I ask this in all sincerity, I think Francis is an AMAZING individual talent, but what separates the good players from the GREAT players is intelligence. A player can be a great athlete, but not have it upstairs, and thus will never reach his potential. I see Steve doing incredible individual things on the floor, but something seems to be missing, like court savvy. Steve is supposed to be a PG, yet he really does not see the floor as well as a PG should, if you watched Tony Parker last night you could see him setting up his teamates in areas they were comfortable and in a good position to be successful. Now, the only time I see Steve do this is when he breaks down his man and passes to the cutter in the back of the lane. All the former superstars had basketball smarts out the wazoo, Magic, Bird, Jordan, Barkley, etc..etc.. does Steve have that potential? I wonder if Steve has the SMARTS to take it to the superstar level, or is he destined to be just another amazing athlete, and not a true superstar? DaDakota
Steve might just not have the court vision to be a superstar point guard. Parker and even Tierre Brown seem to be better at it naturally. I was very impressed with Steve last night for one reason. He did not quit. From my cursory watching, while reading a book, it was Steve who started the rally, when things looked hopeless. Rice was there, too. As the rally continued I started watching more and reading less. By the time the game ended I looked like one of the idiots in the phone booth. As an aside that refusal to give up was very Cuttino like. My own analysis is that Cuttino is really the heart of the team. Steve is not strong enough mentally to be the leader without Cuttino, though Steve has more overall physical talent. I believe this is the bond between the two. It is a mark of success to realize your limitations.
One caveat, All superstars came to realize one VERY important thing, the ball moves faster then the player. In other words, passing the ball around is a much quicker way of getting the defense out of position then by beating your man off the dribble. DaDakota
I think Steve is smart enough to know he was outgunned last night. I think Parker is very good and had a nice feel for the game. But, you take KT and Cato and give me David and Tim and see what court sense you have.
Anyone noticed when Stevie took the freebies late in the game he looked dizzy? It's like he needed to shake something off of him before shooting the ball ... poor guy! The spirit of not qutting is making me cry! Didn't you see Stevie miss that dunk? I was like "Damn! What the hell is happening?" But he didn't lose a bit of his confidence and later he carried the offensive load and all ... amazing kid! He doesn't have confidence in his temmates? I don't think so. Sometimes I guess he needs to have a little LESS confidence in them, because a couple of them (you know who) really can't put the ball in the hole. We need Franchise and Cat. They are not complete without one or the other! (cough ... cough ... no gay meaning intended )
Will he be better off being shooting guard instead of point guard?... Iverson had break out season when he switched from being pg to sg. I do not doubt Steve's court vision.. i have seen some amazing passes he has dished out.. and he is one of the best when it comes to open court. How do we get other people invovled in offense?.. seems like iso was the only plan against spurs. How about use Rice like Pacers using Miller?... How about pick and roll with KT and Stevy.. Tony Parker was finding his teammates most effectively off the pick and roll with TD and Fishersman Robinson. KT has nice jumper around 15 - 20 ft area and we should utilize that more since he is overly undersized. is... rudy T overrated?
Remember one thing...Stevie isn't a pure point guard. He's a shooting guard playing the point. Give him time and he will see the court better and better. Crispee....when are those MRI results coming back? I hope its nothing serious!!!
He's still growing into the position, but it doesn't help when Rudy decides to walk the ball up every time. He should push the ball more and get teams on their heels more.
Francis is a point guard who is also the franchise player. He's definitely "smart enough". He does take it upon himself to score because he is that good. I don't think that is selfish, that is what he is supposed to do as the franchise.
