I just heard that point guard Mike James is gone, traded straight up for Toronto’s Rafer Alston. My initial reaction was shock and disappointment.

I really liked the energy James brought to the game, his quickness getting past defenders, and his ability to light it up a la Vinnie “The Microwave” Johnson, or even Bobby Jackson. Remember that playoff game against Dallas on May 5th (7-for-11, 22 points) when he was the only guard the Rockets had, other than T-Mac, who could give the Mavericks problems defensively during that series? I thought James would really be able to create some matchup problems in 2004-05.

Despite Alston’s controversial run-ins at Toronto (click here for a story that references it), his stats are impressive. Last season he was 11th in the league in assists (6.4), while James only had 3.6 assists per game. Here are some other 2004-05 statistical comparisons:

Minutes per game: Alston - 34, James - 25.1

Points: Alston - 14.2, James - 11.8 (give James 9 more minutes per game, and he would have matched or exceeded Alston’s PPG)

Steals: Alston - 1.48, James - .88

FG%: Alston - .414, James - .441

3-point %: Alston - .357, James - .386 (second on the Rockets bench last season).

In summary, the Rockets get more steals and assists (isn’t that what we got Derek Anderson for?), but they lose in scoring and shooting accuracy. The loss of James will make the already-struggling Rockets’ three-point shooting even more suspect (see story written below in “Are you ready for some basketball?”). Alston sounds like a Jeff Van Gundy type of player to me: low scoring (not always fun to watch), but a solid passer and defensive player. I liked the speed and flair that James brought to the game. I hope the Rockets know what they are doing. They usually do.

See what others are saying about the trade in the YaoMania! Fan Forum.

Read the Houston Chronicle article about the trade by clicking here.

Yao, T-Mac and Rockets owner Leslie Alexander pose for a traditional photo on Media Day at Toyota Center on Monday, October 3rd. Click here for more photos from the day’s events.

by John

TUESDAY, 10/4/05 - Yesterday was Media Day at Houston’s Toyota Center. Every player attended, including Bob Sura who came in on crutches after having knee surgery last week. According to Sina.com and Raymond, our correspondent in Hong Kong who translated the Sina.com article, players like Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady were accompanied by more senior Rockets executives, while the rest of the players were led by less senior staff.

Every player was interviewed individually, with Yao being the last one to be interviewed. As expected, Yao’s former interpreter Colin Pine has moved on to greener pastures, and Yao fielded all of the questions himself.

When asked what his biggest improvement was since his rookie season, Yao responded, “My English,” which drew laughs from the crowd. He politely asked some of them to repeat their questions since many reporters in attendance were from all across the USA who had different accents that were more challenging for him to understand. He wittily put aside his embarrassment by asking, “Do you now miss my interpreter, Colin Pine?”

Yao vowed that he will be the new players’ role model for the new season, and a good role model will be absolutely obedient to Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy. When asked what he needs to do personally to improve this season, Yao said, “Do what coach says.”

When asked about the progress of his off-season ankle surgery, Yao said, “I am 100% fully recovered. No problem whatsoever. I think I can play with full strength in the new season with my new feet.”

Yao went on to say, “I had sufficient rest throughout the summer. The feeling was great. This was my first summer that I had that much of rest. I am now full of energy, and I am at 310 lb. My bosses (officials and coach at the Rockets) are all saying great things about me. I look forward for better results for the Rockets in the new season.”