Less Rafer = More team play

Oh for sure. Look, I'm not ready to place a plaque in front of the TC for Rafer at all. He is what he is but to his credit, he's stepped up his level of play enough this season to make a difference. That's about all that can be said and I applaud him for doing so. But Dakota is right when he talks about Rafer's shooting and that will always be an issue with Rafer. That said, I simply don't see what is to be gained by continually slamming the guy for not being the ideal PG folks want him to be because that's asking him to be something he's not now nor he is going to be in the future.

An excellent point Gater. While a good deal of that may be attributable to the loss of Yao, it's important to keep things in their proper perspective and the reality is that the Rockets play in an absolute snakepit of a conference. Yes, they have made significant strides forward this year after over a decade of stagnation but they still have a good ways to go before they can be considered to be an elite team.

I have absolutely no idea why Francis' name keeps coming up either.

 

i don't think anyone has a problem with Brooks' perimeter D. he has the speed to keep anyone in front of him. the problem is that he WILL be taken into the post by teams with big guards, and he will get torched there just like head does: no matter how good a defender he is he's just going to be overpowered. against phoenix that isn't a threat since neither nash or barbosa have the size or the skill the take advantage of brooks.

 

Have you guys forgotten Francis' performance in that win against the Suns early in the year? Everybody was like THE FRANCHISE IS BACK! and now he's done for? I don't see why a few impact games like that next year shouldn't be a possibility.

 

I'll take the weakness in the post because our team's strong suite is defending the paint area. He will get help down there. And just to take it further, when any of the bigger points, DWill, Billups, etc., go into the post and are allowed to go one on one against any other point guard, they are gonna score. They can't even stop each other in the post. Chauncey can't stop DWill and vice versa. No playoff team is going to sit there defensively and let the opposing point guard go down in the post over and over.

Not being able to defend the postup is not a big deal for a point guard. Especially on this team. Those guys don't wanna go down there and mess around with guys coming backside then turning and facing against Deke. And Brooks is driving everybody nuts on the perimeter. He did it to Nash last night and he did it to CP3 prior to last night.

 

i hope you're right. it would be great if we could have brooks on the court without him being a bigger liability on defense than he is an asset on offense. i guess i just have flashbacks of luther head getting absolutely torched by anyone over 6'3 (stackhouse, luke walton), and those teams not really backing away from that mismatch. we're good at defending the paint but a point guard is the last person you want to double team in the post bc he has the skills to get the ball to the right person. i think most teams would live with us sending doubles at their PG and leaving their bigs open for spot-ups or finishes near the basket.

 

that goes for pretty much all the teams currently in the western conference playoffs. and i think the spurs are below .500. it's tough out there.

 

Like the over the top Bonzi bashing and the semi shaming tactic with it "Oh, you actually, "like", Bonzi..?" as though there's something wrong with that, the conviction is strong here and I like that, but might be a bit much.

The title suggests Rafer is something of a chemistry killer and team disrupter. As compared to "team" players:
- Mike James
- Steve Francis

- Bobby Jackson, who attended the Mike James School of Point Guarding but knows a liiittle better to tone it down
- Luther Head , undersized shoot first guard
- Aaron Brooks , undersized shoot first (promising) guard

Whats a good running 2nd unit have to do with Rafer anyway? Thats another unit all to itself. Do you mean Rafer's sub counts as a 2nd team and the team starts to flow better automatically? Would Rafer being on the 2nd team kill THAT team also?

Guess if you're gonna be a chucker be a maker with it. The other guys prove to be better makers for the most part. I agree, finally can go with a hot hand and decent alternative that can still run the team for once. Thats what you gotta like about Adelman, he has way more sense of when guys are hurting the team with their bricking. And WE WONT be see seeing Rafer playing 45 minutes a game these playoffs, which is the most important thing.

 

I don't know if I am his biggest detractor but I certainly don't care for him. And yes I did give him props for playing his best basketball as a Rocket for about 17 games during the streak. That LA game was great but just like the Rockets had a streak so did Rafer. And look at his stats now knowing that he played awfully well during the streak and he had to suck really bad to bring his stats back to just above crap.

