You can't take too much from a couple of preseason games, but the guy has impressed me so far. For a guy who just came from Europe and is new to the NBA game he seems to have a very good head for the game, and looks to have nice leadership skills on the court. I did notice him taking charge a couple of times, and that's pretty impressive given he's not yet acclaimated with the NBA game or his teammates. I don't think it's a stretch to say he could contribute to the Rockets this season, and have a very bright future. Could eventually be what JVG has been looking for to run this team. I'll try not to get too ahead of myself however.
I love his motor, never quits. He is still learning the league, give him a month or so, he will be good.
I agree on the negativity toward Rafer. Don't say Rafer is costing himself a job with bricklaying cuz that's not whats been happening. Rafer is shooting 54.2% from the field (2nd to Novak) and LEADING the team with 55.6% from 3 point range. V-Span has generated excitement but no need to make up things up about the player in front of him to further help his cause. Still, V-Span's playing well enough to create projections that he could be a starting pg, regardless of how Rafer has improved his shooting. He brings attributes to the court that Rafer is more lacking in like intensity and attack-mode to the rim that seems to make the team click better when he's in. Thats a good problem to me though. Let Rafer play the Kenny Smith and Spanoulis the Cassell. And let V-Span play with some starters in preseason to see how it works.
That's my point. If Rafer continues to shoot this efficiently, he will be a great fit as the backup point guard playing off Bonzi with the second unit. He can bring it up, give it to Bonzi and then go find the corner. Then you let VSpan start and play PnR with Yao all night long.
i don't understand why so many are saying that vspan only has 3 preseason games under his belt. he has been playing in europe for quite some time, and he has done well there. and all the bashing about comparing him to nash is ridiculous. a comparison does not necessarily mean comparing indentical subjects. it only means they have similar qualities. vspan creates opportunities and has great court vision. that's the comparison. similar qualities, not equal abilities.
Good post on both accounts, although I don't really see too much Nash in him myself. People do need to remember though that, like you said, he has been playing in Europe for quite some time now. It's not the NBA, but it's better than college. Largely considered to be the second toughest league on the planet. He's not some 20 year old kid who's never had to deal with adversity. He's a 24 year old grown man who has Euroleague experience under his belt. I'm sure you've all seen the crowds over there and the intensity of the atmosphere. It's going to take a lot to rattle this guy and that's a huge plus.
My favorite of V-Span's qualities: he seems to love contact. He whacks people on steals and rebounds, and he begs to get hit going to the hoop. And he just looks plain strong. Great qualities to have in a guard... or any player, for that matter.
Yep. I love when he's defending a 2 on 1 fast break and he cross-checks the ball handler as he goes for the steal. Then he looks at the ref like he never touched them
You beat me to it, I was going to bring up exactly the same thing. A guy on your team who is willing to play like that is not a bad thing. Other teams are gonna HATE this guy..
I don't understand this VSpan-Nash comparison from ya people. Nash is more of a finesse PG, and his outside shooting is deadly. VSpan's shooting is a suspect, and I doubt he'll ever be as good as Nash in that department. VSpan excels in other areas of game, such as hard nosed tough defense, which is not particularly Nash's strong suit. A Jason Kidd comparison would be more appropriate, IMO. I am surprised no one brings that up.
Just remember, Nash did not used to be Nash either. VSpan if he works hard and works on the right things could become something to watch in a few years - maybe Nash only from an energy perspective and making his teammates better. What it looks like play by play will probably be very different than Nash.
Actually Nash plays the same as he always has. He has always been a good outside shooter that could finish at the rim with a circus shot. The only thing that ever held the guy back in his early years in Dallas was the fact that he could not stay healthy...that and the fact that he always seemed to run out of gas at the end of the season. He has always loved to drive to the basket and kick the ball back out to the perimiter. He has never played defense very well. Having said that, I think V-Span brings some outstanding qualities to the game that Nash does not. The one similarity that I see in Nash and V-Span besides great court vision and passing is that they both were overlooked early in their careers and both overshadowed by other players that were seen as superior. Nash lived in the shadow of Dirk and Finley in Dallas even after he established himself. Nash had to leave Dallas if he was ever going to get the kind of accolades is getting now because in Dallas he was always going to be seen as Dirks sidekick or little buddy. The same will apply to V-Span in Houston regardless how good he becomes. As long as T-Mac and Yao Ming are his teammates in Houston it will be very difficult if not impossible for him to ever be considered the best on the team. I think for V-Span the sky is the limit. With his type of passing and court vision and with the size and athletisism that he brings to the court, he could be very special in a couple of years...especially if he spends some time with Novak in the off-season learning how to shot the rock. Think that sounds a little silly? I remember when people on this board thought it was just crazy that Nash could even be mentioned in the same breath as Steve Francis. Now Nash is a 2 time MVP and Francis is not even a top 10 player. You just never know.
If V-Span starts at all this season I'll be pleasantly surprised, but you do have a very good point about the possibilities of a V-span/Yao PnR. I think it will take some time for Yao to get used to those laser beam passes and for VSpan to not cause charges, but his court vision should allow for a lot of wide open shots on the perimeter and his kamikaze penetration should work more often than not.
FYI... Rafer's stats in the preseason: FG - 13-24 for .541 3 PT - 5-9 for .556 FT - 5-6 for .833 Really sucks to have a guy who shoots .541 from the field and .556 from distance. I realize that four games and 24 shots is a small sample size, but these are DRASTIC improvements from last year. The Rafer-hate is unjustified.
The Rafer hate around here is ridiculous. He seems to be under the microscope and overshadowed by a shiny new toy in V-Span. I like V-Span as much as the next guy and want him to excel. In fact I do see him becoming an NBA starter someday but you guys need to put Rafer in perspective instead of just remembering the mistakes he makes in preseason games. The Rockets look MUCH more controled when Alston is in the game which suits Yao well and despite alll the negetivity about his shooting, Rafer is shooting over 50% in FG and 3 pt'ers I don't understand the hate. How about we are just glad to have two solid point guards ewith different qualities that will make our team better?
I don't hate Rafer at all, but the preseason games this year show him shooting differently than basically his entire career. He's not a good shooter and I think save one year he never has been. I like his passing and I'm with him starting at PG, but don't overrate him.
