Blind Man Walking

posters on this board have been clamoring for a real PG (someone who will pass first, and hit the open shots) this person doesnt need to be a star player.. just a solid contributer.

Then we can use the cap space to fill in more immediate needs, look the Lakers (Fisher) or Spurs (Parker) .. the PG doesnt need to be star quality just set up the offense.

I want to keep SF3 on this team and I hope he develops into everything JVG is searching for. We will see.. we still have time.

J

 

I want so badly for Steve to succeed. Everyone one of us know what he is capable of. 20/6/6 or maybe even higher. If he wasn't having an off year we would be contending for home court in the first round.

We need a tall, pass first point guard that could back up Steve and Cuttino. Eric Snow is the only one I can think of. That way Steve can move over to the two on offense and still guard the one on defense (like AI). Mark Jackson is only a short term solution because of his age.

And I seriously hope Steve practices some jumpers in the off-season.

 

As I said before, trading Stevie Francis will be the biggest mistake this GM can make. I'm willing to bet anything he's going to come back and bite us in the ass.

So a player has an off year. So what? You'd trade a player when he has an off year? Come on. So we haven't been in the play-offs in a while. You seriously think that it's all Francis' fault? Have you look at the talents that compliment francis before Yao Ming came?

I believe Francis will come around. Image when he's over the hump and his 20/6/6 is coming back. WOW!!!! Un-FRICKING-believable!!!

I agree with Rockets03!!! Keep Francis for another year! If he doesn't turn things around, then it wouldn't be too late to trade him. At least we won't spend the rest of our lives as Rockets' fans kicking ourselves.

Don't fricking bring up the last four seasons!!!! You can't bring a SUCKY team to the play-offs with ONE star-caliber player.

 

I admire your passion and your loyalty to Steve but he and Yao don't fit well together. My own opinion is that Steve still plays too much playground ball. He's a kid; he hits the men's clubs the night before we play any team that doesn't have Shaq on the roster and usually only brings his game face for the tougher teams. Whereas a Ray Allen has brains AND talent.

The main thing to me is that Yao is the real thing. He hasn't completely arrived, but he's the foundation, and we need to surround him with shooters. Hence, Steve will be gone this summer, perhaps replaced by a passing PG who can stick the 3 and, perhaps, if we can pull it off, a taller, hit-the-3 small forward.

 

Jason Williams was actually a GOOD PG to start. He just screwed up his life. Now that he's cleared that up he's getting better. Steve has a GOOD LIFE, he's just screwed up PG. That's the difference.

PS. He hasn't taken over a game in a long time.

 

You're worried that we won't get back equal talent in return. Well we don't need an equal talent. We need talent with a LOT more basketball IQ. Sometimes less is more.

 

a slump that lasts for a year really isn't only a slump. this is how he is this year. he wont shake it off for the last 20 games.

he may be able to make a great comeback next season with a lot of hard work in the offseason.

no one here is doubting steves talent. we've all seen what he can do. i just think that we will be better off bringing in someone who is a better fit. steve for billups and prince would be a great start.

 

I just wished Steve showed his brilliance more than once a month anymore. No doubt it can work but Steve will have to play really well(within the team game and start to get his without taking away from Yao) for the rest of the seaon and dare I say the playoffs. But I think he can, I just hope he will.

 

Ok, you don't want to trade steve because you like him. You are willing to look pass stupid mistakes, such as bad passing, poor shooting, etc...

I'm a little confused. Ok, a lot confused. How can you acknowledge Steve's poor play and then claim you like him? Is beating someone off the dribble once or twice a game that important?

Yes, Francis is 26. But he's all grown up in basketball terms, he's in his 5th year, he's got a max contract. And all you are worried about is that we won't get anyone in a trade who occasionally has flashes of brilliance?

Everything you say is likely true of all of his here. We "hope" Steve suddenly improves dramatically. The difference is, we've been watching him for five long years, and have seen nothing about him that says he is a winner.

