Read again. 1. Yes, different people are held to different standards. Is it that hard to understand? Ever heard something like "More privileges bring more responsibilities"? 2. No, I did not say he was not human because he was rich. Read again. 3. No, I did not say he deserved to be extorted. Read again. 4. No, I did not say that rich people didn't deserve the benefit of the doubt. Read again. What you didn't get from reading my post is this: If any person gets arrested going to a club (whether he did something wrong or not) and hurt his company's business, he would have gotten fired. Well, NBA players don't get fired because they have guaranteed contracts. But he still should be held responsible, especially in light of the amount of money he is paid by his employer and the amount of business he has hurt his employer. Read again.
Rafer is fast turning into the last innocent man in America. Everyone else seems to be liars except rafer. Anyway, its not like others athletes don't go out. They do but they don't get into trouble. Athletes who make immensely more money than Alston also go out but Alston seems to be the only one who is getting into trouble. Its very hard to believe that rafer's misfortune is a result of pure bad luck just like its difficult to believe that his inability to convert three point shots is pure bad luck. There are foreseeable consequences that a reasonable man can and should be able to anticipate and avoid. Rafer seems like a tough guy off the court, but on the court he never had the courage to take it strong inside and draw fouls. Now the rockets are having trouble trading him because it seems no one else shares JVG's talent evaluation of Rafer Alston. Clutch already posted an article earlier showing the same problems rafer had earlier in his career. Again, he had issues way before he arrived here in Houston.
Wow, I'll have the cops arrest you on a bogus charge next time I see you outside your house. Then, by your logic your boss should fire you and you would be banned from ever going outside again. How 'bout them apples? So because rich people become targets when they leave their house (and sometimes even in their houses) they shouldn't go outside? PUH-LEASE.
http://www.myfoxhouston.com/myfox/p...n=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=6.1.1 The co-owner of a New York nightclub told FOX 26 Sports on Friday that its surveillance cameras show no major problems with Houston Rockets guard Rafer Alston the night he was arrested on a charge of stabbing a man. Stereo Nightclub co-owner Barry Mullineaux told FOX 26 by phone from Manhattan that he is puzzled about the charges that were filed last Tuesday. Alston was released without bail that night. "Nothing happened like that at the club," Mullineaux said. "Surveillance video taken around the club doesn't show anything. "We have police officers stationed around the club that didn't see anything like that. If someone had been stabbed in the neck in the club and bleeding, someone would have noticed." Mullineaux told The New York Daily News that security video does show Alston in a "small verbal confrontation" about 3 a.m. between Alston and the alleged victim over a spilled bottle. Police arrested Alston, 31, early last Monday on felony assault charges after responding to a brawl at a nightclub. A criminal complaint alleges that amid the ruckus, Alston slashed a man at the club in the neck. Alston, who grew up in Queens, was ordered to return to court on Jan. 3. The alleged incident was Alston's second brush with the law in August. Alston was charged with misdemeanor assault and public intoxication in Houston three weeks ago. Alston was accused of grabbing a parking attendant's arm, shaking him and spitting on him after Alston's vehicle was towed from a lot. The attendant said Alston parked illegally and did not pay. After that altercation, Alston told FOX 26 he got into a shouting match with the attendant but "nothing transpired."
Fine, I'll argue with you, then hours later I'll show up at the hospital with a cut on my neck and pick you out of a police lineup. Sound better?
Every time I look at this thread I think Rafer has been arrested AGAIN. The "Stevie Returns" thread ran forever, so I guess I shouldn't complain. Thirty days till basketball and the end of the dreaded offseason! Sweet Relief! This team will be interesting no matter what happens: with Francis and Wells the soap opera possibilities are endless.
Absolutely, the best in a long, long time. I am very optimistic. I have this feeling that Brooks is going to shock people. No doubt, the team has talent, now.
When the Rockets added rookie PG Aaron Brooks in the draft and got PG Mike James in a trade with Minnesota, incumbent PG Rafer Alston could read the writing on the wall -- he was no longer wanted in Houston. He was seeking a trade, but then came an early-August arrest on a charge of public drunkenness in Houston. A second arrest, on an assault charge at the end of August, hasn't helped matters. Alston has disputed the second arrest, but he has now become impossible to trade. In fact, even if the Rockets were to buy out the remaining three years and $15 million on Alston's deal, one general manager says, "No one is going to touch him. At some point, the off-court trouble outweighs the guy's talent. He's got too much off-court trouble." ... http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=269549 Maybe we should just cut our losses.
Rafer Alston's off-court trouble outweighing his talent -- I'm thinking a jaywalking charge is enough to tip the scales there. I disagree this is all because of his recent arrests. Rafer was going to be difficult to move just based on his play+contract alone. I also disagree that no one would touch him if he's bought out ... he'd probably be able to pick up a cheap deal as a backup somewhere. Just stunning how much the Rockets depended on this guy last year.
It's impossible to get rid of Rafer, unless it's for a worse contract. The only thing that can be done is for Adelman to work his magic and turn Rafer into a decent backup PG. Steve Francis and Mike James will have to play at both guard spots to get enough minutes. Luther Head is being squeezed out and used only for 3pters, when the Rockets are trailing at the end of the 4th. At the all-star, somebody will eventually be traded.
This is the bottom line. It's amazing how well the Rockets did with Rafer playing so many minutes. It wasn't his fault our backup PGs were worthless. He was asked to do a lot more than he was capable of, which is a recipe for failure. I don't blame Rafer for that.
No that's your bottom line which is the same bs you keep regurgitating. Rafer played because the coach wanted him in there. Rafer sucked as a starter and others should have been given more of a chance. Oh and you can't even include VSpan in this conversation because his role was almost exclusively at the the 2 which only goes to show how wrong JVG was for this team. Vspan was a creator who knew how to get to the hoop and finish. Rafer will never have that ability.
