best since franchise.... id say he is definatly playing better than stevie did but franchise consistently played good inconsistent ball for a few years...once lowry finishes this year and keeps his pace ill easily rank him above francis...
Franchise??? Lowry is way better defensively and way more efficient than Stevie. Lowry is what we all wished Stevie had been. I don't have a good feeling about #3 right now. Very sad and worried about him.
Most of you guys are freaking nuts. Did Francis drive us all crazy? Hell yes ...mostly because the dude had so much potential and never matured. ...but that's also a coaches job. But you'd be the worst GM in the league if you pick Lowery at his prime over Francis at his prime. You'd be laughed out of the league. Seriously! I agree with some of you that Lowery might be the better "pure" PG but who gives a crap about tha? In any draft, you take the best available player and Francis had SOOOOO much more raw talent than Lowery. I'd take my chances with bone head Francis than an over acheiving Lowery every day. The Holy Grail in the NBA is to have a go-to person who can always get a shot off in the final two minutes of a game. Period. All GM's want that player. If you could only put in Lowery and Francis, you'd take Francis every time and if you don't your nuts. <Granted, Francis would probably dribble the ball of his foot ...but assuming he didn't, he is by far a better basketball player ...granted not as good a PG>
If you want potential, Francis. If you want wins, Lowry. The Iverson for Billups trade would be what we get.
Knowing in hindsight how Francis never really learned how to play the point guard position effectively, I would take Lowry. Then I would look for another star to pair with Lowry. I just don't believe you can be a really successful team with Francis as your point guard.
I read this on some other blog : if some guy has been on fire for a year, as kyle lowry has, its time to accept the fact that he's just that good. I would only take cp3, rose, wall and irving over klow, considering age/health/contract situation right now. that being said, if you can get a true top 10 player at any position for him and another piece, I wouldn't hesitate to let him go. lowry is a classic trade high candidate as his value will never be higher than now.
Right now, Lowry has been the best player on a team that is a little bit above .500. Steve Francis, in his prime, was that also, despite his limitations. The guy was really talented. If we compare their supporting casts, I would say that, on some occasions, Stev achieved his a-bit-over-.500 seasons with less help. However, I agree with durvasa that I'd rather have Lowry because Steve's "dribblemania" tendencies also probably caps how successful his team can be to a-bit-over-.500 even if he had good players around him. This is why the Rockets eventually traded him for McGrady, I think. Lowry seems to know how to make better use of teammates talents.
Francis was a better scorer. As was Cassell. So its hard to compare Lowry to those guys. It all depends on what you need. Kyle Lowry is putting up some good offensive performances though, but he could never finish like Cassell and definitely not like Francis. Outside of that, I'd pick Murphy above him. So that's the group of 4. I wouldn't say where Lowry fits in because it's just way too early. Hard to tell if he is just on a tear or if this is continued improvement. Seems like it could be the later...but I will wait and see.
Good point. Francis might be able to carry a team a bit farther than Lowry could, but that's it. Francis belonged to the sort of players including Iverson and Tyreke Evans (not saying that they are equally good). They are talented enough to make a poor team somewhat respectable. But their style cannot mesh well with another star player. So if you have a guy like that, you are bound to be a mediocre team because they can only thrive by playing a one-man game. Lowry's style, on the other hand, can play with other great players. That's why I'd take him over Francis any day. BTW, Calvin Murphy was a SG. He played PG at the beginning of his career, only because of his size. But they quickly realized that they wanted him to shoot rather than pass. Calvin was one of the greatest shooters of all time. Aaron Brooks is very similar to Murphy (without the old school toughness).
If you pair Cassell with a star, that team will go places. Look at the Twolves, Bucks, and Clippers. He was too old when he joined the Celtics. Cassell's confidence level and clutchness were obvious from the very beginning <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/qunCpYSvnqo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> I say Cassell was in his prime when he was with the Bucks. One of the best mid range shooters ever. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zhtMHCBlYYU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
No doubt Francis was overated. As soon as his athleticism died, his career followed.....he was all athlete and no brains. DD
