April 27, 2004, 12:21AM Van Gundy stands by Francis Rockets' coach happy with guard's play By JONATHAN FEIGEN The Rockets just think they are in the NBA playoffs. They are not, of course. This whole series with the Lakers -- as anyone in Houston who listens to sports call-in shows, frequents a barbershop, surfs the Internet or rides in a carpool can tell you -- is really just a referendum on Steve Francis dressed up as a first-round series. This is his final exam, worth enough of his grade to tip it either way. Or so it would seem. So coach Jeff Van Gundy fields the Steve Francis question each day and answers it pretty much the same way. Through four playoff games, Francis has played exceedingly well, Van Gundy insists. The numbers that often betrayed Francis in the regular season seem to bear out his coach's opinion. But the Steve Francis question always returns. "I think people are more interested in relationships than they are in the game," Van Gundy said of the never-ending probes into his true feelings about his point guard. "For the most part. I'm talking about the media more than fans. I don't pay it any attention." For whatever it is worth, Van Gundy says his relationship with Francis is so solid that it is a non-issue. There has been little evidence in games to suggest otherwise. Contrary to the platform of the Francis opposition, Van Gundy said Francis is an obedient point guard. The one-game suspension Van Gundy levied on Francis the day after the Super Bowl, after Francis skipped a flight to Phoenix, has made the issue of their relationship seem relevant, particularly as it relates to Francis' future with the team. But they consider it proof that they really do work well together because they said they would move past it and have. Van Gundy does not roll his eyes when the subject sticks like gum on his heel, but he increasingly sounds as if he would like to. Francis has averaged 20 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in the postseason. His shooting percentages are up from the regular season, but so are his turnovers. And none of that really is the point to Van Gundy. As much as he studies and can quote even the most esoteric data, Van Gundy instead evaluates Francis' ability to help the Rockets as a whole. "I'm not really a big statistic guy with him," Van Gundy said. "I think he's done a good job involving his teammates. When Steve shoots, he gets criticized. When Steve passes, he gets criticized. People talk about his scoring numbers going down. At the same time, the same people talk about that he should pass more. Well, if you pass more, you're going to shoot less. "He has played well this year. It wasn't really about his number of shot attempts ever. He's cut down on the number of dribbles he takes to create shots -- or shots for others. He really should get a lot of credit for making a lot of plays that lead to guys getting a lot of shots." Van Gundy and Rockets teammates more often point to Francis' contribution to the team's outstanding 3-point shooting. His 3-point percentage dipped to .292 this season (he has made half his 3-pointers in the playoffs), but the Rockets were third in the NBA in 3-point shooting because Cuttino Mobley and Jim Jackson had career years from the arc, making shots they said Francis reliably created. "I think one of the misnomers was that he was not an unselfish player, and he is," Van Gundy said. "He's a very unselfish player. We've been happy with how he's played and how hard he's played. This being his first playoff series, hopefully this will make him hungrier and hungrier to continue to do the things it takes to get back here and win big." Van Gundy also considers the argument that Francis and Yao Ming don't mix a misconception. Coaches love having big men who can catch with guards who penetrate, because it can help make opposing defenders hesitant to help on drives. If the big man can also shoot from the perimeter, as can Yao, the mix can work even better. "They have mutual respect, and when there's mutual respect, their games do complement each other," Van Gundy said. But if there remains a need to read between the lines to determine how Van Gundy truly feels, he even took on the issue of Francis' most measurable shortcoming: his propensity to turn the ball over. Van Gundy was no fan of the overtime turnover that took away the Rockets' last real chance to win Game 4. But Van Gundy said he does not blame Francis for the Rockets' turnover problem, as much as he detests it. "I don't think it was the number of turnovers," Van Gundy said. "If you're asking him to create a lot of plays and create offense, really, it's not his turnovers that have made a lot of turnovers for us. Really, it's that we have everybody chipping into that cause. Guys who play 10, 11, 12, 15 minutes have a couple, then they start adding up. "Any coach would say you'd like to have a higher assist (total) with no or fewer turnovers. But his turnovers aren't the ones that send us into the area where our turnovers are hard to overcome. That to me is a big difference between us and the elite in the West -- how we take care of the ball." All of this has seemed clear in the playoffs. Like Kobe Bryant, Francis has made acrobatic shots to close out a win (Bryant in Game 4, Francis in Game 3). Francis forced overtime in Game 4 with a jumper. But like Bryant, he has had airballs in crucial moments (Bryant in Games 1 and 4, Francis in Game 4). Overall, there is no comparison. Bryant, who remains the NBA's current backcourt standard, has had spectacular, game-winning moments in each of his three championship runs. Francis has won one postseason game. But in comparing Francis and Francis' reputation, Van Gundy seemed certain Francis is winning. "When you can shoot it and take it to the glass or take it to the rim and shoot the pull-up and make free throws, then you have a game that's hard to guard," Van Gundy said. "If you don't have to close (defensively) to somebody, then you can keep anybody out of the lane. If all you have is the spot-up, you can take that away as well. He has the ability to shoot long range, shoot the pull-up -- which is the most indefensible shot in basketball, which is why Bryant is so hard to guard -- and to get to the rim and get fouled. He needs to make his free throws at a higher percentage. But he's getting there." Perhaps the entire debate proves Francis is every bit the quarterback of the Rockets, this season more than ever. In his case, however, that doesn't mean he is a conventional playmaker or compelling leader. Instead, Francis has taken the traditional role of the starting quarterback as the lightning rod of opinion and debate. For whatever it is worth, Van Gundy has made his position clear -- not that he won't be asked to give it again in a few hours. "You can't get caught up in how people perceive you other than if your team wins, you're going to be perceived well, (and) if you don't win, you're not going to be perceived as well," Van Gundy said. "Steve's done a good job all year making sure we have five guys in double figures. I think Steve's done a good job. I think he still has growth for a lot more improvement." http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/2533151
This is probably my favorite article in a long time. If any fan had posted this on the board they would have been beseiged with a flurry of posts saying to stop making excuses for Francis and that he should be traded for Arroyo or one of the other non-flashy Utah PG's. It would be hard to imagine the Rockets competing as well as they have this series without Francis. Anyway, Van Gundy is not someone to make excuses or take excuses. He's not someone to shy away from criticizing players in the media. So I tend to believe what he has to say in the article.
