TMAC hated playing with Mike James. If Tmac don't like u, ur gone and that's how it should be. Great trade.
If Tmac's ego is bigger than his desire for his team to win, that is a problem, and sooner or later it is better if he goes as well if this is the case. Alston most importantly has to pick up his shooting to make it a decent trade. If a PG on a team with Tmac/Yao does everything else well but can't shoot consistently from the outside, that one thing keeps him from being a quality starter on this Rocket team. Alston must become a better shooter or the trade flat stinks as we will have a back-up 1 locked up long term at starter's level money.
Why does it matter who scores as long as we win....if t mac scored 21 and james had 28 I would be just as happy.T mac can't be on the floor every minute of the game and it has to be other people who can pick up the scoring slack.Mike james did that last year when we traded for him...now why would you want to trade someone like that????
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/051130 "20. Houston Yao Ming, Complementary Player. It's official. (Random thought: Imagine being Houston GM Carroll Dawson right now? Not only did he get fleeced in the Rafer Alston-Mike James trade, he got fleeced by Rob Babcock. Shouldn't you automatically resign when that happens? How can you show up at work every day? That's like being a professional poker player and losing a celebrity tournament to Gary Busey.)"
Why aren't the members of the Mike James killed-my-dog & tagged-my-wife Club praising this performance? He only took seven shots and had zero points. Presumably this is what they want since they rail on him whenever he shoots 66% from three point land and scores 30 points. btw, his fair contract is what makes him a valuable commodity. He is traded because he is tradeable - he has value, people want him, and he can be moved. this offseason that status may change if he continues to play well and gets a better deal.
he might of not started for miami that one season because wade was playing pg but he played starter minutes (31.5 mpg) and didnt miss a game that year and started 28 of those games...he played a key role for miami in the playoffs and hit some clutch shots for them....james never played more minutes than that until this year with toronto and they are 1-15
Of course you are assuming that the rox would match a MLE deal for MJ. Given their shrewd nature, I don't think there would have been a chance at that. Keeping MJ would have been a one year thing imo.
Shooters are worthless unless they're given shot opportunities. No playmakers = no open looks. This what's dogged us the last few weeks. No one can create their own shot, let alone shots for others. Evan
You can twist it, turn it, or screw it anyway you like, but Mike James is what this team needed to free up Yao and Tmac. Best thing I liked about Mike James was that he was a competitor. He always played with a fire in his eyes. That competitive nature is contagious among teammates. For someone 30 years old he played like a younglin on the Rockets team. He brought speed to Rockets lineup, something they sorely lack. Trading Mike James away was a big mistake.
Has there been any updates on when Alston may be returning to the court? I'm still holding out hope. It's impossible to judge a trade this early into it, IMO.
I think the emergence of Luther makes the whole argument moot, we would probably have a better record if a healthy James were on board instead of an injured Alston. But at this point even with a healthy Alston, does anyone see him supplanting Head in the starting line-up? I don't, so therefore Head's emergence wouldn't had happended without Alston's injury, ergo James' trade. I'll take Head over James or Alston.
I like luther as does everyone, but he really isn't a replacement for James. James was a good ballhandler, even if he didn't pass as much as people felt he should have. And he could create his on shot. there really isn't a replacement for james on this team. that's why alston has to implement himself better in this offense.
way too early to pass judgement dude. How bout chillin till june ? mike james haters ? what the hell is that ?......
DING DING DING !! I totally agree, Rafer has to start penetrating more and creating open looks for his teamates. Tmac went through the same adjustment period last year with JVG where he felt (wrongly) that he was supposed to change as a player.... Once players quit looking over their shoulder at Captain Chaos, they start to play better. Raf just needs to be Raf. DD
