why would francis be backup 2 when james is more than capable of handling the combo position himself? when james is playing 2 then rafer plays the 1. head offers something that none of the other guards have, consistent 3 point shooting. adelman has already raved about luther so you know he'll get his minutes.
I am as happy as anybody that Skip has shut up the Rafer haters. The style Adelman plays is perfect for Rafer and I knew if people know basketball, they'll recognize that.
I saw a lot spectacular pass from Rafer to Ming and Wells last time against the Greek team. I also think he mature more in a way he fall in love with the Rockets and Htown as well. I'm convinced that he is the perfect fit for the PG position.
Well, Morey is going to be judged (this season) on who's able to keep, needs to jettison and who we're probably going to need after the all-star break. All of those (like denniscd) who are still drinking the JVG-kool-aid are going to have a field day. But only for a couple of months... Still, I'm happy for Rafer. He does look good and still can't finish. In the new offense there's no way that's going to work no matter how well people think he can shoot. I wish him good luck with all that.
Rafer will have a much better season under this motion offense. The key is he won't have to play overwhelming minutes this time around therefore he'll be fresh when called upon. And if he does make a mistake out on the court, that's normal...after all they are bound to happen and basketball players are human
People who "know basketball" can also recognize a 30% shooting percentage. As I said before, Rafer is a pre-season wonder and a regular season blunder. Nice kid, good ball handler, can't shoot. I do like MMA though. Matt Hughes is my favorite fighter. I also really like Forest Griffin.
It is outside the realm of possibility. Look, bottom line is Rafer is the starter. Will his stats look like his first two preseason games, no. They just need a true pg to run the motion offense. They aren't showcasing him. James and Francis aren't true pg's. They are sg's who can play pg. That is pretty evident to anyone who watches them play. Francis can be a playmaker but he's more of a scorer. James is an instant offense guy. When he comes in he's looking ot score. Like someone else pointed out and was correct, that was the problem between KG and him. To be effective, James needs to be shooting. He's not a pure pg. His defense will pay dividends though. just wait for the season guys. We aren't showcasing guys to trade. We are getting guys to learn a new system. We aren't looking to trade Rafer, James, Francis or Head right now. Just let's play some games and see what happens.
So they sign Mike James, sign Steve Francis, draft a speedy phenom in Brooks... and Rafer is still your starting PG. Looks like JVG wasn't as nutty as some may have thought.
I'm actually surprised people doubt this. He's a sound shooter, yes, but he's definitely a "shoot first, shoot second, pass third" type of guard. In terms of raw point guard skills (vision, penetration, leadership, floor game), Francis is more competent than James.
Kelvin Cato actually had all the talent in the world to be a shot blocking a rebounding force. His problem was the minute he got his money he stopped caring. That comparison makes absolutely no sense
And what exactly got Cato that fat contract? People need to stop acting like 2 preseason games is a sign of things to come esp when we have so much more evidence to the contrary.
Actually, I don't put a ton of stock in two preseason games. I put stock in the fact that Rafer's been a perfect fit since he returned to Houston for practice and it's continued throughout. I like how we look though. You're right in saying two preseason games don't tell the story. However , evidence to the contrary is irrelevant. The only evidence I want to see if evidence of out players in Adelman's system. So, if you'd like to discuss Bonzi Wells we can do that. Otherwise, I'll stick to what Adelman is doing. he knows more then all of us. I think some people don't get it period. It goes for more then just Rafer supporters as well as bashers. We are running a new system here. If you know basketball then you know that that can really help a player excel , hurt a players game,ect.... It works the same way for James and Francis. We already have threads bashing them in two games. However, if we were to take Steve or Mike's recent history into consideration and hold it against them then we wouldn't be as excited as we are (or at least some of us). Rafer struggled, Francis struggled and KG had james benched. Does that matter now? Not to me. I'd rather see what they do in Adelman's system. That goes for every player. Problem is that no matter what people have vendettas against james, Rafer, Steve,ect.. and it's been two games. It's a clean slate bro. As long as we are winning, real fans will be happy no matter who is playing at what position. Cato quit. Stopped trying, his attitude was the problem. We just jumped the gun on giving him a contract. Nobody knew he was the type of guy he was. That's not the case with james, Rafer of Steve now so your comment makes no sense in terms of Cato.
I seem to remember just a few days ago, maybe a week, Adelman praised Luther Head of fitting very well in the offense. Now Adelman is saying Rafer is the perfect fit. And you guys say that Head is out if Rafer is in. Oh well, let's just wait and see.
Head is far from out. You are exactly right in what you said on Adelman's feeling's about Head. He has fit perfectly in the offense as well
