By definition, his tick-tack fouls are unintentional. You think he MEANS to committ a foul... ever? If you think that then I'm sorry, you're sadly mistaken. There are cases when players foul intentionally, but that kind of work is left for guys like Battier and Hayes when a guy like Duncan or Shaq is about to get an easy bucket. In those cases, it's more advantagous for the defense to foul. But when Yao gets called for a reaching foul at the free throw line, or a blocking foul in the low post going for the rejection, he's not LOOKING to foul, he just gets caught in a bad situation by the offense. Trust me... he's not looking to foul.
Jump off the Tmac bandwagon if you want to. But still you can give your comments on our star player without using the offensive terms.
His inconsistency is EXACTLY the reason we should be wary about relying on him to "run" our offense. I mean... you just said that Rafer wouldn't be able to "contribute" to the second unit. What, he NEEDS Tracy and Yao to play well now? What is our goal here anyway, to make sure that Rafer feels comfortable and succeeds in the NBA or to make sure that the Rockets win games? I think that Rafer is quite capable of running an offense given the chance. (and the rest) I'm not suggesting we dump him, trade him, and I'm really not coming down on his game. I actually like Rafer quite a bit. The point is, in the Rockets' current offensive scheme, he's being asked to be a three point shooter, which is not his strength. At best he's not a liability. But when he's jacking up 9 three's a game, he's become a liability in that role. If we want our "point guard" in the starting unit to let TMac initiate the offense, then why not bring Rafer off the bench and actually allow him to BE a point guard with the second unit? Luther is more than capable as a spot up shooter.
i don't think it was because the other team was denying the ball down to yao, but the combination of yao not demanding the ball and the others who weren't looking to give the ball down on the block. one case, i think we were down by 6 or 4. yao goes up for a shot and misses. after that missed shot by yao, he doesn't take another shot for the last 6 minutes or so. the team gets panicky when they get down and go away from yao and try to get back everything in a hurry. 6 minutes is still enough time to get back in it with yao getting those nice looks.
First of all, I rated your thread 4 stars. Good job! Could I suggest you using same scale as we rate the posters? Regarding Alston, I felt mixed. I speculate the opposite leave him open in purpose, since he has low percentage shooting. However, the opposite pays the price when he hits the 3s. If he hits in clutch(Rox vs min), he is forgiven; If he hits in other time (yesterday), your comments will surge. Alston is unstable, his lay-up is also disappointing. He needs a quota for shooting. Rox's fate can not rely on his clutch. Otherwise his ball handling and even passing is way above his teammates. I still have faith on T-mac. He seems to have a HUGE psychologic burden. Peace of mind when you shoot, please. And never distracted by those noises from the so-called TNT experts to have you "step up".
I agree with most of the original analysis and the many rebuttals as well. Two points I'd like to add: 1) I think Rafer did a good job. Not great but he is doing what he can. This early in the season, he needs to take the open shots so later on, teams don't shag off him completely to double the post. 2) I said it 2,3 weeks ago and I will say it again. Tmac is hurt, physically. He does not have the lift for the outside J. Since his shot is flat, no lift == chances for misses increase. He does not have the lift to finish at the rim either. When was the last time he got his shots blocked at the rim like he did against Phoenix?
If you read you're analysis of Rafer and VSpan, they seem to have the same strengths and weaknesses. The only difference is that you think Rafer can't play a lick of defense and VSpan is the next Bruce Bowen. You say that Rafer is a terrible, terrible shooter, but that VSpan only has a bad shot. If you look at the Percentages, rafer (37.7%) is actually shooting a higher percentage than vspan (35.7%). Granted that Rafer has taken a larger amount of shots than VSpan, but if VSpan took more shots per game, one would only assume that the percentage wouldnt deviate too much from where it is now. Here is my grade and analysis of the two players. DaDakota, feel free to dissect my analysis and debate it with me. Rafer Alston Grade C+ Strengths - Does a great job running the offense, because he knows the system. He does a great job of protecting the ball. For the amount of time that he is on the court, 37 min/gm, he only avgs. 2.2 turnovers. He is an about average defender in that he does apply pressure on the other team. He has been more active on defense this year, and to the surprise of many, he leads the Rockets in steals/game with 1.5. Weakness - His shooting. Without a doubt, his shooting is his biggest flaw. It's not that he is taking bad shots, its just that he can't seem to hit them. Other teams have noticed this, and are going to take advantage of this until he starts hitting his shots at a higher percentage. Overall - Best PG on the Rockets roster. Has done enough to keep his starting job, but must improve his jumpshot if the Rockets are to go deep in the playoffs this year. V-Span Grade Incomplete Strengths - Good dribble penetrator, and brings energy on the court. He is an average defender, who is good at playing in the passing lanes. Weakness - Confidence. From the few minutes that he plays, he looks extremely nervous when the ball is in his hands, and seems somewhat hesitant to make moves. He needs to stop thinking on the floor and start playing. Must work on foot speed and shooting touch. Overall - Will need more minutes to really determine how good or bad he is gonna be. Shows signs of brilliance, but will follow it up with a turnover, or weak defense.
