The new Rafer: temporary hot streak or a sign of something great?

Well sorta, we still go clobbered in that series, and that was what? 3 seasons ago.

I really want Mike James to do well but he looks awful out there and the ball stops when it hits his hands.

I would rather have AB out there than James any day of the week.

DD

 

Like I said during the summer when everyone was so certain Rafer wouldn't be on the opening day roster, there's always the chance that Adelman's system suits him well and he plays better this year. That seems to be the case so far, especially the last batch of games with T-Mac out. At this point, Rafer seems to have a better grasp of the offense than the other PGs (he has since training camp, actually) and with T-Mac gone, Rafer knows he's running the show when he's on the court.

That being said, he's still a streaky shooter and is too prone to making bone-headed mistakes. If Morey gets a chance to grab a better PG, he should pull the trigger. But half of the starting PGs in the league wouldn't be an upgrade; there are only maybe 8-10 PGs around who are SO much better than Rafer that we should give up anyone of value for them. And remember, if we want any of those elite PGs -- even the almost over-the-hill ones like Bibby or Kidd -- we won't be able to get them by giving up guys like Hayes or MJ or Francis. We'd likely have to part with one of our best 3-4 guys to get someone of that caliber.

If I were Morey, this summer I'd look at what I would have to part with to get Livingston from the Clips. He's young enough to come all the way back from that knee injury and has enough upside to justify getting him, but he's not yet anywhere near that elite status that would necessitate tearing the roster apart to do it. But it's definitely NOT something you want to do in mid-season, with a chance that Livingston won't play at all until NEXT year.

 

No, that's not it, koks.

 

At this point, it doesn't really matter what anyone does. The only point during the year that matters is the playoffs. If Rafer is the only point guard who grasps the offense right now, that is reason to get someone else experience because Rafer won't be there when it matters.

He isn't really a streaky shooter. He is a very bad shooter. He has been making his layups lately, that is all.

It doesn't matter how he compares to most point guards, it matters how he compares to playoff point guards. Of those, he is the worst one - the very bottom of that list.

For our's and Adelman's sake, I hope he plays better. The NO game was a much needed reality check.

 

the ones bolded are better

 

and tony parker

 

Wait wait wait... You actually think Ralston is better than Devin Harris? Have you WATCHED Mavs ball? When I lived in denTON, I watched Mavericks games all the time. I can say, without doubt, that Devin Harris has got it goin' on. Jason Terry is better than Ralston too. Healthy Cassell and Derek Fisher are better too. I really haven't watched much of Mike Bibby lately, but I'll go on the record of saying he's also PROBABLY better. And add Ray Felton to that list. He's very good and VERY underrated.

Look, Ralson's not bad. But he's not the Messiah. And Ralston haters out there, he's not Satan either.

 

Wow. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you're not a very big Alston fan -- am I right?

What I said was: "maybe 8-10 PGs around who are SO much better than Rafer that we should give up anyone of value for them." In order to get a starting PG away from someone, you'll have to give up a starting player, or one of your BEST bench guys. Not Snyder or Novak or Francis.

With that in mind, are you telling me that Ridnour is such an upgrade over Rafer that we should give up Battier or Hayes to get him? Carrol? Rondo? Jason Williams is just Vanilla Rafer -- not much of an upgrade if an upgrade at all, and certainly not worth giving up a starter for.

Call me crazy, but I don't think we should give up our quality guys unless we're getting a MAJOR upgrade at PG in return.

 

Boston: Rondo - UNCHECK (still unproven, has a great supporting cast to make him look good this year)
Detroit: Billups - CHECK
Orlando: Nelson - UNCHECK (really doesn't do that much at the end of the day, equal to Alston is more fair)
Washington: Gilbert - CHECK (won't touch this one but I still have trouble calling this chucker a PG)
Toronto: Calderon - CHECK
New Jersey: Kidd - CHECK
Atlanta: Anthony Johnson - UNCHECK (not that great, getting old)
Indiana: Tinsley - UNCHECK (probably more talented but also a streaky shooter, injury-prone, head case, I wouldn't trade Rafer for him)
Milwaukee: Mo Williams - CHECK
Chicago: Hinrich - CHECK
Philly: Dre Miller - CHECK
Charlotte: Carrol - UNCHECK (not even a PG, Felton is probably better than Alston but not by much, also a streaky shooter)
New York: Marbury - CHECK (questionable at this point)
Miami: J. Williams - UNCHECK (injury-prone, at best equal to Rafer)

