I think Rafer could be a big asset. I think he is skilled enough to make the tough passes, and would be more willing to take a lot fewer shots if we asked him. The team needs a pass first point guard, and he is about the only one we have, except for Brooks. Head had more turnovers last year than any other player. He is not good with the ball in his hands. He is not a good defender. I could see us moving him. Rafer is going to be too hard to trade. We also have too many 2's. (T-mac, Head, Bonzi, some would argue that Francis and maybe James could be 2's). Who's playing time does he take? T-mac will play less, but Bonzi will play more. Francis should play some 2 and take up some more time. Where does Head fit? Answer - another team. I also do not think that Scola may not start for us in the begining of the year. 1- James 2- T-mac 3- Battier 4- Hayes 5- Yao 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th Men Francis, Bonzi, Scola, Deke NO Head. No Snyder, Reed, Harris, Butler, Brooks, or Novak in the 9 man rotation. Will RA play more than 9 a night? My guess is that he could mix up the rotation a lot more than JVG, but even so. Will he use a 13 man rotation, I think not.
So Rafer, the big asset, isn't even in the rotation? Your projection leaves us with no one off the bench who can consistently knock down threes. It also cuts down the number of players in the rotation who can make threes at better than 35% three: James, TMac and Battier. That's not enough considering the number of threes we'll get.
Not if they do what everyone expects. . . If you switch Head and Rafer, I could see it making more sense. If Mike James gets hurt who is you starting PG? Francis? I still think he would make a better 2 off the bench. What it all comes down to is which is better, and which is easier to move? Rafer or Head?
Yet you don't have Rafer in you're rotation. I believe Head is looking good with this offense, very good;according to Adelman. Plus he can hit open jumpers, I like Rafer but head> Rafer for fitting this team.
I stand corrected about Luther and this offense, but Rafer has been good too. (See snipet from Blinbury's article) Luther Head was terrific. The offense seems ideal for him. He is a guy that cuts hard and cleverly, finishes well and is a good standstill shooter. He does not do much off the dribble, but in this offense he doesn't have to. Rafer Alston was outstanding. Even teammates wondered how he would play, given the Rockets' offseason efforts to replace him. He showed up in great shape, ran things well and looks like someone worth keeping.
I rather waive novak than letting one of alston or head go. novak is not going to improve his defense anytime soon.
Please don't mind if this thread gets a low rating. A lot of people here are Head lovers. I also think Head is the Rox' biggest trade asset. The guy's a tweener - the ugly kind at that. The only thing he's worth is shooting the open J, and even that evaporated during the playoffs. He has difficulty making his own shot because he's undersized for his position, and has poor, if any, dribbling. He's athletic but doesn't have the IQ to utilize it effectively on both sides. He's an even better asset than Rafer because there are teams actually looking for young shooters - the Cavs, for example. 5 star.
we have 19 players in camp (Sura is not there) we need to cut 4 1, Harris -- obviously is the first one out 2, JL3 -- everyone know we are looking to trade to cut down our roster, so nobody is going to give us back anything for JL3, cause they know we are going to cut him 3&4, Novak & Landry -- financial wise, these two got the cheapest guaranteed contract if i have to pick, i'll cut Novak & Reed RA mentioned putting Novak at PF/SF as long as he can defend (we know he can't, not better than Scola/Hayes/Reed and definitely not better than T-Mac/Battier/Wells/Snyder/Reed) maybe it's Butler we didn't hear anything about him
Harris is "obviously" the first one out? According to who exactly? JLIII, Novak, and Landry all sound like much more likely cuts than Harris right now.
Please God not another Pro-Rafer thread! Must we suffer yet another season with that chump bricking wide-open jumpers (by the way, did he shoot over 35% for the year?), making horrible decisions down the stretch, getting dominated by every opposing PG in the league, throwing up ridiculous "tear-drop" shots that never seem to go in, etc? No way, I'll take MJ, SF, AB, and Luther over Rafer any day! Rafer has had his chance and I think he needs to move along.
Guess you won't read this then... Sorry about your longhorns, makes for a sorrier game come November.
Wasn't Luther praised by the coaching staff and said to be ideal for this system? & you wana trade him?
We're already a week into training camp. No point in doing a Rafer vs Head debate right now. We're better off waiting until the season starts, and determining who's the better fit on the team based on their play on the court.
