I haven't seen this discussed so I'll mention it briefly. I'm not sure where we are ranked on rebounding, but I think we're at least above average. It seems to me that most of the time when Francis gets a rebound, it's a defensive rebound and another Rocket could have gotten it. We would be much better off if Francis saved his energy and leaked out for outlet passes. That would help our transition game and getting us into our offense quicker. A few easy buckets could go a long way towards avoiding those offensive droughts that have become a Rocket's tradition. If we lose 1 or 2 of the rebounds that Francis typically gets per game, that's a reasonable price to pay, particularly since we have very capable finishers in Mobley and Posey. Also, our big men appear to rely on Francis and others to help with rebounding duty. They will become more proficient rebounders if they understand that it's their responsibility to gobble up the balls in the paint. The next thing after implementing that subtle change is to teach our players how to run a fast break in an intelligent fashion. We were very fortunate to win last night despite blowing two easy 2 on 1 fast break opportunities, very late in the game (one botched by Mobley, one by Posey). We need to send our guards, with pen and pad, to any high school gym in the greater houston area. My lord. It isn't that hard, but it's not part of our Rocket science.
Simple really, whichever guard or SF that is on the opposite side of the shooter above the FT line, release as soon as the ball is shot. Rebound outlet...bang 2 points. Lakers & Celtics 80s style. DD
kind of silly to tell a player to quit rebounding. maybe oscar robertson should have rebounded less and jason kidd should rebound less too or kobe or tmac. i mean also when francis rebounds it means that our ball handler immediately has the ball in his hands. isnt that a good thing too? and also we are one of the best rebounding teams in the league. The next thing after implementing that subtle change is to teach our players how to run a fast break in an intelligent fashion. Haha....you act as if it is that simple. Have you noticed how slowly the Rockets have grasped things this year?
I noticed that on most Francis rebounds yesterday (vs. Toronto), he looked upcourt, and passed the ball up quickly. As long as he keeps doing this, instead of dribbling the ball up court, we will still have fast break opportunities, or can at least catch the defense in transition.
Which one is faster? SF handles the ball from one end to another end, or SF just runs and receives a pass. The point is, do not fight with your teammates for rebounds to make your stat look good. A pro should be able to tell when to go for the rebound and when not to.
I would rather have Francis rebound and pass it upcourt to Posey. Francis is a garbage fast- breaker, better to have him as the trailer.
depends which is quicker getting the ball up the floor dribbling or a PASS.... do a quick experiment, you'll work it out.
Kidd is great and rebounding and pushing in one quick motion, as was Magic, I don't see why Steve can't do that too. In other words I don't think Steve rebouding is the problem--it is Steve and the team's committment to running whoever gets the ball.
When You're in position to get a rebound, you don't look around to see if any other of your teammates are around so they can get the rebound, if you're near the ball when its in the air, you go for the rebound. You don't give up a free rebound to an opponent just because you want to get on the fast break. It's not what the NBA players are taught.
They aren't TAUGHT anything, I think that is the biggest problem with the crap basketball in the NBA today. DD
Yes it is, if it's part of your system to leak out for breaks. The lakers and celts did it to perfection for nearly a decade. Mo Cheeks and Dr. J did it every well with Mo Malone, Chocolate Thunder and Marc Ivaroni. The elite teams of today do it to some degree. The strategy is to have players execute their roles well, so that the 5 individuals funciton as a team.
I can't speak for Big O, but with Kidd, he can grab a rebound and start a fastbreak ASAP. Francis gets the ball, then holds it. That is the difference.
Certainly not all the time, but every player should try to as much as he can. For anyone who's playing pro ball, it's called 'court awareness'. What's most aggavating is seeing two players on the same team go for a rebound when there are no opposing players in good position, only to see the ball bounce off them... like with the Rox last night in Toronto.
Duh. The point is that Francis should be in more of a position to try to lead a fastbreak, rather than trying to pad his rebounding totals.
So then you just have to get him to push the ball after he gets it and not hold it. That doesn't mean you want him to stop rebounding.
Do you honestly think when Francis grabs a board that he is consciously thinking "Hell yeah I'm gonna get me another board so I can make sure I am still a 20/6/6 player"? Gimme a break.
We need our guards to rebound. That's the reason we're a good rebounding team. Our frontcourt is average on the boards. If the guards leak out, then we'll give up offensive rebounds and putback, which will more than counteract any fastbreak points.
