sport's illustrated mid-season report marks Steve Francis most underachieving player

The truth hurts. So does his poor shooting and TO / Assist ratio.

We haven't been to the playoffs in the last 4 years. If we don't make some noise, IMO I'd expect Francis to be gone.

 

problem is....we all know steve is a very talented player, at least offensively and potentially on defense (we've seen how well he can jump the lanes for steals), but how can he utilize his skills in this offense? I just don't think it can be done at the PG spot.

So if you can't trade him, move him to the two and allow him to do what he was meant to do (but with less dribbling) - put the ball in the basket and force pressue on the defense ala Iverson.

 

Hmmm...maybe Steve will become the first instance of a reverse-Sports Illustrated effect.

 

if cat mobley were playing like steve's played this year...he'd be wearing a different uniform right now.

 

What scares me the most is that this kind of article should start to surface a lot... and before Rockets brass actually has the balls to do the right thing and trade Steve, his stock will plummet and his popularity will be pretty much gone...

At that point, forget about getting anything even close to a franchise player from him... not that he is one to begin with.

 

Is he on the cover?
THat was the first thing I thought when I opened this thread.
Man some of you base your whole reasoning by reading the opinions of somebody in the Game Thread, How sad is that.

 

re:reverse SI effect
That would have to involve Steve actually getting to play smarter and less one on five dribbling - not gonna happen.

 

Actually, if you read the entire post, I said that Steve Francis is struggling to learn a new system, and is not playing to his potential.

 

How many people bashing Francis have watched the last few games? I bashed Francis a lot last year, but this year he is different.

 

Yeah he is different alright...

Less PPG
Worse Fg%
Less Assists per game
More TOs a game

Tonight's game for example - 4/11 FGs (.363 % ) 6 assists and again, 7 TOs

 

Did you actually watch the game? He limited his own game and moved the ball around. He is still the guy on our team who initiates the offense and gets guys open shots. Yes, he had 7 TOs and he needs to cut down on them. But last year everyone was complaining that he was a ballhog. Guess what, he's not ballhogging anymore and we're winning. And you guys don't even see that (which is why I asked if you even watched the game).

 

MrClutch,
I agree he is different this year. He is looking to set other guys up. I only say he is struggling because he is turning the ball over, but I think the turnover number is a little misleading. He needs to take better care of the ball, but he is the guy who initates our offense and always has the ball, so I think he is going to have more turnovers, much like Kidd. A lot of people will say that Steve holds the ball too long and that is a problem, which I think is a valid point, and part of the reason I say he is learning a new system.

He has made strides as a PG this season, and you don't see that in the stats, I agree.

 

Good post, I agree. I am not saying Steve is perfect, obviously.

And about Steve being the guy who initiates our offense- he is actually the ONLY guy who can initiate the offense. Cat, Jim Jackson, and Mo do not demand double teams, and Yao is not a consistent offensive force yet.

 

You know what? we should trade steve for all these point guards that are better than him, so you guys can complain about them not able to drive to the hole, not getting assist because of the system and wide open players missing shot or there favorite thing to do on this team dribble and shoot, which take away the assist from the passer.

 

If Mark Jackson is in any kind of shape (he may be just too old) rockets fans are about to see what a real point guard looks like and plays like. What are the characteristics you want in a point guard?

1. great ball handler: Jackson, yes Francis, no
2. great court vision: Jackson, yes Francis, no
3. excellent mid-range jumper: Jackson, yes Francis, no
4. capable of crisp, timely passes: Jackson, yes Francis, no
5. able to run a fast break : Jackson, yes Francis, no
6. smart heady player: Jackson, yes Francis, no
7. excellent dribbler: Jackson, yes Francis, no (and Lord knows he gets enough practice!)
8. great playmaker: Jackson, yes Francis, no

Anyone care to add to the list? Unfortunately, Jackson is no longer in his prime and may not be able to execute. But in his prime, he could do all of this in spades.

 

How can this be. SF is a thread for a quadriple double every night - Points, Rebounds, Assists and Turnovers!!! Err.. Turnovers count right?

 

He's certainly old by NBA standards, but the Rockets play a slow half court offense anyway. As long as he still has the passing touch, he should be able to contribute.

 

francis does have a good mid range jumper!
Francis is known for his crossovers, so hes a excellent dribbler, he just does it a little too much!!!

 

Anyone shooting 33% doesn't have a good mid-range, long-range, short-range, or any range jumper.

 

Yes. SF has improvement. But isn't moving the ball , initiating offense and getting guys open shots a PG's duty? Is SF playing better than other PG in NBA?

Having said that, as long as we are winning, I don't mind allowing SF to use this season to improve. Of course, unless we have a very attractive trade offer.