http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9634

 Needless to say this is a fantastic move. Artest should really make the Rockets contenders for the first time in a long time. If they can't keep him after this season, they have a ton of cap space to use. It's a win-win for Houston . . .
 

I made a thread about this, it is titled " YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES"

 I saw that one, too. Thought we should have one with a clear title . . .though I share your sentiment! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wonder if the Pistons would trade Billups for Shane. If we can get that done, we are SET TO WIN THE TITLE.

I know its not gonna happen.

I wonder which PGs we can possibly get for Shane tho. We should look for somebody who can get this big 3 involved. 

 I know Charlotte has a billion swingmen but I wonder if they would be willing to give up Felton for Shane given the fact that they drafted Augustin.

Shane is the ideal Larry Brown type of player. 

 Interesting question . . .is Battier off the Untouchable List now? I'll have to ask . . .

Darryl Morey is full of sh*t, hes a con artist, and a manipulator....

and i don't think I could be happier.

HAHAHA minor trade these nuts!!!!

 NBA i would like to introduce the newest Big 3 in the NBA.         T(tracy)R(ron)Y(ao). The TRY show (hell it was worth a shot)

 Morey said there would be a minor trade . . .and there will be. They're going to find a taker for Luther Head/Steve Novak/Chuck Hayes that will return a nice complementary piece for the new Big Three. He just glossed over the fact that they were going to pull off a huge deal, too!

We need to try and package some of the following for a starting PG (Rafer is more of a backup), a backup C and maybe a backup SF (Shane is more of a starter):

Shane Battier

 Rafer Alston

Luther Head (expiring)
Steve Francis (expiring)

Perhaps Chuck Hayes if Landry goes to Europe

If we can find a taker for Novak, then why not. 

I also hear we are getting Patrick Ewing Jr and Sean Singletary in the deal.

May as well invite them to training camp as they will be paid for training camp i think. Ewing Jr was the most athletic player in the draft, while Singletary looks like he could be the Earl Watson or Speedy Claxton of this draft. 

 Yes, but there's absolutely no chance either of them make the team. I've seen Ewing play like 6 times this summer and there's not much there. Good kid . . .not much of a player.

No one will take Francis until the deadline and Alston and Battier are untouchables. I do expect to see a deal with Head and possibly Hayes once the Landry deal is signed. 

 Francis' contract expires and packaging him with Head could get an upgrade on the bench.

Is Rafe and Shane really untradeable? Somebody needs to tell Morey that Shane is an NBA starter and Rafer is an NBA backup. 

 I've got an article on Rafer running this afternoon - be sure and check it out. I will argue until I'm blue in the face that Rafer is absolutely the most underrated pg in the league. Once you get past the elites - CP3, D-Will, Parker, and maybe still Nash and Kidd - Raf is the absolute best of the second tier. They'll keep Battier because he can step in when McGrady's injury pops up and because he's phenomenal off the court.

 Rafe is decent, I never said anything bad. All I said is that I think he is more suited to be a backup.

He can handle and pass but he still puts alot of pressure on TMac to make plays. When he is making shots, he is making shots, but overall his FG% and 3ptFG% is fairly low. And his defense isn't much to rave about.

Don't get me wrong, I like him. But I would much rather prefer a PG like Chauncey Billups (Pistons entertaining offers) or Kirk Hinrich (Bulls drafted Rose) or even Steve Blake (Portland drafted Bayless and are bringing over Kopenen). I'd love to keep Shane, he is one of my favorite players, but if he could nab a PG like that (somebody who can make plays and knock down shots with ease), the Rox should jump on it right away. Tho I am hoping Aaron Brooks develops into one of those players, I would still rather have experience at the point when we are trying to contend for a ship.

 Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Rafer is the best PG in the league. Not by a long stretch. What I'm saying is that with McGrady and Artest as his wingmen he's perfectly capable of being a championship PG. Kenny Smith was never a star until he played with Dream.

If the Rockets could get Billups without giving up one of the Big 3, no question they should do it. But they can't. Dumars wants McGrady. Hinrich is good, not sure he's better than Alston, but he's good. Steve Blake is a full rung below Rafer, imo.
 

Steve Blake is a better (more consistent) shooter, an intelligent playmaker and can get all the players involved. What makes you say he is below Rafe?

Bill Ingram:

 Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Rafer is the best PG in the league. Not by a long stretch. What I'm saying is that with McGrady and Artest as his wingmen he's perfectly capable of being a championship PG. Kenny Smith was never a star until he played with Dream.

If the Rockets could get Billups without giving up one of the Big 3, no question they should do it. But they can't. Dumars wants McGrady. Hinrich is good, not sure he's better than Alston, but he's good. Steve Blake is a full rung below Rafer, imo.
 

1st team all American lottery pick Kenny Smith?

The same Kenny Smith that averaged 17 ppg 8 apg shooting 46% from the floor and 36% from 3 in 88-89 with the Kings? Nearly identical numbers to his first season in Houston and better than nearly any other season after in Houston. Come on. Kenny Smith was a very good player before he ever came to houston. He was a well schooled excellent shooter before he ever got to the NBA.

Rafer Alston has always been a terrible % shooter with poor shot selection every place he's ever played and Houston is no exception. At one time he may have been the best backup PG in the NBA but the chances of any team winning a title with him as their starter are pretty darn low.