All the progress the Rockets have made this year are in spite of Steve, not because of him.

Steve needs to go, barring a miracle. Waiting till the next treadline would be like sacrificing another season.

It's ok to be blind, but don't be stupid.

 

I just think this is worst year of Steve's career. It's in both our best interest for Steve to play well the rest of the way, trade or no trade.

 

I want him to succeed either, but he's not gonna make it happen with the Rox.

We need to choose, Yao or STeve.

 

PPLs screamed the same thing about EG when he could be traded for much higher value. "He is young.", "This is only his third year", "He had great potential", "I don't even trade him for Rasheed Wallace (or SAR)", blah, blah, blah. Now what? He is worthless.

Of course Steve Franics is not that bad. But if things don't work out on his fifth year in the league and he can't adjust himself to fit the system, you have to consider to make a trade when he still has high value.

However, I still keep my mind open and see how it turns out by the end of the season, if Rox make the playoff and do some damage in first round series (win at least 2 games IMO), I think this is the only chance SF cound stay with Rox next season.

 

I think the point that Almu was trying to make is that we know what Steve is capable of. He is an amazing talent and has improved his all-around play with the exception of his shooting. We all agree that he is having a terrible shooting season, but we know he is capable of shooting a better percentage. Ray allen is a pipe dream, there's no way the Sonics will trade him. Steve gets all the blame for this team for not making the playoffs, no one else bears any of the critisism. Last I checked, it was 5 on 5 not 1 on 5. With the exception of the migrane season, he and Mobley have led this below average talent wise team to 40-something wins and barely missing the playoffs in the toughest division let alone conference in the league. Remember the season before the migrane one, we had "lazy pathetic" Kato who wasn't the motivated Kato that we now have as the starting center and Shanden Anderson as our small forward, and other scrubs. Put jason kidd on that team and they wouldn't make the playoffs. My point is that we know what Francis is capable of and it would be a shame to see him fourish on another Franchise. As a Rockets fan, I want them to win and do what's best for the team but I really believe trading him would be THE BIGGEST mistake the Rockets EVER make. I am not an advocate of moving him to the 2 for various reasons but I would rather they try that instead of trading him. Peace.

 

I don't hate SF and I'll go along with he shouldn't be traded unless we get a deal we want. But I do think the Rockets could greatly improve next year with a pretty dramatic shake-up. I really think that's what JVG will do.

 

Sometimes you just have to view the reality of the situation and realize that Steve is what he is...an amazingly gifted athlete that is better in a free flowing system than an inside out one.

Steve won't ever fit in with a Yao dominated team....Steve has trouble playing off the ball and is terrible at running the break, and is a less than average passer.

I just don't think his athleticism is enough.....we need a smart player to compliment our other smart players like Yao and JJ.

DD

 

I think you forgot to add that he can also take his team completely out of the game by ignoring the rest of the team on offense, making too many turnovers, bad passes and bad decissions.

 

I still believe that JVG should annoint Jim Jackson as the point guard, move Steve to SG and send in the Cat as the First Sixth Man. Mo Taylor needs to be the starting PF, and Cato should be the Second Sixth Man. Also, if Nachbar learns Van Gundy's system and gets his shot back, he can then be the starting SF with Piatkowski serving as the Third Sixth Man. That's a nine man rotation with Griffin, Padgett and Witherspoon playing depending on matchups and fouls. Nobody questions Ming's position and status.

Jackson has the height, strength, patience, passing ability, defense and intelligence to perform well -- better than Snow and better than Alvin Williams. Best of all, we don't have to tamper with the team chemistry.

 

I agree. Francis won't be effective unless the get rid of the zone. I mean he's 27 yrs old and is regressing. I think he can put up numbers, but if you have him handling the ball in crunch situations, I'm not sure he can make the right choice. I stated this 3 yrs ago.

 

Remember the bashing people got on this board when they said something like that 3 years ago. My, how times have changed...