On that top list, I would definitely take Carlos Arroyo, Leandro Barbosa, Marcus Banks, Earl Boykins, Speedy Claxton, Raymond Felton, T.J. Ford, Devin Harris, Marko Jaric, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Damon Jones, Jameer Nelson, Luke Ridnour, a healthy Bob Sura, Earl Watson, and Mo Williams over the garbage we have at PG. All the above are good PGs if they were given the chance to start or have the minutes to play. They can push the ball, create a shot for others and hit the shot when needed. In Rafer's case, poor decision making and not hitting the outside shot turns me off. Sometimes instead of taking the shot when he is open, he passes it off. I know he sucks, but he has to grow some balls and shoot the damn shot. I'm hoping the Rockets do the right thing and choose another PG to become the general of this squad.
No, his ball handling sucks and it gets even worse at 4th qtr. when opponent's defense gets tougher, he just turn it over...
What is really ridiculous is comparing Rafer Alston to Tony Parker in any facet of the game. A classic no contest. Absurd.
I like your analysis. Well thought through and lucidly articulated. The facts are clearly laid out for all to see.
The obvious is, well, obvious. Do you really need a comparison chart on team record, individual stats, speed trials, vertical leap, etc. when Parker is one of the top PG's in the league and Alston is a bench player impersonating a starter? And by the way, Parker plays on a championship team. Talentwise, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Next year, Alston will be coming off the bench if he is still here. Next year, there is good chance that Parker will still be playing on a championship team.
Well then Mr. Obvious, how about attempting to argue the facts I presented earlier, rather than spouting off conjectures about what end of the spectrum each player is and some unfounded opinion you've formulated based on ESPN hype? The comparison figures are already up there for you to see ... but like they say, you can't let facts get in the way of a good argument!
After I read your statement that Parker doesn't have Alston's shooting skill and range I was laughing so hard that I didn't pay much attention to your comparisons on assists, turnovers, and rebounds which weren't exactly earthshaking. I am having a hard time believing that you are even serious, but I guess you are. The bottomline is this, there is not a GM in this league that would take Alston over Parker, not even CD or Isaiah. I challenge you to create a poll on who is the better PG. Parker will win in a blow out, and, surely, (I think), you know this. Why are you pressing this ridiculous comparison? Are you Alston's parent? His cousin? Is that you Rafer?
Once again you're trying so hard to avoid the facts that you're almost hurting yourself. I've laid out a clear comparison of the two: Parker is much better at finishing around the paint and has more speed. Other than those two categories, Rafer is better at almost everything else -- especially ballhandling and passing, the two key ingredients of a true point guard. Parker does not have Alston's shooting range (go ask Pop, he'd tell you how many chickens he would kill for Tony Parker to get 3 point accuracy that's even remotely close to Rafer's). Tony's an all star because he puts up points in the paint, simple. And I said this clearly from the beginning. Are you allergic to facts or something? Or you just think Tony Parker is a better PG because he plays for a better team? Explain your logic, sir.
Without getting into the verbal mudsling, the biggest difference b/w Alston and an all star level point guard is this: He can't get his own shot, and hit at a reasonably high rate, although his ball handling is nice. 39% when you don't usually create your own shot won't cut it. A PG becomes truly a headache for oponent only when you can hit the basket yourself or hit your teammates in a position to score. That's why Nash is so good. That's why Parker is a notch above Rafer. All the other number comparison is quite useless.
Actually if you're looking at jump shots, Parker really isn't better than Alston at creating his own shot. Like I said, where he excels is in the paint...he's so much better at driving in and getting the layup in difficult situations. This is one key aspect of Rafer's game that needs to improve. He attracts attention when penetrating as a result. But even with that efficiency in the paint, he still manages to be less effective than Rafer at dishing to a teammate after the defense collapses on him - hence the lower assist numbers. Now compare that to someone like Nash ... who is so good at doing both things, and thus is a legitimate MVP candidate. Tony can't even hit open shots -- he will almost always attempt to pass the ball if he can instead. The whole point of this argument was to point out that Rafer isn't as bad as many people here make him out to be. There's certainly room for improvement and those areas have been pointed out. But to say that he isn't worth a starting spot ... that's absurd.
Jump shots, or not, it doesn't really matter as long as you can put points on the board. If you say Parker has worse 3 point shot than Rafer, I fully agree. But when you say "Parker is an all star, Rafer is not only because...", people take it the wrong way. That extra quickness and ability to finish makes all the difference. I don't think defense ever keyed in on Rafer all year, the same can't be said for Parker. Rafer might as well be a keeper for the Rockets with the system we run, but he isn't to be compared to Parker yet.
Here are some "meaningful" numbers. Parker is averaging almost 20 points a game, Alston about 11. Parker has a lifetime shooting percentage of 47.5%, Alston's career average is 39%. Parker shoots 31% from 3 pt. range and Alston shoots 36%. I have watched virtually every game Alston played this year. My conclusion on his shooting: he can't hit the side of a red barn with a brickbat. I have seen about 10 games that Parker played in and he was shooting lights out from long range, consistently. The numbers still don't tell the whole story. There is no stat for "critical shots." Nevertheless, clearly Parker is the overall better shooter, and his overall shooting percentage proves it. Even TMac or Kobe don't have career field goal percentages that high. Plus, Kobe's 3 pt. percentage is 33. According to your argument, Alston is the better 3 pt. shooter. Is there anyone in America or the world that wants Alston shooting 3 pointers in a critical game instead of Kobe?
And this proves my point again. I really don't see what exactly I've said that you're trying to negate here. Parker's FG% is high because he's really efficient inside the paint at getting layups. Are you denying this? I have said it clearly that this is a significant deficiency in Rafer's game. I said Rafer has better shooting range, and you brought up the numbers to prove my point. Tony Parker is good at putting points on the board by penetrating and getting layups. While Rafer definitely needs to improve here, he wasn't brought here for his offensive prowess (if you recall, we gave up Mike James for him). He was brought here to dish the ball and run the offense. And I'm saying here that he already does a pretty good job of that, even better than Tony Parker. So what exactly is it that I have said that you have a hard time agreeing with? I never said Rafer is a more prolific scorer than Tony. I said he's a better ball handler. And has better shooting range. So far you haven't succeeded in proving otherwise. On what basis does he not deserve a starting PG spot on this team?
I am losing interest, and this is my last post on the subject. In terms of their overall game and their impact on their respective teams, IN MY OPINION, (and the other 6 billion people in the world excluding you) Tony Parker is a much better PG than Rafer Alston is now or will ever be. There is no comparison, not even close. Whether Alston should be a starter on the Rockets is another question, to which I would answer no. I think he would be good coming off the bench to raise the tempo. He has good handles, is quick, and he is an effective passer. The Rockets need a bigger, stronger, better defender, who can consistently score (or drive and dish) to get the most minutes at this position. That is my opinion, and you are welcome to yours. And I will give you the last word. Have a good day.
who wouldn't turn it over when you have JVG breathing down your neck! let him play, he can be used for couple of years.
I'd say give RA 40-50 games with Yao and T-Mac both on the floor. He was brought here to create offence for our two stars, but so far those 3 guys played together for only around 10 games (and actually we won most of those games, didn't we?) So don't be too rush on him! His D will get better under JVG, and his FG% will be back (right now he's below career avg)
I don't even know why we're discussing PG's. We should be far more worried about the SG position. Compare Wesley to other starting 2's and you'll see that Rafer is actually pretty good when compared to other 1's.
