I feel like the point of the thread starter is being entirely missed. He's not talking about talent -- which is why who we get at PG and whatnot doesn't matter -- he's talking about chemistry. It takes a little while for players to mesh. And, we just traded away the core of the team and brought in a new one. We've got to start over chemistry-wise. Maybe it'll develop quickly and we'll be fine. Maybe talent will compensate. But, what we had is gone and must be rebuilt. Orlando will have a similar problem.
There is one undisputable fact and its that the Houston Rockets did not have TEAM CHEMISTRY WITH STEVE FRANCIS RUNNING THE SHOW. So you are predicting more of the same!
We had terrible chemistry last year. I can't recall anybody who thought otherwise. Hard to regret what you never had...
I think you are overlooking a few things. Worst case scenario I think we will end up in the same position we did last year, again, tahts worst case. A more likely possibililty will be that we make it to Western Conf Finals. I think that if we hadnt have traded, best case scenario we would have ended up exactly where we finished last season, worst case we probably wouldnt have even made it. As far as Chemisty goes, yeah, the guys were great last season and had fantasic off court chemisty, but that didnt really come through on the court, everyone was really doing their own thing and playing their own game. I also belive that yes, Magic are going to improve drastically. For one, they are playing in the East, and secondly there is really only one way you can go when you finish where they finished. I'm a big fan of Francis and I think he will thrive in his new environment, it appears to be structured to play his type of game. So in short, I think Both teams are going to benefit fromt he trade, we were both after different things and had peices taht didnt fit in our old structure.
I assume fg percentage would directly affect point per shot. Other then this past year, where McGrady really wasn't happy on the team anymore and had some minor injuries, his fg percent has always been higher then 45%. For the amount of shots he takes, the only comparable player in terms of fg percentage is Kobe. Kobe has faced single coverage more often the not, compared to McGrady who for the past 4 years, has been Orlando's only star on the court. I don't think I need to tell you what he had to face every night. And he still found time to dish 5 assiste per game. Bottom line, McGrady is just so much more efficient then both Mobley and Francis. It ain't wrong to hog the ball if you are capable of putting it in the hoop. McGrady, with Yao's help, is only going to be even more efficient.
Stevie leaving is a boon to the rockets organization. Getting a top 10 player in return is just icing on the cake.
FWIW I am pretty sure Orlando will be much improved next season; whereas the Rox season still depends on who is not even on the team yet.
And then you follow it up with this? That was one of the great reasons for us having TERRIBLE team chemistry last season. Some people confuse team chemistry with off court friendship. We are not the freaking Lakers NOR have the MAKING of a Lakers team to be. Let's run through it again, shall we? Kobe= Ego maniac with a wannabe Jordan attitude. Shaq= Ego maniac with a wannabe basketball god attitude T-mac= ego that likes a bit of the spotlight but not ALL of it. Sort of like Pippen in his Chicago years. And actually wants to do more than just score all the time. Yao= little ego, a lot of humilty. Who much rather have the team be the focus and not him alone. Who looks to pass first. Kobe wants to be THE reason for a team's success. T-mac wants to be part of the reason for a team's success. Shaq, is like Kobe, and Yao is like T-mac to that extent. How is it, that those two completely compatible personalities indicate struggles in achieving team chemistry? How in the freaking world? Please, SOMEONE, tell me! How you could think that T-mac and Yao equates to Kobe and Shaq as far as team chemistry goes??
We cant tell how they will play together. One thing I do know is that Grant Hill will not be playing.
I agree with others. The only "chemistry" Francis brought to the team is playing buddyball with Mobley or throwing an occasional alley-oop pass to Cato. The Rockets never had team chemistry with Francis running the show.
One thing I haven't seen mentioned at all is that Francis/Mobley are now in the Eastern Conference. Why is this important? because they will be facing better guards more often than in the big-man dominant West. Remember when we all would curse when Francis was getting lit up by the opposition point guard? Well he will be facing the better guards in the league four times a year instead of 2, so I reckon he will struggle I little more than this year. Having said that, though, he will have a bit more freedom to go one on one with his man and try and take him off the dribble and play his iso game. A gameplan that Van Gundy refused to allow. What we got out of the trade was a player more compatable with the pieces we already have in place - plus McGrady is younger and more talented than Francis, which works in our favour. How does the saying go - the team that gets the best player in the trade generally gets the better end of the deal? Well MGrady is a major upgrade over Francis talent wise.
I didn't read any of that post, but I will interject that Steve Francis is #39 amongst Point Guards in Assists/Turnovers. He was an average PG, and his shooting has gotten progressively worse for the last couple years. The only thing we might miss from him is his uncanny ability to rebound the ball, but even that isn't that important considering the PG shouldn't be grabbing boards anyway. If the Magic make the playoffs with Francis/Mobley/Cato, that won't mean anything considering the fact that they are still in the East.
I cant even peope are responding to this Utter Dribble!. how can someone pass judgments on a team that has'nt even played a minute together!. You can Hrap on francis all you like, but the facts are, we got more Talented by this trade hence more of a chance to compete with the big boys!
I know that I'll miss Francis being here too. However, I don't think that it could have ended any other way with Vangundy. Remember they never really hit it off, and we just changed coaches we can't continue to make regressive moves. I'd also like to add one more thing, despite what you've heard from some, TMac is not a chemistry problem in the least, the guy always gives his best effort night in and night out, just like Francis.
SSG, I respect you alot, but while the Rockets 2004-2005 version is still not clear, you can't seriously believe that they'll be worse than they were last year(barring injuries of course). Looking at the big picture where LA is almost a sure bet to fall from the upper echelon of the West and with Dallas trading the wrong 'Twan in addition to Nash departing, the doors are really opening for Houston to step into that elite group with San Antonio, Sacramento and Minnesota. I am leaving Dallas out of that group because they still are a poor defensive team after trading the good 'Twan and even if they miraculously aquire Shaq, they'll have to give up a good deal of their only strength, scoring.
Steve's rebounding esp in key moments helped win more than 1 game for us this past season... and wow, I didn't know his A/T ratio was THAT bad..are u sure about that one?
