Those are two of my favorite players on the team, so you're putting me on the spot, heh. But they bring such different things to the table, I don't really see it being an either-or thing... I think both could get 20 mpg or so. I'm still not convinced we have any real plans to keep Rafer around and solidly in the rotation for very long.
Are you serious? Man maybe he ain't the same player as he was several years ago but come on. We NEED this guy. Damn he is unbelivable when it comes to drivin' to the besket. We have shooters, but we need to have guys like him who just has to be agressive, make the game easier. And remember his mid-range game is still pretty good...
Head's D is horrible and we saw it last year. At least Steve will attempt to take his man out. Head continually lets his man post him up at will. Steve is a much better rebounder and finisher in the paint. CLOSE THIS THREAD QUICK FOR SUGGESTING SUCH A THOUGHT.
Unfortunately he has been unable to do that for his entire career. It's kind of like wishing Shaq would come in and shoot 80% + from the free throw line this year. It theoretically could happen, but it's certainly not very likely. Steve is a much better scorer than Head if he is allowed to dominate the ball, but this team has too many other better options for that to be the case in most games. When SF isn't dominating the ball he usually looks lost. Head on the other had is great at moving without the ball and taking shots within the flow of the offense, but sucks at creating his own shot or running the offense. As long as Bonzi and Mike James and Rafer are all playing competantly I expect both SF and Luther will be fighting for the minutes JLIII got last year.
I am absolutely serious. If we "NEED" Steve Francis, this is going to be a long, disappointing season, and I don't anticipate that. Francis is a shell of his former self, only he doesn't know it. I can just hear the whining and b****ing when Adelman's rotation is set and he's on the outside looking in. The fact is--this offense requires intelligent play. Francis has never shown the ability to think on the court--he's all about instinct and natural talent. Now that his talent has receded, he's not much use to a title contender unless he's willing to accept a reduced role. History shows he has not responded well to that.
We'll see what Adelman will decide but I'm sure about one thing - Steve should stay. I'm not sure about him also, i'm not sure if he's not gonna break the chemistry. We'll see. But his game could really help us.
I'm a Steve Francis fan and I am happy that he is back in Houston. But the team's success comes first, and Luther has shown to be the better fit so far. If things stay the way they are Francis will be buried on the bench. Mike James is performing better than Francis and Alston is actually outperforming both. Steve has no chance of taking minutes from McGrady or Bonzi. But this is still just preseason. What happens during the season and who contributes in the playoffs is what counts.
just saw the post game after the second preseason griz game and bullard and worrell forgot to mention head as a possibility for the rotation. i hope it was just an oversite on their part. luther shouldn't be overlooked.
I don't know what Francis does so much better that would compliment the rest of the team. Head at least can shoot the ball and cut the basket at will. You can work with that. Francis needs to dominate the ball to be effective. Maybe he can be like a Vinnie Johnson type player, but how the hell do you have him in there with McGrady and Yao at crunch time? Head should get more minutes.
It's too early to say just what Francis will give us, in my opinion, but you certainly get the "lurker of the month" award! And you can spell. Please post more.
One offensive system isn't going to always cut it. I thought last year should have taught yall by now. When it comes down to it, you are eventually going to have to change it up to keep the defense off balance. That is why guys like James/Francis are very key to this team because they bring in a different style. It just gives us that many options. It's no different from when we put Yao back down in the low post or giving the ball to T-Mac and let him create. It's not going to be high post offense ALL the time. Too much of one thing and you become predictable. You have to keep the defense on their toes at all times.
Come on guys, Stevie is a better player than Luther Head. Yeah, luther can shoot 3's better, no WAY better than stevie, but thats not the whole story. Its about shooting, passing, dribbling, defending and basketball IQ. Overall, Head is nowhere near steve francis.
I wish Luther had Steve's ballhandling skills (without the over dribbling) and I wish Steve had Luther's shooting stroke, but their minuses are too much for them to be reliable. I can forgive Luther not having a PG vision, but the highlights I've seen from Stevie this preseason about his lack of passing and drive and dishes is worrisome, especially when you got good finishers in Yao and Luis, and Hayes too around the basket. I'd keep both on a short leash.
Head is entering his third year, all his metrics suggest he will keep improving on offense and defense. Francis may have been an athletic PG who could rebound well, but don't let that be mistaken for him being a good defender. Fact is, one guy is going up, the other going down. Neither can run the point very well, and if you look at the skill-sets we need--shooting, penetration, and 1-on-1 defense--and narrow it down to that, it's my opinion that Head wins out this year and every year henceforth. Francis may still have a slight edge on dribble penetration, but we simply can't quantify his "heart" because he's never had a chance to use it, seeing as how his teams were always so bad they were never in enough of a position to require clutch performance with something real on the line. So kudos to the Rox for getting their nine straightened out correctly. Francis will be there for when somebody goes down.
Why don't you just be happy we got him and the team is gonna rock. I got nothing against Luther and I know he'll get his minutes. Francis will get his minutes in the season too. As for your vitreolic posts about Francis. Get a life.
Well Luther looks a lot better now. Last year it was only about shootin' a 3-pointers and sometimes a stupid, crazy drive. But looks like now ha has more basketball IQ. Look he make him defender offa dribble, he can drive to the basket and make his shoot and he looks good on pick 'n' rolls. I'd also choose Luther, but that doesn't mean I don't miss Francis
People kept saying that whenever Steve would go in there, the offense would stall. Well, Francis didn't even play and the offense looked pretty dead out there. Not to mention there were times when guys just held the ball too long and ISOs. But since it isn't Stevie, that makes it OK.
