Since everybody gets one, I am assuming getting kicked out of the game the other night is Rafer's one mulligan?
Backups drop the ball Head, Lucas fail as point guards after Alston's ejection By FRAN BLINEBURY Copyright Steve Ueckert: Chronicle Tracy McGrady and the Rockets got a break from a Sunday workout. PRACTICE? WHAT PRACTICE? Did Jeff Van Gundy have a softening of his heart? Or did somebody talk him down off the ledge? Immediately following Saturday's game, Van Gundy announced the Rockets would hold a practice Sunday. That would have been out of the ordinary, because the team is facing a back-to-back against Minnesota and at Memphis. But a few hours later, practice was canceled. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If most NBA coaches were street performers, juggling would not likely be the act of first choice. Coaches crave well-defined roles that players can easily identify and step into like a pair of worn and comfortable shoes. So along came the 4:07 mark of the first quarter Saturday night, when Rafer Alston figured the Toyota Center crowd would prefer a glimpse of his streetball, smack-talking past than another shift of blue-collar toil and got himself tossed from the game for running his mouth at Hornet Desmond Mason. Suddenly, there was head coach Jeff Van Gundy looking like a guy standing on a corner in front of a group of tourists trying to keep an apple, an orange and a chainsaw in the air. For while Van Gundy had been content through four consecutive victories to keep his rotation short by employing Luther Head as the backup point guard to lead the offense, this was a different case entirely. The efforts of Head and then John Lucas in the 87-74 loss to the Hornets did little to alleviate worries about the point. One night the anxiety is about placing the reins of the offense in the hands of the erratic Alston, and on the next it's finding someone who can handle the job as well as Alston. "Hey, we need our starting point guard in the game," Head said. The problem with Head and Lucas is that both are shoot-first types who are more adept at pulling the trigger themselves than loading the bullets for their teammates. While they both can get up and down the floor, neither gets the Rockets transition baskets like Alston. The Rockets scored just nine fast-break points against the Hornets, only two in the second half. "I didn't think any particular position played well, and I would include them," Van Gundy said. "I think it would be fairer if everybody else was ready to play and we were putting a lot into the game. You'd be able to tell. Some of our turnovers were particularly bad due to disruption because of pressure." As soon as Alston headed to the locker room, the Hornets expanded the traps they used all night against Tracy McGrady to put pressure on Head and then Lucas, making them give up the ball instead of running the offense. Vassilis Spanoulis was evidently never an option for Van Gundy, not getting off the bench until the final three minutes of garbage time. Now, having employed Head as the backup during the winning streak, it is hardly likely Van Gundy will junk his plan based on one loss. He prefers sticking with an eight-man rotation, with Bonzi Wells now getting significant time off the bench, and that means giving Head some minutes as the quarterback. He is not often on the floor without McGrady or Alston. "To be honest, my job doesn't change a whole lot," Head said. "In our offense, we're putting the ball in the hands of McGrady and Bonzi and letting them do what they do. I just try to do the things I do best." More than anything, that is shoot from the perimeter, often most effectively late in games. Head is short on experience, not confidence. "Charlie Ward when he first started playing (was the same way)," Van Gundy said. "He wasn't as good a shooter as Luther, but he had the same quiet confidence to step up at opportune times. "I think Luther, certainly, you give him more rope in the fourth quarter for some bad play, bad shooting, because he has a history and a calmness and a poise that even though he makes some other mistakes, to make (shots) late. "I don't think it takes adjusting. You have to see it first. That's the hard part, seeing it. It's gonna come down to `Can Luther guard his position?' Because if Rafer's on the floor, too, then we're very small. I have no doubts about Luther's spot-up shooting late. He would have to improve his defense to say that he's gonna be out there all the time down the stretch." So the juggling continues, and occasionally something gets dropped.
Thank you. I'm so glad Rafer was ejected; not only does that show his value on the team but its also a realization that we have no back-up point guard. And seeing as we still have time before the trading deadline, we can make a move or two.
Yes, if he is so valueable, let see who wants to him if we put him on the market. So I guess almost nobody wants him. That just shows that PG position in this team is so so weak, Rafer can just can not missed.
What kind of rational is that? "Lets see who wants him if we put him on the market?" Is that what you are going to do? You going to put some feelers out there and report back your findings.
I don't get how the rafer lovers see this as evidence that we need him. If jvg wasn't so stubborn and played vspan then we would have won. If anything this game highlighted JVG's ego over rafer's importance.
It would be nice if Battier would step up when our other stars are having a bad game...yes he is a good complimentary player but its games like the NO games where he should take charge and put us on his shoulders for a win...I know this is not his strenghth but he should be able to do it for a few games here and there....
lol. VSpan is a walking disaster. Everytime he comes in he immediately turns the ball over. He did that in preseason, he did it early in the year and he continues to turn the ball over when he gets PT today. ...and don't give me the old BS line that JVG should give VSpan some PT so he will get more comfortable. Playing time is earned ...not given. VSpan has not earned PT based on what I've seen. Not saying Rafer is the final answer ...but he is light years better than VSpan.
hehe...I don't even know where to start on this one. Right now, vspan is a scrub on the garbage squad and thats being generous. So, i'll leave it at that.
Vspan is great and the only reason why some people think he's a scrub now is because JVG tries to tell you that and you guys believe anything JVG says. If JVG isn't going to play him, I hope they trade him and he does great and sticks it in JVG's face.
Just say he is not good as someone suggests, he is the best PG in the team, but PG postion is still a weak line for Rox. If you want to win the NBA title, that is not enough, if you want to win some playoff games, it maybe OK.
like i said. he's valuable. we have no backup....so he's valuable, but he's not good. there is better out there......LIKE CHUCKY ATKINS, Mo Wliliams, etc.
Yes, VSpan's shooting % is abysmal ...worse than Rafers. Plus VSPan turns the ball over CONSTANTLY. That's how I define "walking disaster." I like VSPan's hustle and hope he can get his game under control but he clearly isn't ready for the NBA yet, IMO.
underrated? i think he's rated just right. he's a back up pg at best. the biggest beef ppl have is his shooting. he misses WIDE open shots. and a quick trigger on threes
nevermind im starting to realize . we won tonight cuz of RA!!! JUST LIKE we lost the game cuz of RA on saturday. the fact that we actually played defense and made open shots had nothing to do with it........ i'll never touch on this subject ever again. as clyde drexler put it in the denver game i believe it was "Rafer Alston should seriously be considered as a representative from the Houston Rockets in the All-Star Game innVegas ohhhhh nothing but net"
that's why we have luther head, his forte is shooting, rafer is to bring the ball up the court and set up plays. We're gonna have to live with his outside shooting weakness. My main point is that we can win a champioship with rafer as our starting PG, like something else is gonna drop from the sky and supplant rafer from JVG's mind as who should be the starting PG.
rafer has been playing surprisingly well the past month. either you don't watch the games or there is some serious hate. he has been taking good shots, and making good decisions. let's HOPE he continues this
