Now that Ming is a done deal, has anyone heard anything from Stevie? Hopefully all of the reports of him being pissed were wrong and he signs and extension next week. IMO, signing Steve to the max is as important as getting Yao's clearance when it comes to the future of the team
I've heard and seen reports from Westside this morning...all the players seem to be on the Ming bandwagon now. Cuttino, Moochie and Mo T all said the right things. I don't think francis was there. os
Were these reports online? I would love to read what they had to say. Any idea if at the Press Conference later today to announce Ming if any of the Rockets players will be there? Chris
The press conference already happened. The reports were on all of the local stations. It was just with Dawson...I didn't see any players at the press conference but you could see them playing ball on the court behind him during the press conference. os
I bet you guys that Francis picks up Ming from the airport. So I wouldn't be to worried about what Francis thinks right now.. "Come together right now over MING"
I don't when he said this, but this was on an AP report this afternoon: Yao averaged 32.4 points, 18.9 rebounds, 4.5 blocked shots and 1.5 steals per game for the Shanghai Sharks last season. He's a gifted outside shooter, although the Rockets know he must adapt to the rougher play in the NBA. He's convinced the Rockets he's ready for the NBA. Now he has to prove himself to his new teammates. "He'll have to fit in with us," Rockets guard Cuttino Mobley said. "He's a very skilled player and that's fun, and he can pass the ball too. We'll feel him out after he gets here. I'm sure everything will work out. ... "He's the No. 1 pick and he has skills, he's not just your average 7-6 dude."
Yeah Cat get with the program. Remember you were a 2nd round pick. Ming will jump ahead of you and Francis tonight as the Rockets new franchise player!!! Good guards a dime a dozen and can replaced, you can't replace 7' footers will skilld easily (otherwise every NBA team would have one)!
We do know, from the Mobley interview at least, that Francis' first choice would not be Yao Ming if he controlled the pick. Or at least, it would not have been a couple of weeks back. However, other than Troy's posts, I don't have any reason to believe he's very upset about it. I get the feeling that Troy's 'scoops' have galvinized posters' impressions of Francis' position on the #1. The result is (1) a lot of Francis bashing and (2) a lot of worrying about what Francis will do with his impending free agency. What have legit insiders said about Francis' position? I don't want to read years from now how Francis was threatening to leave if we picked Yao when the only source the information is riding on is TroyBarros.
Clutch posted a few days ago that CD had shown Francis the video footage of Ming in action( similar to the one on the website now). After seeing that, Francis seemed to feel better about Ming. Whether his attitude has changed alot or alittle is unclear.
I'm seeing quotes from Mobley, Taylor, Norris, and Griffin about how Yao can help the team. I'm not seeing quotes from Francis. What I'm seeing in conjunction with his name is comments attributed to him, relayed by the Rockets. Big difference. I think this guy is still pissed. Remember, he was bullheaded enough to force his way out of Vancouver. I'm not saying he'd do that again. I'm just saying he has his opinions and doesn't let go of them easily, no matter how ignorant they are.
My take it that Cuttino has been "knudged" into a more publicly supportive position. He took some heat for his comments about Odom, but the Rockets have promised to do everything in their power to win now. Francis, meanwhile, has taken more of a wait and see attitude. He will likely still sign an extension, but if this team is not a playoff team next season he will try and find a trade. He probably realizes there is limited market for a PG wanting the MAX on the open market. Either way, he would have had to be traded if he wanted to go to a team of his choosing.
I would say that Cato's reaction to the drafting of Ming was that he'd announce he's going into <i><b>Operation Shutdown</b></i>, but I realized that didn't make much sense because...do I really need to finish with the punchline?
From the Chron Article: Rockets now like what they see By JONATHAN FEIGEN ............ Before they began their own scouting, Yao's future teammates had only seen seconds of evening news highlight moments and snippets of his jogging exhibition in a Chicago workout. Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley had done little to hide their reservations. But Monday, Francis told Rockets officials he had checked out the tapes and decided, "This guy can play."
I think it's more that the other guys are able to workout, and therefore more accessable to the media. Steve Francis is recovering from his surgery, can't work out, and not around the media as much. This may not be the only reason we haven't heard from Steve, but I do think it at least plays some part in it.
