Hey, Rafer! You suck, ya jackass!

We are only 27 days from the start of the Houston Rockets' regular season (where we host Memphis at 7:30pm that Monday night). Which means we need to re-declare something:

RAFER ALSTON SUCKS!

Whew... that felt good!!
For some reason, I haven't felt compelled to say that in a while!

Why now? Maybe it's because John Hollinger agrees with me.

Biggest Weakness: Point guard
The Rockets have four-fifths of a championship starting lineup and a championship-caliber bench. Also, they have Alston. While he was better last year than in 2006-07, he's pretty clearly the weak link in an imposing starting five. Alston is a solid defender and dribbler, but he hasn't shot over 40 percent in four years and opponents feel free to gamble off of him to double Yao or McGrady. Finally, he's 32, an age when many quick guards start losing it.

You see, I'm not the only one who thinks knows he sucks...

Yes, I still say Rafer needs to be traded. The Rockets are going places this year, and I don't want drunky mucking everything up. I'll even risk the inevitable midnight threats from Rafer's mom -- Rafer sucks and we need to get value for him while we can.

Or, in other words... "don't pass to this guy, he sucks!"

YOU SUCK!

(note: anyone who thought I might have softened my stance on Rafer in the offseason clearly hasn't been paying attention...)

Word of the day: "hyperbole"

I've been inundated with e-mails the last day or so claiming that I'm being overly harsh to Rafer Alston. Which surprises me because I actually said something nice about him on Wednesday. All kidding aside, yes, I know I'm harsh on him. Yet it's nothing new. The tone of this blog has always been to critique and criticize if/when appropriate - and often when it isn't. Rafer has always been our whipping boy. Ever since post #1.

Every single time we've tried to be nice to Rafer or give him credit for not being mediocre - he goes and shoots 3-18. Or has 7 turnovers. Or participates in the Philly Debacle. So I can't trust the guy. Consequently, I make over-the-top posts comparing him to Towelie, or Warren Harding, or I say that he would be beat by a chick-with-a-dick (which, by the way, got me directly linked by NBA.com).


The word we are looking for is "hyperbole".

hy·per·bo·le /haɪˈpɜrbəli/ [hahy-pur-buh-lee]

–noun
1. obvious and intentional exaggeration.
2. an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity.”

Has Rafer played better lately? Yes.
Has Rafer improved on his November/December performances? Very much yes.
Is Rafer the starting point guard for a team on a 20 freakin' game winning streak?!?! Oh, hell yes!!!

Is Rafer an All-Star? No.
Is Rafer a career 40% shooter? No.
Is Rafer going to ever catch a break from the writers of this blog? Probably not.

Do I have to be nice to Rafer? Uh, no. Sorry. Not going to happen. Not even if we win 37. In a row. Which would be a record or something.

an interview with Rafer?

An inside source (and possible fan of this here blog), directed us to a video interview with none other than our personal whipping boy favorite Rockets player ever, Mr. Rafer Alston.

Without further adieu... Rafer Alston on HoopsTV online.

(whoa, they even linked to us - kick @$$!)