http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/1601298 Oct. 2, 2002, 8:59PM Francis heeds Jordan's advice By JANNY HU Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle AUSTIN -- After sealing the richest deal in franchise history, Rockets point guard Steve Francis knew he had to take his game -- and leadership ability -- to the next level. So when he needed some advice on the subject, he went straight to the top. Francis met with Michael Jordan while in Washington, D.C., last week, and the two went over the small steps on the road to becoming a team leader. First and foremost, Jordan said, was earning respect on the court. "According to him, I just have to prove it in the game -- just lead by example," Francis said Wednesday. "You don't have to be a leader who's real verbal or yells a lot, but you can lead by example. Me being a point guard and rebounding, that should make everyone want to rebound." Francis signed a six-year extension worth about $85 million in August. The Maryland native grew up idolizing Jordan and wore jersey number 23 until he arrived in Houston, where Calvin Murphy's No. 23 was already retired. Francis said the conversation with Jordan assured him he was on the right track to earning his nickname of "Franchise." He also noted the leadership label is two-pronged: He needs to be the point man both on the court and in the community. "Some of the things he told me, they all lined up. They're all stages of leadership I've taken so far," Francis said. "Obviously, I'm one of the focal points of the Houston franchise. My role is to keep the team united and try to build self-confidence." http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/sports/bk/bkn/1601367 Oct. 2, 2002, 9:39PM Five benefits the Rockets gain from a five-man offense Five benefits the Rockets gain from a five-man offense: 1. Forces teams into mismatches, with big men often switching to defend swift Rockets guards Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley. 2. Anyone can post up, allowing Glen Rice or Kenny Thomas to set up in the low blocks more often than past Rockets small forwards. 3. Takes advantage of the high-post passing talents of Yao Ming, Thomas and Maurice Taylor. 4. Spreads the scoring wealth and lets players feel involved without sacrificing spacing needed for Mobley and Francis' penetration. 5. Provides backdoor cuts to burn defenses overplaying passes to the Rockets' guards.
Steve, please...I'm begging ...when you go up for a dunk and you get your shot blocked, get back on defense...please...purdy please? I hope I'm not asking to much...but.... Please don't pout... ..don't feel sorry for yourself... ...and don't plead your case to the refs... You can get your "pay-back" the next time down the court! That's what Jordan would do!
Look for a lot of articles from Janny Hu. I hear she's been put on the Yao beat because of her Manderin language skills. os
Maybe it's just me, but I don't remember seeing Francis do that very often, not to mention the number of times his dunks have been blocked in a season can be counted on one hand.
I guess that's why Francis is "known" as such a tenacious defender around the league, huh? Trust me. He pouts. Not all the time. But, too much for an aspiring MVP.
He pouts way too much for anybody who's played organized sports after junior high. Emulating Dennis Rodman in any way isn't gaining him any fans anywhere in the stands or among the referees, he should get off the acting bit and play basketball 100% on both ends of the court and leave the acting til after he's led the team to a dominating win by the example of his smart and hard play.
Some of you folks kill me... Francis goes out of his way to meet with one of (if not the) greatest players in NBA history, for no other reason than to get advice. Advice on how to be a better leader, which is something that folks have been screaming for Francis to do, and you still find something negative to say about him. Give the kid a break. Isn't it obvious that he is trying to be the best player that he can be. I choose to focus on his positives and give him time to work on his negatives, especially when you have evidence like this article that he is indeed working on those negatives.
He's healthy, he's got a healthy team, great new additions, and he's trying to improve and lead. He is listening to Lucas, Rudy, Jordan etc.. Give the guy a break...
so true. i opened this thread up and i swear i thought it was a positive article about steve. hmm, anyways i'm glad to see he's gonna do what it takes to live up to his contract.
I, for one, am glad to hear that he is not content to sit home and count his money. Sounds like he wants to lead this team back to the top, and I'm hoping in the next few years the team becomes one of greatness.
O-dawg, if you think that was "Francis bashing" you haven't heard anything. There are a lot of members here that show no mercy; seems like Mobley/Cato/MoT/KT are on the hit list the most. My comment was part sarcacsim, and part pleading. I do want him to play defense. That's not a "negative" about his game. That's a part of his game that needs help! Period! He can play defense if he wants to. Remember, there are blind fans, and there are objective fans. Both are die-hard, but one group is more critical than the other group.
Being in Washington DC isn't "going out of the way" for Francis, seeing how he is from there. Also, MJ was Francis' idol, and still maybe. I don't care that Francis met MJ, I just want to see the results on the court. Hopefully he didn't waste his time or MJ's by reverting back to old habits.
I have to agree with u 100% for what u said. And the one thing i hate is that rockets fans r arguing among each other about rockets players. You guys really have to get ur acts together I would swear to think that some of u guys r actually jazz fans
