Yeah, I apologize for being so abrasive there. I tried to fix the statement whilst maintaining the integrity of the initial gist. I know you're a Rockets fan - I've read hundreds of your posts. And I've enjoyed them, BTW. So I know you're not just hating on the team for no good reason. But you are being unrealistic. In the NBA, dynasties dominate many of the championship totals. In the last 10 years, the Bulls, Spurs and Lakers have 3, and the Pistons have 1. That makes 26 teams mediocre. But, if you took the last 12 years, the Spurs, Lakers, and Bulls have their 3, the Rockets have 2 and the Pistons have 1. That's putting the Rockets well above mediocrity. Elite even. If you're just talking about the team's regular season record over the last 10 years, that's far from mediocre. A .537 win percentage is exceptional for a team spending most of those years in a tumultuous, post-championship rebuilding mode. Take into consideration that 2 of the top 10-15 players in the league have been acquired during that time. They are far from a mediocre organization.
Alston already 30 years old, so he only has a couple years to improve. all this talk of the future? the Rockets need to start grooming his replacement 2 years ago.
His replacement is Span. How likely will he be a Chauncey Billups or a Sam Cassell? Has there ever been a euro point guard that's been at the championship level in the nba?
Yea I notice he seem to turn the ball over or fall people at the wrong times, but other then that I'm cool with the rest of his game.
Dude just becaus Tony Parker has an "amaerican Name" and an " american Girl Friend" ( and being black!)- does not mean he is NOT euro! For that matter Nash is Not american either.
Derek Fisher?????????????? Wow! That is a high Honor dor D Fish! And I think Steve Nash did not retire yet!
Parker does not nearly have the ballhandling skills of Rafer. He doesn't even have Rafer's shooting skills/range. But he's definitely faster and one of the best at finishing around the basket (2nd in the league in points scored in the paint behind Wade, I believe). And that's the only reason why Tony Parker is an Allstar and Rafer isn't. Rafer has more assists (6.7 to 5.8), fewer turnovers (2.39 to 3.11), more steals (1.52 to 1.09), more rebounds (4.0 to 3.3) and more durability than Tony Parker. He even blocks more shots. He isn't as bad as some people think. Not denying he could definitely work on his 3 point shot and his defense, and there's definitely some room for improvement, but he's a pretty good point guard and I'm confident he's capable to taking this team to the finals.
It's just unrealistic to expect that we're going to change personnel every year- at some point, you have to keep a few guys other than Yao and Tracy. Rafer, to me, is one of those. Can give you 8-12 assists, 14-15 points, etc. I'd say that Alston, Yao, Tracy, Chuck Hayes, and David Wesley are the keepers. Bye to Swift, Howard, Head, Bowen, etc.
LoL, you miss the point. Championship level is when you win a championship. Nash may be playing at championship level now. It's hard to say. I personally don't think so because I don't think they are gonna win a championship in 2006. But they could prove me wrong. I just don't think Nash's defense nor the team concept defense that Phoenix has implemented is good enough to win a championship yet. Until it is, and until they do, they are not playing at championship level, Nash included. After all, he is the unquestioned leader of that club on the floor and the reigning league MVP.
In the offseason, Rafer just has alot to work on. He knows his role now, and the things he should work on are defense and FINISHING around the basket. He can get by most people with his cross, its when he just goes in and throws the ball up hoping for it to go in. I think a mid range jumper off a pick would be a great addition to his game, so hopefully he gets to working on those things. The offseason is where you take time to improve and get better, and I hope he does those things otherwise we'll be looking for a new starting guard soon. I have been the biggest Skip supporter this season and will continue to support even through the rough times. We've all seen flashes of what he can be, and with such little time left to play, around 2-4 years left, and with a healthy roster he can be a solid PG for us. Wow supporting and reasonable understanding in the rough times...what a novel idea .
