The best shot is the one not taken (for Rafer, anyway)

Drexlerfan22 · Feb 19, 2009

I don't understand the hatred the Rafer-for-Lowry deal is getting...

1. For Rafer, the best shot is the one not taken.
...because he's an awful shooter. Sure, he's better behind the line than Lowry is, but that's not saying much. Yet, he's not smart enough to ease up on his number of attempts. How many times has Rafer attempted 7 threes and hit 2? Without Rafer jacking 'em up, that leaves a few more shots per game to our GOOD shooters...

2. Lowry attacks constantly.
Not only is he extremely quick, he's a strong little bugger. He can get around anyone, and when he does he dives at the basket and begs for contact. Given that Artest hasn't done a lot of that yet here, this'll be the first time we've had this attacking type of player since the Stevie Franchise of old.
In 2,089 minutes last season, Lowry shot 348 FTs.
In 2,526 minutes last season, Rafer shot 137 FTs.
In other words, Lowry gets to the line literally 3 times as much as Rafer.

3. When Brooks is out, who creates shots on offense?
T-Mac is hurt, and Brooks can't play the whole game. So who creates shots? Not Rafer, that's for sure. If Rafer were still here, teams could cheat off him and clog up the lane to limit our post scorers (Yao, Artest, Scola)... because not only is he a sub-par shooter, he doesn't scare anyone on the drive, either. That'd be all she wrote.

4. We have shooters already.
People are fixated on the fact that Lowry isn't a 3-point threat. You have to remember that EVERY other player in our rotation (Yao, Scola, Landry, Artest, Wafer, Barry, Brooks, +possibly Cook) can hit a 17-footer, if not a 3-pointer. Going back to point #3, what you don't have in that group is guys who can penetrate, besides Brooks. In short, Lowry doesn't need to be a long-range threat. Look for him to drive-and-dish, and create opportunities for everyone else.

5. Defense.
Lowry is as good--or better--on D than Rafer is.

6. Cook is good insurance.
I was harping on this yesterday, but no one seemed to agree with me: what happens if Scola or Landry goes down? Landry obviously has health concerns with that knee. Not only does Cook assure that we'll never have to trot out Dorsey or rely on Hayes to play heavy minutes, Cook is one of the best 3-point-shooting power forwards around. He's like Novak, except unlike Novak, he's occasionally able to guard his own shadow.

7. Brooks scares defenses like Rafer never could.
Brooks isn't perfect. He'll make more mistakes than Rafer did. But he definitely does one thing for us that Rafer couldn't: scare defenses. No one in the league can stay in front of him. What mistakes he makes, he'll make up for with all the shots he creates, both for himself and for his teammates. The best you'll ever get from Rafer is a lack of mistakes. That's it. Rafer never has, and never will be, a consistent difference-maker. He plugs a hole, and that's it. I'd rather roll the dice on a young guy with very special speed.

ABZERO · Feb 19, 2009

Nice post! Can't agree more!

DaDakota · Feb 19, 2009

Finally a breath of fresh air and a great understanding and perspective.

DD

The Veeg · Feb 19, 2009

The best post of the day... someone who actually understands basketball. Thank you.

shortfuse3 · Feb 19, 2009

Drexlerfan22 said:

I don't understand the hatred the Rafer-for-Lowry deal is getting...

7. Brooks scares defenses like Rafer never could.
Brooks isn't perfect. He'll make more mistakes than Rafer did. But he definitely does one thing for us that Rafer couldn't: scare defenses. No one in the league can stay in front of him. What mistakes he makes, he'll make up for with all the shots he creates, both for himself and for his teammates. The best you'll ever get from Rafer is a lack of mistakes. That's it. Rafer never has, and never will be, a consistent difference-maker. He plugs a hole, and that's it. I'd rather roll the dice on a young guy with very special speed.
Click to expand...

you make it sound like brooks scores everytime he drives to the basket, but he isn't good enough of a finisher to score everytime he puts his head down and drives. kyle lowry is better than brooks at driving and finishing.

the one thing we will miss with Rafer is his veteran experience and control of the tempo. i don't think anyone will miss his shooting or his teardrops.

s3ts · Feb 19, 2009

Drexlerfan22 said:

I don't understand the hatred the Rafer-for-Lowry deal is getting...

