Should we be ok with occasionally selfish plays?

I think in order to answer the question, it first has to be determined what Francis' motivation is for those selfish moments, and part of that is to examine when they occur.

To me the greatest obstacle facing francis isn't that he's inherently putting himself ahaead of the team, but that deep down, based on his life experience and the offense run around him for his NBA duration he believes that, when push comes to shove, his best option, and by that I mean the option most likely to result in success, is himself.

Therefore, according to my theaory, if the occassional lapses are just a matter of somethimes wanting to let off a little steam, to make his mark, or getting caught up in manp a mano battles with other guards, while not being ideal, these would be understandable, and something many NBA stars succumb to at various points.

However if we see that these moments tend to come in key moments, when we need a bucket, when the other team is rallying, etc. that would be a much worse sign. The former would simply mean that Steve is imperfect, prone to occassional outbursts of bad habits, but has essentially bought into the system, which in and of itself would be worthy of commendation, both for Steve and JVG. However if it;s the latter...if he seems to do this when push comes to shove, that's a sign that deep down he's still right back where he began, and hasn't bought into the system on a more than superficial level.

 

i like team ball better, thats why im not to big of a fan of steve. He is changing though (very slowly though) so maybe ill come to like him. What i found amazing is we only had one more assist than minnestoa did and we scored way more than they did; showing we dont really pass the ball.

 

I'm not so sure. Over the past three years, including this one, Minnesota has ranked at the top of the league in assists. This year, they are 4th currently.

They also annually rank in the top 3 or 4 in assists/field goals meaning what percentage of their made baskets do they assist on. This year, they are third behind New Jersey (70%) and the Lakers (65%) at 64%. They average 24 assists on 38 field goals made.

Their percentage is very high which is why it doesn't surprise me that they had a high number of assists even with a low number of field goals.

 

im confused on what u said. if we played team ball we should of gained more assists; and we shot at a high precent to so we should of got the assists. But more iso was done; it was not like the iso of last year but still signs of it.

 

We don't technically play ISO's but we do run plays that often end without an assist. We run a lot of screen and roll's as well as high post hand-off plays. Those often result in open jump shots from guards and forwards off the dribble. Because those are usually set up by a ballhandler rather than a passer, they don't result in assists.

The Rockets are becoming more of a passing team, but JVG's offense still has a lot of plays in it run specifically for individual players. Any high post play, post up on the block, pick and roll can easily result in open shots that are not the result of an assist but rather the result of a well-timed screen or just good individual play. For example, Yao in the low block posting up almost never results in an assist because Yao makes an individual move.

On the other hand, Minnesota has an offense predicated HEAVILY on back screens and cutters through the lane. A lot of that is because of Garnett's individual skill in the low post. Because they tend to run so many backside screens, their shots often come off of passes resulting in more assists. This is Flip Saunders' style of offense.

My point was that Minnesota's offense is geared to assist on a higher percentage of field goals than the Rockets, which is why, even in a rout, their assist numbers tend to be as high as ours. It is just a different style of offense.

 

I recall t hat Steve is pretty successful at creating for himself, and so I'm fine with him playing 1 on 5 basketball..moreso than any other Rocket.

 

I think you theory is right. Its in Francis nature to go ISO. But in the past Francis had no guidance (or offensive philosophy) to go on.

At least now, JVG will nip those "ISO tendencies" in the butt before it gets out of hand. Rudy had no control or interest in doing such things. He was more interested in being "liked" or "not rocking the boat;" a REAL "hands-off" coaching style, i.e. let them run wild!

Today, I wonder if you asked Francis if he wanted to go back to the "ISO only" days. I'm more inclinded to think that he'd decline that offer. At least he's seeing with his own eyes that teamwork is better.

 

When the team is playing as well as they did today, their errors appear less glaring. Francis and Mobley made some clutch shots and passes, but still made a few of their usual bumbles. It felt good to be a Rocket's fan today.

I hope it is a breakthrough game for the whole team. It will be nice to see what Jackson can do with ten or so mininutes a game. It has been a looooong time since we have seen a "traditional" point guard in Houston.

The motion, player movement, passing, overall system and structure has greatly improved over the last years. Defense is like in another universe. If the offense gets going we may see real progress. It has been soooo frustrating to be a Rocket's fan the last few years. We are due some more games like this.

