I am curious to know why people in this board hate him so much. Is it bECAUSE OF HIS PLAY OR Because their are a lot of Yao MIng only fans I am diehard Rocket fan and I can see Francis is having a tough year. But I also know he is trying to change his whole game for the good of the team and that takes time. I have complete faith that at 2005-2006 season the Rockets are going to be in Western Conference Finals or even win the NBA ChampionsHIP. We all just have to be patient and see this team evolve to prime contenders right before our eyes.
This needed its own thread? This exact topic has been discussed here for the past week or so ad nauseum. Steve plays poorly when he isn't dominating the ball, yet isn't good enough to dominate WHEN he dominates the ball. Either way we won't win with him and CERTAINLY not a championship.
better watch it OS...Behad is gonna charge ya royalties for the blank post... btw....folks...dont forget to vote for this gem of a thread...
See thats where you are wrong. Steve and Yao are the cornerstones. To say with Steve we ae not gonna win is just blind and stup@id. You don't judge a player only in 2 years because thats the only years he has played with Yao. NOw after couple of more years no improvement ( which i seriously doubt) then something will need to be done about it
Good point. However, hiring a coach with NO RINGS to replace a coach WITH RINGS... now that's poor judgement. Going to the dance is no biggie. A lot of folks do that. It's what what you leave the dance with that counts.
Yes, because you know how good current high school and college players are, who will be major players in 2005-2006. You also know what the rosters will look like.
Francis has never played well with a big man. Olajuwon, namely. Olajuwon should have gotten the ball a lot more than he did in his last season, 00-01, when he showed flashes of the old Dream. Francis has yet to show any potential of changing, that's why people are so quick to give up on him. People who think Francis will be a title-winner, remind me of those who thought Eddie Griffin would become an All-Star. It's just flat-out naive, and based on nothing concrete, other than blind optimism that our Rockets can do no wrong.
Wow! Four straight years out of the playoffs, stupid personnel decisions, mediocre season record and now everyone is angry and at each other's throats! I find all of this chaos and antipathy to be refreshing. It's sooo boring up here in Dallas with the big Mavericks/Don Nelson/Mark Cuban/Dirk Nowitzki/Steve Nash lickfest going all the time. They even start cheering when Shawn Bradley is able to stand up on his own... People are angry with SF, last Sunday's events nonewithstanding, because he has shown no inclination to make the commitment to take his game to the next level. He WANTS to be a winner without having to pay the proverbial price or as Jimmy Johnson put it: "He can talk the talk but he can't walk the walk". To me, he appears to following his own personal agenda which may or may not include the Rockets team and organization. People are angry at JVG mainly because he is not Rudy T. He's also humorless, short, balding, driven and dedicated. He also can coach like a muther. He's just not lovable like ol' Rudy was and has a nasty habit of publicly speaking the truth about his team and his players. I can see how this just infuriates many folks here because some folks simply cannot handle the truth. People are angry at Yao because he is not a Chinese version of Shaq. They see his 7' 6" frame and think that he should be able to swat away zone defenses and opponents shots with the greatest of ease. According to these folks, his only shot should be the dunk and he should knock the crap out of anyone who stands in his way (this includes opposing players, NBA officials and university officers such as Chancellors). People are angry at Cuttino because he is Cuttino. He's a streaky, athletic, instinctive player who clueless about passing and moving without the ball. He's also never heard of the zone defense but aside from that, he's quite a fellow. He also has an annoyng habit of committing some of the dumbest a** fouls after committing some of the dumbest a** turnovers ever recorded on TiVO. I, myself, am ANGRY at Carroll Dawson for his complete inability to draft and sign talented players (sorry but defensively clueless, one-dimensional, NCAA rules violators like Mo Taylor do not count). I'm angry because apparently no one bothered to explain to CD that you only need to use ONE first round draft pick to get an underachieving, quit on two teams (and counting) loser like Eddie Griffin. I'm just miffed - to call CD incompetent would be an insult to incompetent people everywhere. So there you have it - we are all angry angry people. We should all go and open our windows and shout to the top of our lungs: "We're MAD as HELL and we're not going to take it ANYMORE!!!". It may not get the Rockets any closer to the playoffs but we'll all feel oh so much better.
