I have been obsessively reading the threads in the GARM for the last few days, anxiously awaiting news of a trade. After sleeping on it, here are my thoughts. Anyone who thought Morey was going to take on a big, unwieldy contract (i.e. Baron Davis) hasn't been paying attention to the way he operates. I was really worried that any trade we made was going to involve Scola, Battier(I just got a signed Battier jersey - which meant with my luck - he was probably gone), Brooks or Landry. So count me as relieved that we made a trade that did not involve any of the above named players. I also believe that McGrady's antics caused a dramatic shift in what Morey planned to do. He behaved in an incredibly unprofessional manner and has managed to burn an amazing amount of bridges in the process. For several reasons, Rafer was NOT one I was worried about. I am surprised by the move, but don't think it is going to be a major disaster, like many here. And quite frankly, I am going to wait and see how it turns out, before making any outlandish statements on a message board. I just wanted to go on record with my thoughts, for future reference if need be. It is amazing the amount of time I spend reading the board, verses posting on it. And given the number of posts and threads over the last couple of days, it might be better if others adopted the same policy.
I don't think the trade is a "major disaster" since our chances of being true title contenders is pretty low with Tmac injured/out anyway. But I do disagree with Morey saying we upgraded the position as of today. Maybe in a year or two that will be true, but it's hard to see it as an upgrade today. I guess I just hoped that our PG upgrade wouldn't shoot 10% worse than the below average 3PT shooting PG he was replacing. To his credit, Lowry knows he is a bad 3pt shooter and doesn't take alot of attempts and is a better finisher around the basket. I did think Rafer playing without Tmac allowed him to play to his strengths of running the team and distributing the ball, where with Tmac you had Tracy dominating the ball and Rafer filling the spot up shooting off side role which was his biggest weakness. Still I worry about how it will work with Yao in the middle getting sagged in on by the PG even more so than Rafer's defender did. I hope Lowry proves my fears to be unfounded, but I don't buy into the whole Morey made the decision so it must be right band wagon. I won't rule out the possibility that this works out really well for the rockets, but at the same time Morey aquired Mike James, Steve Francis and Bobby Jackson just within the last year with the thought that one of them would out play Rafer. So I would have preferred a much more clear cut PG upgrade, where at the moment Lowry feels like a younger side-grade at best right now. Also note that if the Rocket's truely believe Lowry is an upgrade over Rafer right now, then he should be getting all of Rafer's minutes and be the starter. We'll see if that happens.
what's the average height for PGs? Looks like we have 2 who are 6-0. Wouldn't a taller PG be better at feeding the ball to Yao?
So what if they are 6'0 feet and under. They are two of the quickest in the league. They both can get in the paint and finish. Alston couldn't do that. This will change our style of play, this will make us a faster team. All of you are complaining like you are scouts and are at the rockets practice everyday to know what is going on. I'm sure Adelman and Morey talked about this in length before making the move. I think this will give us something close to what adelman had with Bibby and B Jackson. Don't count our PGs out just yet. They will fit our movement offense. These two and Wafer are guys that attack the paint consistently. Something we did not have at the beginning of the year. I bet most of you complaining about this trade were the same guys complaining when we drafted brooks (you all wanted a 6'10 PF). Same guys that last month when he was putting up 15 a game behind Rafer you wanted him to be the starter and sit Rafer cause he couldn't shoot 3s or make layups..... So give this a chance before you go declaring our season over. Alot of teams were trying to get Lowry from memphis. The guy can play.
Maybe I missed something somewhere on the board, but why didn't Morey and the Rockets seriously consider trading Tmac for Baron Davis and Camby if the Clippers were willing to do that trade? I know that some said that Camby was untouchable, but my impression overall was that they would do it to get rid of Baron and get Tmac. I could be wrong. Tmac has been my favorite player on the Rockets since he came here, but I am just fed up with the drama. He really is just spoiled and hasn't had it hard since he was out of high school to the NBA. Rick A will hardly ever play Mutumbo, so Camby would have been a back up that he would play to give Yao the needed rest. And Baron would just be better than either of the two guards that we have now, although I like Aaron and Kyle. I have said for a while to myself that we should try to get Kyle from Memphis. But why is this organization so devoted to Tmac? Is it that Les really loves him that much? I am not dogging Tmac, but sometimes it is just time to say goodbye, like a relationship where you still love someone but just know that it won't work out anymore.
