I think the boys on TNT thought Kenny needed street cred. The Kenny Smith I remember had a flat top and no nickname. Today's Kenny Smith has the shaved head and goes by "the Jet".
RR, you'll be too busy enjoying a new winning brand of basketball, increased IQ, and fast-breaking offense to be cynical about a "We'll miss Francis's defense" idea. Next year...."No Francis's sour-pusses will be allowed." Just wait. We just need to get the pieces together. There's still some work to be done by Les and CD.
That's true. While it's true that Kenny was fast in college and the NBA. But he never had a "nickname." He was also in the All-Star slam dunk contest. He could jump pretty high. Kenny got the nickname for his quick and excellent TNT analyst! Not his baseball career! Ha!
One thing you guys never mention is how good of rebounder Steve was. He was one of the best rebounding guards I have ever seen, especially for a PG or a guard his size. We are going to miss his timely rebounding. Granted, I don't know McGrady's rebounding numbers.
Do you realize why I brought up the per 48 min. average? Why totally discredit the stat- because it makes players who you worship not look so good? The reason I brought up the per 48 min average is because Francis plays some of the most minutes in the nba. Last season he was number 4 in the NBA with 40.4 minutes played. Nash averaged 33.5 minutes per game, Arroyo 28.3, and Hinrich, 35.6. Now it is not fair to compare just the Total To's because Francis plays alot more than all of those guys-- If Francis played 10 less minutes a game then naturally he would have less turnovers. Look I am not saying Francis doesnt have a problem with turnovers , I'm saying that the ppl here on the BBS make the turnover thing a HUGE deal- love to focus on the negatives , but rarely mention the positives sides of his games such as how great of a rebounder he is for a guard, ability to get to ft line, scoring, steals, etc. Also the system thats in place on the Rockets- dump it down to Yao offense and our earlier Rudy T iso O, its not very conducive to assist numbers- If you dont think Nash assists get a bump playing with all the stars and a umptempo style in Dallas, and Arroyo benefits from a system in which all JAZZ pgs have good assist numbers in than you are kidding yourself. Like I said this team will do a better job of protecting the ball than last year's but turnovers will still be a problem.
So... Dumber Team in the Rearview? IQ is great if you're equally athletic at all positions. So far we've diminished the ppg at the 1, while adding about the same amount of ppg dropped at the 1 back to the 2. And we have a gaping hole in the stamina department at the 5. I agree with RR... we'll see. There is work yet.
Excuses for a clueless PG...sigh... Hmm, lets check Francis's TO rate his first year. It was 4.0TOPG. How many minutes did he play? Hmmm lets see. Looks like 36 MINUTES. Oh, but he was a rookie. What about his 2nd year? He played 39 minutes and averaged 3.3 TOPG. Seems like his TO went down! But wait. I thought you said that minutes are the cause of the TO. Guess not...hmmm.... Oh, wait. The following year he goes back up to 3.9 per 39 minutes. Must be the responsibility. Yeah, that's it. Well, we can always blame it on youth and inexperience. What about the follwing years? Oh, well. He tried. Looks like he's level out at 3.7 TOPG with 40 minutes per game. You need to face it. It's the player! Not the minutes, not the coach, not the system. The player! Stop making excuses for a clueless PG! Oh, and that Rudy system. There's a reason that he didn't get assists. He didn't know how to make accurate passes. He wasn't capable. He just isn't that type of player. He never learned. We didn't have Yao all those years. It was the Francis and Mobley show. A run-and-gun team that never materialized. Just a bunch of ISO for two guards that only knew how to play one way. The lack of assist and passing was in direct correlation to the the guards themselves. The system would be an issue if Francis had been under one system and coach. But he hasn't. He's had two coaches and three systems (Rudy/ISO, Rudy/Yao, and JVG/Yao). In none of those systems has Francis been able to increase or learn passing skills. Face it. He's a wanna-be SG in a PG's body. Let me tell you this. For all his experience and athletic ability. It does nothing to change that brain of his. If he can't learn, he'll never improve in that area. You can't tell your body to do something what your mind hasn't learned. Psssst....McGrady averages 40 MINUTES per game. Also has 5.5 APG and only 2.7 TOPG. Wow! Not bad for a shooting guard, huh? Plus, he can score 29ppg! Bonus. "Oh no," you say. Blame turnovers on the minutes. Please... P.S. One note about coaches. If they see that a player *can't* do certain things, they're not going to force them to do it. That coach has to work with what he's given. Both Rudy (not at first) and JVG were quite aware of Francis limitations. IF Rudy or JVG had Nash or Kidd on our team, they would have adjusted the system accordingly. If the coach has confidence in a players ability to do certain things, of course they will customize plays for those strengths. Francis strength was the ISO. Not passing or team play.