Dallas: Harris - UNCHECK (still hasn't had one good full season as a starter, good potential, not the best playmaker/floor general, still looks like a change of pace bench player to me)
Phoenix: Nash - CHECK
Lakers: Fisher - CHECK
Denver: Iverson - CHECK
San Antonio: Parker - CHECK
New Orleans: Paul - CHECK
Portland: Jack - UNCHECK (has been the backup PG for quite some time, only 26.5 MPG, better shooter than Alston, not much better than Alston, overall, if at all)
GS: Baron Davis - CHECK
Utah: Deron Williams - CHECK
Sacramento: Bibby - CHECK
Clippers: Livingston/Cassell - UNCHECK (Livingston has potential, has yet to live up to it, major injury to come back from; Cassell is too old to be a starter or compared to other starters at this point)
Memphis: Conley/Damon - UNCHECK (Conley has proven nothing, Stoudemire is riding the bench and getting old, Lowry is good but gets little PT, Navarro is a good shooter but soft and more of a SG)
Seattle: Ridnour - UNCHECK (Ridnour is backing up Watson right now, neither are clearly better than Alston, overall)

I am not saying I agree with the guy that said only 8-10 PGs are better enough than Alston that we should give up players to acquire them, but I don't think your list of better PGs was a fair assessment.

 

I agree that Felton has got some game but he has shot 39% on FGs for his career. He can't shoot 3s as well as Rafer. He is also smaller and not a very good defender.

He has more speed than Rafer and is a better penetrator. He is also younger with plenty of upside. At this point in time though, I wouldn't put him ahead of Rafer. I'd say they are about equal with Felton having more upside because of his age.

I think Harris is a terrific player. I would love to have him in Houston but I don't know if he is really starting PG material yet. Avery has been trying to make him a starting PG for the past two seasons. His shot has looked much improved this season. If he maintains this kind of shooting and proves that he can make his teammates better over the course of at least one full season as a starter, I would definitely give him the nod over Rafer.

Terry is more of a SG that plays PG, but since he often plays PG, it is fair to compare him to Rafer. Either way, he is obviously a better player that I would take in a heartbeat to replace Alston.

I would also love to have Cassell in Houston, but as a backup PG. He is just too old to play 30-35 MPG and stay healthy for a playoff run at this point. He would likely be the best backup PG in the league when healthy.

 

The Bigger the game the bigger the choke. That's been his M.O. forever. Yeah he has looked good as of late and I am always hopeful of all Rocket's players. But Yesterday was a big game against a divisional rival that's had our number for quite some time and we should have had that game. It was there for the taking. I know everyone wants to blame the refs. But if Rafer would have just had an average game it wouldn't have even been close and the refs would not have been a factor. And more than the refs, than Battier's lack of anything, missed layups or any other reason Rafer was to blame. He stunk up the place.

I have acknowledged his recent improved play all the while hoping it is the real deal and that he has turned the corner under Adelman but he is fool's gold. He will never be the right guy for this team when it counts and I am not saying that AB or Francis are ready to take his place. But if we stick with Rafer he may look pretty at the wheel but in the end he will get drunk and and crash. He has helped us win some games but most of those have been decided early on.

This one went down to the wire and he choked on it. I believe he will always choke in the big games that are close. I don't have faith in him. I want to be wrong but I just can't believe that you can teach an old dog new tricks and make no mistake Rafer is an Old Dog. He has contributed to some wins true but I can count 5 games that he has single handedly lost for us. I am talking straight up poor shot selection and bone headed play that have cost us wins.

Maybe I am being hard on the guy and I am taking out my frustrations on him but this lost hurt. The refs sucked and Luther forced a stupid layup and Rafer made a stupid pass and Battier did nothing offensively. And yet this game was ours to have if only we could have gotten something positive out of Rafer. And what made it worse was watching the other teams PG play so well while ours stunk up the place. This was one of the toughest losses of the year and it didn't have to be. I no Rafer's not going anywhere but I am also worried we won't either with him at the reigns.

 

give rafer a chance to bounce back. look, we're not asking him to be chris paul. he just needs continue to play with confidence. and we need to not be so quick to lose confidence in him either.