I am not sure if that has been the case of Late. He has shown tendencies to shoot the ball going up in traffic rather than pass to yao. He has terrible finishes with Lay ups. And Turnovers- dont look at the stats- see the them in the context of the game- some of them are really bone headed. Not saying he is not a good PG but I wont put him as an Untouchable on the team ( when it comes to trading that is!). I think Sam Casell for a 2 year deal as back up and Speedy Claxton ( if healthy) deserve serious consideration. IF Rafer proves he is better- Wonderful- if Not package him with Stro and fix the leaking boat.
By your definition John Stocton should not be a Hall of Famer. IF he wins ONE RING- Nash will be a Hall of Fame Candidate. Winning a championship is a team effort. It has nothing to do with their strategy- which simply put is to out- shoot everyone. Take out Nash from the Picture- Boris Diaw, Raja Bell, Tim Thomas etc are Just plain scrubs who look invincible. Marion will see his numbers go down. If you win a championship- you are already a champion, silly to say that ONLY then you will be playing at a Championship Level! Nash is Underated even with the MVP tag on him- IF he stays healthy this guy is a Hall of Famer.
Rafer giving 14 to 15 Points consistently, what am I missing? BY no way can you club Yao and TMac with anyone on our team. Everyone else is expendable
Nah, I've watched both these guys play and I'm pretty confident about what I said. Tony Parker is significantly more turnover-prone than Rafer. Rafer just has an excellent handle on the ball. I've definitely seen him make some boneheaded turnovers at the wrong times, but even with those he's still better at handling and distributing than Parker. What Parker has that Rafer doesn't is that ability to finish, and that's one thing I agree with you that he definitely needs to work on. As far as passing to Yao in traffic, that's something that will begin to happen more with time as these guys play together. We know he has the ability to make some shrewd passes even in traffic, so it's just a matter of these players gelling together and knowing each other well with more playing time together. I'm not saying he's better than a Sam Cassell...(and by the way, Sam is a free agent so we couldn't "trade" for him anyway), but he was brought here for a purpose, and he's already serving that purpose pretty well, and he has the abilities we need. We need to allow valuable players like him that are brought here to grow and improve with the rest -- develop a stable core. A lot of people have already observed that one of the problems we've had recently is the high turnover in this team. Why do you think teams like Detroit, San Antonio and the old Shaq-Lakers win titles? Every one of those teams has great stability. The few teams that manage to achieve a solid season by revamping their rosters...generally get schooled in the playoffs. Rafer is good enough for us. We have more pressing needs, like building team chemistry, improving OUR OWN players and plugging obvious holes like some size/talent at the SG/SF position. It's not every time that you try to trade away every player for someone "better" just because they seem to be available. It takes wisdom to be a GM.
True point guard, like true center, is a rare breed in today's NBA. I see characteristics of a true point guard in Rafer Alston. Believe it or not, that was the primary reason for me to get my first NBALP to watch every Rockets game this season. Skip is fundamentally sound. His ball handling skill and numbers on assists, steals, assist-to-turnover ratio, and rebounding (thanks xcomputerman) speak volumes about his value as a point guard. His penetration into the paint and finishing at the basket are more than adequate. For all the fundamental flaws in Luther Head's individual game (awkward shooting mechanics and atrocious fastbreak finishings, to name a couple), I find it rather surprising to say the least that Clutch fans are more than willing to give Head undeserved excuses, considering all those college games Head had played and the trainings he had received. I am not in denial that Skip has a lot more room for improvement, particularly his one-on-one defense against opposing guards, but I am hopeful Skip is coachable and I believe the deficiencies in his game can be amended, if not eliminated altogether. We may not see a second coming of Isaiah Thomas (the player), probably not even Jason Kidd or Steve Nash, but with the right mindset instilled into his head, Rafer Alson can be developed into an inseparable piece of Rockets franchise for years to come.
Other than saying how ridiculous that is, I'll point out to you that the only thing Steve Blake does better than Rafer is shoot the 3. And even with that his offensive production is still inferior to Rafer's. You people are so myopic - you see him play one game against us and you conclude he's better?