Rafer has now returned to earth and what makes it worse is Rafer is right on que to suck during the playoffs. As long as he has been a Rocket he has choked on the most important games. This Phoenix game was big and where was Rafer. We have to more big games coming up and I don't expect him to give us much. But what I do expect is he will great against the Clippers and pad his stats. Which as poor as his stats are Rafer is actually worse than his stats.

 

I disagree. He's done a pretty good job all things considered.

Yep and that's a prime reason why the offense will stagnate at times. But that's always been a weakness for Rafer.

Uhhh, that's what he's supposed to do. After all, Tmac is your $20 million Superstar player upon whom this team's fortunes rest. He's doing what he's been told. And if you think Rafer defers too much to Tmac, what do you think Brooks will do?

Ever heard of Jason Terry? He's as streaky a shooter as I've ever seen. When his shots are falling, the Mavericks are nigh unbeatable but when they stop falling... Yet, the Mavericks won 67 games last year with him playing the majority of the minutes at the PG spot so it's not just shooting that determines what will happen in the playoffs. My point here is that to slam Rafer for being a streaky shooter is rather pointless because that's who (and what) he is. It's like blaming AB for not a being 6-3 prototype PG.

Not gonna happen. Adelman trusts his veteran players and is wont to let them play through adversity so I can't see him yanking Rafer for that reason alone. Now if RA were to become the turnover machine that SF3 was in his prime, THEN I would agree with you.

 

wasn't the laker game a pretty big game? he didn't choke there.

its alright to expect the worst but hope for the best. sometimes it seems like people are actually rooting for rafer to fail just so we'll have even more reason to get rid of him.

 

My perspective on Brooks defensively is that they sort try to hide him on the defensive end. He's usually off to the side on the perimeter and out of the way. Now I think this is so his speed can be used to its advantage on the perimeter but if he has to fight through screens or defend a bigger PG down low, then all bets are off. Again, this is such a real advantage for the opposing team, I simply can't believe that they won't look to exploit it at every opportunity especially in a playoff game.

 

Hehehe

That's because they keep trying to take advantage of him and can't. Don't you remember Denver running him off screen after screen and he still dealt Iverson fits staying in front of him? You don't understand how much quickness can negate lack of strength, especially in today's NBA. And then they've got to come down defensively and defend him. Teams that keep trying to isolate Brooks defensively are playing right into our hands.

 

iverson isn't exactly a good example of a big guard. iverson and nash are the perfect examples of guards i'd be more than comfortable having aaron brooks match up against. there's no doubt that his speed helps us on offense and defense in that matchup. but if brooks goes up against baron or deron, he is going to get creamed. and i know rafer gets creamed anyway, but it'll be creaming of a whole 'nother magnitude.

 

so was tmac.

again, i think we all agree that our 2nd unit looks great with brooks and jackson. not having rafer play 48 minutes a game is a big improvement over last year. if rafer's on, our team is nigh unbeatable. when he's off, we have legit options that can and should play in his place.

but that's an entirely different statement than "less rafer = more team play"

 

The Franchise will be back. Mark my words!



http://sports.sohu.com/20080208/n255106428.shtml

Special correspondent Tao Xing Ying (of Shanghai Xin Min Evening Post) reports from Houston

It was he that picked Yao Ming from the 2002 Draft; it was also he who had accompanied and guided the Rookie Yao Ming on his road to NBA. Steve Francis, the once “Lao Da” of the Houston Rockets, just could not regain his former form and conditions, and injury was the major reason behind this all.

Beijing standard local time this morning (February 8 ), prior to the home game versus Cleveland Cavaliers in Toyota Centre, Steve Francis received the following face-to-face interview with the reporter.

The one phrase that Steve Francis repeated over and over again was: “I can come back.” And Yao Ming also solemnly told the reporter: “One of his tendons is about to break. Any player that has to leave like this is definitely a loss to our team, not to mention sentimentally wise, Steve is more special to me.”

Reporter: They let you to make the announcement yourself. How do you feel?

Steve Francis: Of course, I’m bitterly disappointed. I originally thought that with my return to the Houston Rockets, we can together make great progress this season. You see, we have so many good players and our coach. And my fighting spirit is always very high.

Reporter: Now you also knew that your injury can be cured through this surgery?

Steve Francis: Of course. This surgery has better be successful. All along I’ve tried to give my 100% to play. My team mates had been making 100% effort in their games, and it was only me that couldn’t and not able to (sigh !). All I can say was injuries and sicknesses are part of this sport and every athlete will probably have to go through such bitter experience.

