Really no one could make open shots? Or they never got an open shot? That's a big difference here. How could you expect their other 4 players to move when they all know that the guard wouldn't move the ball anyway? Currently, we are simply a No Ball and Player Movement team.
Everyone sucked out there last night. No one had the energy or the aggressiveness to win the game last night. Francis did his usual crap, Ming was tired as hell, and the rest of the team couldn't even hit a bucket if it was the size of the ocean. We were man-handled throughout the game and the defense was pathetic. Remeber Rudy earlier in the season presenting an 5 man offense? Where the hell is that?
lol............the Pistons altered our offense. They know how to screw it up... Francis...yes...let's trade him for Jason Kidd. Kidd will love it here....the best shooters in the world. I bet Jason could not do any worse OR better than Francis here. Mike Bibby would be useless here. Yeah, bring Gary Payton.
Bull**** - a player like Kidd would figure out where the players need to be to make shots and would direct them there. Steve is failing precisely because: 1) He doesn't direct the other players, as he's too busy looking for his own shot, and 2) when he does chuck (I say chuck, because pass implies intent which Francis definitely lacks) the ball, it's because his own shot is cut off and not to set up another player. Very few NBA players are good spot-up shooters - most of them need to have some kind of flow to execute properly. Francis is simply setting up his teammates to fail when he chucks the ball at them while they're standing at the 3-point line and there's 2 seconds left on the shot clock. Nobody can make a shot comfortably in this situation, and its Francis' fault. Maybe you want a team like Philidelphia that is built to cater to one player's selfishness, but we've seen that a team like that will never win a championship. Also, I think the players have to stand still because Francis peripheral vision is so pitiful that he wouldn't be able to find them if they were moving. he'd just chuck the ball away for a turnover. Furthermore, a real PG would not wait for the ball at the free thow line when one of his teammates snags a defensive rebound. A real PG would be running down court and calling for the outlet pass. I have NEVER seen Steve do this - in fact, Posey is the only member of our team who has tried to do this consistently. Even though his speed and quickness could make him an awesome open-court player, Steve insists on playing a half-court game ALL THE ****ING TIME!!! This is bad basketball, plain and simple. Finally, if I see Francis run the ball up the side of the court one more time, I will scream. If you watch other teams, the ballhandler (not necessarily the PG - I saw Amare Stoudamire do this) stays in the middle of the court. This is especially important on fast breaks as it gives the ball handler up to three choices when making the pass (left, right or behind to the trailer). Francis' tendency to stay on one side limits his pass options and is the only reason why this team is a terrible open-court team. I really want to give Francis a chance to develop, but I think Cohen noted that he and Mobley are so similar that they're reinforcing each other's bad habits (too much dribbling, poor court vision, chucking the ball, inconsistent defense). While Mobley may be the best bargain in the league, he is the WORST backcourt teammate for a player like Francis. This team desperately needs a player who can run an offense and none of our guards seem capable of this. Yao has clearly hit the rookie wall and he does look unimspired. However, the team has to figure out the spacing necesssary so that the opposing team can't converge so quickly on Yao. How is Yao supposed to do anything when Steve passes the ball into double-team coverage. Just another example of poor decision making by Francis and evidence that he should not be running the offense.
You really think that if we brought Jason Kidd, Eddie Griffin and James Posey would start making their shots?
I didn't really notice this thread until today, but this gave me the opportunity to really read through some great analysis of the point guard position -- from analyst who must have never played organized basketball before (peewee included). I just can't understand why some people can't see that Stevie Franchise is a unique talent. Jason Kidd's biggest knock is that he can't do what Steve does night in night out -- distribute and score. There's no way you have that quickness, that leaping ability, that agility w/ the ball and have him trying to play like Avery Johnson. Just like you don't have a guy that's 7' 6" with the gracefulness of a cat trying to play Shawn Bradley. Before Hakeem no other player saw such regular triple teams every time they touched the ball. Steve gets that kind of attention from the point gaurd position. Steve knows that those guys are open at the three, but do these Steve-is-not-a-true-point-guarders want the Rockets jacking up three's all night long ... On nights when noone is really hot from the perimeter. Steve has always gotten his points in the flow of the offense. Since he's been here, I can't remember Steve just jacking the ball a la Vince, Kobe, A.I., T-Mac, et al. even before Yao came. If Steve beats three guys off a crossover and is skying above his defenders you would want to run out there and tackle him if he passes back out to the three point line. The ref's are adjusting the way there call fouls for steve. I think there getting used to his quicker than the eye speed and aren't giving him calls he has gotten in the past (Not an excuse). Steve is the best point guard in the NBA. I think the ANTI-Stevers sound kinda like the ANTI-Mingers before Yao got here (trade Steve/trade the #1 pick). Nows the time for the Rockets to make a run if they want to be in the playoffs. OUT --from the SPeZOT
Hola! I agree. Steve Francis is the best! He is the most popular point guard! But still...we won't win. He does pass...but has no one to pass to... Steve is a great player and he is smart...just needs some help.
He has the help, but he still figures as he is the only threat on offense. He needs to be a POINT GUARD and do what a point guard does....penetrate, draw in the paint, dish out to the open man, etc.
is PG roles really to penetrate and kick it out to the open man? it is one of the way to create for others.... but the best way is still the teamates themselves run around and screen for one another to create open space for the PG to pass to, this kind of passing is a lot more accurate then penetrate, drawing defenses and kick it out, like I said b4, more often than not, it can turn out in the opponents hand..... once again, its about the motion offense...... somehow I think it is not Francis fault to fail to run a motion offense with the team.... do u think the coach will let him play if the coach told him to run a motion offense but he run an ISO? I doubt so.....