Yes. So what? Are you trying to say that those "extra" turnovers are due to fatigue? I'd like to see a Turnover Timeline.
Are you saying that Steve + Cat = T-Mac + Barry? Come on, surely you don't believe that our backcourt hasn't improved simply because of the PPG thing. If that's the case, our biggest upgrade in the trade was Cato for Howard, seeing as how the former can't hit anything beyond 3 ft, and the latter has averaged 17 ppg or more throughout his career. As for athleticism, we've upgraded at the 2(T-Mac over Cat), and worsened at the 1(Steve over replacement PG). Howard is more athletic than Cato and has more quickness, although he is a worse shot blocker and around the basket. Overall, I don't see a decrease in athleticism. Certainly nothing that would offset the incredible surge of the team's basketball IQ.
why do you think francis men lit him up because he was helping out on everyone else man.steve played very good team defense ,but that sometimes let his own man get off.but still your point guard shouldnt come up with more boards then your 7 foot 6 center. I hope our defense don't suck next year because defense wins championships
IROC, The most important statement you make is "There is work yet." Of course there is work. Like you I think we need to go after a Skinner or Fortson type of guy who can come in and be a physical presence when Yao Ming is out. I would still love to see us go after Steven Hunter even. As far as scoring from our 1 and 2 spots are concerned if we sign Barry to team up with T-Mac then we have more scoring from those positions just based on last years production but who really knows how that will translate when Barry and T-Mac suit up for the Rockets?
that's rubbish about francis having a low bball iq. francis was just unorthodox, he made risky decisions that made him look either brilliant or just plain stupid, depending on how successful those attempts were. under jvg francis was made too look ordinary because he was not playing to his strengths.
you should watch more tape the defense is built to sg n the middle just what steve did.when the ball was moved around steve man sometimes got the open three.so what ever ROTF off all you want .
Yeah, it's JVG's fault Francis never learned to run the fast break correctly because JVG just didn't play to his "unorthodox" style. When a player makes risky decisions that usually work out, they are a good passer, when they make risky decisions that usually don't work out, they are a bad passer or have a low basketball IQ. Francis is the latter...whether it is unorthodox or not, it never really worked for this team and it was time for a change. Barry is not flashy but he has always been touted as a good passer...Francis has not and for good reason.
Dude, You are digging your own grave. Steve Francis constantly lost his man because he was peeking at the ball, and not paying attention to his own man. Steve is a HORRID defender, he goes for all the fakes, and simply loses his man all the time. Steve made improvements but does not have the lateral quckness needed to EVER be a good defender. And, god forbid if they ever start calling "palming" again, Steve would be out the league then. DD
Glad that you brought this up. Just in case you didnt notice. For every rebound Steve got, there was at least twice the amount of time he left his man wide open for an easy J or penetration. I for one surely wouldnt miss his rebound at all.
I’m sure we’ll see a much prettier brand of basketball next season than we have seen with Steve, Cat, and Cato, but there’s just something about this roster that strikes me as one of those lineups that look great on paper, but doesn’t meet expectations when they actually play on the floor together. There doesn’t seem to be a blending of different strengths. The strengths of all the players are all the same (shooting, passing, smarts) and the weaknesses of all the players are all the same (softness, heart, leadership ability). Not a lot of versatility. I don’t want the Rockets to turn into another Sacramento Kings. A team that is loaded with offensive talent, shooting, and basketball IQ, but lacks the mental toughness. We’ll just have to wait and see come playoff time next year if they elevate their game to the next level like Detroit or LA, or if they crumble under the pressure like the Kings.
MORE WINS i need more than 2~3 more wins to be satisfied changes should make IMPACT i don't beleive in basketball IQ . i think it is a crock of crap . . . .create to give folx something to complain about BTW JVG . . and a fastbreaking team? BTW - the offense WILL NOT CHANGE I'm sure i heard JVG say something to that effect Rocket River
