I can deal with rafer this season only becasue we're not asking him to be the third scorer...however, if he's still throwing up 10 shots and 6 to 7 threes a game, then he's gotta go...
are you sure that's the saying wrt to Alston. I thought it was "if you're open you should shoot it wide."
Ask yourself why teams are making "unsatisfactory" offers. I talked to a couple of people about this exact thing in Austin. Rafer's contract is reasonable for a starting point guard. The Rockets themselves thought that last season. In a trade, he's not a starter... not really anywhere. As a backup point guard, his contract is, at best, not good. You can maybe live with a year at $5+ million a season ... his has three left. Number of years is huge in a league that is becoming more and more about flexible contract situations.... and for a guy who shot 37.5% from the field last year? The Rockets tried to trade him this offseason. That's just fact. Yes, he's still here... so is JLIII. (On a side note I'm reminded of all the people who simply refused to believe the Rockets were ever interested in Mike James.) Now, Adelman at camp talked at length about how he sees the 1, 2 and 3 positions as interchangeable in his offense. Defensively, he says that's another story, but when you think about James and Francis also playing some off guard, it doesn't seem "as" ridiculously crowded (especially when you figure that Aaron Brooks probably won't see any real playing time until midseason). Also, Francis is struggling for whatever reason to get integrated into the system. If Francis isn't effective yet, the Rockets suddenly don't look so overstocked at the position... let's see how that plays out. I'd rather be overstocked than risk "needing" at the position. Obviously Francis is going nowhere via trade. My hunch is the Rockets will make other cuts/trades off their roster and wait to see what PG injuries/needs surface around the league before making a move here. I still think Rafer will be the one dealt. While I'm not a fan of Rafer's game, I doubt he will bother me as much as he did last season. The biggest gripe I had was that Rafer was a terrible fit for what the PG was asked to do in JVG's system, and that pretty much played to script. But beyond that, my problem was that the Rockets never had any legitimate option to turn to when Rafer went "Rafer Night" on us, which happened far too often. That's no longer a problem. I'm content to be patient and let them all compete for time, and if Rafer improves as a result of finally having people push him for his job in Houston, that's great for us. However, I'm confident his 40-minute a night playing days are over in Houston.
If Rafer stays on this team, he actually works out well for us.....I think the main thing is that he isn't expected to be the same kind pg that he was with JVG....most have to admit, he isn't as unbearable with limited minutes and responsbilities. And he is pass first-type of player and doesn't demand alot of shots.
skip was always a mediocre shooter even when he was in college he was so it's not like the rockets didnt know what they were gonna get they knew his game up and down he brings other things to the table like assist,rebounds,steals,double digit scoring and maybe even a block....rafer's all around game is superior to mike james in every way the only thing mike james does better than rafer is shoot and i know for a fact he isnt ray allen
The Rockets could have had a Haslem deal at the beginning oif the offseason. Why they didn't take that, who knows? Maybe they were working on the Scola deal long before anyone knew. Teams started making unsatisfactory offers when trouble started and we declined. Now that the charges have been dropped the situation has changed. The only players being shopped right now hard amongst the league are marion, Kirilenko, Telfair and Dorell Wright. Other then that, not much action. The Rockets did shop Rafer all season, that is a fact. JL3 is too but we all know those situations aren't even close to the same. I'd be suprised to see him play more then 10 total minutes (if that) in preseason. If he's not traded, he's getting cut. We all know that. You're right on James. Can't argue there. However, when Rafer hits the court as a starter it's pretty easy to be reminded of everyone who wrote him off, bashed him ,ect...Essentially the same thing. The 3 isn't really interchangable with Battier, Bonzi and likely Mike Harris possibly taking time there. The 1 and 2, absolutely. Rafer is the starter at pg, with MJ as the backup (with james also seeing solid time at the two). Now, if Luther head continues to outplay Francis you will see what you saw last night. So there is somewhat of a log jam. Brooks will see minor minutes at best. he can't play defense and we are trying to win now. He will get garbage time and that's about it. We definitely agree on this. I've posted it repeatedly. You can't have too much depth. Plus, reality is Francis is just happy to be home. He got 30 million on a buyout and his contract here. He didn't take a paycut like some seem to assume. Being happy was what was most important to Steve after being miserable ever since he left Houston. Of course he'll want a chance and he'll continue to get one but he just has to find a way to fit in the offense. I hope he does. We disagree here. I don't think any Rafer, James, Francis or Head will be dealt unless someone blows us away with an offer or one starts complaining and causing chemistry issues. When I say this I'm speaking in terms of this year. I just don't see it. Somebody is just going to have to deal with less minutes. In all honesty, Steve being in Houston seems to be good enough for him now. We'll see how that progresses throughout the season. Well, like I said, it's all about the sytem. Like you said, Rafer wasn't a good fit in JVG's system. He is, however, a great fit in Adelman's. His days of playing 40 minutes a night are certainly over. We have depth now and that's a good thing. We didn't have that last season, and that wasn't anyone's fault but management
King1, what do you think are the chances we trade Luther Head? It will free up a rotation slot for Steve, and he's probably our best trade asset (young, cheap, durable, very good shooter). If we could package him with some of our other contracts, maybe we could get a big with some size who's more compatible with our offense than Mutombo. I'm worried about our size up front when Yao isn't in the game.
DO NOT TRADE HEAD. he's one of our best shooters. he sucked in the playoffs last yr but he has signs of clutchness (like a derek fisher type for us in terms of clutch shooting eventually). i rather give up francis than head (if we keep james) for anothe rbackup for yao + shooters/picks
Why would we want to trade Head to free up space for Francis, when Head has been outplaying Francis? He's also our most consistent long range shooter and it seems like Adelman really likes him. We're not trading Head.
Not good. If he continues to outperform Steve then why would we move him? he's also a great fit in Adelamn's offense. We aren't looking to free up a spot for anyone at this point. No special treatment as I've said. Freeing up a spot for Steve is not of the utmost importance until he starts earning his pt (and God knows I hate saying that).
Rafer was allways gonna thrive under adelman. in a system where it's all bout spacing and passing, why wouldnt rafer thrive. he is a great passer, excellent ball handler. as long as he's not asked to be a third option or any big scoring option at all, he will be pretty handy to have. Another thing i noticed was that rafer and bonzi seem to have a nice inderstanding on the court. they both know eachothers next move well before anyoneelse.
this is just 1, one, uno, preseason game. Everyone is new to each others role, so lets reserve those comments about alston better than SF3 and james until the 2nd or 3rd game, which i guess would see extended minutes for SF3, around 20 mins. But i still stand by the point of rafer should be out of the team.
here is my point of my entire argument... last night had nothing to do with my opinion of Rafer or my answer in this poll. I didnt even look at last nights stats to decide whether I think Rafar should go or not (i didnt watch the game at all for that matter)... I have always thought he belonged here and now this poll solidifies my position... rafer is a solid passer who handles the ball well. we have even more shooters this year so we dont have to worry about his % (which I think will go up this year regardless) I don't need to be told what he looks like other times, because according to this poll, your opinion is in the minority... strength in numbers, sorry they don't work the other way around...
thats why i was so hyped last season however, that levono stats thing amounted to squat come playoff time
then ryan bowen shouldve had 20 shots a game.... He is open, and he's shooting it....look whats happening. 37% He still needs to learn how to take it to the basket and finish. The guy is still afraid of contact Like I said. I'll give him a chance with this team only because he is not the 3rd option...
Rafer is a solid distributor and he doesn't turn the ball over, so James or Francis can come off the bench
Teams already have their players and won't want to make significant changes until at least December. If he needs to go wait then would be the better time.
