Dont you mean the washed up sack of dog turd mike james?. rafer>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.i'm washed up mike james
he will still be the lineup PG if he can keeps himself away from crimes. I got it, the only threat to his lineup position is not contemporary magic or ron but his naughty behavious outside the court.
I think this also brings out one of Rafer's greatest strength: his competitive spirit. Instead of folding and being down, rafer fights back and practices hard in a tough situation. I think his character, coupled with his vocal nature, is hugely beneficial to this team.
His competitiveness is one of his greatest strengths but also one of his greatest flaws. As he gets caught up in the competition so much some times, that he tries to do too much.....like...oh...shoot the ball. DD
you know the sad thing is at the end of the day, no matter how much we trash Rafer about his shooting, He is still 50 times a better shooter than any of us.
If Rafer can refine his mid-range game I think he can score a lot of points. Adelman will keep defenses spread out by putting McGrady and Artest (Berry)on the wings as 3-point threats and Landry and Yao down low. Problem is that I dont see him improving his mid range game.
I don't think Rafer's mid range game is what the Rocket's need. Rafer is there for three reasons, in order of priority: 1. To run the offense. It is obvious that we play better when he is playing point. See last year's playoff series. He doesn't necessarily show it in the stat column, but he runs the offense and get's everyone set quicker. Also, when he has the ball Tracy doesn't jack up as many shots at the beginning of the shot clock. 2. To hit the open three. This is can be his achilles heel or his greatest strength because he is so streaky. If he can do the first two things perfect, we have an effective Rafer. 3. To finish with his floater. Only when needed. Let me repeat, ONLY WHEN NEEDED. last year he finsihed around 60% of his drives versus something like 40% the year before. That is a huge boost right there. If we are down in the shot clock, and he has to drive in and throw one up, he must be able to make it. I don't think we need a mid range Rafer when we can have him a few more feet out hitting a wide open three.
One thing he can do is to add flopping to his skillset and double his free throw attempts. He has to utilize his and1 skills to get contacts, not to avoid them like what he was doing. This is almost the only way he can help the team on offensive end. Rockets need much more from PG than Rafer, but Rafer is Rafer, you can not expect too much from him.
Rafer should not flop, but he definitly should take on contact on his way to the rim, he contorts his body to get the shot up....and as a result shoots less than 50% from 1 foot away. Just go up strong Raf...take the contact and hit the charity stripe. DD
3. To finish with his floater. Only when needed. Let me repeat, ONLY WHEN NEEDED. last year he finsihed around 60% of his drives versus something like 40% the year before. That is a huge boost right there. If we are down in the shot clock, and he has to drive in and throw one up, he must be able to make it. Floaters are part of the mid-range game. Plus with defenses focusing on yao, t-mac, and artest I think we need a legit fourth scorer. (i.e. Rajon Rondo of the previous Champions)
FYI, to quote press the "quote" button. Welcome to CF.net, BTW. I don't consider a floater mid range. Luis Scola is our legit 4th scorer. Carl Landry, if signed, can be a fourth scorer. Rafer has to do the three things above effeciently offensively and play hard D like he always does. He is a fifth option. I think the addition of Artest makes Rafer a much better fit for this team.
If you honestly thought Rafer successfully finished 60% of his drives last season, you must not be watching the games. When Rafer goes towards the basket, it's time for the other team's perimeter players to run the other way for an outless pass while Rockets' fans to cringe. Rafer should stay on the perimeter and do what does best: Focus on entry passes to Yao, hitting cutters or giving the ball up to Tracy and Ron Ron so they can create. As a last resort, he should shoot uncontested jumpers. Rafer does not make good decisions in traffic.
That was me that wrote that. Rook obviously doesn't know how to quote. That was a common theme last year. Announcers were constantly stating how Rafer was finishing a good 15% more of his drives than the previous year. While it may have not been 60%, it was only a few percentage points below that mark.
