To be fair, James would never get that many shots. Defenders slack off of Rafer because everybody knows he can't shoot. (Not to mention JVG's offense was designed to get the 3-pt shooters open shots.) They won't do that to James, which means his teammates should be open more. Unfortunately, it is true that Rafer does have a better court vision than James, imo. If only we could fuse the two together...
my last post came off a little harsh... I'm glad James is here. And I'm thankful for the problem we have concerning who to play in the backcourt. that's a welcome change from the problems with the backcourt in previous seasons. I'm also extremely surprised that these Mike James/Rafer debates are still going on at all as I was close to positive that Rafer was hitting the road. now I am not so sure that's the case and if he stays I believe he will be starting (but playing around 26 minutes a game). Last year we were in pretty poor shape at the 4 and the 1. With Rafer and Chuck on the floor we had two offensive liabilities and no viable backup at the point. This led to Rafer averaging 44 minutes a game in the playoffs. That's insanity. So as much as you can blame VG's unimaginative offense and inability to change the game plan to work towards his players' offensive strengths it is just as easy to blame our lack of depth and fatigue. In an effort to bring harmony - I'm sure we can all agree that having a tough decision as to who to start where and which quality players are coming off of the bench (or not playing at all) is a welcome change to the decisions we had to make at those positions the past few years. All the best - Clutchfans! Brock
Saying I "conveniently" picked the 2005-06 season to show Mike James' assists totals and equating it to "spin" when it was a reply to a post specifically about James' passing in 2005-06 wasn't harsh. It was just dumb.
Talent wise, this team is stacked! There is no reason why Alston,James and even Franchise should not excel!We all might have our preference of who should start but in reality this team will contend no matter who is our best PG.
i just dont understand all the rafer hate i dont ever remember mike james being allen iverson he is not a superior to alston only % wise he is everything else alston is superior
My regular IQ is lower after reading this thread. PS way to kiss ass w/moderators Brock. I guess I am not alone. Did you learn it by watchin me, son?
I know it's your site man, but there really isn't any reason to be insulting. It was a reply specifically about James' passing in '05-'06 which turned into somehow compairing that to Alston's stats last season. Not even mentioning that Alston's assists in '05-'06 were higher than James'. Let the spin machine roll on! Cheers, Brock
I have no idea where people are getting that Bonzi is selfish. Whatever issues he has off court, in the locker room, with officials or coaching staff, when he steps in between the lines, he displays high bball IQ, court sense, and is a good passer.
If you actually contributed to the thread instead of following me around like Clutch's b**** this thread might take on new life!
i never liked james' game, he's like ****ty marbury.......i guarranttee there's going to be plenty of times this season where you got Yao in the post asking for the ball, Tmac running off a curl and then you see Mike James jacking up a 20 footer or driving and bricking a ridiculous lay up attempt
so since you are saying I am clutch's b**** and not you - does that mean your apology was accepted? And for what it's worth - no, if I had access to search or bothered to rebut your silliness about James - the thread would not take on new life, it would be the same old sh-t; namely you making cliches about "pass first" and its twin brother "b-ball IQ" and then spouting bullsh-t, then you getting rammed by stats, repeat ad nauseum, etc etc etc. We have seen this game before. See any of Rockets111's posts. Are you Dennis Silva's ghost writer?
I have nothing to apologize about Sam. I'm afraid you have me confused with someone else. Furthermore I've never once used the term b-ball IQ as far as I can recall. Mike James is a shoot first point guard. The stats bear this out other than one abnormally good season in Toronto. And I'm pretty sure I would have remembered a good stat ramming. Care to try? Cheers, Brock
what's wrong with "bball iq"? bball iq = can read the floor; anticipate where scoring opportunities will arise and act accordingly (pass to the right guy; drive to the right area to create; shoot), all within the framework of the offense; being in the right spot on the floor based on the play being run; knowing when, how to cut. you can say all that, or you can go shorthand and just say bball iq.
Interesting take on that, Clutch. I saw a lot of James in Toronto that season and have access to a very large Raptors fanbase. The general consensus is that James wasn't the right fit for Toronto. He sure got his numbers alright, but this was a situation where the assist numbers don't tell the whole story. By the end of the season, he alienated a lot of fans, which says something given the amazing statistical season he had. These are the same fans who didn't like Rafer, either. From what I saw of the Panathaikos game, James hasn't changed. He still has the urge to jack it up at very random moments. The guy can shoot, but I won't want him taking 12 shots in 20 minutes. He can and will do that, too. Bosh, without James and with TJ Ford, played one less minute and averged a fraction of a shot more. However, he was playing on a much more talented team with players that played a bigger role in the offense than the likes of Matt Bonner, Joey Graham and Villanueva who were getting lots of PT before. That, and the 2006-7 team took almost 100 less shots over the season than the previous year's where James held the ship. How did Bosh get more shots per game despite this? I for one believe that it was because he was with a point guard (well two, if you add Calderon), who was willing to give him the ball. James didn't.
So if he starts jacking shots sit his a$$ on the bench. Sooner or later, he'll figure out what he needs to do to stay on the court. And no matter how smooth and neat this offense is, there will be nights when Yao and Tmac aren't hitting (or worse yet, not playing) and James' fearless, no conscience style of play might be the only offense this team has.
On a team with as many options on offense as us, it'll be alarming if James is the only guy besides TMac and Yao that can put the ball in the basket.
