if what doc is saying is true what do u expect from steve playing the 2 assuming we dont get a high scoring pg ( i hope not ) i think he will get 23-26 pts 3-4 ast. 6 reb. 2 steals ( he will be quicker than most 2 and get a lot of steals like iverson, he can gamble more) and yes he will be in the allstar game as the starter, steve is pretty popular outside of houston
I think his scoring will go up a bit 3-6 points, assists down 1.5-3 becasue he willhandle the ball less often. Lets see what happens.
He would still qualify if he happens to be the second highedst voted guard. The ASG starting line up is chosen by having one center, two forwards and two guards - not by the five separate positions.
Steve at the 2 means that his scoring will increase and his turnover will DECREASE as he will not have to create as much for others. Earlier in the season when Steve was concentrating on scoring he was around 28ppg. He was dynamic and playing like an MVP candidate! Steve moving to the 2 next year...I bet he increases his scoring from 21 a game to around 25-26PPG. His rebounds will probably be the same and assists will probably go down to around 5 or so but like I said, because he won't have to create for others as much his turnovers should also go down. Moving Steve to the 2 is absolutely the right move to make. I am convinced of it. Credit the coaching staff for realizing Steve's stengths and weaknesses and capitalizing on his strengths (scoring) by moving him to the two.
Yep. Also, Francis is a PLAYmaker in the true sense -- whether it be passing-scoring-rebounding, with scoring being his strongest suit. He's not a guy that you could -- @ least I wouldn't -- lable as a PG or SG. Even though he'll be asked to handle the ball less (f what Doc says is true), he will still be a walking triple-double threat and one of the league leaders among SG in assist. He's an all-around kinda player. So all in all the move is probably a good one; the key is getting a capapable PG. Less turnovers, more ops for Yao (probably the move of Cat). We'll see. As for the All-Star thing, I believe the All-Star voting ballots ask to vote for two guards (PG/SG are ALL included), two fowards (SF/PF ALL included), and one center. So I don't see why Francis would not be the second most popular guard behind Kobe (like the past two years) just b/c he moves to the two (or plays more off the ball). BTW -- I read in the chron the other day that the Rockets had hoped Moochie would step up this season thus allowing Francis to play more two-guard. But as the coaches' confidence in Mooch' dwindled, Francis (and subsequently Mobley) had to play a lot of minutes -- with Francis not being able to play as much '2' as they'd like. Later in the season Mobley and even Posey brought the ball up a bit more and that allowed Francis to free-lance more. It seemed to work all right; wonder how it'll work for most of the season.
Don't the opposing teams' PGs usually put up big numbers against the Rockets? Is that because of Francis's defense, or because the Rockets' philosophy to not help the PG defensively? If it is because Francis is limited defensively, if he can't guard point guards, how will he guard shooting guards? And will he be able to get his shot off against taller guards?
We need Alvin Williams and Lamar Odom and Zach Randolph. Alvin brings it up, doesn't turn it over. Lamar sees the whole court - knifes the ball inside with perfect passes. Zach cleans it up.
if steve is moved to the 2. a point will be brought in that can gaurd 2s...meaning, your bigger 2s out there. Something like an Eric snow for philly. I suspect that it will be either Jamal Crawford, or Alvin Williams.
Francis' defense will get better at the 2, cuz he won't get driven past by faster pgs night in and night out. When it comes to putting a hand in sg's face, well Francis is about at the same height as Mobley, no big loss there.
Really....and in a zone defense...it would be even easier. Or we could put whatever point guard against the shooting guard. THE PROBLEM IS...Francis as a 2. Won't the opposing team just put their best defender on Francis? Unless our point guard is capable of scoring...hmm...they will just double team Francis or something. And who will be the point guard?
Philly does all right but they actually move without the ball. They do have AI dribbling down the court and shooting (no passing) like we do, but it appears as though the other guys try to get open, they don't waste 20 seconds on the dribbling and AI doesn't do alot of the wild desperation passes typical of the Rockets offense. Sweet passes to cutters taking advantage of the multiple coverage on AI. I don't think anything will change with our current offensive plan unless the point guard is Magic or Isiah and he *ignores* the game plan.
