Listening to the broadcast yesterday, Saunders and JB were talking about Vspan and JB mentioned there were a lot of question marks about Vspan. Now he must have heard that around the locker room and from the coaches. Though Vspan has had streaks of good play, yesterday not being one of them, I have the same reservations about him. I question his shot, he's not the great passer everyone thinks because his bounce pass is not refined, he's not an athlete and is inconsistent. Yeah, he's scrappy and has intensity but that alone won't make him a good NBA player. Right now in my mind Alston is better and Vspan will never take the starting PG role away from him. Let the Vspan fans flame away and show me some stat or evidence otherwise.
Rafer is better now. If he continues to shoot well, he will not be supplanted as the starter alongside Battier, Yao, and TMac. VSpan has a higher ceiling, but isn't there yet. He is a rookie for crying out loud, we should not expect a lot from him. He has shown that he is definitely worth bringing him over from Greece, particularly given his reasonable salary. JVG will help him develop the same control that Tony Parker needed his first couple of years. VSpan plays with reckless abandon. Once he learns to harness his urges and play high IQ ball, his instincts, vision, and speed will make him difficult to deal with. But not this year, IMO. I think that Rafer is going to keep up his good shooting and VSpan is competing for backup PG minutes this year.
Hardly a fair comparison at this stage. The edge has to go to Alston, but Vspan definitely has some gifts that can be huge one he gets used to the league, and his role on the team. Vspan currently is showing the signs of being inexperienced in the league and is a turnover machine. That doesn't mean that he can't cut those down. I think at least some of that is to be expected at this stage.
While VSpan may one day be better than Alston, today is not that day. Vspan needs self control and a shot.
Don't know if anyone remember a head shake move in one game, was it against MIL? I Love that move, Vspan is more lethal than Rafer in terms of penetration, he needs to improve shooting, cut down turn over, run the team better, he fed Yao beautifully a few times, I like his upside. He needs to cut down dribbling and swing the ball a little more
Obviously Rafer is better now. Not even close. V-Span is much too raw, but he's just a rookie. He needs NBA experience to gauge himself. Long term, because of his court vision and defensive intensity, V-Span can end up better than Rafer. It's up to him. Next summer, he needs to break down his jumpshot and rebuild it.
there are no stats to prove that a player can reach his potential. we will just have to wait and see. right now, alston is better. by next year, 3 years from now, who knows?
Such a no-brainer, and not even far to VSpan. Of course, Rafer Alston is better. VSpan has so many things to work on; He is just a NBA rookie. He is still so raw, so turnover prone, did not get adjusted to 3-pointer shot of NBA yet, and not yet adapted to USA culture/environment and team mates.
Give V-Span this year to play in the D-League and next year to be a full time roster player. I say in 3 years he'll be starting, be it at the 1 or 2, and he's going to be hella awesome.
just because vspan is white doesn't mean he is not athletic. he is more athletic than rafer. and rafer is without question better than vspan. vspan has potential with his court vision, passing ability, and his handles, but his shot is crappy. and hasn't alston been our most accurate 3pt shooter this preseason? right now alston >>>> vspan because of his shot and because he plays under control. vspan needs a lot of work but the potential to be great is there.
I agree, i think VSpan is a better athlete. Right now, Alston is better and much more under control. But, I think VSpan has more potential and will be as good as Rafer by next year or so. Right now VSpan is only better than Rafer at turnovers
one word: turnovers V-Span has got great potential, but we won't be seeing much of it this year. I'm not even sure V-Span is our second point guard! He may not even be our third! Alston is clearly the starter. I really think you'll see Head backing him up with McGrady playing a good bit at the point. We didn't see much from Lucas in the preseason, but he played pretty well in this last pre-season game. I think there's a legit chance that Lucas will play over V-Span
Spanoulis and Lucas are not ready for primetime. This team needs another vet PG. Rick Brunson is available, isn't he?
assist to turnover ratio for vspan tonight: 1:2 He had 8 (!) turnovers. I'm going to take a guess and say Alston is better at this point. I do have big hopes for Spanoulis in the future though!
vspan cant be trusted with the ball imo, and i dont think jvg will let him play when it counts. the dude can run a fastbreak and has quick hands but he has a lot to learn. im not impressed with vspan.
