Every time I read something about Francis, he ends up saying that he would love and feels he is a true shooting guard; and that's what he wants to play. By him saying it once I'd say, he knows that some of the best players in the NBA are shooting guard, and he'd like to take the challenge that they post on a nightly basis. But, by him repeating it on a continuous basis every chance he gets, it's saying, I want to win and the best shooting/point guard tandem on this team isn't Mobley/Francis it's Francis/Norris. Every time Francis says that, it's admitance that Mobley does not bring to the Rockets a winning attitude. Mobley doesn't bring the teams 2nd command leader, he brings a childish east coast ball hog. Steve isn't oblivious about Mobley's ball hog skills, he knows what each and everyone here thinks. Fact of the matter is that Mobley is a ball hog who kills all of the momentum of the Rockets on so many occasions with his solo dribbles for 23 seconds. At least Norris only solo dribbles for 18 seconds. The fundamentals of basketball indicate that it's a team sport. Whenever the ball stops moving it allows the defense to play you the hardest. I think that Mobley will be fair game in a trade this summer. Steve keeps coaxing the Rockets into it. But, Mobley did dribble his own ticket out of town if he does get traded.
the only problem is, if we trade cat for a point guard who plays great defence, can guard other 2's to help steve out, passes the ball, and can hit the outside shot, my first question would be... what team is willing to trade that away? now, even if we could find that we would have rotation problems. 2.steve 1.new PG bench. moochie? we would need a shooting guard off the bench, not a team with 3 point guards. trading cat isnt the answer, trading moochie is. moochie and rice should be able to bring in a good PG. we will be able to give them a good PG in return and 9 mil off the cap.
Specious reasoning. You only see what is reported. What do you expect Steve to say when he is asked, "Iverson has been successful at the two guard and people have compared you to him. Could you see yourself playing the two in the future?" What we see in the paper is a reflection of what is asked of him. I think Francis would love to score more and give up the pressure and microscope of the point guard position, but that doesn't mean he wants Mobley gone. It also doesn't mean the answer is for Steve to play the two. IMO, he would be a disaster defensively at the two. Can you imagine him matching up with Kobe or Ray Allen or McGrady? Not only would it be a nightmare on the defensive end, but it would nullify much of his offense trying to go at it against big guys who are just as quick as he is. The ideal solution is giving Francis a compliment either at the two or at the three - someone who can take some of the ballhandling duties from him and take some of the pressure off him to run the offense.
Zacatecas:- You are jumping to too many conclusions that could or could not be true-speculation! Dont put words into Steves mouth /mind that arnt his own conclusions!
i remember last time i was in houston about a month ago, after a game calvin said he would love to see steve playing the 2 and steve said "me too." they talked at length about it, as if it is a done deal. my jaw dropped. i could not believe that they were discussing it on television in such a blase manner. it does seem that cat and steve's relationship has cooled significantly over the year. you can even see it on the court. they used to high five and smile and talk to each other alot. in the games i do see, i dont see that as much anymore. ive said this in similar threads, but ill say it again. steve cannot play the 2. steve would have no problem on the offensive end, but he would get KILLED every night by kobe, finley, t-mac, carter, iverson, ect. steve is not a good defender as it is. you put him up against guys that are 3-4 inches taller and it will be a disaster. cat is a pretty good defender and though streaky, he is a decent shooter. but is not streakiness the nature of the shooter anyway, daniel son? face it, steve is obviously not the smartest apple in the tree. while a great player, he is a lousy point guard and has no buisness playing the position. on the other hand he is too small to play the 2. he basically has no natural position to play in the nba. i dont think that steve is a guy who will ever lead this team anywhere. he is a nicer, friendlier, less tattooed version of stephon marbuy. the kind you can take home to your mom. those guys just dont know how to take a team to the next level. sorry. it wont happen b/c of his contract, but steve must be traded.
Intresting Post jo mama. Although, Steve might not be playing great ball, I do think he is trying to alter his game to compliment Yao more. Give Steve credit for that.
'Point' well taken. So, if someone is added, who? Odom won't be here. The Glove if Karl is singing Carolina Blue? Dre Miller? Dubious. Kukoc? At his age/price? Dubious.
i agree. over the season i have noticed that he is TRYING. i just dont think he has the neccesary point guard smarts to get it done on a consistent basis. we heard about how in the off season he sought out jordan for advice on how to take it to the next level. he even talked to ceo's of major corporations. that shows that he is trying. but he cannot put it all together to get the job done. i just dont think he is that bright of a guy as far as being a floor leader. the "experts" say it takes 3 years in the nba for a guy to reach his true potential. well, its been 4 for steve and he is not really a much better PG than he was when he got here. if he hasnt by now, i just dont think that he will ever develop a true PG mentality.
