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

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Drexlerfan22, Feb 19, 2009.

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baller4life315 Member

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Great thread. Great post. Couldn't agree more. Lowry is like a little bulldog: a Derek Fisher-type player without the three point range.

#21 baller4life315, Feb 19, 2009

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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...

Where in the world did you get that from?

Plus, there's one thing neither of these younglings know: how to organize an offense.

#22 Marsarinian, Feb 19, 2009
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I went back into the archives of nbadraft.net for the past drafts to see what scouts initially wrote about Lowry. And I must say it's pretty impressive because he has the attributes that we need for this team.

http://www.nbadraft.net/players/kyle-lowry

NBA Comparison: Tim Hardaway
Aran Smith - 11/1/2005
Strengths: Can get anywhere on the floor whenever he wants ... His heart and passion for the game put him on an elite level rarely seen in today's spoiled basketball players ... Rebounding ability is an unusual attribute for a 6-0 guard ... His ability to lock in and defend makes in special as well ... Extremely quick hands and feet, he is incredibly disruptive on the defensive end ...He plays so hard it is difficult to know where he is on the court at all times, just ask Raymond Felton who got all he wanted in the Sweet 16 last year ... His reputation as a winner is unparalleled and his will to win is as strong as they come ... Natural floor general with the ability to get players shots with his quick decision making ... Very physical, he's able to use his great body strength to overpower guards on both ends of the floor ...

Weaknesses: His jumper off the dribble has been one of the few knocks to his game ... Must develop more cosnisistency on his outside shot ... At 6' foot he is a bit undersized, but plays much bigger ... Having come off a slight ACL tear last year his knee recovered faster than I have ever seen or heard a player come back from an injury like that and play productively that same year. So the strength of that knee will be something to watch throughout his career ... His temper and his ability to keep his emotions in check could prevent him from being a heady floor leader if he allows his emotions to get the best of him.

#23 GotGame15, Feb 19, 2009
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nice. I agree with most of this. I am going to wait and see how we look with this trade before I form any opinions about it. I for one am excited to see brooks play more and to get to see lowry get a chance here. I hope it works out for the best.

I just remember that I didnt like the bonzi trade last season but it all ended up working out.

#24 dtowninyourtown, Feb 19, 2009
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Drexlerfan22 said:

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.
Click to expand...

Love this part. Great analysis man.

#25 Breaker, Feb 19, 2009
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Drexlerfan22 said:

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.
Click to expand...

i stopped reading right there...hayes contributes more to this team than cook ever will. and you compare him to a deadeye shooter like novak...you gotta be kidding me. cook is a jump shooting big man that's it, which doesn't mean he's a sharpshooter because he's not. he's soft as dough that's why the lakers, who weren't very good back then, got rid of his sorry ***. cook isn't going to see enough playing time to see his jump shooting abilities come to fruition. face it, we won't see him and yao on the court together in crucial junctions of the game.

#26 rox4lyf, Feb 19, 2009
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Drexlerfan, it would have been more appropriate to do a Brooks-Alston comparison. Lowry isn't going to be our starting point guard, he's taking over Brooks' old role, I'm assuming. Everyone fails to recognize this.

#27 rox4lyf, Feb 19, 2009

Drexlerfan22 Member

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Marsarinian said:

Where in the world did you get that from?
Click to expand...

Watching games.

rox4lyf said:

i stopped reading right there...hayes contributes more to this team than cook ever will. and you compare him to a deadeye shooter like novak...you gotta be kidding me. cook is a jump shooting big man that's it, which doesn't mean he's a sharpshooter because he's not. he's soft as dough that's why the lakers, who weren't very good back then, got rid of his sorry ***. cook isn't going to see enough playing time to see his jump shooting abilities come to fruition. face it, we won't see him and yao on the court together in crucial junctions of the game.
Click to expand...

You need to go look up the definition of "insurance."