Bill Ingram:

 I've got an article on Rafer running this afternoon - be sure and check it out. I will argue until I'm blue in the face that Rafer is absolutely the most underrated pg in the league. Once you get past the elites - CP3, D-Will, Parker, and maybe still Nash and Kidd - Raf is the absolute best of the second tier. They'll keep Battier because he can step in when McGrady's injury pops up and because he's phenomenal off the court.

You relize you just implied you belive Rafer Alston is a better PG than Calderon, Baron Davis and Billups? Put down the pipe dude.

I'd also argue he's clearly inferior to Andre Miller, Mo Williams, TJ Ford ,Tony Parker. I'd also take Hinrich even though he had a terrible season last year .

 What makes me say it is Rafer's play during the 22-game streak and beyond. The Rockets needed him to step up and he did in a big way. If it hadn't been for Rafer, we wouldn't have made the playoffs in Yao's absence.

As for the Kenny/Rafer comparison . . .what I was saying is that Smith, like Alston, never amounted to much in the NBA until he was running the Olajuwon-centric offense. He never would have gotten a title with the Kings or Hawks. In many cases it's the situation that makes the player, and in this case Alston is outstanding in the Houston system under Adelman, whereas he wasn't as effective in other places and under other coaches.

Bill Ingram:

 What makes me say it is Rafer's play during the 22-game streak and beyond. The Rockets needed him to step up and he did in a big way. If it hadn't been for Rafer, we wouldn't have made the playoffs in Yao's absence.

As for the Kenny/Rafer comparison . . .what I was saying is that Smith, like Alston, never amounted to much in the NBA until he was running the Olajuwon-centric offense. He never would have gotten a title with the Kings or Hawks. In many cases it's the situation that makes the player, and in this case Alston is outstanding in the Houston system under Adelman, whereas he wasn't as effective in other places and under other coaches.

He stepped up in a big way? How so?

Feb stats 13 games 14 ppg 7 apg 43% FG 64% FT 37mpg

March 15 games 17 ppg 4 apg 39% FG 34 mpg

Season 13 ppg 5 apg 39% FG 34 MPG

I don't see a huge step up. Maybe I'm missing something.

Even if you take his stats and combine them over those two months you still can't make a case that he's better than Calderon, Davis, Billups or even Mo williams.

The stament that Smith never amounted to much before dream really isn't a valid comparison. Before Dream he had very productive seasons as a focal point of an admittedly poor kings team. 17 PPG 7 apg and 46% shooting isn't "nothing" and that was on a crap team. Alston meanwhile has never consitently produced like that no matter where he's been.

Take a look at these numbers. The rockets are outproduced by the opponent at only ONE poistion night after night. Even I was a little shocked that given their weakness at PF that this was the case but PG is their biggest weakness.

Alston simply isn't that good.

He ranks 32 among PGs in a/to ratio. Far below guys like Jason Williams who are supposed to be poor decison makers and really poor considering the amount of playmaking TMac does for them.

He's 20th among PGs in FG%. In fact among qualifying PGs on 1 shoots worse.

He's not all that good at running an offense, he's not much of a defender and he's a terrible (and always has been) shooter.

To be fair about his shooting, it isn't terrible. He just takes way too many shots. When it is falling, it is falling (he has had some games where he could not miss). Most of the time, it is bricking.

That is why I would much rather have Steve Blake. The kid can shoot, and he is an intelligent playmaker. Neither are much to rave about on defense. 

 No his shootiong is terrible. I don't know anyone can say that a guy who is at MOST a 3rd option can shoot below 40% year after year and be considered anything but a terrible shooter. When 6 out of every 10 shots you take DON"T GO IN year after year after year and you aren't being double teamed  you are a terrible shooter. The stament can't be denied when you compare him to a guy like Mo Williams who shoots a higher % but has only 37% of his jumpers provided by assits while Rafer has over 50% of his jumpers created by other teamates for him. You've already told us you think a PG who shoots 44-45% for his career is a poor shooter so I can see how you can possibly consider Alston anything more than a TERRIBLE shooter.

Alston is 31st in the NBA among PGs in PER efficiency. How you guys can continue to say how solid he is is beyond reason. He's simply below average there really sin't any way to dispute he's below average let alone say he's at the "top" of the 2nd tier.

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/hollinger/statistics?sort=per&qual=true&pos=pg&seasonType=2&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fnba%2fhollinger%2fstatistics%3fsort%3dper%26qual%3dtrue%26pos%3dpg%26seasonType%3d2

Alston is also a very poor fit for a Rocket's team that wants to win a ring with their current cast. Before anyonesays it I am NOT saying Alson is the worst player in the NBA or that he is "useless" he could be a very useful backup but you have to look at his skillset that's been proven over the years and the team the Rockets have built.

Yao is a 1/2 court player. That can't be disputed. Alston is a poor shooter and is much more effective pushing the ball than running half court sets. He is not even close to the guy you want running a C dominated 1/2 court offense. Artest wants to iso and post up not run. Even Tmac has basically become a 1/2 court player and has assumed much of the playmaking duties. Scola is a 1/2 court playernot a runner. A poor shooting PG with only average decsion making who is more comfotable in a full court game is NOT what you want with this group. If they could get a Derek Fisher and move alston to the bench they would be MILES better.

All I said was when his shot is falling, it is falling. He had that game against the Lakers where he made 8 of 11 3 pters. Yeah, very terrible.