Actually Baron Davis is coming close to averaging that many. And his not like Rafer he doesn't even have them drawn for him
In any level of basketball, floor time isn't given, it is earned... in making the following conclusion, I'm assuming the following things: (1) Jeff Van Gundy & his assistants watch practice (2) Van Gundy & his assistants watch games (3) Van Gundy & his assistants watch film (4) Whether Van Gundy & his assistants know that, in order to keep their jobs, they have to win. (5) Van Gundy & his assistants like their jobs (6) Van Gundy & his assistants have seen Rafer, Lucas & Spanoulis play in practice and games many more times than any of us have. Thus, 1-6 leads me to believe that Rafer Alston, at this point in his career, helps the Rockets win more than Lucas or Spanoulis. We have to remember that preseason & summer league is much different than regular season basketball. Steve Novak looked like a rotation player in the preseason; he looks absolutely clueless now. Spanoulis looked like a project even in pre-season; he's looked even worse in the regular season.
Exactly noone on this board satisfies any of the criteria above so basically shouldn't be able to comment on if Vspan should start over Rafer or get time in general
I strongly Disagree. I assume we ALL watch Rockets games... The Rockets are a better team when JLIII is on the court. Film, practice, yada, yada, yada.... Reality is reality. Have you considered the fact that Van Gundy traded for Rafer so he is (like Kubiak supporting Carr) willing to give him a longer leash than any other player. Ego can make a coach go blind. Rafer kills us. We can be so much better. As for your comment about Van Gundy wanting to win. Im sure he wants to win, but does he know HOW to win. We are talking about the same cat who brought in Charlie Ward, played Chuck Weatherspoon, an over the hill Charles Oakley. Some guys just cant evaluate talent. Van Gundy is no Popavich, or Sloan. He doesnt have the vision. So WHY would you give him a pass on the acquisition of Rafer Alston. I will tell you without conviction Rafer Alston is the worst player on this team. What does he contribute?
This is one of the most uninformed post I've ever read on these boards. You are so sure that "Rafer Alston is the worst player on this team," eh? Novak? V-Span? Have YOU watched them play this year? You imply that Rafer contributes nothing. This is obviously false. He is the best ball handler on the team, and one of the best in the league. He has a good 3pt shot on average (not just the last 4 games). He's a team-first player who does a very good job of setting the pace of the offense. And what's that bs about Van Gundy's ego? You honestly think that Van Gundy wouldn't bench Rafer if he thought that would help us win? The Rockets are not a better team with JLIII at the point. The guy is improving, but he still has glaring holes in his game that far outweigh Rafer's.
just an FYI give Novak or Span the minutes that Alston plays, I guarantee they will perform much better than Alston Gundy has the "my mom did do this to me" complex he ****ed up the trade with James, so now he has his little boy Alston who ever falls for his mind tricks is lost as much as gundy is I will say this we will not make the 2nd round due to Alston and JVG setting up stupid 'not logical' plays mark my words no! I will post it in my sig with a link, so you guys can look at it anytime you like....
After last night's game Rafer Alston officially has the worst field goal percentage of eligible players in the league: http://www.nba.com/statistics/playe...&yearsExp=-1&splitDD=Default&pager.offset=100 122 Willie Green , PHI 30 .399 123 Raymond Felton , CHA .392 124 Adam Morrison , CHA .380 125 Jannero Pargo , NOK .388 126 Rafer Alston , HOU .364 DEAD LAST in the league. Amazing. sorry if this has already been posted in any of the other Alston threads
Amel I've noticed a disturbing trend in your posts. Did you just become a Rockets fan earlier this year in order to ride Spanoulis' jock? Actually, scratch that, I don't care. I see from your details that you live in Florida and are apparently into Slavic hip-hop. Perhaps you can go back to the Magic Fan boards or the Icy Hot Stuntaz where you will be more welcome.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN RAFER IS THE BEST BALL HANDLER ON THE TEAM. We have never lost a game due to not bringing the ball up the court regardless of who is playing point guard. You worry about guys bringing the ball up the court in high school, NOT IN THE FLIPPIN' NBA! Every point guard we have can bring it up. V-Span is turnover prone but as previously mentioned he has led championship teams SKIPPY hasn't. What are JLIIIs glaring holes. His size. Whenever he is in the game we have WAY more positive results than when SKIPPY is in the game. AND I KNOW Van Gundy wouldn't bench Rafer because HE HASNT and WE'VE lost because of it. Novak can shoot! I knew that when I saw him when the collegiate 3-pt contest, so he offers something. V-Span D's up, pushes the ball, and brings an intensity which is severely lacking on this team. I know that because I witnessed it in when I would watch Euroleague games last year and from the World Championships. Your faith in Rafer is misguided and without cause. I WOULDNT pick this guy up to run at the Fonde with me.
First off, if you can't say something without conviction, why would you say it at all?? There's a lot you can say about Rafer Alston, but worst on the team is not one of them. I know at least two players right now who are worse than Rafer on this roster: John Lucas III and Vassilious Spanoulis. I can say with conviction that Van Gundy knows more about how to win in the NBA than you, or I, or anyone else on this board. This is a guy who took a hideously bad NY Knicks team from the No. 8 slot into the NBA Finals; This is a guy who, in his only season with a remotely healthy Rockets squad, took the team to within 1 game of beating Dallas team that nearly won the NBA Championship the next year out of the toughest conference in recent memory. It's easy to be blinded by things like shooting percentages and such, but as you'll notice on that list, Raymond Felton is right there on that list of players with the lowest shooting percentages in the league, and I'll guarantee that there are about 20 teams who would love to have Felton as their starting PG. I don't think JVG is biased against Alston because he (and Carroll Dawson) orchestrated the trade to get Alston here; he also brought in John Lucas III and Vassillious Spanoulis. I think JVG is biased toward winning, and that is why he is giving Rafer the lion's share of the minutes at the point.
one more thing before I get off work so, JVG knows what Alston does...shoots poorly! but, he also knows that Span and Novak suck?! so how does he compensate all this, by just letting Rafer play like he has been the last 123243 games? someone explain the logic in all of this...
Because we have way too many naive casual fans here. Who believes a 2nd rounder Novak in one of the weakest draft classes should perform like an allstar, who believes you should have all star caliber players for all 5 positions, who doesn't believe there is a salary cap, who believes an undersized rookie from NBDL should star in an elite nba team in his first year the list just goes on and on, and I'm usually speechless against them
Amen to that!! I realized how many casual fans we have here during the aftermath of the Battier trade, when so many people cited Battier's 10/5 stats in crucifying Rockets management, without ever having seen Battier play for any length of time.
Go ahead and mark your words. Make sure you keep that in your sig too, so everyone can see how much of an ignorant Rafer and JVG hating troll you are once we get to the 2nd round. If we don't make it to the 2nd round, it's because T-mac, Yao, and Bonzi are not healthy. You don't like Rafer because he can't shoot right? He won't be taking that many shots when we're healthy! So how is Rafer going to single-handedly cost us a playoff series again?
If Rafer was all that, we wouldn't even have thought about going so hard after Mike James a 2nd time. If Rafer was all that JVG wouldn't have said that he would take Steve Francis back if the deal could work. Yeah, I know - reality bites.
