Well i have to say this trade totally caught me off guard. I was watching an
interview with Rafer only hours before i heard the news, I actually was
happy when i heard the deal. I will miss the potential that Rafer brought to
this team, I certainly wont miss the drama queen we saw for most of his
second stay in Toronto. Rafer will most likely get a shot to start in
Houston with Bob Sura fighting injuries all the time, I wish him all the
best.


Mike James seems to me to be the type of player that fits into are system,
He plays less minutes and is effective at both ends of the court. This deal
was not a good one for us if we just look at the talent that changed hands.
The reason this deal was made was to free up some cap room, This gives us
some room to throw some money at Bosh in the future. We obviously felt we
are deep enough at the PG position that we could make this move. Alvin
Willams and some of the young kids are going to have to step up for us.




>From: freewheel_99 <no_reply@yahoogroups.com>
>Reply-To: rappak@yahoogroups.com
>To: rappak@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [Rap Pak] Rafer out....Mike James in
>Date: Tue, 04 Oct 2005 19:00:14 -0000
>
>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.
>
>
>

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