What was the basis for defining this season a success? Was it Francis cutting his turnovers or shooting x%? Was it Yao becoming a dominant player? Seems like I remember it was Rockets making the playoffs. Mission Accomplished. People should quit whining about Francis when the Rockets have done what they were suppose to do for the year. And if you think Francis isn't that good, just look how the Rockets have played without him.
Well, this is a forum, not a "Season Review" for a newspaper. It would pretty much be pointless for everyone to just comment on what the Rockets have done this season, instead of what they did in the past games. I know this subject has been beaten to death, but the Rockets of 2 years ago is not even close to the Rockets this year. SF was the centerpiece of the offense two years ago. He is a secondary star now. Oh, and if you go by how SF has played this year, then there's NO WAY he could've carried the Rockets to 40+ win seasons like he did in the past.
Exactly! I remember a time when Steve could not make a mistake. Now, everything is his fault. We are improving, we are getting better. The team needs time to mature! But, I am all for getting rid of MO!
If Steve could shoot the ball we'd be higher than 7th in the West without fear of competing for the 8th spot. JVG's system has exposed Steve's game for what it is: playground streetball. Steve cannot shoot the basketball and cannot keep his turnovers down to a managable number. By your measure, if the Rockets make the playoffs then we're alright and no changes need to be made, am I correct? Something needs to be done in order to keep the ball out of Steve's hands, at least in terms of finding another PG to run the offense. I still say, as I've said for four years now, that Steve and Cuttino, while bosom buddies, are duplicative. One of them needs to be traded or come off the bench. Steve killed the game last night. I watched every minute of it and he flat sucked. How much loyalty does it take to watch a team fall out of the playoffs? Steve needs to go.
Except you keep forgetting one thing: Francis is good, but we can get someone better, or at least better fit for him; and the team will improve. Is that really this hard to understand that the fact SF is a real good player and the possibility that Rockets can improve by trading him for a better fit, are not mutually exclusive? Have a good day, better luck at school.
oh no, the mission is not accomplished yet ! If the players start to think that, it is the best way not to accomplish the mission. Utah and Portland are 5 games away from us, yes. We have a margin. But imagine that we lose 5 straight games and Utah wins their next 5. That could happen. I don't think it will happen (and I hope it won't ) , but you should keep that in mind, as soon as the season is not finished, nothing is done. Concerning Francis, I'm not saying that he's not a good player. I'm saying that he could be better. The guy has the hability to make 8-9 assists, he has the ability to be a Jason Kidd-like guard. He could be much more efficient than he is actually.
Even though chances are good that we will be in the playoffs, anything can happen.... Just because playoffs was our goal this year, that doesn't mean it was our ultimate goal. Our ultimate goal is to win the Championship. Getting to the playoffs is a step towards that. Once we reach the playoffs, you don't give up and say "What a good season". We critcize what the Rockets do because of course we want them to go deep in the playoffs. What they do now pretty much is what they will play like in the playoffs (hopefully they will prove me wrong) And your comment about Francis affecting how well the team does... We know without him we don't do great, but if we can get a better player to play instead of him, couldn't we even do better? wakkoman
Besides Yao, an argument can be made to get rid of any player on this team. That will be the case every year Yao is a rocket and someone falls out of favor on this bbs. I want Yao to retire as a rocket, but i dont want to sacrifice my other favorite rockets. unless tradinf francis will deliver us a championship in the next 2 years, I want Houston to work out a way to have Francis and Yao co-exist like Shaq and Kobe. Im not saying that seteve is nearly as talented as kobe, but if those two egos can win 3 in a row im sure our 1 ego can make it to the finals.
it worked because they: 1. are more talented as a duo than steve/yao 2. had one of the best and most productive supporting cast during their championship run 3. got phantom calls going for them (i.e. WCF vs Sactown) 4. got ridiculously lucky at times (i.e. WCF vs Portland) I think number 2 is the most crucial thing b/c if either guy faltered, the others pick up the slack. we haven't had that since the 93-94,94-95 days.
Addition by subtraction... Yes, making the playoffs is a huge step and I will not downplay #3 's role in making that happen. But there is very little chemistry on this team, something is missing. Time to get back to the fundamentals. Forget the flash, lets get some substance and consistency at all costs. Even if it cost us Stevie Franchise. Steve is a good one on one player, but for the Rockets to take the next step it is pretty clear that we need to get different pieces to the puzzle. Yao is the centerpiece and we need to get 7-8 other players to complete the franchise. Yes, it will take another superstar player probably, but Stevie Franchise is not the person at the Point.
I agree with this, but I dont consider Francis a part of the supporting cast on this team, so enhancing the bench and bringing in another starter would be the best move IMO but trading Francis seems a bit harsh.
Minnesota made the playoffs year after year after year. Big deal. We're now deciding how to get betetr than just make the playoffs. Also, who gives a damn how this team performs without Steve? If we trade Steve, we get players back. Why can't you guys get this through your heads? It's not like we'll cut him. We will trade Steve for players who will help this team to more wins - and CD will decide who those players are.
Yep. Rudy and Francis proved one thing: You can win some games playing exclusively "play-ground" ball. So, of course Francis was "happy" playing Rudy ball. It was clear out and go ISO all day long. JVG comes in, implements something that Francis doesn't like: PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL! You know? With pick and rolls, passing, technique, structure, a plan, actual plays, teamwork...etc... Francis is like a fish out of water:a playground player on a professional team.
steve aint even a good one-on-one player anymore. francis consistently loses his dribble, and rarely shakes his man. his game is, simply put, atrocious.
I got news for you, the Rockets aren't going to go deep into the Playoffs this year. Sorry to burst everyone's bubble. We're not going deep into the playoffs. So forget about that right now. We might be Minnesota, but that's not going deep - beating a team that's never won a playoff series isn't an accomplishment, it's avoiding embarrassment. Even Stever Nash or Mike Bibby doesn't make Houston a championship contender. The team will still cough-up the ball in a single game more then a cat cough's up hairballs in it's entire life. The fact is, going from the lottery to the playoffs is progress, what else do you want in one year? You want a championship? Give me a break.
I never got the sense that many fans thought we'd go deep into the playoffs. I'd think that most fans just want the Rox to *get* to the playoffs and then "see what happens." And, in fact. I'd say that a lot of posters here think that Francis is holding this team back as much as he's helping the team. I don't see any delusions of grandeur regarding this team, that's for sure. I'm sure a lot of posters wanted to throw their TVs out the window (watching this team play, or should I say, turn the ball over, and over, and over and over....).
Next season is next season. If the Rockets fail to build upon what they've done, fine, make changes. But seems to me this team is a lot better then what I saw back in November of THIS season.
