If the Rockets don't make a move for a PG by the time training camp starts I'll assume that they plan on Stevie being part of the rotation or atleast plan on giving him a shot. I doubt Morey would let a team with legit championship aspirations go into a season with a second year player who is undersized and hasn't shown that he can run things even in the summer league as the only viable backup. Head has shown that he can't manage the point either offensively or defensively and I doubt the front office is going to take a risk that a good trade will fall into our laps especially since we don't have a 1st next year. I'm not saying its a sure thing, but its looking more and more like we haven't seen the last of Francis
Brooks will get minutes and barry can play spot minutes at pg. There's no place on this team for steve.
I don't think it's a sure thing that Brooks will be getting regular point guard minutes. I think Francis and Brooks will compete for it during training camp/preseason. Depending how Francis returns, I kind of favor Francis winning that competition, plus he's a veteran and I would like a veteran back up point guard on a championship contending team.
so many good memories of stevie i really hope he can bust his ass this year and be 6th man of the year!... i know i'm a bit optimistic but i have that feeling this is going to be one hell of a year!
Yea, a second year, undersized player and another guys "spot minutes" sure are gonna fix those point guard problems we had last year. No need for a former allstar on the team, gee golly ur right.
Is it really so absurd to think that Francis can quite possibly come back and put in an effective +/- 15minutes per night backing up Rafer? Is it crazy to believe that a rehabilitated, 6'3, former all-star can possibly do a little better job of backing up Rafer than Aaron Brooks? Should we Stevie supporters all begin contacting our local insane asylums to see if they have space available? "...way out in left field, blinded by an unrealistic romanticized hope." HUH? (scratching head...)
Thanks, I know I'm right. You can remain in denial like the rest of the francis lovers but don't start crying on these boards when the same thing happens as last year when I was proven correct. Francis is no longer an nba player and should not be in the league anyone. He should just retire and quit embarrassing himself out there.
Actually what did SF3 did last season that says his a flop? he only played in 10match with 3 starts and 3 games with 11minutes or less, and still he managed to get 5p, 2r, and 3a in 19mpg. A:T is 2:1 ratio, only significant drop from career average is the shooting %. His 3p shooting is bad, and he knows it by limiting shot attempts. His lack of understanding of the RA's offense is understandable, as he misses much of training camp. He no longer ball hawk, and he is no trouble being at the very end of the bench. And just when RA trust his game, and he starts 3 games, his injury stops his progress again. If he can get in better shape than last season, he still have a lot of game left.
What the f**k? I promise most of you guys don't know anything about BBall, most probably don't know how to play. If you watched when Steve played last year it was more of his style of play that didn't fit this offense and he was lost trying to fit in. Then when you add in that he was out of shape and had knee issues (that should have been taking care of a couple of years back) that was his problems, not skill or ability. He showed you in spurts what he is still capable of, but he just couldn't sustain it because he was hurt and out of shape. If he comes back motivated and healthy, he will be our best PG on the team. Is he motivated? That is the question, not if he can still play because any real BBall player should know he can just from watching him last year and putting everything in perspective(his knee, fat, learning new offense that don't fit his style of play). With all that said, if Steve can find his niche in this offense he will play. I still think Rafer will run the offense better, but Steve will be perfect for the 2nd unit and end of games. If he play in a system like Pheonix or Golden State I bet he would do good. I'm not saying he would return to the '99 Stevie, but he would be legit and a threat.
I don't know if it's the knee issues that caused this or not. But the two games that Francis started against Toronto and Philadelphia were 2 of our worst games of the season. Steve could barely get the ball past half court , he would back down his man and as soon he got past half courthe stopped his dribble. Also he passed up WIDE open 3's , reallly wasn't a threat at all if he was left open. The other game he started against Dallas he was horrible , something like 5 turnovers and 1 of 8 from the field , just kept forcing the issue and driving without knowing where he is going. Steve played just 64 games the last 2 years , he can;t dunk anymore (at least not last year) and he lost a ton of quickness , and his game relies on his athletic ability a lot. I would say there is a higher probability that he will stay the same , than go back to what he used to be 2.5 years ago , especially based on some party pictures where he looked skinny in his face.
There are many here that are taking the safe route and betting against Steve, that way they can say "I told you so". That fact of the matter is that nobody truly knows his physical condition or how his knee feels. What many are forgetting is his heart and determination, Steve doesn't back down, has a tremendous self pride and carry many chips on his shoulder. I'm sure he's not ready for his NBA career to over, he's back home(Houston) and he has the opportunity to play for a championship team. My feeling is that Steve is going to leave it all on the table to prove to himself and all the naysayers wrong. That includes YOU! If I'm wrong, I'll will surely put my foot in my mouth, But I don't care, I believe in Steve. What's funny is that there's many here that would rather see a undersize Brooks run backup PG. From my point of view he didn't show us squat lastyear and we had to bring in Bobby Jackson for the playoffs. But yet you guys would rather go with a undersize rookie for a championship team. Brooks is probably the fastest guy on the court, but he's still to small, they say he has a nice shot but we didn't see much of that last year, and play making? So instead of a hoping for a veteran that has a proven track record, that was the leading scorer and playmaker of a playoff team, that has been down in the trenches and a former all-star, instead of wishing for the best and supporting him, you would rather go with a undersize PG. You haters make no sense!
The last time I was at a clutch fan get-together at a gym, the guys did pretty well..even the ones in their 40s, even against the gym rats that spent their every living moment at that particular rec center. I came to this thread looking for an update on Steves rehab. He was supposed to start running in August, and there has been little news since then. Everyone has an opinion and uninformed ones are everywhere..such as the "quote" above. As far as whether Steve fits the Rockets current scheme, I would defer to the coach and GM who brought him in, and they do know something about Bball .
