What makes a Superstar & is Francis one?

He's a natural SG. I believe he'll be a great SG. I don't understand why people are worried about his lack of size as a SG at the defensive end. He can't defend a PG and he can't defend a SG. what' the difference?

 

let's see him make the playoffs just once before we start throwing around the superstar label.

 

According to your logic:
SF defend a PG: bad defence
SF defend a SG: bad defence+height disadvantage

This is a BIG difference! Without good defense, you will let T-Mac and Kobe score 50 points! On the other hand, very few PGs can score more than 30 on SF.

 

Steve Francis is not a superstar. He is a star on reputation, athleticism and potential. Not on the court performance.



Steve has consistently made mistakes every single year with little or no improvement in his decision making, passing ability and ball handling.

We have been making excuses for him now for going on 5 years and superstars don't need excuses made for them.

We have all seen games where Steve took over and single handedly won the game...even against the Lakers last year with Shaq. That is what is so completely frustrating. Steve has the tools...that is all except one...the brain.

Steve Francis is his own worst enemy and last year when we were in the last two weeks of the season and a 1 game lead on Phoenix for the last play off spot Steve played his worst ball of the year and of course the Rockets lost three games in a row and fell out of the play-offs by 1 game.

Steve Francis is not a super star. He is a legend in his own mind and play grounds around the country but he is no Superstar.

 

iOrange, I know you made you statement early on, but by the looks of things you are in the minority if you said you thought he was a superstar.

In response to:

1) PG's typically are not the top scorers on teams, SG's are. First year players and players and guys who rarely score go off for 25-30 pts on Steve in a wink. When you put a smaller non-defensive Steve against a team's #1 offensive option, it will get really ugly really fast.

2) Just b/c he can't play D against a PG doesn't then make it okay to play him at another postion and get torched worse.

Hell, since Steve does not play D and no one can play regualrly stop Garnett, Shaq and Duncan, just let Steve cover them???

Think about what you are suggesting and tell me how ugly it would be to watch Francis cover:

Kobe, Finley, Pierce, Carter, Magette, Latrell and others. Those guys would drop 50 a night on Stevie

 

I think championship teams must have point guards who can be in control of the offense without any effect from their emotions. Basketball is the only sport in which the counterpart on the other team is playing against you directly. Baseball and football doesn't have this. QB doesn't play against QB. If Stephon was going into the tank yesterday, but it was someone like Joe Johnson going off instead, Steve doesn't make that foul at the end of the game. Yao comes out of the game in the 1st quarter. Suns coach immediately calls a play to have Stephon Marbury drive to the basket right past Steve making him look like a statue on defense. Who thought that was a coincidence? This would not be a big thing if Steve wasn't the primary ball handler, but I think it's gotta be killing Steve in his mind when he's bringing the ball up the court. Every single coach in the NBA will attack Steve on defense not just because it is a great way to score but also because it affects Steve on the offensive end too. Attack Steve and keep him flustered. Was John Stockton ever frustrated on the court? He seemed to be like a robot. Decisionmaking is greatly affected by a person's emotions.

Eric Snow, Bibby, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, and Steve Nash all have great control over their emotions. Jason Kidd beat up his wife, but that was a long time ago. He seems to control his emotions on the court well. It really wasn't until Kobe got control of his emotions on the court that the Lakers started winning everything.

 

I have said this many times before.....

Steve Francis gets by on athletic skills alone....his understanding of the game is severly lacking, and once his athleticism deteriorates he will be out of the league.

Players like Stockton, Mark Jackson etc..etc..etc...can get by on average athleticism because they are savvy......

Steve Francis is a great athlete and a less than average ball player.

Once that fades, he is toast.

DD

 

Francis is not a superstar, and this team realizes that. That's why we're trying to mold him into a damn good support player for Yao. Someone who can take over, but otherwise is in cruise control and attracting attention all the time. He's tryign to learn when to take his shots, when to take over, when to punish the defense, and what intensity he should bring to the court in certain situations.