Reporter: How long had this injury been bothering you?

Steve Francis: My knee had been bothering me for many years, but I have never thought that one day I have to give up playing because of it. It was only in the past several months that I suddenly realized the gravity of the problem.

Reporter: How long do you need to be able to return and rejoin the team to train and compete?

Steve Francis: This is not for me to say; you have to ask our team physician. Perhaps 3 months. Or maybe it will take 4 to 5 months.

Reporter: Well can we say that every athlete in the twilight years of his professional career will have to struggle and fight through his injuries and sicknesses?

Steve Francis: No, I don’t think so; it is just that I was unable to prevent this injury happening. Throughout this season, originally I thought I will have this opportunity to unfold and prove myself again. In fact, I had the similar conviction last season, and it was such a pity that I also encountered and was bothered by this injury. But if you check my personal statistics of the previous season, you will discover that I can still frequently score 24 to 25 points. Therefore I have this confidence in me that I can return to compete on court.

Reporter: Some people already said that Steve Francis could no longer return to his peak conditions. What is your take on this perspective?

Steve Francis: Well, if you can only have opportunities of 10 minutes of play per game, and you can only play 7 to 8 games in the entire season, then naturally people will come to such conclusion. I thought as long as I will be given the opportunity, as long as I am healthy, I certainly can find my original self in next season.

Reporters: What did your teammates say to you?

Steve Francis: Well, my boss (Les Alexander), the coach and my team mates all said to me: “Steve, our hearts are with you. We shall wait for your return to train.” Therefore, I definitely will come back.

 

And of the top 6 western conference teams, they have the 2nd best record in games between those 6 teams. Hornets are first.

 

exactly. that's why i pointed out to him earlier that it's like that for everyone. in a race so tight, no team is going to be that much superior to the others where they can have a really impressive w/l record against the other 7 west playoff teams.

 

My post was in reference to screening him off the ball. You can't do it. His quickness allows him to get around multiple screens and still dog the ball handler.

First of all, Baron ain't even gonna be in the playoffs.

DWill? Yeah, let's not play Aaron because DWill is gonna cream him. If the whole league had that philosophy then everybody would be playing Utah 4 on 5 because he "creams" everybody...........allegedly.............supposedly. I don't buy that bologna.

Superstars, over the course of a 7 game series, are gonna get their stats. They have the ball in their hands the overwhelming majority of the time and they are gonna get theirs. The whole idea to winning is to limit the EFFICIENCY of superstars. I don't care if DWill gets 30 points and 10 assists............as long as he takes close to 30 or more shots and has 4-6 turnovers. If those are the kind of numbers Williams puts up against us, I bet we beat them in 6 or less games. That's inefficient basketball and most teams will not win with a substantial part of their offense being inefficient.

Besides, we're all still waiting, 95% of the regular season over, for some big postup point guard to cream Aaron. It hasn't happened.

Well, you say, that's because we HIDE him defensively. I don't have a problem with that. Basketball is a team game, especially on the defensive end. WE HIDE EVERYBODY! This is a help team. We help every teammate that has a difficult defensive matchup and we bring help when we see the opponent is working a defender into the opponent's sweet spot, the spot they want to get to to score the ball. This TEAM is great at that. We've been able to cover Landry's defensive deficiencies, Scola's defensive deficiencies, Yao's defensive disadvantages against smaller/quicker players, Luther's obvious defensive deficiencies, Novak's defensive deficiencies. We've even been able to help Shane out when he was going against Lebron and Kobe.

I would love to see a game where Utah or some other team with a big point guard attempted to isolate that matchup against Aaron. Don't you see, it doesn't even happen with Rafer? There is no way that Rafer physically can handle DWill or Chauncey in the post any better than Aaron. Rafer is too small and too weak as well. But those teams still don't run the point guard down into the point and kill us there. It's because our defense is too good to allow it. And on the flip side, when the opposing guards like DWill Baron Chauncey have to face up against Brooks, Brooks gives EVERYBODY a difficult time facing up on the ball.

This team is turning a corner by getting the level of play from BJax and Brooks. And it is giving us options for the playoffs. If Rafer ain't hitting, we can try BJax. But Brooks, if he keeps playing at this level, is going to be a factor.