This deal makes no sense for the Rockets, if you ask me. Yes, they need a solid #1 PG, and Alston is a legit #1 PG. However, the Rockets already have T Mac, who needs to shoot and needs to have the ball in his hands, and they have Yao, who they need to get the ball to in order to get him going. Now they've traded for a PG who is notorious for wasting time looking for his own shot and trying to break people down instead of making the smart play. Not only that, they gave up a very solid guy who fits their system very well in Mike James. Is James a star? No, but with the talent around him I think he'd have been just fine as the starting PG. Is Rafer going to all of a sudden become a guy who defers to a pair of stars? It'd surprise me; he's been a loose cannon the last year or so. Maybe playing for a winner and for JVG will turn him around, both mentally and on the court, but I personally wouldn't bet on it. I think the Rockets could have made a better deal for a more team oriented, pass-first PG...
Wow After wondering who will be the starting point guard . Mike James is gone! Thats crazy ! Rafael Aston is I admit a better guard then mike james . He's a great passer and penetrator.
I like this, T-Mac can play off the ball sometimes and that's going to make teams worry. Alston is more than a legit pg. He's a Point God. He is notorious around the leage(even before his NBDL stint) for his "I'm-gonna-make-you-look-foolish" handles.
i am absolutely shocked hearing this trade.. it makes no sense at all to me. Because of Sura's condition, we now need James more than ever. He already had a chemistry going on with Tmac and other personnels.. and he is a better penetrator than Rafer. And i dont think also that Rafer is the type of player that JVG wants. His defense is average and and he tends to do fancy stuff at the wrong time..
I can't decide how I feel about this either...T-Mac can pretty much get the shot he wants when he wants it, he doesn't need someone to set him up for it...I don't really know what to think but Alston has range like James, and at worst they are both trigger happy anyway... On the bright side, maybe alston can get guys some more catchable passes(that can be a problem for this teams sometimes) and let JVG, T-Mac, and Yao let him know what he needs to do. I think he he hogs the ball too much, he'll get benched, and/or yelled at hardcore by at least JVG. I think if he plays smarter, and passes to Yao and Mac when they need it as well as the rest of the guys on the team, we'll be just fine
what an out of the blue trade...im kinda skeptical of rafer though and his character problems with coaches and teamates..i hope he doesnt mess up the chemistry the rockets had going and hopefully he can start off fresh..
i actually like this trade. True the chemistry is going to be different but as most people have known james was going to leave us anyways. He already expressed his desire to find a better contract after this one expired. Also tmac and james didn't work very well together anyways. I think skip (rafer) has more upside than james and he will be put in his place by tmac and jvg. Worst case scenario... skip hogs the ball too much and we have to use him off the bench. Which is shockingly similar to how we used james. plus deep down inside i know almost everyone want's to see the THR (team highlight reel) that will come from skip,swift,tmac,DA and Yao!!!
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooo!!!!!!...................I really don't like this move, all offseason long I've been saying don't trade Mike James, we need Mike James, because he is another scoring threat...and now they trade him away
^^Good move. Like you said it was no secret that James wasn't staying. I wanted us to get Rafer since last season. If he doesn't work out they'll just give him the old Mike James role. It's a win/win
If Rafer can accept that he ain't the main man then maybe he can fit in. It would be hard not to know your place with the likes of T-Mac and Yao on your team. In Toronto I can see how a hot dog like Alston would think that it was all up to him. In Houston you'd have to be an egotistical idiot to think that it was all on you.
My initial reaction to this is that it's not a good move. Mike James was such a spark for our team late last year, and he was a solid defensive player on the perimeter. Yeah, he wasn't a pure point guard, but that doesn't matter when you have a Tracy McGrady on your team. He played well, and he had championship experience. With Alston, what are we gaining? He'll bring some more penetration to our offense and might be a better floor leader on the court in the few minutes per game he'll be there without Mcgrady, but he's not a particularly good defensive player and he has a rather volatile personality. Hopefully I'm wrong and this will turn out to be a great move.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">i actually like this trade. True the chemistry is going to be different but as most people have known james was going to leave us anyways. He already expressed his desire to find a better contract after this one expired. Also tmac and james didn't work very well together anyways. I think skip (rafer) has more upside than james and he will be put in his place by tmac and jvg. Worst case scenario... skip hogs the ball too much and we have to use him off the bench. Which is shockingly similar to how we used james. plus deep down inside i know almost everyone want's to see the THR (team highlight reel) that will come from skip,swift,tmac,DA and Yao!!!</div> I totally agree with what your saying. I would also like to make the point that this trade is not so surprising to me: just look at game seven in the playoffs, Mike James lost his cool and im sure JVG has been looking for a replacement ever since.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting TMacAttack:</div><div class="quote_post">I totally agree with what your saying. I would also like to make the point that this trade is not so surprising to me: just look at game seven in the playoffs, Mike James lost his cool and im sure JVG has been looking for a replacement ever since.</div> Mike James was one of our best players in that series, though. Yeah, he had a terrible game 7, but he's certainly not alone in that aspect. We wouldn't have even gotten to game 7 without Mike James.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting THE DREAM:</div><div class="quote_post">so what is the wrap on Alston???....Is he a headcase.......can he shoot.......can he play D?????</div> Rafer is a street legend. he was with the and 1 mixtape tour until he decided that he could play with the best of the best. He was a showboat streetballer but he really has toned it down. headcase? he had his disagreements with toronto coach sam mitchell. but ithink he is more mature and can learn our system. He can shoot lights out and his offense is without question. he can penetrate and dish or score. he has great range and is a better set up 3point shooter than james. I think james's D was better just because he put more effort into it. alston has proven that he can steal the ball but i don't know if that equals good D. Put it like this, rafer alston was a street baller and needed to change his old ways this includes getting back on D and being more of a team player. He is steadlily getting there and hopefully the maturity and comradery of the rockets can take him to the next level.
Thanks for the info K....I knew he played for And 1, but I wasn't sure about his NBA play. EDIT: I'm gonna miss saying......Mike James Beyooooooootch!!! (seriously.......I am)
skip to my lou now in houston.trust me he and t-mac will be the best off friends just see when the season atarts. im no houston fan but this is a great move for yall this may be the year that houston contend. C -Yao Pf -Swift Sf-T.mac Sg-Anderson Pg-Alston 6th-Barry not to mention the others, looks pretty good even without sura.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting KfrumHTOWN!:</div><div class="quote_post"> plus deep down inside i know almost everyone want's to see the THR (team highlight reel) that will come from skip,swift,tmac,DA and Yao!!!</div> No, I really don't. I want to see boring basketball because that is the stuff that wins you games and championships. The Spurs are a solid, fundamental team that feeds the ball religiously into Tim Duncan. They play boring basketball, win games and win championships. In basketball, boring is good. I am truly perplexed by this move. I thought the Rockets were building for a championship and not trying to garner the support of the streetball community.