IIRC, his players in New York were loyal to him because he stood up for them in the media while criticizing them behind doors. I love the article too, but just to keep things in perspective.
I think he may do some of both. But since he's been here, he's criticized Francis(superbowl) Yao Ming(tired) various other players(unnamed but alluded to them not being at camp early when he wanted during the off season, among others).
When you can shoot it and take it to the glass or take it to the rim and shoot the pull-up and make free throws, then you have a game that's hard to guard. ... He has the ability to shoot long range, shoot the pull-up -- which is the most indefensible shot in basketball, which is why Bryant is so hard to guard -- and to get to the rim and get fouled. ... Steve's done a good job all year making sure we have five guys in double figures. That's the clearest evidence I've seen that Steve is unlikely to be traded this offseason. It would be very hard to trade him for somebody who could produce equal value by these criteria.
Wow, this has got to be like a slap in the face to some people around here. Did it hurt? I hope it did.
There's just no question that Steve has played brilliantly this series. What he needed, I think, was to learn how he could flourish in Van Gundy's system. You could see this year that he was trying very hard, sacrificing so much at times that it hurt the team. But he was clearly uncomfortable in the system at times. Not that he didn't just play like a bonehead at times -- not denying that. But like someone said in another thread, players learn 10 times as much from the playoffs as the regular season. If there's any chance that Steve carries this performance as well as the newfound ability to fit his penetrating game into Van Gundy's system over into the regular season next year, you can't trade him. You just can't. Think about the stretches in this series where Yao disappeared and Stevie stepped up and kept us in games. You trade Stevie for Eric Snow or somebody, and who's going to do that next year? JJ? Cat? We need two go-to guys, and when Stevie breaks down the defense like he has this series he's our Clyde Drexler to Yao's Hakeem. (Of course Yao's no Hakeem, but you get the point....)
Another Feigen Article about nothing!!!! Who isn't happy about the way Steve Francis has played in the playoffs I know I am very pleased for the teams sake that Steve started playing his regular Game again. But this isn't anything that any fan doesn't know already! did Feigen think that JVG would say anything detrimental about Steve Francis at this stage of the Playoffs and before the end of the Season. If course not! This article does not indicate anything about JVG's thaughts towards next season and our Roster.
I bet Tracy McGrady could. JVG is just talking up Francis. As good as Francis has played in this series, many of the things mentioned in that quote he did not do in the regular season and that is the concern. He could not hit the long rang shot and he couldn't shoot the pull up shot. In fact Francis didnt even get to the FT line as much as he should.
Once and for all, you're not getting TMac. If Orlando trades TMac, they will rebuild - which means picks and first or second year players. What does it benefit them to exchange TMac for SF and filler? Nothing. They'll look to trade him for a bunch of picks and some young stars. Hell, they'd trade him for Iverson before they trade him for Steve.
This quote definitely caught my eye: "Francis has averaged 20 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists in the postseason." Those are some insane numbers against the Lakers! Damn Franchise!!!
Lets see how many posts we get about how 'this means nothing about what will happen next season'. VG just blew away half of the 'get rid of Steve arguments' in one article. I've said it before, and Ill say it again.....Francis' game and Yao's game can be meshed....it is just up to the two of them to work out how.
Even though Francis has played above par these last few games. I still say trade his a** while his stock value is high. We can also make the argument that if Francis had like this for like 50/80 games, we wouldnt be the 7th seed. Great Article, BUT he needs to be shipped out as soon as possible. You can bite me
This article reminds me a lot of Van Gundy's defense of Ewing when New Yorkers were saying they were better when he was not on the floor.
Bite you, not interested. Keeping Steve for the Rockets. A very likely event, unless like someone said. A TMac or KG is being traded. Not going to happen? CORRECT. As far as he's ONLY doing well in the Playoff, WTF. That's when you want your players to do their best. What, you want the Astro's stars for the Rockets? You heard of the missing B's. I love the fact that Steve is standing tall in the playoff. Yes, it's 3-1 and likely Rockets first round exit. But it was expected this year. 3 of the games were close and we won one so far. If they could win one in LA, then it would be great. But then there is next year. Meanwhile, Ming gets another year of experience and continues to get better. What, you think that's it for Yao? If that's the case, then trading Steve is not going to make the Rockets any better. Am I right? We still need Yao to grow and get better. I believe the timetable is about right. In another 2 years, we will be contending for the title.
