He is a New York legend. So it there are SOME underlying circumstances. I am sure it is partially motivated by that factor though
Joe johnson can demand what ever he wants to, he is getting 10 mil lol he is so not a max player, its not even funny
I will guaran-damn-tee you that he gets significantly more than $10M per. I don't necessarily disagree with you on his intrinsic value (he's probably worth about $12M per, IMHO), but the market will most definitely "overpay" for him. The Knicks are going to HAVE to overpay for anyone not named Lebron or Dwyane.
Rafer had a rough year last year due to mainly off the court issues with management and family but that doesnt mean he is not valuable. He is a true point guard, which is hard to find nowadays, who can run the offense and defend very well. I think it was a terrible decision by Stan Van Gundy last year to take him out of the starting lineup for the finals last year when he had been the floor general for half the season and very much an important piece to the Magic beforehand. That being said there has been an onslaught of Point Guards come into the league over the past three years so its very likely Rafer will find a hard time getting playing time on any team and could see himself in a supporting role that might force him into retirement, if last season didnt do that to him, this season probably will.
How could anyone tell that he had a bad year last year? He looked as awful as he's always looked, he was just playing poorly for teams that weren't good enough to cover up his mistakes and still win. "True point guard" is Rafer apologist code for "point guard who can't make shots." I don't know what's so "true" about his point guard play. He doesn't excel at setting up teammates and he actually shoots quite a bit. People loved to credit his ability to "run the offense" when he played here because he was literally the only guy on the team besides T-Mac who could dribble the ball past halfcourt against pressure without turning it over.
Rafer's track record is proven. Orlando + Rafer = trip to NBA Finals (while defeating current Champs, the Celtics in the process) Orlando - Rafer = early summer vacation after being embarrassed by Celtics All the man does is win!
Wouldn't mind having Rafer as a backup point, he's an exceptional defender and can create his own shot with the clock running down. Sure, hes not a good shooter, but with limited minutes I can see him being a contributor
Rafer is an above average defender at best and creating his own shot with the clock running down isn't much of a skill if the shot has only a 20% chance of going in.
I should have said that he has the ability to get something going to the rim, whether that be a shot or creating for someone else. When Tracy went down it became obvious that Rafer was the only other person on the floor able to beat someone 1v1 from the perimeter, this could prove valuable to a bench.
He would be an upgrade to what the Knicks were running out on the floor this season. If he has anything left in the tank he can be a starter for a middle of the pack team, but is probably better suited as a backup.
If you think Rafer can create shots for other players, you and I must have been watching a different Rafer all those years. The one you watched sounds much less frustrating. :grin:
In all fairness to Rafer, when he was with the team there weren't many players that I'd trust taking a shot anyways.
i think rafer would do well in NY. He can play uptempo and he can work the half court sets. I think he is a better passer into the post than Lowry or AB. Rafer is what a pg is, a good floor general, you can see how effective he was in ORL when Nelson got hurt. They didnt even skip a beat. Everyone got their shots and all posted shoot avgs when nelson was there. He is also a low turnover pg. On a fast past team, he wouldnt need to shoot as much which would allow his weakness to be hidden. You've gotta admire him for trying to step up his game when YAO and Tmac went out. I remember him trying to take the leadership role. All in all not a bad guy to have on your team even as a back up. But I dont think he wants to play back up to anyone.. he may say it but I dont think he will actually do it.
