The Raps traded problem child Rafer Alston to the Houston Rockets for
eratic but less volatile Mike James on the first day of training
camp. Weird timing since Alston already addressed the press about
being a Raptor this season, but whatever.

Right it looks like a wash to me. James shoots a little better and
usually plays 5-10 minutes less, but Alston can pass better and has
more talent. Niether guy rebounds worth a damn. I'd say that if they
had both played the same minutes last season their stats would have
been almost identical. Defence will be interesting. Alston got a lot
of steals with his quickness by playing the passing lanes but
couldn't play one on one. James is a bit bigger, but can he do any
better?

I suspect the Raps liked the fact that James plays less minutes (20-
25) without complaint. Certainly his higher shooting percentage is
attractive. The trade should make Mitchell's coaching job easier
because it not only gets rid of someone he had trouble with, but also
Jalen wont be butting heads with Alston either.

The thing about Alston is that I'll miss what he could have been, not
what he was. He could have been three times the player James will
ever be, but he can't handle the responsibility of leadership.
Luckily for Houston he wont have to since McGrady and Yao get the
ball before anyone else even thinks about shooting. Alston will
probably be effective in Houston and a whole lot quieter.

What will make this trade really work for the Raptors is whether
Calderon or possibly even Alvin can pick up the slack. There is now a
significant chunk of minutes (20-25) for someone to earn. Backup PG
just became a very important part of the 2005-06 Raptor season.