Alston arrested in New York...

[VF21]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/sports/5089192.html

Rockets point guard Alston arrested in New York
By FRAN BLINEBURY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Rafer Alston's long, hot summer continues. The Rockets point guard was arrested early Monday morning in New York City on charges he slashed a man's throat inside a nightclub.

It was the second bust in three weeks for the 31-year-old Alston, who was arrested on Aug. 5 in Houston following a confrontation with a parking attendant after his car was towed.

The latest incident occurred when a member of Alston's entourage got into an argument with 41-year-old Wilbert Ashman at a trendy nightclub called Stereo, according to the New York Post and Daily News.

The argument turned into a brawl and, according to Ashman, he was slashed on the right side of his neck. Alston was arrested and Ashman later picked him out of a police lineup.

"I'm really upset about it," Ashman's wife told the Daily News. "I can't believe it. I was like, 'Oh, my God, your throat.' "

Alston was unavailable for comment. The Rockets are preparing a statement.

A bouncer at the nightclub told the Daily News that Alston and his brother were involved in a fight, but that nobody was stabbed.

The previous arrest came after Alston reportedly shook and spit in the face of a downtown Houston parking attendant after becoming angry that his car had been towed. Alston said then that the charges were exaggerated by "individuals who stand to profit."

Alston is an eight-year NBA veteran and just finished his second season with the Rockets, where he started all 82 regular season and all seven playoff games. Alston averaged 13.3 points and 5.4 assists and played more minutes than anyone else on the team during the 2006-07 season.

Since the end of the season, the Rockets have traded for Mike James, drafted Aaron Brooks and signed free agent Steve Francis, all to compete for Alston's job.

fran.blinebury@chron.com

 

[VF21]

This is not gonna get better and I cannot imagine Rick Adelman allowing Alston to step onto the court in a Rockets uniform as long as he (Rick) is the coach.

 

[HndsmCelt]

Unforunatly this is prety typical behavior from Alston. He was a thug who had no buisness playing college ball when Tark smuggled him onto the CSUF squad and he had more than his fair share of problems here. VERY tallented player but has really never been able to shake off his past as streetballer and thug and has had great trouble fitting into organized ball.

RA can sit him, the Rockets can suspend him, but Im not sure any team will take him now, if he were more of an asset he might be worth the risk but some how I can't see very many GM's willing to risk their seaon, their team and their reputation Rafer Alston. Sad waste of tallent.

 

[PurpleHaze]

With a nearly everyday criminal thug saga in U.S. professional sports when are paying dearly for such entertainment/huge salaries (as opposed to college and other amateur sports) going to say ENOUGH is ENOUGH and chuck the whole deal?

 

[supamari0]

the evidence on this has been pretty shady though. There were no witnesses and apparently alston has multiple alibis and others to confirm where he was.

So I'll wait before I make any real judgements on this.

But yes Alston definitely is having a bad offseason.

 

[supamari0]

Unforunatly this is prety typical behavior from Alston. He was a thug who had no buisness playing college ball when Tark smuggled him onto the CSUF squad and he had more than his fair share of problems here. VERY tallented player but has really never been able to shake off his past as streetballer and thug and has had great trouble fitting into organized ball.

RA can sit him, the Rockets can suspend him, but Im not sure any team will take him now, if he were more of an asset he might be worth the risk but some how I can't see very many GM's willing to risk their seaon, their team and their reputation Rafer Alston. Sad waste of tallent.

Don't group Rafer with a bunch of other idiots. He's done dumb things but the guy was a model citizen for two years. He's handled the offseason very poorly and you have to fault him for that but the guy worked his tail off constantly and was always one of the first in the gym.

But come on, he's not a thug and everyone in houston thought very highly of him during his stay and really he acted completely different from when he was in Toronto. Even talking to the media after we signed Francis he seemed fine and was apparently really looking forward to going to Miami (in a possible trade).

Rafer isn't Telfair or Eddie Griffin. He shows up and plays hard. His problem is that he's a mediocre point guard who can't shoot and aovids contact like the plague when he drives to the basket. That's why a GM would avoid him.

 

[Mr. S£im Citrus]

So you're suggesting that there are no significant character issues with Rafer Alston? None?

 

[HndsmCelt]

Don't group Rafer with a bunch of other idiots. He's done dumb things but the guy was a model citizen for two years. He's handled the offseason very poorly and you have to fault him for that but the guy worked his tail off constantly and was always one of the first in the gym.

But come on, he's not a thug and everyone in houston thought very highly of him during his stay and really he acted completely different from when he was in Toronto. Even talking to the media after we signed Francis he seemed fine and was apparently really looking forward to going to Miami (in a possible trade).

Rafer isn't Telfair or Eddie Griffin. He shows up and plays hard. His problem is that he's a mediocre point guard who can't shoot and aovids contact like the plague when he drives to the basket. That's why a GM would avoid him.

Actually Skip To My Loue is very appropriatly grouped with other street ballers who struggle in the NBA. What HAD seperated him was his work ethic, but going back to his brushes with the Fresno PD and his 4 teams in in 6 years Alston has been troubled at best. I liked his game in college and hoped an NBA carer would help make him more coachable and less of thug off the court. He may have become more coachable but as for his off court behavior its caching up with him.

 

[supamari0]

So you're suggesting that there are no significant character issues with Rafer Alston? None?

No he was a complete idiot in Toronto. And he whined his way off the team. But based on his time in Houston, the guy was a model citizen. (well until now)

He did absolutely nothing wrong and the coaching staff (while complaining about his play at times) always praised him as a person and his work ethic.

He's an idiot and a fool and clearly assaulting someone (something he did earlier) clearly deserves scrutiny. But from teh moment he landed in Houston, he never did a thing wrong. He basically disappeared from Houston when we signed Francis because that was basically the signal that he was done and I think it screwed him up and the old Rafer came roaring out.

There's no justifying what he did. (and if he pulled a knife on someone then same with that too) But in the right situation, he as a great guy and the same goes when he was in Miami.

Either way its a semantic disctinction. What he did was wrong but from what I saw for two years here, he was anything but a thug. (at least while he was here)

 

[Double-K]

But then again, the Rockets didn't really like him among all the PGs they've gotten this year and wasn't plan to start him now anyway, no?

 

[supamari0]

But then again, the Rockets didn't really like him among all the PGs they've gotten this year and wasn't plan to start him now anyway, no?

Nope he's worthless to us. That's part of the problem for Rafer. Once he got the idea that he wasn't wanted, he just disappeared and starting returning to his old ways. I think he's the kind of guy who just needs a support system and a situation that is comfortable, hence why he worked well in Miami and Houston and why he did terrible in Toronto.

Hopefully he gets his act together