2) I said it 2,3 weeks ago and I will say it again. Tmac is hurt, physically. He does not have the lift for the outside J. Since his shot is flat, no lift == chances for misses increase. He does not have the lift to finish at the rim either. When was the last time he got his shots blocked at the rim like he did against Phoenix?[/QUOTE] How do you explain he hits 3 consecutive 3s at the end of game?
I'm not a JVG hater, but it seems like a lot of players that join the Rox have this problem. VSpan had all the confidence in the world playing against Team USA, where he was free to play his game without fear of being benched in an instant. I wouldn't consider footspeed a weakness with him though, more just the understanding of the NBA game. He usually does a great job of staying in front of his man, but every now and then just blanks out and looks lost. I have no doubt that he'll learn to fix those blunders soon enough. Right now Rafer is our best pg, there really shouldn't be any debate about that. Vspan is still learning the league/system/culture, Luther is NOT a pg as he can't distribute or make plays worth crap, and JL3 will never be starter-quality. However, I'm being an idiot and clinging to hope that Bobby makes his comeback and takes back his starting spot.
I am glad that we are 10-5. But let me sprinkle a little rain on the parade. 9 of the 10 wins are against sub-.500 teams. We played winning teams 6 times and lost 5. The only winning team we beat (Dallas) wasn't winning at the time we beat them. Unfortunately, all but only 4 teams in the West have .500 or better records. Sorry for being negative in a good thread like this. I thought that was something we needed to ponder.
Head has impressed me with his much improved 3-point shooting and FT% so far this season. He did attack the rim from time to time. I don't think "rarely" is the correct description. The problem is he is not a good finisher and often attacked at inopportune time. The pattern is as follows: Head attempts to shoot a three, but he sees a defender is coming at him, so he either hesitates or pump fakes. Then he realizes his foot/feet is/are somehow inside the 3-pointer line. Then he starts to drive to the hole. Usually it ends up being a missed layup or blocked shot. If you look at his 2-point shooting, you wouldn't believe what you see. It's horrendous and not reconcilable with his high 3-point FG%. Can't somebody teach this kid to shoot some easy 2s? Among other things, he is an average- ball handler. His assists and steals are down, compared to last season. I can't say VSpan doesn't finish well at the rim. More often than not, he ends up shooting FTs if the shot doesn't go in. My general complaint is VSpan seems to be "out of the loop" on offense. I attribute this mostly to the lack of play devised for him by JVG. If there is a player who doesn't give me a good impression upon closer look, it has to be Novak. If "moving without the ball" is generously put into his strength category, I must counter that the kid is like a chicken running without the head on a farm when it comes to defense. He is often caught flat-footed by his man. Waving his hands aimlessly, he doesn't seem to bother to make at least some tactical fouls to disrupt the opponents' rhythm. On offense, he would at times pass out open looks. I mean if the kid can't even contribute with his biggest asset, I won't shed a tear if he gets traded. If someone can compile a video of Novak's defensive play, I can assure you it won't be pretty. I can't believe I miss Ryan Bowen so much. With all the negative stuff piling on Juwan, I am going to say something nice about his game. Juwan is very under-rated for his rebounding. His technique is something Yao can definitely learn. Like it or not, if Juwan can hit his mid-range jumpers and help keep Yao from fouling early, we would continue to see JVG play him.
Jeff Van Gundy Grade F he is failed on game plan against SUNS, read my lips, FAILed! 3 years already.
Not bad, but I think V-Span is a better passer, and is not just a little bit better on Defense, but a LOT better. V-Span is also a better finisher on his drives. Rafer is a better ball handler - or at least by reputation.... But Rafer is not doing a good job as a traditional PG, he is not looking to set the table for his team...ala Nash..but rather eat the whole meal himself. DD
I dont think anybody can argue agains that. How hard is it to tell the shooters to freakin stay out and not give up the three pointer?
this goes against common sense.... you give up the 3 10/10 times to deny the easy basket down low. if they're stroking it, so be it. but you do not change your defensive game plan to guard the perimeter. our problem seems to be our defensive rotations.
Since when ROX needs a PG to jack up a bunch of three's for win? the goal of PG penetrating is not just to shoot ,but creat chances to set up his teammates . Can someone tell me just one time when alston penetration ended in a pass . What's even worse is time he chose to penetrate . Everytime he did this ,we would blow out a good advantage. if as a PG, alston can not pass in the court ,what else can you get from him ? Dose Alston know his role in this team ?if not ,pls JVG plants "pass first"in his damned dcik head