I'm not saying he's an instant rotation player, and I'm not saying that if Landry were to go down, Hayes shouldn't get any minutes. Hayes is the better player, in a vacuum.

But the fact remains that in some situations, you want a shooter on the floor, rather than a defensive specialist. If we're playing Cleveland and Ben Wallace is on the floor, do you really need Chuck Hayes out there? Or would it be better, in that particular situation, to have a guy out there with a rare combination of size and 3-pt range? We didn't have that option before. Now we do.

#28 Drexlerfan22, Feb 19, 2009
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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...

great analysis. great thread. everyone here must have forgotten how much they complained about Rafer every damn year.

#29 Blake, Feb 19, 2009
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rox4lyf said:

Drexlerfan, it would have been more appropriate to do a Brooks-Alston comparison. Lowry isn't going to be our starting point guard, he's taking over Brooks' old role, I'm assuming. Everyone fails to recognize this.
Click to expand...

so Lowry gets to the free throw line more than Alston by coming off the bench? Thats awesome.

#30 RasaqBoi, Feb 19, 2009
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More than just addition by subtraction? Let's wait and see.

#31 northeastfan, Feb 19, 2009
Drexlerfan22 Member

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Blake said:

great analysis. great thread. everyone here must have forgotten how much they complained about Rafer every damn year.
Click to expand...

Indeed.

If someone posted a thread at the beginning of this season predicting that "Rafer will be traded, and everyone will be pissed about it," they'd have been laughed off the board and then banned for life.

And yet somehow, here we are...

#32 Drexlerfan22, Feb 19, 2009
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rox4lyf said:

Drexlerfan, it would have been more appropriate to do a Brooks-Alston comparison. Lowry isn't going to be our starting point guard, he's taking over Brooks' old role, I'm assuming. Everyone fails to recognize this.
Click to expand...

he may not be right away since he does not know the system or anything...but the rockets are in a 5 game home stand after the break i believe...1 game down plenty of time to get practices in...if he does well he may be the starter sooner than later.

i think lowry is a more traditional pg that has the strength to better contend against the other starting PGs in the west

#33 The_Yoyo, Feb 19, 2009

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A great post, now let see what happens after 28 games.

#34 rocketsmetalspd, Feb 19, 2009
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Drexlerfan22 said:

Indeed.

If someone posted a thread at the beginning of this season predicting that "Rafer will be traded, and everyone will be pissed about it," they'd have been laughed off the board and then banned for life.

And yet somehow, here we are...
Click to expand...

I know, it's crazy, right?

anyway, great analysis. props

#35 Blake, Feb 19, 2009
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Drexlerfan22,

Thanks for knocking some senses into folks.

When it really mattered, it would always be Rafer who would be left wide open to bring the Rockets down. Considering how Adelman did not seem to be learning from Gundy's mistakes regarding Rafer, I am ECSTATIC that he his finally traded. Rafer Alston got a free ride for years in Houston. He is NOT a starting guard material and that's never going to change.

I am soooooo HAPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY today. At this point, what we got in return does not even matter.

It could have been Kyle XY and Captain Cook for all I care!!!!

#36 Zboy, Feb 19, 2009
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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...

#7 Is my #1 thing.

I'll miss what Skip brought...but some of his mistakes were just too much to bare at times.

#37 ThaShark316_28, Feb 19, 2009
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s3ts said:

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.
Click to expand...

Lakers? They won championships with a Kobe with a couple of years in the league

Celtics? They have 3 all-stars. Which other team has 3 all-stars?

#38 kkev125, Feb 19, 2009

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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...

I have to say, a team is a lot more worried facing Skip 2 My Lou and a under-sized player who can't defend.

#39 kkev125, Feb 19, 2009
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kkev125 said:

I have to say, a team is a lot more worried facing Skip 2 My Lou and a under-sized player who can't defend.
Click to expand...

Is that why teams have left him wide open the majority of the season????

#40 Blake, Feb 19, 2009

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