Question: Would the Rockets be better if steve did not go for the rebound? On defense just rotate back on offense just shoot out and await the outlet Hard to measure becuase I'm not so confident on our front court rebounding .. . . . Rocket River
Consider how many offensive rebounds the other team gets even with Steve rebounding, I would say no, he should not stop rebounding.
All things being equal I would rather Yao and Cato do the rebounding and then outlet pass to Francis for fastbreaks and easy baskets. Probably too much to ask at this point.
That article DD posted quoted JVG as saying that our big men aren't cutting it when it comes to rebounding, forcing the guards to pick up the slack. I would rather we find big bodies to pick up the rebounding slack. Tyrone Hill and Charles Oakley sound better than Alton Ford.
It makes sense that Steve goes for offensive rebounds instead of shooting out for outlet pass. Because JVG tries to slow down the game as much as possible. And also, What's Steve gonna do once he receives a half court pass from Yao or Cato? A TO is more likely to happen than an easy basket. Our guards should never worry about defensive rebounds.
IMO, Steve should forget about defensive rebounding. 1) After the opp shoots, he should just leak out, break up court. At first, we may lose some rebounds but we should ask our SF to help with rebounding, not PG. On the other hand, most of the time, Steve won't get a good outlet pass, but if he would get 2 or 3 a game and score, it would force the opponent to over- react and rotate more men back for defense. That will alleviate our problem with defensive rebound. 2) On offense, if Steve is right under our basket and the ball bounces to him, he should get it. Otherwise, rotate back. We are doing a good job with defending the break so no change is required here.
If Steve stops rebounding, then all the Steve lovers won't be able to say "20-6-6" every time you suggest that he isn't the greatest thing that has happened to basketball since the jump shot.
i used to think he should leave the defensive boards to the big boards, now I'm not so sure, he still can't run a fastbreak so i don't see the point of him staying away from the paint and looking for a long/quick outlet
because he is of a breed WORSE than a YAO - Only Fan He seems to be an ANTI -[inputplayerhere] - FAN Rocket River
honestly i'd rather see tripple doubles on assists, steals and points than turnovers, points, and rebounds. i think we really need a point forward.
I bash Steve because he is WAAAAAAAY overrated and I want to educate people that just because he puts up numbers (see the 20-6-6 comment above) or is voted to the all-star team does not make him a good player or a winner. I bash the people who support him with crappy evidence like 20-6-6 or starting all-star because that is no way to tell if a player is really good. I can tell that he is not great by watching him play. I am not an anti-Steve-fan, I am a pro-Rockets-fan, and the best thing for the Rockets would be to get rid of Steve while the getting is good (ie. coming off an all-star start and being in commercials) and not waiting until he is putting up mediocre numbers and appearing nowhere, thus driving down his value.
Steve Francis should Pass 1st, shoot 2nd (where did I get that idea?), focus on defense other than defensive rebounding (e.g. stay in front of his man, get some steals, and force tough shots), and worry about rebounds last.
Face it. Even if Steve is willing to pass, he is just NOT capable of making plays. You can see Steve really wanna "pass first" occasionally, but the possession usually turns out to be missed shots or TOs. Steve as a PG is just like forcing a beast to be a vegetarian. This doesn't work.
Guards getting the defensive rebounds is not that much of a hindrance to the fastbreak. Magic Johnson and Jason Kidd are good rebounders. But they still lead great transition offense. It's more about what you do after you get the rebound. I watch Magic play in the Showtime Lakers. He often snatched the rebound and immediately dribbled out as fast as he could. By that time, one or more of his teammates would be ahead of him running down the court. The opponents would be scrambling back. When he reached mid court, one of his teammates would be in scoring position. And he would go full speed to the hoop, forcing the defender to commit and then either made the right decision at that time. In contrast, after Francis gets a defensive rebound, he always slow down and wait for all his teammates to clear out from the back court and then walks the ball up court.
Good comparison. I don't think Francis has confident to make quick decisions on the break now. Its like JVG said before the season started "Players have to want to run". There is lil the coach can do to force the issue. However, Francis' zealous for grabbing rebounds is a problem sometimes. Case in point: At the end of the Seattle game, Antonio Daniels grabbed a huge offensive board off a missed FT. If you look at the film, prior to that, Steve came charing in from behind the free throw line to attempt a rebound. If he had just stayed at home, and made sure Daniels wasnt a rebounding thread, then that might not have happened. BTW Easy. A couple of us are planning some upcoming viewing parties for some Rocket road games. Email me your contact info chrodell@earthlink.net .
