someone under the bucket, so Rafer has a wide open 4 foot tear drop. I think he just lacks a level of athleticism needed to make that extra push to get contact and go for a hard finish. He either lacks it, or is afraid of contact, or is afraid of getting blocked...or some combination of those things.

 

why the hell not try and start vspan even? that way he'll be on the court with the first team so they can pick up the slack if he struggles, but hell either way we need a different look at point guard.

rafer needs to come off the bench...

 

JVG should give him at least 10 minutes a night for the next 7 games and if continues to not improve then take away the minutes but play him at his strengths. JVG should not force him to be something he isn't(spot up shooter).

 

For people saying V-Span will be turnover prone.

Every brick Rafer throws up might as well be a turnover.

 

One thing I haven't seen Rafer do is dribble back out of the lane. He always either passes or shoots. We all know how bad of an option his shooting there is, and good defenses succeed in blocking the passing lanes, so why doesn't he just dribble out a couple steps and find the open man on the perimiter?

I play some ball on occassion, and this works for me sometimes, especially when defenses are collapsing on the basket. That's the only reason I bring it up. Am I way off here?

 

To give him some minutes (not starting or something....but SOME playing minutes) Rafer and JL3 are WAY past the sucking point.

 

Rafer is already the worst starting pg in the leauge, so he can do no wrong in jvg's eyes.

 

No, you're not. Steve Nash does that a lot; he's the master of weaving in and out of the lane while keeping his dribble alive. But Nash has a killer midrange game. He can dribble out a bit and then stop on a dime and nail a fadeaway 12 foot jumper like it's nothing. Rafer doesn't have that. So, he'd probably have to dribble ALL the way back out to the perimeter and try to set something up. Well, then you're up against the shot clock, and that generally results in an even lower percentage shot.

 

It's not just nash. Tony Parker does that all the time as well.

 

Yes, Rafer could do that, but then he'd need time on the clock. Rafer is generally not the go to guy in the Rockets half court set. They run a play. If it doesn't work, they try again to run the same play. Then there's like 10 seconds left on the clock and Rafer has the ball, so he has to make something happen. Maybe on occasion he could take it out again to look for the pass, but I'm thinking it wouldn't there and most of the time lead to a tougher shot by Rafer. But who knows, the tougher shot might go in more than the tear drop.

Adding to that, if JVG wasn't so basic on his offense, Rafer wouldn't end up with so many shots. I don't think JVG is terrible at coaching offense, but just rather very very very mediocre. His D coaching is great though, and he's good at getting his players to max on effort. But yeah, JVG's offensive sets are repugnant when facing a good team. It usually takes one adjustment and then the Rockets are screwed. See game 1 vs LA and game 2 vs Dallas.

 

The next time Spanoulis will see minutes is during the closing stretch of the season when the Rockets have locked up a playoff spot and want to rest their big dogs.

 

True... I forgot that my pickup games don't have shot clocks.

Still, Rafer sometimes penetrates early in the play. In those instances, I think it's safe to say he should avoid shooting unless he's COMPLETELY open.

 

and for a layup that is. A completely open floater is still no good.

 

V-Span needs more chances to show his ability. I don't think JLIII is better than V-Span. JVG is wrong undoubtedly.

 

V Span has to learn how to play in this league first.

 

One thing Bill can do while Alston can't, is to penetrate and actually finish. Bill's FT is not that bad (compared to Alston's) if he gets fouled; whileas nobody even bother to foul Alston know hes going for his teardrop. In addition, Bill's pass is better than Alston but then you'd have to bear with his TO.

 

If your talking about limiting his TOs and improve his shooting, right, you are expecting a Nash with a $3.7mill paycheck.

 

Classic example of why the fans aren't coaches

 

amen to that