I personally don't hate the guy. But watching basketball for the last 16 years I realize that Francis really isn't that good. This has nothing to do with Yao or anyone else. He came to the Rockets under weird circumstances. Refusing to play for the team that drafted him. That is just unheard of, just think if Hakeem had said sorry, I don't want to play for the Rockets. Anyway, he is not a good fundamental player. He doesn't seem to learn from his mistakes either. He has an ego that can barley fit in the door. I often read quotes where he defers to his all-star status and being the most popular athlete in Houston. The guy definitely shouldn't be starting the all-star game. Frankly, I would welcome any trade for him. I don't expect to get an all-star back cause I really don't think that he is an all-star. How many times have he let you down. I know that I have played the "well this is his five year in the league, he is going to be a better player this year." Nope he can't deliver anything. I think that the Rockets will make a nice trade this summer. Ship both him and Cat off.
Patience my friend. Francis will mold around Yao and the rest of the team just perfectly. Now, let's go and get some breakfast!
Alirules, When these people get their wish and we let Francis go, and have to result to some mediocre point guard... they'll realize how good a player Francis is. I admit, Steve isn't an all-star playmaker, but he does everything else like an all-star. And someone mentioned how Steve wouldn't play for the Grizzlies. Alot of other players did that too, just like Kobe Bryant.
Hillboy great comments! I think people are more frustrated than anything.. we want to root for the team we want them to win. But we want the players to want to win... Play hard show some heart, dive for loose balls, chase down long rebounds. J
More ESPN Stevie Franchise haters... Beshar (Chicago): Hi Chad! Rasheed Wallace for Steve Francis. Is this a good trade rumor to start?!! Chad Ford: (1:16 PM ET ) Bad rumor to start. Francis is a base-year compensation player which means that the Rockets would only be able to take back half of his $10.9 million salary this year. Unless the Rockets trade him to a team that is under the cap (Portland certainly isn't) he's almost impossible to trade. Wait until summer impatient Rocket fans. If Francis hasn't changed his tune, I'm sure the Rockets will see what they can get for him in the off-season. Eric (arlington, va): Chad, Can we make a rule that any commentator whining about how someone got "snubbed" from the All-Star team has to immediately say who should be removed from the team? To listen to all of the broadcasters, they would have 30 players on each team. It drives me nuts. Chad Ford: (1:06 PM ET ) Good rule. Here's my thinking. Steve Francis had no business on the All-Star team . . . but that's your fault. I'm fine with every other West selection. If Francis hadn't been voted on, I think Steve Nash or Andre Miller would've been my choice to replace him. http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=4727
I likes SF3. But I was very angry when SF3 missed his flight at the difficult situation where ROX have lost 3 streak games
I agree with Severe Rockets Fan when he said "Steve plays poorly when he isn't dominating the ball, yet isn't good enough to dominate WHEN he dominates the ball. Either way we won't win with him and CERTAINLY not a championship." It was well said. I'd also add that since he's been in the league I honestly can't say he's improved on a single aspect of his game. There have been times I thought he was improving in one aspect or another but he's never showed any improvement with enough consistency for me to feel it's legitimate improvement. But what the hell is this? You ask why then bash the first person who tells you? I thought you were just looking to try to understand a different opinion. And as for this quote: "To say with Steve we ae not gonna win is just blind and stup@id." well I've got 20/20 vision and an IQ test score that says I'm a genius but I haven't seen us win with Steve yet. AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE IT! I AM DYING TO SEE IT! as a matter of fact, until maybe the past month, I've supported Francis nearly unquestionably, largely due to his breath taking athletic ability. But I've got to face reality. He simply isn't taking it to the next level. If he does take it to the next level for the Rockets, I'd savor every bite as I eat my words, but I just don't expect it to happen at this point. He should have already turned that corner at this point in his career. also, Hillboy- great post.
