Steve becoming a JVG type player

I was at the game last night - and the Clips were killing Ming (he got fouled a LOT more than they called - that was bascially the Clips strategy) - Steve stepped up well and knocked down some shots when JVG needed him to - and JVG "rewarded" him, but taking Yao out (to clear the lane) and bringing in Mark Jackson (to feed the "hot hand") - hopefully Steve is learning that he can get his with Yao is hot (like the T-wolves game) AND he can get his when Yao is swamped... if he just plays within the flow of the game

 

Steve Francis has made me pull out my hair for years, and I don't have much to spare, BUT, I will be among the first note progress and applaud it. He if really learns to play within the system and works hard at improving his fundamental skills, and becomes truly team-oriented, I think I can learn to love him, maybe. It will take some work on my part. I will have to forgive him for all the agony he has put me through as a fan, but I am willing. I still don't think he will ever be a good fit for Ming or become a great playmaker, but I am certainly willing to be wrong.

 

I support Fracis always. He is talented and he makes the game beautiful...

 

a few years from now -- when we get a power forward and the rockets win it all we will be comparing Francis/Ming to Bryant/O'Neil, Magic/Kareem, Cheeks/Moses etc.....

 

Well, of course Steve is a JVG type player when the Rockets are on a three game winning streak...and when the Rockets lose a couple in a row, he's selfish and isn't adapting to Van Gundy's system...

 

My biggest problem is still his shot. Teams are going to swarm the paint when all we can do is drop to Yao/MoT or drive to the hoop because we can't shoot. Steve has to at least be respectable from outside to fit in with our team.

I love his hustle, his desire, and his ability to penetrate. He's not a good passing PG, but I think we can survive that as long as he's adequate. He just needs to shoot better. He's been terrible from the outside and his FT% is dipping. A PG that can't shoot or pass is not going to work with Yao and JVG.

 

I belive SF3 should be applauded for his effort, heart and definite improvement the last few weeks. His TO's are going down and his assists are shooting way up..

He is making better decisions and his shot is slowly but surely coming back. Im happy for him..

to me it seems like Yao and SF3 are breaking out at about the same time (well maybe Yao had a few week head start) but better late than never.

J

 

I still think Steve should hire Calvin Murphy as a personal shooting assistant. Calvin wants to help. I don't believe he's being utilized at all by the Rockets except for the color commentary.

 

I don't agree A-Train. This is a "results oriented business" but if Steve played this well in our losses, only a serious Steve hater would say he was selfish or not adapting. The fact is that Steve hasn't always played with this much energy or fight regardless of how he's been shooting.

 

I agree, but not just for Steve, the Rockets should hire him to work with all the players. Calvin had one of the sweetest jumpers in the league, and he seemed to be a pretty smart player.

 

2 out of 3 games in which Steve is shooting the jumper well

However, I think Steve has taken Cuttino's mojo. It seems like there is a finite amount of shooting ability on the team. When one guy shoots well, it seems like it is because he takes the shooting ability of one of his teammates. With that being said, I'd rather have Steve shoot the jumper well and have Cuttino brick everything.

 

There has been a dramatic improvement in SF's hustle and defense in the last week. Notably, he has fought HARD over screens and taken responsibility for his man. Prior to this week, his defense has been sporadic at best (still an improvement to prior years).

I firmly believe that everthing is in SF's head. I honestly don't think that he has true confidence in his game and is struggling to find his way. He falls in the category of "false bravado." He appears to be coming around mentally and starting to grasp the importance of his role on defense and offense. People always talk about things starting to click; for him, it may be happening.
Understandably, Francis may have had diffulty fully accepting that Yao is THE MAN


I had given up on him but am putting him back on the bubble. Once he believes in his role and the system, he will go back to just playing and reacting.

Last night, his offensive performance was a flashback to his performance in prior years. I'm not talking about the scoring total, shooting percentage or other tangible stats. Rather, I'm talking about him playing in his rhythm, shooting the same jumper that we have previously seen (not that multiple release point, fadaway, off balance crap that he has been throwing up for the bulk of the year). You could see the timing and confidence in his moves and stride.

 

OOPS, hit submit before i was done editing.

Anyway, Francis may have had trouble accepting that Yao is THE man on this team. But this string of gigantic games by Yao, combined with tangible proof in wins, may have provided Francis the proof that he needs. I noticed that down the stretch of last nights game, even tho Yao played poorly and turned over the ball a lot, the team and Francis kept going back to him. They trusted the protocol and system.

In prior games, Francis would have decided to take things in his own hands, dribble too much and force bad shots and make poor decisions.

The final stretch of the season should be interesting.

 

This thread is probably a little premature. I still saw the inability of the Rockets (and Francis) to get Ming the ball in the paint (particularly when Yao is being fronted) I still see Francis dribbling the ball around instead of passing and I still see a lot of dumb shots. Oh, and his defense, while improves, still leaves a lot to be desired. (That, in and of itself, precludes him from being a JVG player). There are lots of problems. Of course everyting seems better when you win and score 24 points. Frankly, I don't believe that Steve is the right point guard for this team and I would look to trade him during the summer. Notwithstanding, he is what we have right now. I am hoping that he gets better over the next 20 games and that the Rockets can actually do something in the playoffs. We'll see.

 

It seems like Calvin is not involved with the team hardly at all. I remember when he was talking about Yao visiting his basketball school for one day. That's pretty much it. It's the classic freeze out.

 

Steve is a headstrong player. He makes stupid mistakes sometimes but I think he's beginning to get it. We need Steve to do his thing alongside Yao. No other player has what he brings.

 

SF3 is a great player, and I think he and YM can work out together.
I agree SF3 might not the PG who can Max YM's potential.
But SF3 is great player who can take YM's load when it is necessary. As a good, we reaaly need two all-star.

 

He still goes for too many offensive rebounds - his lack of fundamentals shows in that area. He did not play much organized ball as a youngster (read his bio) - so he never learned that when the shot goes up - one of the two guards (or in the Rox - on of the 2 guards) needs to "fly" (translation - get back to stop the fast break)

he has no business under the opponents basket (although, I like his block shot numbers for a guard)

 

He has a long wat to go if he is going to be a JVG Point Guard.