Ugh, I get this a lot, it is just wrong. LOL - find one post where I say this....ONE.....this is what bugs the hades out of me, all I ever said...was that the team was not going to win it that year, and Rafer sucked, so you might as well develop VSpan some to find out if he was part of the solution. That is all I have EVER said about him.....period. And yes, I do think he could be a decent NBA player. And yes, Rafer still SUCKS. DD
What it is, is downright rude, and not something that is necessary or warranted. Just because I like a player does not give him a reason to come into a thread and make personal insults. Unfortunatly, I am NOT surprised, and people have been banned for less. DD
DD, Sometimes you just need to quit while you are behind. You're getting hammered in this thread yet you've performed better here than VSpan did against the USA. You've tried using the efficiency stat and the points per shot and both of those blew up in your face. You were saying wait until he played against the USA. He did and he didn't do well. What would have had to happen in order for you to say that he didn't do well? Burst into flames at mid-court? Having good stats on an Olympic team doesn't translate to NBA success. Have you ever heard of Oscar Schmidt?
Dude, you are so full of it! You give V-Span the benefit of every doubt, then turn around and cry about what you perceive as Skip's shortcomings. I'll be the first to admit that Skip has many flaws in his game, some bigger than others. Next to your boy, however, he's nothing short of an all-star caliber PG. Rafer Alston worked hard to get where he is today. He overcame obstacles, and succeeded beyond what anybody could have reasonably expected. Did Skip 2 My Lou say, "I deserve a bigger role on this team! I'm too good to be in the D-League after 3 years in the NBA! I'm gunna take my ball and go back to Rucker Park where I'm more comfortable!" Hell no. But you prefer the quitter. No one can tell you who you can or can't be a fan of, but I just don't understand your thinking at all on this one.
hey, I just looked up all of VSpan's boxscores from his Rookie year. Remember when he was interviewed on 610 and how he pointed out his 1.000 FG% game. Well, turns out that he also had an Divide by Zero PPS game where he scored 2 pts on no FGAs. Can you believe that! VSpan had a Divide by Zero game. Isn't that kinda like approaching infinity?
Aelliott, what you quoted and then discussed are 2 different issues...one is a matter of respecting other opinions without being rude or throwing personal insults, the other is an OPINION about V-SPan. It is all a matter of perspective. It is all a matter of opinion....there is no winner or loser just people who agree with one take or disagree..... There is no final outcome... I like V-Span, and his game, is he as good as Rafer.....well, not his rookie year he wasn't...but I think he might have become better. All I have ever said was that he had NBA talent....... Yes he quit...so what? Tons of players have done what is right by their careers..... At the end of the day, he is playing well against quality competition, and I am enjoying watching him play........and this thread is about that...it is not spamming the GARM etc....it is contained entirely in context within this thread. If people hate him, so be it, doesn't make it ok to throw personal attacks when we are discussing a matter of opinion.....agree or disagree in a professional and respectful manner. That is what quality fans do.....honest discourse is always welcome. DD
You have not been around long enough to even be posting about this topic,and were not around during V-Span's rookie year......but since brought up Rafer. I think Rafer has peeked, he has been declining for the last few years...I respect what he has done....but you can not ignore his shortcomings..... I think Rafer is garbage as an NBA point guard......I think we need an upgrade..... And it is NOT V-Span..... Some stats show one thing, other show another....people chose the ones that make their arguments better....it doesn't change anyone's views, or opinions though. DD
And why is that exactly? You're just spitting out baseless claims. Explain yourself if you want to be taken seriously. How exactly does Rafer's ability to play defense (quite better than any other PG on our roster) and his on the court leadership (which naturally comes as being the PG) imply that we're not a very good team? And did I ever say we were relying on Rafer to give us defense/leadership? I believe I said he gives us those two things better than V-Span would, and that was pretty much it. Not even close. Again, another claim with no support what-so-ever. The 22 game winning streak doesn't happen without him, and we probably don't win a single game against Utah without him. Would we even make the playoffs if we were stuck with Jackson? So good that we couldn't even function without him unless we completely wore down T-Mac? So good that Rafer took the 3rd most shots on the team? Yes. It would be a sign of a team that lacks offensive talent. OOPS! That must be a sensitive topic for you. Can't afford to lose your bet to GATER huh? The only thing you've proven is you are very capable of stating claims without the need of support. So, if Rafer does suck, then what does that say about V-Span? Do you think V-Span is a better basketball player than Alston?
It has been proven time and time again that Rafer's averages are at the bottome of the league in pretty much every category, thus the statement that he is a lower tier PG. He is still the BEST PG on the Rockets....as sad as that is.....I am certainly not the only one around here who thinks Rafer is not very good. But, This is a celebrate V-Span thread.....why try to divert it...... Going against Angola next. DD
What averages exactly? Shooting? We get that. Everyone knows he's a mediocre shooter. But what you don't get is that playing PG is more than just shooting. How about his ball-handling, passing, court vision, defense, leadership, etc.? Is he lower tier in those categories also? Obviously not, or otherwise he wouldn't be starting. When I hear Rockets players and coaches complimenting him and stating how valuable he is whenever we're without him for whatever reason, who do you expect me to believe? Those guys, or you?
Here is probably the best post on where Rafer ranks by Clutch Believe who you want, but I would hope you form your own opinion based upon the evidence. Now, let's get back to the thread topic, if you want to start a "Rafer ain't all that bad thread" feel free. DD
I just read that post, and it didn't help me at all. Most of the stats were about shooting or stats pertaining to the team he's on. Anything about defense, ball handling, leadership, general ability to help an offense function, or intangibles? Nope. I'm a Rafer "apologist" now (whatever that means)? I apologize that I judge PGs based on everything a PG should do, instead of focusing on a few statistics.
I didn't realize there was something wrong with forming my own opinion based on what basketball experts like RA and JVG say. I would think their expert opinions as coaches who dealt with the team directly would be considered stronger evidence than statistics.
