Raptors Trade Rafer for Mike Jaaaames (Article)

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> The Toronto Raptors have traded troubled point guard Rafer Alston to the Houston Rockets for point guard Mike James.

Alston, who signed a six-year deal with the Raptors before last season, was involved in several controversies last season. He threatened to quit the team and the NBA after a Dec. 3 game in Boston and was suspended by the Raptors for two games for conduct detrimental to the club after he walked out during a practice.


Alston averaged 14.2 points and 6.4 assists in 34 minutes per game last year.

The defensive-minded James has just two years remaining on his contract. Though not as electric on the court as Alston, James has some scoring punch and was a big part of the Rockets playoff push last year</div> Source

I'm really happy about this trade for Mike Jaaaaaames. He is a very solid point guard, more stable than Rafer and his contract is up in two years. In that time there is a chance that Roko can come from Europe and start right away.

 

This is one of the best deals Babcock has made. Relish this moment, Raps Nation, Schaddy is praising Babcock

Rafer, well, he's crazy. I think that any deal that gets rid of him is addition by subtraction. By bringing in a good guy like James, that's a very good move. Not only is James a very good stopgap and a team guy, he isn't so good that the Raps have to be uncomfortable giving Ukic and/or Calderon playing time. Good trade for the Raps. It won't mean too many more wins for Toronto, but it's excellent for the clubhouse and solid for the future.

 

Haven't seen too much of James, but seems like a good trade to me. Rafer is way too emotional and erratic and would be detrimental to the younger players on this team.

 

nooooooo omg
how can BABCOCK DO THIS
SKIP is SOO much better than james
argh i hate this trade

 

I like the fact the Babcock realized that he made a mistake by signing Alston to that long of a deal and he corrected it relatively quickly. Good job Babs.

Y'think there is more on the horizon?

 

Damn, Alston was my 2nd favorite raptor player.
Other then fiscally I don't see this as a good trade
With the raps luck, james is gonna get injured and alston is gonna blow up like carter did.
James isn't a good fit with the raps. He's not pure point guard.
I guess Babs thought Rafer really was gonna be a discration.
O well. Dosn't matter in the end I guess it probably ain't gonna change the anything in the raps organization. Still will miss playoffs, bad defence, no rebound help.

 

If it weren't for Mike James, the Rockets wouldn't have been half what they were last year. Skip is going to be a strange case for Houston, though...
Mike James is spirit and emotion instantly. He can drive an offense and hustle his hind-end off for upwards of 30 minutes. This is a good pickup for the Raps because he's relatively young, too. I'd have to give James the MIP this year.
Remember I said that.

 

I like this trade for Toronto. When Alston was around, it wasn't really fitting in well with the team on and off the court. I know you guys will miss all those crossovers and fancy moves, but not enough to get back Alston. Also, now you have a more capable shooter and a more experienced player getting back Mike James. He's also not as wild as Rafer on offense. You're also getting a better defender in Mike James, too. Nice move by Babcock today.

 

i still can't believe it..
i was actually pretty excited for the upcoming season
because of the determination bosh, mitchell and skip have
but now arghhhh

well it's good from caderlon's position
he'll have a good chance to develop

but mike james sucks

 

Rafer isn't going to blow up like Carter, isn't going to happen.

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">James isn't a good fit with the raps. He's not pure point guard.</div>

And Rafer is? The way I see it, we get less flash but better defense and consistency plus cap relief. I just wish Babcock didn't sign Rafer in the first place (especially not to a 6-year contract). Another one of his bad moves that he's trying to make up for.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Eclipse:</div><div class="quote_post">Rafer isn't going to blow up like Carter, isn't going to happen.



And Rafer is? The way I see it, we get less flash but better defense and consistency plus cap relief. I just wish Babcock didn't sign Rafer in the first place (especially not to a 6-year contract). Another one of his bad moves that he's trying to make up for.</div>


I'm just saying that if they were gonna trade Alston they shoulda gotten a more pure point guard. That's what the raps (and half the nba teams) need
Plus Alston was 11th in the NBA in APG. That's almost 3 more then James per game.

Plus Rafer had slight advantages in rebounds and points.

But James does have advantages against Alston i guess (like feild goal %) and defence

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting PlaTsanity:</div><div class="quote_post">
but mike james sucks</div>

you obviously dont know much about james if you're saying that. he's a good player, and an upgrade at PG as far as im concerned.

skip may be one of your fav players, but hes too streaky of a scorer, and takes ill-advised 3 balls all the time. i loved skip too...but im all for whats best for the team, and i think james will be an improvment. the last thing this team needs is more off the court distractions, and skip wsould be providing enough of those.

james can SCORE too...i like his shot, and he can create off the dribble as well. a bosh/james pick and roll will be an nice weapon

 

I have mix feelings on this trade. While I like to see Rafer his contract and his issues go away, I really wanted to see how he would fare this season with the Raps. He said that he's settled things with Sam and their relationship is great. He also reviewed the game tapes from last year which shows you he's determined. But oh well, that's the NBA. Mike James is a solid addition, I don't know if he'll start the whole year though.

 

This is a good trade for both teams. I have to stick up for my boy mike james. He is solid with great defense. he can penetrate, dish, score and be a good team leader. toronto will get a toned down version of alston with a more level head. Houston will get a more emotional version of james with better court vision.

 

<div class="quote_poster">Quoting bigballa:</div><div class="quote_post">
Plus Rafer had slight advantages in rebounds and points.
</div>

Rafer does have more assists but James averaged 5 minutes less than Rafer for the season so their points/rebounds per 48 minutes is pretty much negligeble.

 

i'm going to miss skip, but i think this is a move that had to be done, just hope mike jones can contribute... also this probably means A-Dubb is back in action

 

Im with PAP, i have mix feelings about this trade. I didnt really expect this, but i know that he's a great shooter and he's pretty similar to rafer in terms of scoring. I would have liked to see how skip would do this year with the raps though.

 

I don't know much about Alston, but I'm rockets fan that's here to tell you that you guys will love Mike James.

 

I kinda thought that Rafer would play more consistent in his second year as a starter, and I hoped to see that. However, if Babcock wasn't sure that Rafer could manage the starting spot I'm fine with a deal. I've seen James play before, but I'm not that informed about his game. Is he starting material? Has he ever started before? Can he consistently perform?

Also, is this deal straight up or are other fillers added in?

 

James is starting material in the right situation. With the rockets, we already had our main scorers and only needed james as a spark. I think that with toronto james can start and give them the 2nd or 3rd scoring option. His defense is good too.