Let's go with the Francis is gone theory I do not see us getting great value for him. Honestly . . . i think JVG will make us like the Knicks of old playoffs but nothing much . . . . . but won't get us over the hump Rocket River
I miss the days when Rudy was our coach and Steve was the vocal point on the team. I agree that Steve is not meshing with the team right now, but I can't help thinking that it's all Gundy's fault. I want Jeff Van Gundy and all of his Knicks out of Houston yesterday.
I miss the days when Rudy was our coach and Steve was the vocal point on the team. I agree that Steve is not meshing with the team right now, but I can't help thinking that it's all Gundy's fault. You are correct...it is absolutely Van Gundy's fault. He's putting Yao in the post instead of on the perimeter. That's what's hurting Francis' game. Now the question is: "Would you do anything differently?".
that's b/c Rudy let Francis and Mobley roam and shoot as much as they wanted to. JVG wants to have SOME kind of say in what they do. that's called coaching. Rudy was very VERY good to and for Cat and Francis but they abused that relationship...mainly Francis did. and now that there's a authority figure (more or less in JVG) Francis doesn't like it. go fig.
Sorry man. Were Houston and we deserve the very best in point guard play. For 11 million, Les Alexander should. We're not too sore about Posey. Game on. Last ight in NY and I'm still checkin in here.
I am completely biased with regards to this topic, Stevie is my favorite player and has been since we stole him from Vancouver. I really hate to imagine a team with Yao being our only marquee player simply because the guy has no personality to speak of (aside from the grimace when he gets punked by lesser players). However, I recognize that Yao has the skills to be a dominant player and possibly one of the best at his position. All of that being said, the team as it is now is not going to compete for a title. I personally think that it would be a shame to trade Steve simply because you dont get players like him every day. I put much of the blame on JVG for the problems that we have had integrating Yao's and Steve's games. JVG himself said before the season that a coach doesn't have a system, he develops one to fit his players. I wish that he would have stuck to that philosophy rather than mold us into a hybrid of the Knicks and his buddy Fratello's Cavs when our players are not suited for that style. I 've said it before and I'll say it again, why not dust off the offense that Rudy used when we had Clyde and Dream? Clyde and Steve play a similar game and Yao at times can be as effective as Dream was. What I dont understand is how we play so well at times and others it looks like we just threw some strangers on the court. Why do we completely change styles of play from game to game? If Steve or Cat or whoever doesn't follow the game plan, call time out or sub them out and get on the same page. That is the job of the coach. Finally what I think we should do after the season. We have to go after Wallace with the exception money. Second, trade Cato and Taylor for a legit 3 and a decent backup 1 (Eric Snow/Aaron McKie?). We then draft a 3 (I like Darious Rice and Christian Drejer) and 4 (Arthur Johnson or Jaime Lloreda?) and get ready for next year. Steve/Snow Mobley/Jackson McKie/Drejer Wallace/Spoon or Lloreda Yao/Lloreda
i don't want to start a war of words but here goes a rebuttal: -everyone wants to put the blame on JVG for steve's regression this year. how about putting some blame on Steve not fitting into his coach's system? Steve should realize that he's not good enough or big enough to have the whole team revolve around him. A good player is one that has all the talents and skills. A great player is one that has all the talents and skills and works with the system. -the problem with implementing the 'in and out' system rudy used is this: 1. Yao is not fluid and great down low like Dream was. He's got the potential but it'll take some time before he draws TRIPLE teams like Dream did. 2. Steve is no Drexler. Steve will never be a Drexler. Clyde knew how to play the game, was a good shooter, and played good D. -the reason that the Rockets have an identity crisis is that they tend to lower or heighten their game depending on who they're playing. we ALL know that. i was watching Duke play it's 1st round matchup and the commentator said something like "Duke is great because they play against themselves. It doesn't matter who they play, they fight and play against themselves. They always play at a high level because they expect a lot out of themselves'. This is, of course, not the Rockets. Title contending teams goes into games 90% of the time with the goal of beating the other team...not only thinking about beating the other team. We rise to the occassion against the good teams and then regress against poor teams.