1. For Rafer, the best shot is the one not taken.
...because he's an awful shooter. Sure, he's better behind the line than Lowry is, but that's not saying much. Yet, he's not smart enough to ease up on his number of attempts. How many times has Rafer attempted 7 threes and hit 2? Without Rafer jacking 'em up, that leaves a few more shots per game to our GOOD shooters...

2. Lowry attacks constantly.
Not only is he extremely quick, he's a strong little bugger. He can get around anyone, and when he does he dives at the basket and begs for contact. Given that Artest hasn't done a lot of that yet here, this'll be the first time we've had this attacking type of player since the Stevie Franchise of old.
In 2,089 minutes last season, Lowry shot 348 FTs.
In 2,526 minutes last season, Rafer shot 137 FTs.
In other words, Lowry gets to the line literally 3 times as much as Rafer.

3. When Brooks is out, who creates shots on offense?
T-Mac is hurt, and Brooks can't play the whole game. So who creates shots? Not Rafer, that's for sure. If Rafer were still here, teams could cheat off him and clog up the lane to limit our post scorers (Yao, Artest, Scola)... because not only is he a sub-par shooter, he doesn't scare anyone on the drive, either. That'd be all she wrote.

4. We have shooters already.
People are fixated on the fact that Lowry isn't a 3-point threat. You have to remember that EVERY other player in our rotation (Yao, Scola, Landry, Artest, Wafer, Barry, Brooks, +possibly Cook) can hit a 17-footer, if not a 3-pointer. Going back to point #3, what you don't have in that group is guys who can penetrate, besides Brooks. In short, Lowry doesn't need to be a long-range threat. Look for him to drive-and-dish, and create opportunities for everyone else.

5. Defense.
Lowry is as good--or better--on D than Rafer is.

6. Cook is good insurance.
I was harping on this yesterday, but no one seemed to agree with me: what happens if Scola or Landry goes down? Landry obviously has health concerns with that knee. Not only does Cook assure that we'll never have to trot out Dorsey or rely on Hayes to play heavy minutes, Cook is one of the best 3-point-shooting power forwards around. He's like Novak, except unlike Novak, he's occasionally able to guard his own shadow.

7. Brooks scares defenses like Rafer never could.
Brooks isn't perfect. He'll make more mistakes than Rafer did. But he definitely does one thing for us that Rafer couldn't: scare defenses. No one in the league can stay in front of him. What mistakes he makes, he'll make up for with all the shots he creates, both for himself and for his teammates. The best you'll ever get from Rafer is a lack of mistakes. That's it. Rafer never has, and never will be, a consistent difference-maker. He plugs a hole, and that's it. I'd rather roll the dice on a young guy with very special speed.
Click to expand...

We will see...

I am just upset that our starting point guard who has been with us for years with not-so-bad production on the floor is gone so that more youngsters can join the team.

We're not even sure if these youngsters fit in with the team. But it sure as hell isn't like the trade we made to get TMac where we can expect excitement.

I just prefer veterans. In many cases, veterans win championships..... AKA, Lakers, Celtics, etc.

redao · Feb 19, 2009

obviously all truth.

MayoRocket · Feb 19, 2009

I agree completely. Remember the couple of times Lowry got to play vs. the Rockets? No one could stay in front of him. He'll get tons of FT attempts.

I wish Rafer the best, but I'm glad this team has turned a new page on their PG.

