Rafer is definitely the weakest link. He is a poor excuse for a starting PG in the NBA. If you put any other PG on this team with Yao on the floor they will be shooting close to 50% from three-point with all the wide open looks, not to mention better spacing for Yao so he can go to work in the low block.
i tired of everyone bashing rafer it is what it is a stretball legend that handles the rock and dishes............if i remember correctly no one complained about KENNY SMITH when we won 2 rings exactly the same thing going on now Kenny Smith starts Sam Cassell off the bench Rafer Alston starts Aaron Brooks off the bench plus Rafer shows up every night and BRINGS IT unlikely hmmmmm 21 million dollar "all-star"
... We can't have every player average 20 ponts a game. We have to have guys who know their role and guess what, Rafer does many other things well. -Rafer ALWAYS plays hard. He NEVER takes a night off. -Rafer runs the offense well most of the time (the offense usually flows better when he is in the game) -When Rafer pulls back on his shooting and knows his role, he is a reliable scorer when called upon. -Rafer is good in the clutch -Rafer is a great defender. I think the most underrated aspect of his game, if you ever notice the top pgs in thel eague always struggle against the rockets, and i think this has a lot to do with Rafer Alson. -Rafer is a solid ball handler, and limits turnovers. When we have Yao, T Mac, Artest, Wafer, Brooks etc. to score, why must we complain about Rafer's scoring problems? He does everything else well, and he plays very hard. Look back to the Jazz series last season, when he was out, we had 0 chance. When he was in, was when we either won or very close to winninng. This guy is valuable to our team.
Such RUBBISH!!!! Kenny Smith was a much better Point Guard than Alston. Kenny Smith was a floor General and knew how to run plays for his team mates and the big thing , he was able to pass the ball to the open man. Rafer is just a poor shooting guard who know how to dribble the ball down the court and pass it to a real playmaker (McGrady)
because when Rafer is in the lineup, Rockets are just not good and losing more and more games to crap teams. Rafer does nothing well as a PG. He is a bad defender, horrible shooter and does not create.
These are the same tired excuses that Rafer apologists use and they really don't fly anymore. The offense DOES NOT run better with Rafer. He is NOT a great defender. Since when is he clutch? And reliable scorer?!?!?!? Please. Most people don't complain about his scoring. They complain about his shooting which is pathetic compared to the kind of shots he gets on this team. Any average PG could shoot atleast 40% from the field considering the looks he gets (and that is not even that good).
I kinda see Brooks at some point being the close out PG for the team in the 4th quarter towards the latter part of the season. Im not really concerned about Rafer anymore.
Yes, he is the weakest link. I always said this, and is saying it right now. He can start, but his min needs to be reduced, and do not let him do any stupid tear-drops, anyone sees the one he did last night, lucky enough, Brook got two points, and Rafer may get a assist from that.
AND a better athlete. Combine Rafer and Luther Head's generic vanilla floor game together, plus give Rafer Luther Head's shooting and athleticism & that's Kenny Smith Rockets have half the team shooting UNDER 40%, and then a couple guys around 41%. Defense really isnt the only issue. We need Artest to bring that intensity and toughness because, well thats what he can bring cuz you cant say bring his shot-making. I said in another thread talk about McGrady & Adelman & injuries, McGrady's issues being a nice distraction, but the big elephant in the room remains the point guards the area of weakness
dude, did you even watch those championship teams. Kenny shot 52% from the field in 92-93 and similar the following years. 44% from 3 point land. He also averaged more points and assists, was a better defender, shot better from the free throw line, while playing fewer minutes per game. He did turn the ball over a little bit more, though. they're just not on the same level. The fact that Rafer does do all the positive things he does (and he does do some positive things) is made all that much more impressive considering how amazingly bad a shooter he is.
First off, comparing Rafer to kenny is a travesty in so many ways I dont even want to respond. No one says Rox need an elite point guard a la Chris paul, but Rafer is shooting .35 from the field. Find me another starter, any starter that shoots that bad. I havent even researched, but I am betting he has the worse shooting percentage of all the starters in the NBA. Having a terrible shooting percentage is magnified when you shoot 11 shots a game and constantly look for your own shots. Watch the game again and see how many times our all star center has to lug his big body out to the top of the circle so Rafer can run a pick and roll and toss up a brick. If you watch Brooks, he breaks down the defense. Thats how Von wafer got so open. There is a huge difference when Brooks breaks down the defense and Rafer throws up a tear drop. And the tear drop is the ONLY shot rafer has in the lane. Im just saying its time...time to bench Rafer. He can get about twenty minutes in a backup role.
How true, Kenny hit 6 3's in one game. It takes rafer 6 weeks to hit 6 3's. Don't disrespect the JET like that. Plus the Jet could get up and dunk on you. Rafer's jumper and floater are inept and he needs to ride the pine as a 20 minute a game player. Teams that play the Rockets should ignore him on offense and double with the PG all night. He's going to make u pay maybe 1 game out of 10.
