Another fast forward thread. Rudy is replaced with Larry Brown, and we land Snow to boot. If we are one and out (handedly) next year, and Steve, even with a real PG still dominates the ball and doesn't make the correct decisions in the 4th Q ... at Playoff Go To time. If Brown at interviews during the playoffs is saying, "Steve is a great player, but we need him to play the right way." Which is exactly what Brown says year after year about Iverson...then, What Price Francis, if Larry and Snow failed to do better than 1 and out, handedly?
I think Steve moves off the "untouchable" list after next year if there isn't at least 50 wins and a playoff series win...
I'll preface by saying this. Brown, Snow, and Iverson would barely make a dent out west, they would be 6-7-8 at best. But I guess playoffs or tradebait is my answer
Definitely no more than another year for Steve to prove himself. I don't care what position he's playing. There are guys in this league who are great at putting up huge numbers but do nothing else in their careers and then there are winners. Steve has yet to prove he's anything other than the former.
It depends on how much Francis improves. If there is marked improvement, sort of how Stackhouse improved in Detroit or how Iverson has improved, then we give him another year. If he stays the same or digresses (like this year) then we try to move him immediately. The Rockets shouldn't wait until he becomes like Sprewekk and doesn't command as much value. There are other factors- like free agents, players on the trade block, salary cap, Yao Ming's play, which also go into it, but it comes down to how well Steve plays.
what do u mean..hes already proved he can hit shots in the clutch and that he'll change his style of play to fit the teams needs..like it or not hes our best player and the main reason we were even thinkin playoffs this year
I give him as long as it takes. We signed him to the Max. I think he has it in him to lead this team. Hopefully, for the sake of this organizations future Steve will show up next season improved and ready to lead.
even though it would frustrate the hell out of me, i'd give steve 3 years at the shooting guard. why? because, even if we traded him, based on the scenario you provided, we would not get a franchise type player in return. and i don't think yao will be ready to fully carry this team - on his own - until about 2-3 years from now. i hope i'm wrong on that time table, but that's what i expect.
I may be in the minority, but I'm more than willing to wait 3 years for this team to develop into a championship-caliber team. It's worth the wait. How long did we have to wait before with Hakeem? Just thinking about the potential of this team with all the raw talent it has...
oh, one more thing: if toronto EVER offered vince carter for steve francis + throwins...all bets are off. he'd be gone faster than a "wink"... carter & ming? i'm drooling..........
I think it depends on his role with the team. If this team decides to put the offense in the hands of Yao then I think the pressure of putting the team in the playoffs should fall there as well. If they put the offense in Steve's hands then that's where the pressure belongs. Also, it depends on what moves the Rockets make over the summer. That being said, he has to improve over the next couple of years.
Hell, basketball is a business. The general rule of trading is whichever team lands the best player in the trade gets the better end of the deal (of course, there ARE exceptions). So if you can package SF to get a TMac, Kobe, Duncan, KG type player, then my ears are open. But then again, there is something to say about loyalty. So my answer is there is no time table. Propose a trade, offer up someone who's at least been to the all star game twice, and gives me more value than SF and I'll think about it. But it better be a good trade, because my fans appreciate all stars with longevity on the team.
i already have given up on him. he used to be one of my favorite players, but this year i grew tired of watching the out of controll, stupid playground, no defense, no floor leadership play of the "franchise". this was the year that i drew the proverbial line in the sand w/ francis. after 4 years in the league he has failed to show that he has the mental ability to lead a team and be a REAL superstar. last summer we all heard all the talk about how he was ready to take it to the next level and step up and be a leader. "no more excuses, we will get to the playoffs this year", ect. we heard how he sought out jordan to get advice on how to be a winner, leader, ect. he even went to c.e.o.'s of major corporations to talk about leadership. so it wasnt from lack of trying, i just dont think that he can or ever will "get it". and how much of this can we put on rudy t? i think he set expectations too high from day 1. remember that comment to the effect that steve could be the best ever to play his position, said before steve even played! rudy t gave stevie (and cat to a lesser extent) the keys to the team before he even proved that he knew how to steer a car, so to speak. at this point i would say that although he is a good scorer, he is a lousy point guard and probably wont ever become a good one. w/ steve running the team i dont ever see us making the playoffs. i dont think moving him to the 2 is the answer either, but i wont get into that here. of course, i realize that he aint going anywhere for a while. as long as rudy t is w/ the rox steve will not be traded. to trade him would be an admission of a complete and total failure on rudy's part. he has invested too much in him to trade him now. so thank god we at least got yao cause w/ out him i would not have much hope for the rockets for a long, long time.
a word of advice in this world: dont drink and post guys give clutch a break he cant deal with all this damn wasted server space, them spring branch guys have a short temper like scottie brooks, so make sure your thread is worthy.
I cannot agree with the '3 years for results out of SF at the 2' because he has been a two position hybrid guard for the term of his career. I think we all know what he can do as a lead guard, and what he can do as a shooting guard; that's why the movement to shift him to the 2 is as strong as it is. He makes neither intelligent nor instinctive point guard moves on the court, but he has prodigious athleticism and his mid-range jumper is coming along nicely. I would give him a full season plus a trade deadline, at most, to produce results commensurate with his hype and contract.
They don't have 3 more years. You forget about the new arema. Les & Co. can't wait 3 years to fill up that place - the economics simply aren't there. As things now stand, there will be no interest or buzz about this team going into the 2003-2004 season which will generate problems putting people into the 18,500 seats and selling the 90+ luxury suites. People will not plunk down more money to watch the same old ugly boring basketball that the Rockets have served up for the past 4 years now - much less endure 3 more years of this crap.