Hydhypedplaya · Feb 19, 2009

i agree..it's going to be great having a guy repeatedly attack the basket with guts...We had rafer for wayyyy too long...I love what you said about all we get from Rafer is a lack of mistakes...very well said

The Veeg · Feb 19, 2009

s3ts said:

We will see...

I just prefer veterans. In many cases, veterans win championships..... AKA, Lakers, Celtics, etc.
Click to expand...

Oh, you mean Rajon Rondo, the Celtics starting point guard and his two years of experience? Hmmmm.

henGoOink · Feb 19, 2009

Good, positive post

LCII · Feb 19, 2009

Agreed.

We will not miss the bricks and the lack of guard penetration on our team. Soon enough people will be 'Rafer who?'

s3ts · Feb 19, 2009

The Veeg said:

Oh, you mean Rajon Rondo, the Celtics starting point guard and his two years of experience? Hmmmm.
Click to expand...

No, because he was never traded to the Celtics.

KG was. Sam Cassell was. Ray Allen was.

GotGame15 · Feb 19, 2009

Greattt points, give this kid a chance. If he can get a consistent jump shot going, then we are set.

RasaqBoi · Feb 19, 2009

Best Topic Of The Day.

roslolian · Feb 19, 2009

Well to be honest I would have like to see more games with the "No Tmac" Rafer. In the past, Rafer always performed miserably when his shooting was off. In the last game though, he was ice cold but still contributed a lot.

Still I guess with the deadline and all the Rox had to make the deal or end up regretting it the whole season. Cook's a nice addition though. I'm definitely cautiously optimistic about this trade

tfvic · Feb 19, 2009

you make me somewhat feel better about this trade!

krockets · Feb 19, 2009

Drexlerfan22 said:

I don't understand the hatred the Rafer-for-Lowry deal is getting...

1. For Rafer, the best shot is the one not taken.
...because he's an awful shooter. Sure, he's better behind the line than Lowry is, but that's not saying much. Yet, he's not smart enough to ease up on his number of attempts. How many times has Rafer attempted 7 threes and hit 2? Without Rafer jacking 'em up, that leaves a few more shots per game to our GOOD shooters...

2. Lowry attacks constantly.
Not only is he extremely quick, he's a strong little bugger. He can get around anyone, and when he does he dives at the basket and begs for contact. Given that Artest hasn't done a lot of that yet here, this'll be the first time we've had this attacking type of player since the Stevie Franchise of old.
In 2,089 minutes last season, Lowry shot 348 FTs.
In 2,526 minutes last season, Rafer shot 137 FTs.
In other words, Lowry gets to the line literally 3 times as much as Rafer.

3. When Brooks is out, who creates shots on offense?
T-Mac is hurt, and Brooks can't play the whole game. So who creates shots? Not Rafer, that's for sure. If Rafer were still here, teams could cheat off him and clog up the lane to limit our post scorers (Yao, Artest, Scola)... because not only is he a sub-par shooter, he doesn't scare anyone on the drive, either. That'd be all she wrote.

4. We have shooters already.
People are fixated on the fact that Lowry isn't a 3-point threat. You have to remember that EVERY other player in our rotation (Yao, Scola, Landry, Artest, Wafer, Barry, Brooks, +possibly Cook) can hit a 17-footer, if not a 3-pointer. Going back to point #3, what you don't have in that group is guys who can penetrate, besides Brooks. In short, Lowry doesn't need to be a long-range threat. Look for him to drive-and-dish, and create opportunities for everyone else.

5. Defense.
Lowry is as good--or better--on D than Rafer is.

6. Cook is good insurance.
I was harping on this yesterday, but no one seemed to agree with me: what happens if Scola or Landry goes down? Landry obviously has health concerns with that knee. Not only does Cook assure that we'll never have to trot out Dorsey or rely on Hayes to play heavy minutes, Cook is one of the best 3-point-shooting power forwards around. He's like Novak, except unlike Novak, he's occasionally able to guard his own shadow.

