Which proves that even if you have the best PG in the league, it your personnel that matters the most.
You would think that after Utah series, people would be smart enough to realize Alston's value to the Rockets as a PG, but I guess not. People just hate to recognize they are wrong.
Alston is an enigma. His value goes through the roof in games where he knocks down his shots. He kills us when he shoots poorly. I don't mind Alston. I see him as a positive. But you've got to have another option to go to if he ain't hitting shots. Our problem was we didn't have any place to go. We got to run hot and cold with BJax and his horid shooting percentage.
This is the problem. Rafer played 2-3 good games in that series. People probably think if Rafer didn't injure, then he would play at high level in all 6 games. I think that is unlikely. He is always inconsistent.
It funny because with Rafer on the court the rockets run the offense better, but that is ONLY because with him out we have no other true experienced point guard.....Brooks was a rookie with limited minutes and jackson is a know 6th man.....If any other starting point (90% of other teams PG) guard in the league, playedin Rafer spot, he would run the team just as well or better... So dont make it look like Rafer is so good...We just need someone who is use to running the offense at Pg.....I can think of 20 other pg's that would run the offense just as good or better
Agreed. Rafer needs a consistent shooter to back him up. Brooks is supposed to be a very good shooter. He's not hitting as a rookie. I am hoping that he will settle down next year. Bobby Jackson is no more consistent than Rafer. I don't see him stick.
At the start of the season when the dominant mood on this board was "Kill Alston!!!", I remarked that love him or hate him, this team will find itself in need of the type of PG skills he possessed. Well, that was borne out in the Utah series. It's not Rafer's shortcomings that are the real issue because he is what he is. Rather it's the need to get the kind of production from the PG spot that can elevate this team to the next level. Now that the season is over, it's back to the "Rafer Sucks!" mentality. I'm convinced that many folks around here don't want a solution to the problem - they want a scapegoat and Rafer is it (can't wait for all of the SF3 posts to come). I accept the fact that Rafer has limitations as a starting PG but I refuse to bash Rafer because as I see it, this team has pissed away ample opportunity over the past 8 years to draft a good young PG or a good SG/SF as Adelman spoke about. They did an absolutely crappy job of player evaluation and acquisition and that always comes with long term effects. So we don't have a Chris Paul, Tony Parker or Deron Williams playing here. I simply can't imagine why this has come to pass - I mean all they did for years and years was give out bad contracts to mediocre/average/awful/old players and basically blew off the draft. Well actions have consequences and the fact that they lack a top flight PG or more size and athleticism on the front line is a direct result of those actions. I thank God that Morey appears to have found the clue that eluded Dawson for 12 years because he appears to understand what it takes to compete in the Western Conference. I also realize that by interjecting reality into the discussion, some folks will get upset because it's far easier to look for scapegoats than solutions. And the reality is that it will take time and a whole lotta luck to get the type of players they really need to take that perverbial next step.
To the guy who said something like if Battier and Rafer are keepers, then who do we trade? -Francis (expiring deal) -Head (expiring deal) -BJax (expiring) -Woods (expiring non-guaranteed) What's that, about $11 to $12 million in expiring contracts...that's huge. That's a big reason why the Rockets gave up Bonzi and Mike James. And while I love Mike Miller (dude can fill up the stat sheet), I'm not sure if he's quick enough for this team. Then again, that's not a big deal if you're a great shooter, decent driver, decent passer, and tall enough to grab some tough boards.
rafer isn't SO good. but you're overestimating the quality of starting point guards if you think the majority of 29 other teams out there have a better point guard. i can name several point guards starting for other teams that i definitely would not want over rafer: 1. delonte west 2. jameer nelson 3. mike conley 4. travis diener 5. brevin knight 6. chris quinn 7. earl watson he's not the best starting pg in the league but he's not the worst. and if rafer were a better shooter i'd consider him a top 15 pg. i was a rafer hater but he won me over this year, he is a steady hand at the point whose attitude fits this team very well. we need to hold on to him unless trading him gets us a top 20 pg, which isn't likely.
thats only 7 ...That means there are 23 other PG's in YOUR opinion alone that you would like over Alston....I said only 20, but you are aright......I am not saying alston is COMPLETE garbage, but he is regular garbage.... People keep saying that we should not trade him because the rockets are so good when he is on the floor....I was just stating that 20 other point guards in his place could have did better or just as good as keep the rockets going
People want to compare Rafer to all star and MVP candidate PGs in their evaluations, which isn't reasonable. Sure if we can find an upgrade at the PG position, then by all means go for it, but the sentiment that was rampant at the start of the year that any one would be better than Rafer, obviously wasn't true. You certainly are not going to get a better PG by trading Rafer alone; why would any other team do that? Rafer is a perfect fit for Adelman's offense in comparison to any other non-all star PG's, especially over the 2nd half of the season. We will have expiring contracts next year though, so if another team pulls a Memphis Gasol fire sale senario we will be in the running there. I expect Rafer will be the starting PG at the start of next year though.
Good post. Rafer is an ideal fit in Adelman's offense as the #2 PG off the bench. The problem is that he's not a good option when he has to be the #1 PG because of his mediocre shooting. But after 9 years in the league, he simply is what he is and folks around here need to accept that and move on. There's an excellent thread by nWo34Life that pretty much explains what the Rockets are up against this offseason titled: Chronic: Time to make the Rockets' FA shopping list. This is must reading.
Yep. I would think it's pretty dilusional to think a player can jump to being an all-time great in his 30's when he was just a good player before. That style of play favors everything that Nash does and doesn't do.
The problem is, what PG that is better than Rafer is going to be available? Who are you going to trade to get a better PG? It's not that Rafer is so awesome, but rather that we are unlikely to get any clear upgrade to him without trading significant rotation players and creating new weaknesses at other positions.
That's because Nash and the rest are poor defenders. It has nothing to do with his passing and shooting skills. Skip did a pretty good job but he is a 2nd tier PG. The best passer on the team is Tracy McGrady. We need a point upgrade and bring Rafer off the bench. I'm not trying to devalue what he did for us, He was the X-Factor in the playoffs without a doubt as we all saw but he is getting older and there is no guarantee that he will able to play as well as he did during the 22 win streak. This is going to be the hardest thing to do.
You just proved my point. People think that getting a PG who can shoot & pass better than Rafer will automatically make us a contender, but that's just not true.
