Disecting Steve's comments and body language is fine, but we'll find out what he really thinks this summer. If the Rockets offer him a max extension and he signs like he said he would, we'll know he's on board. If he doesn't, we'll know he isn't. Actions speak louder than words.
Damn, Achebe, that has got to be the WORST instance of Francis hating I have ever witnessed on this board. Sure, he might have been mad at the Rockets drafting Ming, but we don't know because there was NOTHING to substantiate it. Now, Steve says something supportive about him, and you STILL bash him. Guess what, there are PLENTY of people on this board (including me) who were initially against drafting Ming. Then, I got more information about him, and eventually supported drafting him. Now, I'm excited about this season. Of course, YOUR opinion has NEVER changed on anything, right? People change their minds on issues all the time. Would you rather we not play with our resident Moron, Steve Francis? I hope not, because if you think we're going to do ANYTHING with him missing significant time, you're sadly mistaken. Quit hating... Like it our not, this is our team this year. Steve, Cat, Griffin, KT, Mo T, Ming, Cato, Moochie, Rice, and Nachbar...THESE are the guys we'll be rooting for night in and night out.If you're not happy with it, then there are 28 other teams out there....pick one
Originally posted by Achebe: "for you guys to insinuate that Francis was hunkydory with picking Ming is to insinuate that Clutch and Doc Rocket were lying too. If everyone were hunky dory with picking Yao, the Rockets would not have produced that video they handed out to everyone at Westside. They didn't produce a highlight video of Collier or Thomas, did they? Obviously, mgmt felt there was some dissention in the ranks that needed to be addressed. Is everything fine now? It seems so, but actions do speak louder than words. If Steve refuses to re-sign, that's a sign of trouble. If he's on the court with Yao next year and won't pass to him, that's trouble. He can say whatever he wants, as far as I'm concerned, as long as he plays like a pro. Remember the Yankees in the '70s? They used to get into fights in the dugout. Some of them hated each other. But then they left it in the dugout and played together on the field and won the world series. So say whatever you want to the press, Steve. Just win, baby!
<p> I think you are forgetting something here. There was much hype about Ming, because he was the # 1 pick. Since the #1 pick is hard to get, you sure don't want to waste it on someone who will be a bust (though that has happened in the past). <p> Therefore the Rockets had to produce an informational video tape to show the Rocket players just what this guy was about (and to quell any bad dispositions about him). <p> KT and Collier were not # 1 picks. There was no justification for making tapes of these guys. There were mid to late first rounders. The risk for picking them was not as high as the risk for picking Ming. <p> The #1 only comes around so many times. The Rockets wanted to make the most of it. In my opinion, they did a good job.
Achebe, A-Train makes a great point. Even if Steve was initially against Ming he seems happy to have him now. Once Steve received more info about Ming he changed his mind. I only wish the Steve Haters who now have more info on Steve's feelings would also change their mind.
Francis was in fact pissed off. He had cooled off less than a week before the draft after seeing video of Ming. The very video he saw was the one I posted on the site so every one could see it. I asked if it changed anyone's thinking here on the board as a setup question because it had changed Francis'. I had <a href="http://bbs.clutchcity.net/showthread.php?s=&postid=470764#post470764">posted that on the board</a> a few days before the draft but I guess not many read that post (perhaps since it wasn't a new thread by itself). I may have been wrong about Francis when I posted my opinion though. I said I think he's upset because it's less exposure for him to have someone like Yao stealing his thunder. Instead it just looks like his opinion of Yao was on shaky ground since he hadn't seen any footage of the guy outside of the NBA workout in early May.
TroyBaro's was wrong and all the other "insiders" have gone away Clutch, That's awesome that CD showed franchise your video
But Clutch, he is no little kid. He's a grown man, and someone stealing his spotlight...I think it's kind of childish. But at least he saw that we got a diamond in the rough. Now he, along with all of us, can see him develop and grow into a top 3 center.
