Yeah, Stevie and Ahmad (or whoever did the interviewing) both had a laugh at that, but was Franchise laying down the law right away with that comment? It's well known he doesn't want to be a 2. Was this a subtle (or not so) dig at the idea of taking Jay Williams with the pick? Seems to me like our franchise player may be making it clear what he doesn't want us to do at No. 1. Or maybe, if Williams is taken, he shouldn't stay around long. Could we already wipe one possibility off the mock draft board? Or maybe I'm just reading too much into it.
I have a question for everyone that seems to think that Steve refuses to play SG... Who's the SG when they go with the small ball lineup? Does anyone here think Moochie's the SG when Rudy goes small? Or could it actually be *gasp* Steve "PG or Bust" Francis?
It's not so much playing the 2 occasionally as being the 2. When they go small that does become his role...but that's a lot different then Rudy rolling out Moochie as the starting point. He's said it before....and with that comment, I think he's saying it again.
you are reading too much into this. And Jay Will should be taken off the board, esp with Ming on it. Only way we pick J is to trade his ass, not to sit Mobes on the bench.
I think Williams will wind up being a SG in all honesty. If he does be a PG he won't be the prototypical PG (like Steve). He's a SG, with good passing skills, really quick, but undersized. He played SG in college while Duhon was the PG. I really question his ability to gaurd other premiere PG's and his passing isn't all that great. Why would we want to move Steve to the 2 for a guy that isn't any better a PG than Steve? I might understand if we got Andre Miller or someone that handled strictly PG duties extremely well.
When I heard those words, I got the feeling that Steve was saying that he was going to re-up with Houston and doing so would mean that they dont need another point guard.
I liked Steve's response to a fan in an NBA.com chat after the lottery concluded : FAN : "Would you be happy playing the 2 guard if Houston decides to pick Jay Williams?" STEVE : "We already play the two guard, me and Cuttino."
While definitely not prototypical, I think a lto here will be pleasantly surprised at how Francis' assists go up (to around 8-9) a game while turnovers stay the same or go down next year if the mgmt has a successful offseason with the recent luck.
That's a good way to look at it, and hopefully that's the way he meant it. Though I'm rather confident he will re-up anyway. It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing to have Mobley on the bench; he gave us plenty of depth that way before. Though I doubt he'd want to go there. I don't think its that cut-and-dried that you take Williams off the list. There isn't much that has changed in regards to the caliber of player he is expected to be. One way or another, that talent can't be ignored....and is extremely valuable.
I caught the second run of PTI on ESPN, as much as I dislike the show, the thought of the Rockets being on national television is exciting. They interviewed Mike "The Czar of the Telestrator" Fratello, and this is what he said, (paraphrased) [I would take Jason Williams and pair him up with Steve Francis in the backcourt], [They would have a small backcourt, but could you imagine those two guys running down the court],[Along with Cuttino Mobley they could have a great three guard line-up], and [There are too many unknowns with Ming, his skill, his character, the political situation, and his availability are too suspect, why deal with the headache]. Fratello said more, but thats all I can remember right now. He brought up a valid point about Ming. My reply to why deal with the headache, is because it could mean greatness. Its the #1 pick, its been 18 years since the Rockets picked this high. Ming could bring the added dimension, the umpph that this team sorely needs, or he could turn out to be a bust. Either way its a gamble. Personally, I think Ming will come into the NBA and set the league on fire. Ming has been wanting to play in the NBA for a long time, he is eager to match his skills against what is considered the greatest league in the world, and I think he will come in with an intensity that will hopefully rub off on the Rockets.
