I think hes actually referring to the person that posted that message. And I agree with him, saying once he gets in shape, he will start is pretty stupid. You don't go from bench warmer playing zero minutes to being a starter. Maybe if Francis Fans posted rational replies, instead of the normal Rafer Sucks!!!! Start Francis!!!, it wouldn't be as annoying.
Quote: Originally Posted by SMUSMU First and foremost we are ALL Rockets fans. We are all not going to agree on the same thing, but this is our team. So I ask the question, "Is it wrong to be a Steve Francis fan?" From 1999-2004 he was all we had. It was not until we traded him, and rightfully so, that he became a hated man in Houston.T-Mac made us forget how important Steve was to the team. T-Mac is one of the 5 best players in the league and he would have done that to just about any other player in the league. Until we drafted Yao, who was skilled but very raw, there was no reason to show up to the Compaq Center except for Steve. So the true Rockets fans know true this is. He was not the most efficent player in the league, but he was OUR GUY. Steve had to many accomplishments to name in this thread, but one that always sticks out in my mind is Yao vs Shaq I. We all know the hype surronding the game and Yao had a good start( The first 4 points of the game and a block on Shaq). All of the hype overshadowed Steve scoring 44 points and leading us to an OT victory. I doubt anybody would have complained that night if we cheered "WE WANT STEVE". I really think we would have made the playoffs that year had Rudy not had to step down because of medical reasons. Now the newbie Rocket fans know Steve for when Van Gundy was hired. Well in Van Gundys offense he needs an efficent PG, we all know Steve is not that. He did not fit in Van Gundys system, so we had no option but to trade him. I am a HUGE Francis fan, but even I would have made the T-Mac trade. It was a no-brainer. T-Mac made a lot of people Rockets fans, just because they were T-Mac fans. I say all of this to say, do not jump on the Steve Francis fans. We just want him to know that he is still appreciated in the city of Houston. He did not show up in shape, he thought just because of his name he would be a starter. When I heard him say it on the radio this summer, I knew it was going to be trouble. Then when I saw him in the first preseason game, I immediatley noticed he had put on a few pounds. He needs to work and get back in the rotation. Should he get Mike James spot, of course not. But at the very least he should get the minutes Luther Head is playing. It is not much but it would give him the oppurtunity to get in game shape. It is not like Luther is lighting it up so far. And we all can sit here and debate if he should be starting in front of Skip. I personally think he should, but that is for another day. I love this site, I love this forum, I just wanted to state my case, and where else could I do this. Only on CLUTCHFANS. Thanks Clutch for making this possible. BTW, WE WANT STEVE!!! WE WANT STEVE!!!!! WE WANT STEVE!!!! Thanks, SMUSMU I couldn't have said it better.
to hell with reading numerous pages of nonsensical bull*scottyquitten* what i feel is wrong wit the francis situation is. during games when i see him he's sitting on the bench like he has a snicker bar in one hand and a beer in the other lounging. you have guys who dont even have jumpsuits on getting off the bench and clapping like crazy but someone who is supposed to be the "X" factor on the team is acting like a puss... Steve i know you read this damned board so hopefully this can be some motivation for your sorry ass... get off of it and start working out do some sit ups, do some 6 inches, do some crunches, do some damn wall sits, run a mile, do some jumping jacks, swim, jog to cuttino's house, run to the damned TC and Practice center if you have to. Us REAL rocket fans want to see you play but we dont want some washed up has been guard version of Shawn Kemp we want a healthy Steve Francis get your ass in shape so u can get some PT get your court vision game up and when u get on the floor make the time worth somethin!
Numerous threads about Steve Francis I was glad we got him back,but we all agree that guy must get in his shape and that's it. Be realistic,don't panic he'll play. He is no Vassilis Spanoulis you knoW
great post. people forget the pre yao days at the compaq center. with steve,cuttino,moochie,mo tayloy, walt williams and cato. hopefully steve can get back to that all star callibur, well at least be a great 6th man
I never thought Francis was the future Hall of Famer that some thought he was when he was here before. If he could dominate the ball he could make some highlight reels, but many NBA players can do that if given the opportunity. He did have incredible hops, great rebounder, deadly around the basket if a dunk was available, and a passionate player. I never believed that even in the peak of his athleticism that he was a top twenty player. Obviously, that is clearly the case now. NEVERTHELESS, I do feel for him. O.K., maybe he was irresponsible by not being in top condition. Yes, he didn't look great in pre-season. BUT, he is not a scrub and I don't think he deserves zero playing timel. I would think he is at least worthy of some spot duty. The guy has had a rough few years, I certainly take no joy in seeing him humiliated. I hope someone is encouraging him. I thought Aldeman grossly mishandled this situation; Francis deserved better than hearing about his "non-role" in the media.
My answer to SMUSMU's question: There is no problem to be a Steve Francis fan, but there is problem for those fans that called for Francis' head to roll and be waived, as well as there is problem for fans to demand Steve Francis to start or play now. Steve is not ready to play. No one knows it better than Rick Adelman, our coach. You can't jeopardize the Rockets winning chance by playing the out-of-form Steve Francis now. But at the same time, we should not write off Steve Francis so easily. We should never ever under-estimate the heart of a champion. Yes, as I posted else where in another thread rebuking Buzz1701's weird logic asking Steve to be waived, http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showpost.php?p=3217086&postcount=61 He'll return, and Rick Adelman will play him, and as Mike James said, he will be our secret weapon !!
This is pretty much what I was thinking. I don't blame the coach for not playing Francis when he is not in the game shape, but do have a problem for bad mouth him in front of the media. The guy used to be a top dog here, scarified more money to come here, he deserve better than being humiliated in public by his own coach. Not cool at all.
I just want to remind people that Francis has been on lottery bound teams the majority of his career. He has never been on a team this good before. The biggest misconception about Francis fans is that we think he still the same player he once was. Not true. We know Franchise isn't the same, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Steve is in a much different situation this time around. He no longer has to career the team on his back. His teammates are not Moochie Norris or Clearance Whetherspoon. Nobody is saying to start Francis right away. But give him some time and he could be very valuable off the bench.
i hope Steve keeps his spirits up and works on the aspects of his game that currently keeps him off the rotation. its way too early to second guess RA and we are winning so when his time comes here's hoping he takes off like a Rocket! GO ROCKETS! GO SF3!
But steve is not old.He is as old as Rafer,if my memory didn't betray me.What he did in preseason is also not very bad.He return HoUs is beacause he love rocket,not for money!It is wrong to love him?Give him a chance!He is better than rafer. Sorry for my bad English.
I don't think the coach publicly humilated him. Rick was asked about Francis's role and responded. If he had not commented then there would just be more questions every day as to why isn't Steve playing than there are now. You don't get minutes in the NBA because of what you used to be, or because people feel sorry for you. Some of you act like both JVG and Adelman distribute playing time based on who they would rather go grab a beer with. If you can't beat Rafer out for the starting role, and you can't earn the starting job on 3 lottery teams, then there is probably a reason you aren't playing that goes beyond the coach "not liking" you. Maybe that will change during the course of the season, but it certainly won't change because of how many times people post about it here.
Pretty accurate depiction of my thoughts on this subject. Well thoughtout and articulated, however, this has been discussed before. Making this thread a retread to some extent.
