I figured James would be traded eventually due to the likelihood of him leaving for greener pastures after the season, but I'm surprised the Rockets would take on such a big contract. I do think Alston would help give us what we lack, a third playmaker. He'll give us basically what Damon Stoudamire would have given us if he'd have signed here. I'm expecting a more fast paced offense next season with quite a few alley oop connections from Alston to Swift/Mcgrady. But I'm not sure if he's worth that contract.
Alston is a year younger than James and seems to be more capable of running the point than Mike "Franchise Jr." James. Their stats are almost identical. Here are their career numbers. 3P%: Alston .364 James .356 FG%: Alston .390 James .411 TO: Alston 1.46 James 1.42 SPG: Alston 1.01 James .93 APG: Alston 4.2 James 3.5 What really jumps out at met though is that last year Alston bumped up to 6.4 assists when he was running the offense. Not sure how analagous their playing time has been though. Either way, at least we don't have to worry about James bolting next year for more money and being left with nothing.
I really hope that the Rockets organization was straightforward and honest with MJ through this trade. He's a good player, and doesn't deserve to be back-stabbed. I hope they didn't do that to him.
I like the move and I loved Mike James too. Sad to see him go but there was no way we could go into the season without a starting point guard. I am sure Stan vouched for Skip's character. Alston is a good passer and takes care of the ball. Averaged only 2.13TO/per game. Was a very good 3 point shooter with Miami. I'm sure everyone knows his reputation - one of the best ball handlers in the league (former AND1 standout). Losing Mike James' defense hurts though man. That dude was intense. But the most important thing here was that we could absolutely not go into the season without a starting pg.
I like this move.. Alston is an underrated defender. He played pretty good defense at Miami but didn't work hard enough last year under Sam Mitchell tho.
They sent him to Toronto, they will be happy to give him a Skip to my Lou contract next summer! That is exactly what James wanted.
Oh wow! This is an absolutely awesome trade for the Rockets, which should impact the team just as much (if not more) than the Swift signing! Alston is a wonderful player. The "bad attitude" thing is very overrated. Rafer is a good guy. It is Sam Mitchell who is the big idiot. I can't believe it.. We have high-quality players at every position now except SF. This is going to be a super year!
Great trade for the Rockets. I like Mike James tenacity, but he just tended to shoot way to much. There were pts in the game where he should have just deferred to TMAC, but he would force some shots. When he was on, he was really good, but when he was off, he really hurt our team. Rafer is more of a pure pt gaurd, and can shoot the three wiht more consistency. Also you knew Mike was gone because he got ejected from game 7.
Definite talent upgrade overall. His man defense is not as good as James,but he has quick hands and will get a decent amount of steals. Good court vision. Not a great shooter inside the three point line. I am optimistic about his attitude problems. In Miami he was seen as one of the key "unheralded" guys who worked hard and played like a team. His previous years in Toronto and Miwaukee went without major issues, too, if I remember correctly. He left Toronto one year and then a year later they wanted him back and signed him long-term so they must have liked him. Something just seems to have happened. I actually did like James, so it is unfortunate to see him go, but Alston is a legit starter and much more of a playmaker (which is what was missed when Sura was out).
i tihnk his attitude may have something to do with toronto more than anything. remember skip played for Stan Van Gundy two years ago so I have to believe that Jeff consulted with his bro on this before doing the trade. i dont doubt JVG at all i am sure there was a reason why he made the trade for skip and that we wont be questioning this move later on in the year. james had already said he was going to opt out of his contract anyway so in the very least we got a serviceable pg instead of nothing it will be interesting to have skip he did play quite well his last season in miami.
i think alston will not be a chemistry problem with the rockets because he'll be winning. look at tmac in orlando and a lot of other star players (even though alston isn't a star) on LOSING teams...players get frustrated when losing, though he threatened to quit that is kind of bothersome. overall, i think winning cures A LOT of problems just ask kobe and shaq...they stopped winning, they stopped getting along. i think chemistry wise he'll be okay, he knows what he's supposed to do as the PG. he knows what his job is and doesn't make a bunch of stupid plays like he did when he was younger (a la skip to my lou crap in an NBA game). he is signed long term but not at a lot of money and despite being 29 years old, he didn't play a lot early in his career so his body should be able to take 30+ minutes a game for at least another 3-4 seasons. now that i've thought about it some more, i'll miss mike james but to get a good role playing starting PG who takes good shots, distributes, and doesn't turn the ball over, is important to this team. he also adds athleticism too, can drive the lane with superior quickness.
So it's a straight up trade? No picks or toss-ins involved? Wow. Who saw this coming? Alston will be coming in, I assume, as the starting point. How is that going to affect Sura, if he rehabs and comes back like he did last season? Could that explain the very angry face he had on him in the photo from Sina that was posted? Most of us figured it was because he was injured. Maybe it was more than that. Anyway, a big shakeup. It'll be fun to see how this move plays out.
If they traded Alston for James straight up, his contract would have to be within 25% of James's contract which isn't that big. According to the Raptors website he's signed through 2009-2010. "The Toronto Raptors announced Wednesday they have signed free-agent guard Rafer Alston to a contract running through the 2009-10 season. " http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/PR_Raptor_Sign_Rafer_Alston_040714.html According to wikipedia, his cotnract is $36 million over 7 years which means he's making somewhere around $5.1 million. Well, maybe that is pretty steep. But hey, if that's the worst contract we have come next year, I'll be happy;.
It seems like people over-value Mike James a little bit and are underestimating Rafer Alston. Skip is a better player. 2 years ago, I believe he was the starting pg for the heat that made some noise in the playoffs. He is definately a better play-maker than James and is also decent defender. I am, like most of yall, worried about his attitude and team chemistry issues. IMO Skip seems like an extremely passionate player and butted heads w/Sam Mitchell last year. I seriously doubt that happens this year with JVG.
Well he's already got a ring, and he's heading into a contract year as the starting pg (presumably) on a bad team. My guess is that he'll get over it, put up some big numbers, and sign a decent looking contract to finish out his career.