7. Brooks scares defenses like Rafer never could.
Brooks isn't perfect. He'll make more mistakes than Rafer did. But he definitely does one thing for us that Rafer couldn't: scare defenses. No one in the league can stay in front of him. What mistakes he makes, he'll make up for with all the shots he creates, both for himself and for his teammates. The best you'll ever get from Rafer is a lack of mistakes. That's it. Rafer never has, and never will be, a consistent difference-maker. He plugs a hole, and that's it. I'd rather roll the dice on a young guy with very special speed.
Click to expand...

There is good and bad of giving up a known quantity for an unknown quantity... It's hard for me to see how Lowdry could help the team yet at this point, at least not this year...

What this tell me though, the Rox is giving up this year and try to save a few bucks, which also means, they are wasting another Yao's prime year... So, I am more concern how Yao thinks about this trade and how likely he is going to be a Rocket in 2010...

mms · Feb 19, 2009

Drexlerfan22 said:

I don't understand the hatred the Rafer-for-Lowry deal is getting...

1. For Rafer, the best shot is the one not taken.
...because he's an awful shooter. Sure, he's better behind the line than Lowry is, but that's not saying much. Yet, he's not smart enough to ease up on his number of attempts. How many times has Rafer attempted 7 threes and hit 2? Without Rafer jacking 'em up, that leaves a few more shots per game to our GOOD shooters...

2. Lowry attacks constantly.
Not only is he extremely quick, he's a strong little bugger. He can get around anyone, and when he does he dives at the basket and begs for contact. Given that Artest hasn't done a lot of that yet here, this'll be the first time we've had this attacking type of player since the Stevie Franchise of old.
In 2,089 minutes last season, Lowry shot 348 FTs.
In 2,526 minutes last season, Rafer shot 137 FTs.
In other words, Lowry gets to the line literally 3 times as much as Rafer.

3. When Brooks is out, who creates shots on offense?
T-Mac is hurt, and Brooks can't play the whole game. So who creates shots? Not Rafer, that's for sure. If Rafer were still here, teams could cheat off him and clog up the lane to limit our post scorers (Yao, Artest, Scola)... because not only is he a sub-par shooter, he doesn't scare anyone on the drive, either. That'd be all she wrote.

4. We have shooters already.
People are fixated on the fact that Lowry isn't a 3-point threat. You have to remember that EVERY other player in our rotation (Yao, Scola, Landry, Artest, Wafer, Barry, Brooks, +possibly Cook) can hit a 17-footer, if not a 3-pointer. Going back to point #3, what you don't have in that group is guys who can penetrate, besides Brooks. In short, Lowry doesn't need to be a long-range threat. Look for him to drive-and-dish, and create opportunities for everyone else.

5. Defense.
Lowry is as good--or better--on D than Rafer is.

6. Cook is good insurance.
I was harping on this yesterday, but no one seemed to agree with me: what happens if Scola or Landry goes down? Landry obviously has health concerns with that knee. Not only does Cook assure that we'll never have to trot out Dorsey or rely on Hayes to play heavy minutes, Cook is one of the best 3-point-shooting power forwards around. He's like Novak, except unlike Novak, he's occasionally able to guard his own shadow.

7. Brooks scares defenses like Rafer never could.
Brooks isn't perfect. He'll make more mistakes than Rafer did. But he definitely does one thing for us that Rafer couldn't: scare defenses. No one in the league can stay in front of him. What mistakes he makes, he'll make up for with all the shots he creates, both for himself and for his teammates. The best you'll ever get from Rafer is a lack of mistakes. That's it. Rafer never has, and never will be, a consistent difference-maker. He plugs a hole, and that's it. I'd rather roll the dice on a young guy with very special speed.
Click to expand...

Congratulations! You just win the 2008-2009 season MVP(most valuable post) of Clutchfans.

CharlieMurphy · Feb 19, 2009

Great, great post.

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