What ever happend to having fun while playing the game? Jeff Van Gundy's game plan might be enough for the Rockets to make to the playoffs this year, but he is taking all of the fun and excitment out of it. The guy needs to open it up a little bit for crying out loud.
true. i agree that the Rockets have been a bore to watch AND JVG needs to smile. but i rather have a coach with some sort of game plan than a coach that doesn't. and besides, look at our players. they don't exactly have 'explosive' or 'spark plug' or 'highlight reel' in their resumes besides the possibility of the one guy we all want to trade.
JVG needs to build an offense around SF and Yoa. It is what he is being payed to do. Why can't we just be happy with making the playoffs?
No Worries: He's done that. When Steve follows it, and is able to shoot at all, we win. When he doesn't, and isn't, we lose. This goes to sydmill's question too about why the offense changes from game to game. Does anyone here think JVG's changing the offensive the system from game to game? Which is more likely? That JVG's sending mixed signals or that SF's having a hard time fitting into the traditional PG mold necessary to serve a system with Yao as first option. Does anyone here disagree with the contention that ball handling, turnovers and an inconsistent offensive scheme are our main problems? If so, who leads the offense? Who starts every play? I love Steve. I've said it many times and I'll say it again. I never got what people saw in EG but I always got what people saw in SF. I'll be a fan of his when he's with another team and performing up to his potential. Whoever said Yao had no personality is nuts. He's one of the top personalities in the league, one of the most sophisticated players (probably the most sophisticated at his age) and a nigh philosopher to boot. It's not just fundamentals -- he actually thinks, and thinks deeply, about the game. That's the opposite of Steve. I'm down with the Allen-Barry combo if we can make it happen. Especially if we can do it without giving up Cat.
This is what frustrates me that people do not understand. Sure we can run that offense and Steve will get his opportunities, maybe even score 20ppg. But how does that fix anything? It doesn't bother you that as a point guard he has no clue how to run a fastbreak? It doesn't bother you that Steve is possibly the worst passing point guard in the entire NBA? It doesn't bother you that the zone defense completely renders Steve Francis ineffective? It doesn't bother you that a simple high school pressure trap completely rattles him? Furthermore, he and Clyde DO NOT play a similar game. Clyde could post up, run the fastbreak, had some of the best court vision in NBA history, rarely turned the ball over, and was a reliable set shooter. Except for their tendencies to play above the rim, I really see no similarities.
steddinotayto - agreed that steve is no clyde and yao is no dream. although i did say that we should run that offense of rudy's what i should have said was that that was an instance where a post player and a slashing wing complimented each other. i often wonder why jvg never puts yao in the high post to direct traffic since he has such skill with the pass and at his height can see the entire floor. that would seem to be an effective way to keep yao involved in the offense without tiring him and giving players like steve and cat scoring opportunities. i am not a coach, but if all i had to do in life was come up with a way to maximize the production of two allstars i think i could do it.
While getting a true PG seems to be the most obvious move this team needs to make, I'm still worried even more about our DYSFUNCTIONAL power forward situation. They either can't shoot, can't pass, can't play D, aren't big enough, can't jump, and are turnover prone... as a threesome, Spoon, Cato and Mo-T may be the most flawed bunch there is. I would welcome trading Steve to whichever team has a high high lottery pick... and then using that pick to draft Okafor in the draft. He was projected to be #1, but his back spasm problem will likely scare a few teams off (not to mention the continued drooling over HS projects that will continue to occur)... and the Bulls, Wizards or Magic would all gladly welcome Steve to their team. You draft Okafor, get a decent PG for the MLE, and you see championship in no less then 2 years. Okafor is going to be great... a SMART kid, with great basketball knowledge, already a top defensive stud, and an emerging offensive game. And if that wasn't enough, he's from Houston, he values loyalty, and he'd be the IDEAL complement to Yao for the next 10 years. I have a feeling that if the Rockets are looking to deal Francis, this is a guy that they must absolutely try all-out to get for him.
The few games where Steve seemed to have gotten the picture about the JVG offense were VERY fun to watch. But they probably weren't very fun for Steve to play. He'd have more fun being the first option for another team. I'd have more fun with a Rockets team that moved the ball around effectively, didn't blow every single fast break and took advantage of its greatest strengths.
