Thanks for the response. (and the other response from dfwrox) If James can waive the trade kicker (I know that's what you meant), then he can prove that asking for it was a mistake that he regrets. Offering to come to the Rockets and waiving it is a clear signal of that. Look, folks.... regardless of what some of us think about Rafer as a starter, and I have said more than once that he would be an excellent backup, one of the best backup points in the league, IMO, the fact remains that there is no depth behind him. Nada. Zero. Zilch. We're one "i word" with Alston from being completely exposed at the point. Billy, who has his fans, and I certainly was one of them, has shown nothing this season that indicates his ability to run the team. The man has sucked when he's been on the floor. Now, he may get his head on straight and learn a great deal during the summer, transforming himself from a Euro-Bust to a contributor. Any sane Rockets fan hopes for that, and he has the physical attributes to make an impact. If that were all it took to make it in this league, that would be groovy. Hell, that's as common as dirt in my flower bed. This season? Forget it. Lucas? NBDL material, at least this season. Anyone want to go to war in the playoffs with nothing behind Rafer? That is just crazy. James would give us a completely different look off the bench. He can score in bunches. He's a proven scorer from behind the arc. He can distribute the ball. He can play defense. He knows JVG's system. James could contribute immediately. My biggest concern is his contract, not what he could do here. And as for being a "cancer?" If the man wants to be here badly enough to waive the trade kicker, he's going to be willing to take a role off the bench, knowing that he will be on a team with two of the best in the NBA, with a terrific shot at grabbing the grand prize and a parade Downtown. You have to look at aquiring a point, and you have to look at James as a possibility, in my opinion. We need a quality point behind Alston, and someone that can step in and start if the worst were to happen. James could fill that role to a T. Is he worth his contract to get him, and what we might have to trade for the guy? Those are good questions, not whether he would "fit" on the Rocks.
I would prefer to have someone that actually wants to play with the team. I think rafer is fine. In fact his performances have been improving... I really don't understand the fascination with James - a shoot first player who cares only about himself. As much as I would love basketball to be a simple game of just putting the right pieces together, having the right chemistry is equally as important, if not more. Adding James would be a horrendous decision in my eyes. I would rather just wait out until the end of the season to pick up another player who is happy to come off the bench. Rafer has been scrutinized due to his increased role as a scorer, which isn't his strength. Once we have our full squad back, Rafer can then be a ball handler/playmaker, which is when he is at his best.
Honestly -- I really believe Mike James would be a much, much better player (and would be enjoying a much better contract right now) if he wasn't so full of himself. His production couldn't earn him a place in Detroit, it couldn't earn him a place here in Houston, it couldn't earn him a place in Toronto, and now, he's already wearing out his welcome in Minnesota halfway through the season. I don't care what you say about his numbers or the perpetual arguments from the anti-Rafer camp about how they're better than Rafer's in every respect. For all of Rafer's faults and weaknesses as a player, he is still a good teammate, a good leader, is _teachable_, humble and runs our offense well. When someone can demonstrate to me that Mike James has *any* of these qualities, I'd consider having him back. As for now, he made this bed and he must lie in it. Rafer Alston is a former streetball superstar who came to terms with his shortcomings and changed his game to suit the NBA, and is now starting on one of the best teams in the league. Mike James is a former no-name who has done nothing but crow about how he's going to become MVP someday, refused to change his game and now can't seem to find a home anywhere in the league, losing his starting spot to a rookie on a bad team. One of these things is not like the other.
There ain't no Santa Claus. But there is a contract with a trade kicker clause. Anyway, thank YOU ... glad you're done.
Trading Sura and Spanoulis for James is a no-brainer to me. I hope it happens. I feel with James starting and Alston going to the bench, we would have the team that could beat Dallas in the playoffs and anyone else.
Go back and re-read what you posted. Calling him "Me James" as your main point, making up coaching quotes about him needing to be more "aggressive" and best of all pretending to know another man's inner priorities. Let me ask you, are you a psychiatrist? Are you telepathic? You have yet to make a valid point and please dare to explain to me just what exactly your point is in the above post. That he's selfish for demanding a trade kicker? Wow, I guess nobody has EVER done that before?!
For those of you that are against Mike James because he is selfish and whatever other reasons do yall think if the Rockets would have gotten him in the offseason that we would have a better record, worst record, or our record would remain the same?
Not telepathy ... but deductive reasoning (also known as common sense). I do, however, acknowledge that deductive reasoning can at times appear as "telepathy" to some, but I assure you it was no mental strain to go from point A to point B in a straight line. Just reasonable deduction based on Me James' under-performance (as eluded to by his coach) under a contract that actually provides him incentive not-to-perform -- Go figure. Of course, you probably missed that point. But then again maybe it's you who needs to re-read some posts. I suggest you start at the beginning of the thread:
Mike James was, is and always will be a BETTER fit for a healthy yao-mcgrady rockets team. And yes he has baggage, but he was a perfect role player for this roster. Why? Because he is a good shooter, who has solid quickness and good defensive instincts. I'm sorry, but this team healthy does not need a pure point. They never did. The ball always will be in t-mac or yao's hands and they will get doubled, leaving open looks for the PF, PG, and swingman in the offense. Battier is capitalizing on his chances, likewise with juwan. Rafer is not. James did in his stint in houston. Now if you want to make the argument that alston is a better fit right this minute without yao, as we need to have another ballhandler to penetrate and kick out to open shooters, I can buy that. But with this team at full strength james is the much better fit and that is why I wanted him back badly this offseason.
Sura + JLIII match up with James's salary. If Minny are looking to dump his contract... The stars are aligned.
Agreed Atleast the Rox organization isn't as clueless. I think if you ask many NBA GMs, the great majority would desire Alston over James. Particularly the teams who are contenders.
Incorrect. Most teams need their point guard to be a penetrator/facilator. The Rockets don't when at full strength. The job of the point guard in the rockets offense with a full strength roster is to hit open looks, play solid defense and minimize turnovers. Think Derek Fisher in Laker land. Are you really going to suggest Alston is better than Mike James in those areas?
I think the record would be the same. I think he would be a bench player with marginal effect on the games, a la Bonzi. The team is functioning as a well-oiled machine right now.
IMO Mike James is a better/taller version of JL3 who defends better and shoots better...a decent scorer but a one-man show. JL3 has now fallen out of the rotation here...I don't see why Mike James wouldn't have done the same.
Because JL3 is an NBDL player at best, mike james is actually a good NBA player. And Mike James was not a one man show when he was here. He was instant offense off the bench and he hit open 3's off double teams on t-mac/yao. And Yao wasn't half the player he is right now. Mike James is a better fit for the rockets at full strength than Alston. Right now, with Yao out, I could see the argument but at full strength no way.
The problem with Mike James was that when he brought the ball up the court, you could count on him looking for a shot before passing. I really can't see him working well in the starting lineup, or even as a 6th man. Yes, he has high shooting percentages, but eh...his bball IQ is even more suspect than Rafer's.
I beg to differ. James is a better fit if Tmac is down, an even better fit if both Yao and Tmac are both down because Rox's lack of offense. But with healthy Yao and Tmac, Alston is better at running the team, better at getting the ball to Yao and Tmac, which is more important than shooting better and score by himself in that case. So Alston is a better fit here.
