I can't even go through the rest of your post. Is your name ricerocket because you studied there or just because you eat a lot of that stuff?
He does have a point about yao missing alomost the WHOLE training camp, while francis misses a flight. He didnt have to miss the game. But you cant put the bame on yao on that, because it is manditory for yao to play with the chinese national team. He still is a citizen of china.
the oilers sold at 110% capacity for 8 straight years before Bud said they were moving to Nashville. the entire report submitted by Coopers & Lybrand at the request of the Oilers was that demand had exceeded supply in the Astrodome. the Oilers did very well here...much better than many franchises throughout the league. it is no suprise that houstonians didn't show up to watch a team rebuild so they could be good somewhere else.
Racial slurs! - BRILLIANT! Inquiring about a name of a poster as a way to make a point - PRICELESS! Plane flight to PHX - 1 hour time to gametime - 28+ hours Team activity on Flight day - 000000000000 Oh, except you get to watch the biggest sports event in the world away from your hometown with every bigtime sports figure and media throngs everywhere. Cost: Fine 000000000000 Game Pay - 1 Loss - 1 Do the math idiot.....
you have clearly never played team sports on any meaningful level. the whole rest of the team found their way there...why?? because their coach said so. that's all you need. you can draw lame ass comparisons to hitler all you want...i'm more concerned with a player getting paid max dollars on this team and being the only one who can't get his happy ass on a plane with the rest of the team.
Uh, dude, everyone here knows your agenda on Van Gundy, but you are really taking it to new heights (or really new lows) in this thread. So, in your perfect little world, ricerocket, who do you feel should coach Francis? Someone who is one of his "dawgs"?? Someone who will let him do whatever the hell he wants despite the fact that he is making a king's ransom with his salary. Yup, that is a great way to prove that you are a max player - do whatever you want to do, teammates be damned!! I am Steve Francis aka Stevie Franchise! I must watch the Super Bowl because I am all about flash and not about being a leader or being mature enough to know how to become one! But, hey with fans like ricerocket, I can always show management that they made a great decision by making me a max player! There is the possibility that Van Gundy might have felt that the team needed a bonding experience and watching the Super Bowl together would give that, but I know you would never see it that way. And what does Van Gundy know compare to Steve? I mean it isn't like Van Gundy has taken teams with less talent than the Rockets to the playoffs, and Steve has us in the playoffs every season. Oh, wait a minute, I guess Van Gundy has done that and Steve has yet to step foot in the playoffs. Whoops. I could type some more stuff but I can't because I want to puke on my computer screen after reading your inane diatribe.
I didn't say I gave up on him. I agree with you that there is still hope. Let me clarify my point ... SF's decision making in this incident belays his lack of commitment and effort toward the cause of winning basketball games. Look - by how many games did the Rox miss the playoffs by last year??? Talent - is NOT going to carry this team to the playoffs. It will be effort - commitment and selfless play. Yes, there is still hope that SF will increase his level of commitment and his effort to that which is required to turn his many talents into wins for the Rox - or just coast to a well paid and distinguished career - but one where he is NOT regarded as a champion. It's that simple - the gauntlet has been laid down - he's been called out. Will he to take it to the next level? This year we will know the answer.
Sir, are u are saying SF should be regarded as an officer? And are we to infer that he did not lead correctly? Because I would consider JVG, to be the figurative officer.
Why do you even say something like this if you refute what you're trying to say with the following sentence, farhan007? Your attempted rebuttal makes me think that you know Steve was wrong. I don't know which is worse, Steve turning his back on his team, or the select few here that are trying to somehow deflect Steve's wrongdoing.
First off, just because you make more money doesn't mean you don't have the right to a personal life. I'm sure people that make 15K a year think people that make 60K a year should be so happy that they work nights and weekends all the time with no complaints. But if you're the one making 60K a year, you know you deserve a personal life. This is a guy that by all accounts has never had any problem like this before. JVG is an ass and I would not like to work for him. I just believe if there is a practice or a scrimmage or game, tell the players when to be there. No matter how they get there, as long as they show up at the appointed time, they are doing their jobs. And spare me this crap about chemistry. These guys sleep on the damn plane and spend time in their individual hotel room s while on the road. What so chemistry inspiring about that? JVG decided to punish the players for their losing streak by taking away the Super Bowl which I'm sure many of them had made plans for and put out money for long before JVG was even hired. But like I said. It will definitely backfire. Why the hell do you think Miami sucked for so long? Because no one wanted to play for Riley. So no matter how much cap money they got, they couldn't spend it. Same with Chicago. Now, same with Houston. If you think any of the top tier free agents will come and play for JVG and be called out in the media after every single game you're nuts. After these contracts are up, none of these guys will resign here. The Rockets are going to end up just like Miami.
Lets end this little misconception right here. JVG took a team that had been going to the playoffs for years and kept them in the playoffs. That team could have made the playoffs in the weak east with just about anyone as a head coach. So don't make it seem like Van Gundy turned the team around. And when it looked like his talent level had dropped to where the weren't going to get in the playoffs, did he stay and try to scratch it out? Nope. He quit. With no warning or explanation.
Let's get the story straight. The reason Miami couldn't sign FA's was the $20m/yr it had tied up in Zo and the huge contracts of Grant and Jones. It had very little to do with NBA players' feelings about Riley.
I thought this thread is about Steve Francis. I suggest you start a thread with your take(s) on JVG - you might find it therapeutic. Hitler? Cancer? Horses ass? Control freak ego?
I would bet that the team takes Steve's side over Gundy's. It sure looked that way last night (as well as in the papers). Like a team that didn't want to play hard for their coach.
How do we know SF didn't tell JvG he was staying in Houston but could leave on his own right after? That's wrong, but so was the suspension. Just fine him and win the game. JvG wanted to start MJ. That failed miserably. He took a chance at showing SF up. It failed. The plane rflight mid day Sunday was just not necessary. It was a ploy for some other reason. I don't know that reason, but it looks like a way to show SF up to me. I agree he should go as a matter of principle. But what he did didn't hurt the team. He knew there would be some punishment, but suspension at the expense of a loss for something harmless if they don't suspend him (he flies out on his own) - that's the point - just fine the guy and win
Question: How many coaches have ever taken a #8 seed to the finals? Answer: One. Guess what his name was Juugie? I will give you 3 guesses.
We had already lost 3 games last week because a few of the Rockets players were clearly focusing more on the Superbowl festivities than on getting W's. I think it was time for Van Gundy to take a stand and try get this team refocused. We will see... But Steve made his own selfish decisions, and he has to suffer the consequences.
