Maybe you are right. And if you are, than yes we will need good contribution from Aaron Brooks. But now the question is can Aaron step up? I am not sure. It is only his second year. Maybe if ge gets his minutes every single game it will give him more confidence. And we still have hopes in SF3.
Is it Rafer who should be creating? Or is it the team who should be moving as the plays called? Tmac draws doubles therefore he finds the open making his playmaking quite easy. So maybe the problem is Rafer doesn't follow the play book right?? I doubt it but it is now a issue... Or maybe the team is just used to T holding the ball and drawing the double....
He definitely improved inside of the arc last season. He was actually better in 8 of 9 non-3pt zones. However, he was worse in 3pt and FT shooting compared to 06-07. FT shooting is almost insignificant though because he rarely gets to the line. His FG% for each of 3 seasons as a Rocket: 05-06: 37.9% 06-07: 37.5% 07-08: 39.4% 3P%: 05-06: 32.7% 06-07: 36.3% 07-08: 35.1% Considering that Rafer shoots about half of his shots from behind the arc, his decrease in 3pt% almost offsets his improvement from other areas. So, I agree that his shooting improved very slightly last season compared to the previous season and more significantly compared to two seasons ago. However, shooting sub-40% from the field as a starter is still awful and annually has him ranked among the worst guards in the league.
I think we can expect to see a stronger Rafer. In all aspects of his game, including finishing. With less pressure on him and more tools to use to his advantage, Rafer is going to have a great year. He stepped up when Yao went out and I don't think he'll be the same Rafer ever again. He is a very exciting player and apart from an improved Tmac, he is THE player I am anxious to see. Also Scola... man I can't wait to see what he's been working on.
i really doubt you'll see a "better" rafer this coming season. He's peaked already so i think his goal is just to not decline too dramastically and continue to be a serviceable starting pg. We can all scrutinize and criticize rafer all we want, a la last offseason. But until we have a better alternative, we're stuck with skip as our pg. I dont see any sign of anybody on the team who can dethrone rafer for his spot unfortunately, so it's his to lose. a young starting pure pg is a rare find in the league, not to mention in the FA market.
I think Rafer job will be easier than it was last year becasue of our level of talent this up in coming sason. I think his main job will be is to get the ball to the right man at the right time something like what Rondo did with Boston big three. This will be the firsr year I believe Rafer has a great chance of avg 7 or more dimes a game as a Rocket. I really hope he stays healthy becasue we need him to run the floor the right way. I also believe his FG% will go up because he will take less shots, and the shots he take will be a lot easier becasue of Tracy, Yao, and Artest will take the load off of him. All Rafer has to do this season is make sure he doesn't turn the ball over and take stupid shots if he can do that I think he will have a great year, maybe his best year.
If he's been practicing his 3s this summer I think we'll be alright. He's definitely not the best pg but he's rugged. I think Skip suits our team well. Skip showed how much he meant to the Rockets during the streak. Our play started to slow like molasses when he got injured which gave us that extra nudge out of the playoff run. He can definitely pass and hit a open jumper every now and then. His assist to turnover ratio isn't bad. If anything we need a back-up center if Dorsey and Landry decide to be idiots.
look dude, the only time franchise will be playing is if a) one of our PGs is hurt or b) its garbage time As much as i like stevie, be realistic for god's sake, hes basically done.
except for the ball control and pg duty part.... He's pretty consistent at that. Why do haters only look at the shooting aspect of Rafer's game? He is a SOLID pg, but a streaky scorer.... Luckily we have four good to superstar level scorers on this team for Rafer to concentrate on just being a pg and knocking down the wide open shot.
its amazing how much a little competition can cause one to improve, francis/brooks/james were all competing with him at the PG spot and he worked on his game
and that's sad. i'm not a big fan of francis but he loves this city and everytime he's on the court he gives you 100%. that is what i love about him, he is a real warrior. i feel like basketball for him is like oxygen for people. he just cannot leave without it. and i still belive he can bounce back. i know he will never be the same again, but he can still play well for this team as a backup, can't he? we just need his effort. I have never said Rafer sucks (generally), because I did say that after few games. you are right, he is pretty solid and i belive he won't have a big problem with finding other team for himself. And that is the problem. Rafer really hasn't been knocking down open shots every game. He's had some troubles with hitting open shots. He also haven't been a real pg for this team, I mean he needs to concentrate on creating for other players.
Don't think Brooks will be an answer for us. With a team full of veterans, I don't think Aaron Brooks dribbling around looking for his own shot will help us out. If something were to happen to Rafer, we would be in a bad way unless we got a veteran point guard to help lead the team . . .
I like Brooks but the only position is pg in this leauge, i don't see any different position for him. Putting him at 2 spot wouldn't be a good idea. His shot is not that good and he is too small. Well maybe it is and I am wrong but first of all he needs to prove me wrong. Maybe it is all about confidence...
