I Was Wrong I thought Steve and James were both better options than Rafer. I was wrong. Stevie still has some athleticism but it may not be enough anymore to make up for his lack of basketball smarts. Right now Rafer is head and shoulders better than anyone else and even when he shoots bad he is still better. I thought we need replacements with the starting 5. And it looks as though we just needed some replacements to the bench. Bonzi and Scola or great additions and head works good with Tmac. I thought JVG was overrated as a defensive coach and that Yao clogs up the middle and makes playing defense a lot easier for the team. Yao when used appropriately does clog up the middle but the rest of the team still has to play harder and smarter. JVG deserves credit for that. I thought get rid of JVG would have bigger impact on this team and in reality the team is what it is and major overhauls were not needed but some serious was probably all that was in order. Which may have been possible without a coaching change. I thought the Rockets were a smarter team and JVG was dummifying them. The reality is the Rockets are not very bright but they have some talent. It took Adelman 22 games to realize this team will not get the motion in it’s true sense for a long time but if he just ran some simple picks and designed plays and designate each players role so they don’t have to think to much. I thought Luther was the odd man out. But if Tmac is in the game to take over a lot of the handles then Luther clearly is our 2nd best point option. I thought was a control freak and was treating most of the team like robots while allowing Tmac to do whatever he wants. Okay well maybe I wasn’t completely wrong about that one. I thought after our last loss It's Time meant it's time to get rid of Tmac. He has his flaws, but he is still the best player on the team. It's hard to believe a few hours ago I was wondering how the Rockets could get past this bump. Especially with players I thought would help make a difference, not even looking like they belong in the rotation. And I know we are still have growing pains and miserable losses. But what I see now is the team we had last year wasn't so bad and we just needed to boost our bench and tweak our offense (okay alittle more than tweak, but slowly) and we might be ready make a run come time. We clearly don't have the brightest or mot athletic team but we do have 2 players that are hard to stop and a lot of other player he try to play hard. It's time to hope again.
Whew, glad I posted that without seeing Clutch's post or I'da looked like some newb follower lol. Its not so much that Rafer "is" the better option but "how" he is. If Rafer's skills are what sets him apart and what makes the team click, I'm ALL for it. If its cuz the team's emotion and competitive level is tied into him, its very flattering to Rafer if he's that great a guy, but its NOT the way it should be. Player's need to bring it night-in/night-out. ESPECIALLY THIS TEAM. And the ironic part of it all is - thats exactly what Jeff Van Gundy would NOT WANT
I'm glad you are back Rafer I understand your purpose on this team, even if i get a little frustrated with. I'm just glad I don't have to watch Francis back his guy down all the way up the court to start the offense. Come on Stevie face up and dribble!
Where was that talk? It's inexcusable, if true. Though I understand why T-mac would prefer to play with Rafer. He moves the ball quickly and makes less mistakes on defense. It's the same reason people like to play with Shane Battier. We knew that Rafer couldn't possibly shoot as bad as he did to start the season, and he's picked it up a bit. For the 13 games up through the 6 game losing streak, Rafer had a 34.5 FG% and 21.8 3P%. In the 8 games since, he's got a 43.8 FG% and 35.9 3P%. That's closer to what you'd expect from him.
I'd like to see some quotes or some sort of evidence to back that up. Those are pretty serious allegations, and obviously a negative if they are true. It just doesn't make alot of sense considering Skip was injured not benched...
Woah, Old Man, great post. Usually you're so full of venom but this one, wow, glistening with a bit of optimism. By the way, thanks for posting that Yao robot dance, every time I think about it I laugh hysterically!
It's just you and Me Dada And actually we needed Scola more. But outside of that I would like to hve seen him develop.
1. How do you get that trust if you h*lf*ss it everytime they on the floor. 2. He gets the pass where he wants it? you mean right after Rafer gets past half court? 3. You saying if things are not perfect for T-mac. . he uhm . .quits . . goes through the motions. . . doesn't try hard anyway??? [Soft maybe?] Like someone say . . . right not we reverting back to what is comfortable I remember when Yao 1st came here. . .folx b*tch about SF not wanting to share . . not wanting to play with him . . .blah blah blah How is this any different??? also . . I remember when JVg 1st came here . . . folx [including me] .. were pissed that he did not utilize Yao's great shooting range and passing ability [which both seem to have evaporated somewhat ] . . . . Yao looked so clumsey and uncomfortable banging down low. . . not everyone wants him there . . . Change is hard . .it takes time and patience T-mac Yao and the rockets. . .esp those from last year. . don't seem to have the patience to keep trying to learn a new system Just like SF was hesitant to change under JVG [which he did do] . . they seem to be doing the same thing . . . with Adelman ONE MORE THING As for him not trying when the folx he likes are not on the court the problem is not . . SF and MJ not playing . . . it seems to be he half*sses it to be like. . SEE SEE MY GUY IS THE GUY which indirectly says to me that he is the type of guy that will half *ss the system so he can say SEE SEE MY OLD SYSTEM IS THE SYSTEM rather than giving either of them a truly fair shake It takes time .. and The team is b*tching and Moaning more than trying and hustling If they gave up on Adelman's system already . . it is on THEM! Just like when folx b*tch about SF not getting it with JVg . . if SF was at fault then then Yao and T-Mac are at fault NOW! Run the d*mn system til ya heard falls out. . if it fails it fails . . b*Tch then but If you gonna half *ss it. . then sit you half *ss down! Rocket River SECOND ROUND OR BUST!!!
Clutch, what do you mean not coming back unless Rafer was? Not back into the game or not back on the team? Are we talking the last couple of games or during the offseason when they were talking about trading Rafer? In any case, I'm not so sure if TMac was intentionally dogging it with Rafer out, but Rafer does take TMac off much of his ball handling duty. For all his talent, TMac does seem dependent on having a smart, competitive, veteran PG out there with him... Remember what happened in Orlando when they lost Armstrong? 21-61 season. That's how Rockets got the guy in the first place.
Hats off to Rafer and it looked like the last few games he's been in he's been pretty good. All of our guards are inconsistent so the key is figuring out which one is hot when and playing them then.
Rafer is the worst all around PG in the league. That this team needs and depends on him is not a good sign. I watched Rafer's first five games with the Rockets and came to some conclusions that have not changed. He cannot shoot, he is a good ball handler, he is small and gets pushed around by the bigger guards, he is not as quick as he looks, he is a poor defender, he is fair but not great as a distributer, not a good finisher, and he cannot shoot. Glad for the win, but the jury is still out on this team, big time. Come playoff time, Rafer is a huge liability. Appreciate him all you want, but the longstanding PG problem on this team is far from solved. Admittedly, he may be the best option at present, but that is an indictment on how badly the others are playing.
Nice post. I agree with a lot of it. I had high expectations, like you. Wasn't as down on JVG as you, though. I thought he did a good job with the talent he had, but Adelman was better suited to take advantage of the new talent we brought in. I may have been wrong there. In the end, I think JVG and Adelman are both good coaches. And the Rockets are a good team. Unfortunately, to have a good chance of advancing past the first round in this conference, you need to be better than good or you need to be real lucky.
Actually, whenever the Rockets won during the last few weeks, TMac has credited running the motion offense rather than reverting to sets. I also don't think there is any conspiracy to screw Steve or Mike. I mean... were Steve and Mike better with TMac off the floor and supposedly not screwing them? In any case, it wasn't about the offense, it has, for this team, always been about effort. Effort during games and effort preparing for games. It's about coming in ready to roll. Some guys simply have not done that this season.
