Iverson wouldn't respect a Chinese player when he said that if he had Yao on his team that they'd win a championship? Rafer is a pretty bad point guard. He has one good game in about 5, and it can be argued that the most important position on this team outside of the 5 is the 1. Yao Ming needs a great point guard that draws a little more attention than Rafer does so we can be a champ contender. Sad to say...but I don't think T-Mac is the best fit for Yao as a partner. We need a Nash...
Possibly, Tracy McGrady, as he learns to adapt himself to his newly enforced position of playmaker ( rather than top scorer due to his back) might turn out to be even better than Nash. Alston and others could be traded for a tall athletic Power Forward and a tall Shooting Guard.
Kelly how do you expect us to take you seriously when you obviously dont know re-post passes when you see them. You *have* actually watched the Rockets play....right?? Doesnt seem so from your blurb there. as heypee so rightly pointed out....YAo gets reposts whenever he calls for them. Which is often. DOnt make me put together a clip of all the reposts...Im too damn busy for that.
I don't know why there are so many haters for JVG. JVG is the best coach for the team unless there is a Phil Jackson calling. That's only because Phil can put the triangel offense and has a way in dealing with the referees.
Kelly, I love you man. Welcome to the dark side You should win a Pulitzer or something for that...one of the best reads in the history of sports journalism.
Watson just missed a game this week with back spasms. Maybe he and McGrady could keep each other company during their back treatment sessions.
I wouldn't call Kenny Smith a winning, competitive player either, but he was very good at what the Rockets needed for the first 3.5 quarters of games. Sam Cassell came in as a closer. I feel Rafer can serve the same purposes as Kenny. I also see what Rafer was trying to do against the Lakers. On the surface it looked like he was jacking it up, but he saw a need of scoring and playmaking as the Lakers were keying in on Yao. When JVG says postgame that we can't have players attempting to do what T-mac does, my thoughts immediately went to Rafer's play.
Right now, we 'd better start Span ,keep rafer bench who hurts us a lot and will never be qualified PG for Champianship team.
lol and for some reason you believe that Spanoulious is a "Championship point guard"?? sorry guy...no way in hell does VSpan qualify if Alston doesnt. not yet anyway. I like the kid, dont get me wrong...but he aint ready yet. He has improved his turnovers with increased time...but even a basketball newbie can see how much work he still needs. If he stays strong, he could possibly even be ready next year....but that is still a LONG time away. Rafer is inconsistent, wtihout Tmac he feels the need to help makeup for the missing offense...but he is simply the only starting point we have. Once Bonzi starts to shoulder some of the scoring load, and/or Tmac comes back...Alston will be fine for our starter this year. while disterssing...this skid isnt as bad as it looks at first glance...the factors have been discussed ad nauseum so Ill assume I dont need to repeat them. Being as close to winning as we were in the last two games was pretty impressive all things considered still need alot of work...but it aint all *that* bad..
I don't think there is an alternative to Rafer at the point. The other candidates on the roster have other issues to their game.
Lucas may be even worse on the defensive because of his size (or lack thereof), but at least he can handle the ball better. He can't be worse than Rafer who makes dumb turnovers down the stretch.
i get your v-span argument, and i agree...but where is your evidence about JLIII? the only time he's played more than 6 minutes in a game was against the lakers, where he shot 5-6, had 2 assists, a steal, and 5 rebounds (which, if you were watching, you know were some MONSTER boards...hehe) and had 13 points in 17 minutes? or in the summer league when he lead the team in scoring and assists? You can't just assert that a player is bad when all available evidence is to the contrary. read my post on page 3--lucas' only real disadvantage is size, but he's quick enough to move his feet and stay in front of most gaurds. He might have trouble with baron davis / chauncey billups / j-kidd--big strong point gaurds who post up sometimes--but almost everyone has trouble with those guys. he can shoot, drive, and handle the ball, and at the very least he'll listen to JVG and not try to do too much or skip-to-my-leech our offensive efficiency with bad shots. at the very least, JLIII should get 15-20 mins a game spelling rafer, so we can see what he can do. There's a reason Rox management signed him to a 2 year contract.
You can take Rafer's dribbling to the bank...I don't think there are many better. I doubt JLIII is better at that. But I will say JLIII is tougher and a better competitor than Rafer. If JVG is willing to scheme for his deficiencies when necessary I can't say he's not a viable option. He has bursts of exceptional play (like Span) and that may be worth gambling on...
agreed. rafer is a very solid ballhandler, but lucas is a smarter player with a lot more upside. we should try platooning them and see how that goes.
It's hard to really judge JL III by the limited time we've seen him in, but in all honesty, all I've ever seen him do is shoot. The last play against the Lakers in the second over-time is what really sticks out to me. Under a minute to go, the team down a considerable amount (for 1 minute), and he nearly runs out the shotclock with the ball never leaving his hands until he attempts a terrible 20 footer. I cannot remember what game it was, I'd assume either the first game against LA or against GS considering those are the only other two he has scored in, but it was essentially the same story. The ball never left his hands on offense. I just don't think he's ready to manage a team for any substantial period amount of time. I'd give him 10 minutes max at this point, and quite honestly, those minutes are better suited for V-Span who has atleast been able to disrupt our opponents' offense with his ability to draw fouls. Lucas' offense isn't really needed.
Looking at it objectively, it's obvious Dwyer is just repeating what is said from the mindless talk from here. Can't work a screen-and-roll? No entry pass? Is he serious? Good idea, Kelly, let's ignore the fact Rafer is the ONLY Rocket who consistently finds Yao while he's running the break, or the fact that Alston is our only guard who can break down a pressure defense and who knows how to run the freakin offense without turning the ball over. Oh, and yes, you're absolutely right, Kelly, it's Rafer's 37% 3-point shooting (above average in the NBA) that's holding Yao back-- not TMac's constant stupid perimeter shots; no solid talent at the 4 position for frontcourt support, or the fact that there is no legitimate point guard off the bench, meaning Luther Head is stuck trying to be some astute playmaker.
If I needed a Rockets point guard around T-Mac and Yao, and only Rafer Alston, Spongebob Squarepants and Jar Jar Binks were left on the board, I'd nab Jar Jar and hope Spongebob slides.
