as many have said before, Rafer has excellent qualities that can't be discounted. his ability to pass and set up players is unmatched on this team. i think Rafer should start because he sets the tempo of unselfish play, and bring Mike James off the bench when we need an offensive spark.
i actually thought thought rafer should have went ahead and shot it. Rafer was more open, and by the time the ball got to battier he had a guy running at him. Plus, hadnt rafer already hit a couple 3s already? or what that later.
Rafer was wide open. And JVG would have had him shoot the ball. But if Yao were in the game then Battier draws the double team back to him and the ball goes into Yao(or Scola) in single coverage right at the hoop. Even with a guy running at Battier I would still rather him take that shot as he is pretty consistent from that spot and the defender was late enough that he had a fairly open look. I still have no idea what is going to happen at the guard spots. It's going to be interesting as we get some more games under our belt.
The only way we trade Rafer is if there's someone willing to take him and his contract and we get something solid in return. Highly unlikely. The only way we cut him is if Rafer has no contributions outside of garbage time. Clearly he's better than that. He looked great in one preseason game. I think the job is still up for grabs, but Rafer has shown he can definitely contribute. The best thing that came from yesterday's performance is that the competition for starting pg just got stiffer.
like it or not but Yao/Hayes/Battier/T-Mac/Alston got the highest 5-men lenova stat pts during last season http://www.nba.com/statistics/lenovo/lenovo_sort.jsp?pcomb=5&season=22006&split=9&team=
I think rafer is a solid point guard.. He's in good shape and likes to run the court.. He's a great passer, but not a great shooter.. With so many weapons at our disposal, I would like to see him pass then shoot the ball.
I would have to say that your conclusion is based on your opinion and not the fact that Rafer outplayed both of them last night.
man, oh man, the numbers speak volumes for the clutchfans members... just like his shirt said last year, he will be there on opening night... the small handful of haters have been silenced... the guarantees that he would be gone are flat out wrong! quit complaining and saddle up for a great season...
What a coincidence!!!! Rafer had a great game, and only shot 2 threes. If he shoots 6 shots a game all season, i'll be happy with im, but when he's throwing up 8 threes, then he can go... .thats what ive been callin for for 2 years now. as many assists as shot attempts. more assists than three point shots
I know its just preseason, but they looked pretty damn good in that first quarter against NO as well.
I know that he is a below average point guard in the leauge and we want to see an upgrade in that position on the team. But with all the additions we have in that position, he is still our best point guard on the team, at least based on last night's game. Well, let the debate continue...
the rafer alston hate is annoying he has his faults just like any other pg in this leauge including mike james who is a ball hog(he took more shots than chris bosh in toronto),cant run a offense i dont see how this guy is better than skip
Rafer is like a stock. He's presently undervalued. Wait until he's doing so well that everyone here wants to keep him. Then trade him. P.S. The guy to bring in behind him as starting PG isn't James, Francis, Head, or Lucas. It's Brooks. Not right away, but soon.
as long as we limit Alston's min to ~20mpg i don't see the problem there starting or is not the problem it's the playing time
Im not a Rafer hater.......but dont be fooled by the game last night. What he did last night was no different than what he did last season. I chose that we should trade Rafer for the same reason I would choose to trade Juwan. He looked great last season but I knew all along what kind of player he really was despite how he was playing. When everything is falling in place, Rafer looks like a darkhorse allstar. I dont think you need to be told what he looks like during the other times..... P.S. I thought Mike James looked great last night. Plays real well with Tmac and Yao. Francis looked not so comfortable and needs to pick it up. Rafer looked like the Superman Rafer, lets just wait till the Clark Kent Rafer shows up. Im hoping he doesnt but I already know that he will. I hope Im wrong.
well seeing as though you are easily one of the most biased posters in the GARM, it's not surprising in the least that you are practically the only person agreeing with this clown. big shocker.
