Radical thoughts to fix the Rafer issue?

IMO, as currently constructed (w/o Mutombo or backup center), Hayes is more valuable to this team than Landry. He is our best post defender.

 

They would be trading Hinrich for Rafer. I doubt they are desperate enough for a non-scoring power forward to take on Rafer's non-expiring contract and I don't think that Morey sees Hinrich as such an upgrade to Rafer that he will take on his longer term bad contract and give up a rotation player in Hayes. Doesn't really work for either team in that regard.

 

We're not questioning Hayes' value to the team. We are debating if the upgrade to the PG position is worth giving up a valuable rotation player like Hayes.

In the case of Hinrich, I say yes. Morey then needs to resign Deke, as that becomes more important, and Dorsey needs to grow up fast.

You don't seem to know what the ramifications are here nor Hinrich's ability.

We are talking about upgrading a position that's been an achilles heel for a LONG time. We are also talking about a window of opportunity at the title that is reality this year and maybe next year. Morey did not make the Artest trade nor the Scola trade for the future, he made them for the present.

This is almost desparate times as in we might not get a title chance again for awhile if our window passes by. We need maximixe our chances NOW and stop dicking around and hanging on the words "potential" and "patience".

For what we need our PG to do in our offense, Hinrich fits the bill. Namely hit the open shot and play good sound D.

The Bulls do not want to pay a backup PG 36 million over 4 years and that's what they have in Hinrich.

 

yeah, i know.

The point of me saying that was because i think we should consider trading Landry before Hayes, who would be seen as more valuable to other teams anyway.

I don't think Hinrich is the answer. I like him as a player but he is essentially Rafer+. We don't need that. Tracy, Barry, and Brooks can make plays. We just need a quick shooter. With our starting lineup consisting of 4 guys who are good at posting up our PG's main responsibility is spotting up from 3.

We don't need a real PG.

 

I'd keep Landry over Hayes, Haye's can play all the tough D he wants but the ball has to go inside the hoop sometimes and this is where Landry is more valuable.

Plus when Battier comes back, Artest will play the 4 sometimes anyways, he'll get Hayes' minutes.

The only thing I don't like about Hinrich is that he is overpaid with a fat long contract. Otherwise his game is exactly what this teams needs, read my reply to rterry, you're underestimating Hinrich too. The other positive on the trade that you seem to be forgetting (or you prolly don't see it as a positive, I dunno) is that we finally get rid of Rafer. I admit I tried pulling for the guy throughout his time here but we're getting to the now or never point in the Yao/Tmac era.

As long as Rafer is here, Adelman will play him during the 4 qtr of tight games where teams will sag away from Rafer. I think Morey will have to force Adelman into using someone else and just trade Rafer away.

Sitting back and hoping for the best in the PG situation is not good enough anymore. Morey needs to be proactive in this (again). And no Mike James/Steve Francis moves, I know deep inside Morey wasn't behind those crappy moves.

 

Rafer's contract is half of Hinrich's in terms of salary and length so I don't see why Chicago wouldn't do it. They get rid of Hinrich's contract and also get an expiring contract in Head and a cheap, hard working rebounder and defender in Hayes to serve as an example for their young players. Hinrich's salary actually goes down by half a million next year and the year after that, and in the third year it goes down by one million. Hinrich is a perfect fit here in Houston and I think it would be a good deal all around.

 

I think the problem with trading for Hinrich is the fact that if we deal for him, that's like 55 million invested in 4 players, assuming we resign Artest for about 10 a year. (20+15+10(Artest)+10(Hinrich)).

Don't get me wrong, I don't really have an issue with trading for Hinrich. The owner might.

 

Fix Rockets' defense first.

 

I noticed there aren't new Rafer hate threads to address this Rafer issue.

Was it because he made his two threes? He took a grand total of 5 shots (yet if he missed them all, you whine). It's time to celebrate. We've finally put together a team with enough scoring options to prevent Alston from taking 10+ shots.

 

Because Adelman gave Brooks more PT and played him in the 4th qtr, which is right.

 

Rafer's numbers so far

games / min / fgm / fga fg%

6 32.0 13-46 .283

does he hit shots in practice?

Will he continue to attempt 12 shots a game?

How many close games will his poor shooting cost us when we end up loosing by a bucket?

 

just think about wut he has done during teh summer

 

Holy crap... it's completely unreal how you can't even acknowledge that he played well against the Clippers. His defense on Davis in the 2nd half was a key to the game. If Brooks starts or at least plays a lot, we lose the game. But yeah, you go ahead and focus on shooting % LOL. Good grief.

 

It's because we could afford to do that since we don't have to worry about Steve Blake at all (amazing that some here actually want Blake and think he's better than Alston).

Did you notice that when it came to playing a team with a great PG in Davis, Brooks didn't even play 10 minutes? Davis was owning him and Brooks missed all three of his shots. If he can't make up his lack of defense by his shooting, he's a total liability on the court. Alston almost played 40 minutes because of this.

 

Boo him every home game.

 

...to bring down his confidence and make him play worse?

 

He's already playing like crap. We already know cheering for him isn't going make him a better player, it's about time the fans let him, and the whole Rockets organization, know we won't take his crap, not this year.