How much cap room does this trade clear for us next season? I personally like the trade Alston was never a player that I particularly liked. I think Lowry will actually end up being the starting PG for us. Artest will not return next year & T-Mac's days as a Rocket are over IMO... This is Yao's team 100% now, I think guys will play harder & more focused without T-Mac in the way... I also believe that we are the weakest potential playoff team in the West. I have a feeling that we'll be the 9th seed...Hope I'm wrong... Yao,Brooks,Landry,Dorsey,Lowry its pretty solid for the future...Maybe we shouldn't have traded D. Greene for Artest???
http://boards.grizzliesonline.com/index.php?showtopic=5053&st=80 Lowry doesn't seem so well as Morey said from grizzlies fans.
Good players on bad teams especially at PG are hard to judge. Because more than any other position a PG is dependent on the players around him for success....when he passes the ball, can they finish? Let's see how Lowry does on a real NBA team now. DD
I think it's more about the coaching and the whole system. Lowry's teammates included Rudy Gay and OJ Mayo, so scorers he had. But the Memphis system, on the other hand, was generally bad for PGs.
Orlando, FL – The Orlando Magic has acquired point guard Rafer Alston from the Houston Rockets as part of a three-team trade, General Manager Otis Smith announced today. In the deal, the Magic sent Brian Cook to Houston, while Adonal Foyle, Mike Wilks and a 2009 first round draft pick were conveyed to Memphis. Smith also announced that Magic All-Star point-guard Jameer Nelson underwent season-ending shoulder surgery Thursday afternoon. The procedure, performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Alabama, was successful and rehabilitation is estimated at four-to-six months. Nelson dislocated his right shoulder and suffered a torn labrum on Feb. 2 vs. Dallas. “Rafer is a starting veteran point guard who shoots the ball well,” said Smith. “He gives us added depth and athleticism in the backcourt . We thank Brian, Adonal and Mike for all of their contributions and wish them all the best.” R u serious, I guess he has not seen any rocket games before
After watching him in Memphis, I really can't say for sure what you have in Lowry. His shooting is improving. He is reckless with the ball. He rarely drives to distribute. IMO he is an overrated defender when playing big minutes. He is a great backup PG that thinks he should be a starter. I think he will do better around veterans (Battier, Yao,Artest, Scola) that know how to win NBA games. He is a playmaker (in that he will come up with big rebounds,steals or blocks in crunch time). Also, he is still so young that he could realy grow into a more than effective starter. Since his contract is up for an extension this summer, you might be able to lock him up for a much less than MLE type deal and have a cheap starting PG for the next few years.
I'm not too sure how he fits the half court offense because he doesn't have great court vision or outside shooting - critical things that are necessary to play PG for our team
Can't say I was too happy when hearing of the trade, but I won't bash this dude until I see him play for myself.
I like this move because now we dont have rafer shooting 3's, we need barry and battier launching more because of Lowerys lack of the outside shot. Now we can push the ball hard with the starters and guys off the bench making wafer and scola more dangerous. Not sure why people hate this move when you havent even seen lowery play.
i kinda agree with this. the system has surely changed from jvg's two-star-players-heavy-dependence to ra's current approach. i guess management don't have confidence in relying on the old system to make some noise in the playoffs with yao and tmac as our stars. many have said yao has regressed based on his statistics and on court demeanor. I think a huge part of it is due to him adapting to the new system. i doubt he is upset about his stats to bolt in 2010, jvg has said yao is the type of guy who is happy for his teammates and his team to have success even if it means he sacrifice his own personal glory. moreover, we don't have a conclusion yet as to whether the current system will be better than the jvg method in the post season. i was hoping we have a good idea by now but i think we may have to wait till next season.