Tell me...why won't Lamar Odom be here? If Lamar Odom won't be here...then how can Gary Payton or Andre Miller be here?
why that sounds like a guy i know named...scottie pippen. too bad he is public enemy #3 (behind malone and mark madsen).
Lamar Odom and Brent Barry fit that title well. Scottie Pippen We'll never be getting him again. He's sort of old now anyways. Toni Kukoc would work too.
Jeff do you honestly think that Francis could be any worse defensively on SGs than he is on PGs? For instance, the two players you mentioned... Kobe Bryant is average 38 PPG against the Rockets and Ray Allen is averaging 25 PPG against the Rockets. Are you suggesting that Bryant would average 50 PPG against the Rockets if Francis was guarding him? That just seems illogical. I would personally much rather Francis face SGs where he can atleast stay in front of instead of getting burned routinely by PGs that slash up the Rockets defense. The Rockets plummet defensively from early season success has been as much due to Francis's inability to stay in front of quick PGs as Eddie Griffin's charmin soft interior D. Also, this whole thing about the quickness advantage/disadvantage. Steve Francis has a quickness on almost any SG in the NBA. He will absolutely have no problem whatsoever gaining separation on players like Kobe, Allen, Pierce, etc. Do you honestly believe those guys can stop him off the dribble? Kobe tried like heck during Yao-Shaq I and Steve went to the basket over and over and over and over. I dont disagree with your notion about getting a savvy playmaker at the 2 or 3 spot and letting Francis take on more of a scoring role. However, the only player that fits the mold well enough is Lamar Odom. Players like Jalen Rose and Mike Miller for instance handle the ball well, but they dont have nearly enough passing/playmaking ability to achieve what you are asking. Unless you can get Odom, this option will not work. Also, if you go for Odom, Mobley will need to be off the team imo. Mobley-Odom-Francis, none of which are good off the ball players combined with Yao who needs his touches will be a chemistry nightmare.
Simple...Odom is a restricted FA and the Rox cannot afford him. Sterling will match anything 'reasonable', so there goes MCE. LO and Cat are buds, and IF Mobley to LAC = happiness for LO, there is your maybe way for Dre to head here. GP is a FA and with few options for the price he is likely to demand. He and Karl go way back and if Karl stays one assumes GP will sign for the bucks to finish his career with the Bucks. If Karl leaves, GP is likely going to seek a Sign'n'Trade. GP + a contract or two Milwaukee wants to dump for Cato and MoT? Why not?
Actually. Remember Yao-Shaq I? Francis easily went by Kobe. Kobe is considered a good defender. Well he couldn't stop Steve. Anyways, Steve can't stop Kobe. It doesn't really make a difference. Steve is a horrible defender against point guards. At least maybe he can use most of his energy thinking about scoring. We could acquire like a Najera or Artest (without the attitude) or Christie who's job would be to harass the other team's top player. Cuttino Mobley and Bostjan Nachbar and a draft pick or some cash for Lamar Odom and Quentin Richardson or Marko Jaric. CM $5,000,000 + BN $1,300,000 + draft pick or cash. LO (at least) $5,000,000 + MJ $1,300,000 OR QR $1,200,000. Lamar Odom's contract expires after this season. If the Clippers resign him, it will probably be for at least $5 million. Marko Jaric and Quentin Richardson are both good players. They both make about the same amount. Mobley is one of the top 10 shooting guards. Nachbar has the potential to be a good player like many Europeans. Then maybe we could trade Richardson for one of the tenacious defenders in the NBA... We could have three pass-first kinda guys. Steve Francis Marko Jaric Lamar Odom Or if we got Quentin Richardson...we could trade him for one of the tenacious defenders in the NBA.
Okay dont blast me for asking, but dont you guys think L.Odom is the same type of player as C.Mobley? Although athletic he is, what makes people think he is the offensive playmaker that we need. He is a very impressive player, but not a director on the court like some seem to think IMO. Can someone give me some reasons why they think L.Odom would be such a great pickup by the rockets? Is he that impressive when we play the clippers? Am I missing something? (I am not trying to be sarcastic, I am serious)
He's trying to be! With Marko Jaric and Lamar Odom all on the court, it would be great! BALL MOVEMENT IN HOUSTON. WOW! But also...we don't need Odom or Jaric. We could get Brent Barry...who I think is even better than Odom.
Jeff, he's a disaster defensively at the one. At least I would understand it if he were beat by Kobe, but I get tired of him frequently giving up carreer high points to the Little Sisters of the Blind. Anybody who can score, can score on Francis--one or two. I'm not necessarily for Steve moving to the two, but I wonder if this would work if our team defense progressed.