 

...and the longer Houston waits to break up the guard triumvirate, the more time it will take Yao Ming and the team to recover from the on-court, off-court chaos.

At some point, you have to question how Jim Jackson has been so ineffective in Houston (following his performance in Sacramento). The problem with the offense in Houston starts with the players who handle the ball most.

If no changes are made, the first person to go (from a losing team) will be the coach.

(If nothing else, the new president at Rice University and his wife are excited about watching Yao Ming and the Houston Rockets -- not the Steve and Cuttino Show.)

[Side Note: Houston is attracting a lot of transplanted NY'ers: JVG, Pettitte, and David Leebron.]


University (Wishing on a Star) Blue

 

What makes a basketball Super Star? Hmmm....

With an admitted "Old School" bias, four things come to mind.

1) An obvious physical advantage for the position one plays. For example imagine:

* Jordan at 6'1" instead of 6'6".
* Kevin McHale an inch shorter with normally a proportioned arm length.
* Doctor J with a normally proportioned hands and less "hops".
* Magic at 6'4"

For todays players, I would say Shaq and Garnett and maybe Dirk are on a short list of the "physically gifted".

2) The ability to "see" the floor. Magic and Jordan could. So could...

Isiah / Stockton / Bird / Kareem / Walton / Tiny Archibald

For todays players, Nash, Kidd, and Vlade (among others) come to mind quickly.

3) An unmistakable but justly deserved level of self-confidence. Old Schoolers which come to mind...Barkley, Big Game James Worthy, Joe Dumars, and to some extent Moses Malone are examples. Perhaps Reggie Miller fits here as well.

For todays players, Kobe (ugh, that hurts) and Paul Pierce come to mind. I'm sure there are others but I'm drawing a blank. I just don't see Vince Carter or McGrady as having proven anything...yet. Michael Redd could get there someday.

4) Drive. No other way to put it. The desire to overcome ones physical limitations coupled with the burning need to succeed. Though not the tallest nor strongest Center in a era of very good (dare I say great?) big men, Olajuwon is almost singularly the best example. Barkley and Bird are worth mentioning.

Among todays players with that characteristic are Iverson and Tim Duncan. If there were a 2nd tier, I'd have to include Kirilenko. Many posters hate him, but Kenyon Martin plays with passion and drive. (Not calling Martin a "Superstar" justing using him as an example).


From my list, I'd have to say Steve Francis basically only shares "drive" with the Old School "Stars". But he should take solace in the fact being a Super Star is no guarantee of getting a ring. Ask Sir Charles!

 

Not a baseball fan but I thought Pettite was from Deer Park?

 

By my definition a star player is someone who makes the other players around him better. I'd be lying if I said that Francis makes others around him better.

 

SF doesn't have the IQ to be a superstar. He doesn't play smart, period.

 

That's what I've been saying in the past. People here live in their dreams, are fooled by the flash stuff. A good athlete does not equal to a good basketball player. This league has always had great athlete, but not that many became great basketball players.

Francis is a terrific athlete, but an average bball player. Everyone makes to this level has talent, majority of them can score 20+ a game if given the opportunity, just look at Murry, Zach, j. O'Neal, Mobley. At the the end of the game, you are evaluated by how much you win, not your individual stats.

So far, Francis hasn't prove he could be a winner YET, but I'm still hopeful.


--daoshi

 

Francis never was, isn't, and never will be a superstar. A superstar is a guy who surrounded by a couple of good, not great, players and a few good roles players gives you a shot at a championship. Even if he's surrounded ony by a bunch of fairly average role players he'll get you into the playoffs year in and year out. Francis isn't anywhere close to that. Right now, as a PG anyway, Francis is trying to become a role player, and an overpriced one at that.

 

The difference between superstar and star is the difference between iverson and francis.

francis is good, but not a superstar. he, like ray allen, has the stuff to become one, but isn't one, yet.

 

51:2 Ouch!

The masses have spoken! Now Imporer Alexander must take action!

 

Exactly, he's no superstar. He was given the franchise lable and has yet to earn it. Name one superstar who hasn't taken their team to the playoffs?