I think Yao will showcase Francis' skills even more. I can already see those sweet ally oops thrown down to Steve from Yao. Those two will be good buddies by the time the season is over. os
This is true, but remember when Kobe wanted to lead the show from the first qt on instead of letting the big guy dominate early and he finish it out. It takes a real star to give some spotlight away in the benefit of the team. Worthy did it and still got his all star appearences. If he did, it would benefit everyone.
I read Clutch's post to mean that he now thinks Francis WASN'T being childish, but was in fact just looking out for the best interest of the team. At the time, because he didn't have much information, he thought Ming was a bad pick. Since he has changed his tune somewhat after seeing the footage, it seems to me that the spotlight sharing wasn't much of a factor (if any) in Francis forming his previous opinion of Yao.
"always changing the future is..." I think a few people hit things on the mark at the time it was written/said, but as we know the future is always in motion and one little thing like seeing a video can make that differance where as it wouldn't...
I must firstly admit that Ive skimmed the most of this thread, but one thought jumps through my head. Anyone think Jordan, Magic, Hakeem, or Shaq ever questioned or got "pissed" over who their team was going to draft?
Clutch, if I misrepresented your post I apologize. Earlier in this thread I read things that led me to believe that posters were equating the message with the messenger (TB). Of course, I personally, think the TroyBaros kid is an attention starved dork... but I also felt people had to be honest and recognize that Francis did have a negative opinion or two about Yao. Oh yeah, I'm also somewhat wary of Francis' flakiness... of course I'm referring to the Vancouver pouting... and his seeming inability to commit to the franchise until this past year when he began experiencing recurrent migraines (hopefully my calendar of events isn't off). Anyway... luckily it appears that it's all smoothed over. Here's to the team embracing Yao. I don't mind the team giving Yao the rookie treatment... but hopefully it is in good spirit, and doesn't alienate a kid from a completely different world. But then again... I'm just one of those guys that freaks out when posters like Behad (where are you old man?!) run newbies off of the site.
I doubt Hakeem had any idea who the draft picks were before he saw them in training camp. I'll go back to my original post once again...Steve said he is "grateful" that Yao is here. Isn't that enough??? Oh wait, he didn't smile enough or jump up and down when he said it. os
I have read and heard from many sources that Jordan would often be consulted with. Jordan disagreed on numerous occasions but the "executives" did what they thought was best.
Ok, i dont post much, but i wanted to put my 2ยข in. To be 'pissed' you have to have a lot of passion, you have to have a fire going in ya. Sometimes you get those kind of emotions when you think things are being steered in the wrong direction. I think he could care less if Yao 'steals his thunder'. Steve wants to be a champion; going to go watch the playoffs to prepare yourself for the next season and spending your summer working on your game, is stuff that doesn't pur your face on the cover of the prestigious SLAM magazine. He obviously cares immensely about what is going on with HIS team. He wants to win and him being 'pissed' about the pick shows that hes let every little thing that goes on w/ the Rockets be a part of his agenda, not just the people upstairs. Basically i believe he was just looking out for the team.....albeit, he let himself form an opinion on Ming prematurely. This is just my opinion but maybe when he 1st heard of Ming he thought 7'12 = Shawn Bradley, like i know many of us thought. It's a fear, and a huge one at that. We're all just fans and stuff like wasting the #1 on a Stiff scares us to death. Put yourself in Steve's shoes, this team is his LIFE. Every little thing that happens w/ this team decides which turn his life will take next. I'm glad that he was angry, if he wasn't it would probably mean that he didn't have that passion going. Now that hes not mad, or at least not so concerned, i think we rocket fans should take that as a sign that he believes that the Rockets have done the right thing, and that he also believes that Mr. Yao is the real deal. By taking what Steve is saying and doing in the worst possible way, we are (in our minds) trying to fix things that aren't broken, which only causes us more problems and headaches.