 

You must be talking about when a guard is at the top of the key dribbling for 10 seconds before doing something. It still happens, but it doesn't happen as much as last year.

 

Steve has to know and recognize who he has on him like today he had Sam Cassell defending him. All he has to do is blow right past him sometimes he uses his crossover too much. Left to right, any smart defender who watches enough tapes will pick up on this. All Steve has to do is blow past people a few times then a few plays down he can use his lighting quick crossover.

 

The more I watch Steve Nash and Bibby, the more I think good passer who initiates an offense is necessary to win on a team without a dominant player like Shaq or Duncan. I like team ball too. I remember the Jazz who got to the Finals twice but lost to MJ and the Bulls. It was John Stockton who was essential to get the Jazz offense since they had no dominant player. Karl Malone was a great player, but he was no Hakeem or MJ. I'm still resolute that the Rockets will never truly reach their full potential until a good passer enters the fold to make use of the talent that the Rockets have.

 

great observation man. i know what your saying im thinking the same thing. When Sam Cassell is hugging Steve he doesn't need to break him down to get him back on his heels all he needs to do is just burn 'em a few times, like KJ in his prime, and then he'll play off 'em, and he can pull up on 'em without all that shake and bake crap.

 

I think there is a grey area on the plays wherein Steve (this can equally apply to Cat) is trying to force the issue by himself - many times others are still involved - he just has the blinders are on and what he is tying to do becomes restricted and limited in options.

When SF does this he many times goes into this mode with "assistance" by/from 1) running or DRIBBLING his man off someone - pseudo high "pick" or 2) by DRIBBLING (this is where I see the biggest downfall of this) to an area away from other defenders where he can make a move one-on-one on his guy and shoot (not an iso "per se").

In #1 he has the blinders on and doesn't consider the option of hitting the guy he just used as a screen on the roll or pass out of a double. He forces a bad shot or continues on a ill advised wild drive through inside defenders.

In #2 he takes a shot that is a) unnecessary, rushed or just plain out of the offense that doesn't keep his teammates involved or help make other players better; or b) a weak side or zone defender tries to come over and help but SF still forces it instead of passing.

I have seen him improve in both instances when he is in this "mode". He now, about 50% of the time, gets into it and about half way through this "mode and selfish move" realises that HE has CREATED OPTIONS and actually in the motion of this picks up his dribble and PASSES THE BALL to an open man. I saw that about 3-4 times against the Wolves. One was Cato left baseline for a slam that comes to mind.

Why does he do this? One big reason is until last season, he and Cat had to. It was really the only offensive option many times. We didn't have a healthy MoT as a threat. We didn't have any real inside scoring threat. Cato hadn't really developed at all and Yao didn't really come around until about this time as I recall.

I think we are starting to see him come out of it faster and faster - he is starting to "get it". Cat isn't yet but he is the 2 guard and maybe he isn't supposed to?

In Steve's defense, hot dogging or trying to "payback" against Cassell, I don't see a problem trying to do this against a good buddy that has just burned you and everyone says should be the starter on the all star team when you are already up by 20 points. Still not real smart, but..... (Announcers reported he had stated he would give Sam his starting spot if Sam didn't make the all star team)

My million dollars worth.... pay up!

 

Yes. This works. I've seen that happen in the past. Someone will get a "hot head duel" and the coach will sit that player so he can cool off.

That player tends to watch he game from the bench, observe the game, and then come back and do good things. I've seen that from Maxwell, and Cassell. As well as a lot of other players from other teams. That even worked with Jordan vs Portand in 1992.

 

I like the idea of benching him when he gets into his moods. However, I don't think it is going to happen. The T-Wolves game was a perfect opportunity. When Cassell took that charge, there was something like 40 seconds left in the first half. It would have been a great opportunity to pull Francis, making sure to send the message it is because of the stupid play, and let him sit until the 3rd quarter begins. This way, the message is delivered, but you only miss one of your star players for approximately 2 possessions. It would have been perfect, but JVG left him in. It pissed me off at the time.

 

If Steve or anyone else has a mismatch then they must utilize it and try to score otherwise they must look for the open man and dish the ball quickly.
Both Steve and Cuttino have problems with this concept but must keep on working on it.