Steve Francis, he has to be one of the best offensive minded players that is young and playing today. He will get better and better next season and after. Hes got a great drive and shot. I think he could be a scorer. Can Stevie be a Tracy? A Iverson type player. If JVG leads Francis to a scorer role at SG, can he be the Iverson type player, can he live up to scoring and taking shots after shots every night (Hitting them consistenly) and scoring 28-40 something points a game! I would like to see him change roles and look to score like Tracy Mcgrady. Maybe JVG could mold him into that role.. I hope so.
Well with JVG, he can be a Chris Childs type. Yay. Nah, this team in a couple years could be better than the current (and tanking) Lakers, and can even become more dominant than the San Antonio Duncans.
As much hate as there is for Steve, keep in mind, the only two statistical categories he trails AI in is ppg and steals. Rebounds, assists, points per shot, blocks, FT %, FG%, Steve is actually better at. Sucks to be a Stevie hater, I know.
Steve's raw talant is probably ranked top3 in the league. We just need a coach that can tame that wild talent, he can be a Tracy McGrady.
He can't be a Tracy because he is not tall enough. Tracy can get off a shot almost any time he wants. Steve can't and Steve is not as fast as AI. There is a reason Kobe and Tracy are superstars. They have the perfect size to play guards.
Man the way Francis Jumps he dont have to be 6'6-6'7 to get a shot off. If he would worry about scoring all the time and not trying to lead the offence, he would be better the AI. Hes got super talent, AI Just shoots alot of shots, not saying francis could be better than AI, but who knows lmao.
i cant even think of a reason why those peeps hate steve.. steve is one of the premier guards of the game. he's carrying the team when it needs the most. he takes all the blame coz he accepted the role of being a leader. and stevie aint goin nowhere but up. i really dont see a legitimate reason for the steve-bashing.
Remember, Iverson and T-Mac play the way that they do because they have to. Do we want Francis dominating the ball anymore than he already does? Especially considering the effect that type of play would have on, say, Yao? Besides, what the heck has T-Mac or Iverson ever won? They are both very talented players, and I have a lot of respect for both of them - but I would rather have the Rox play as a team.
I think alot of it has to do with Yao. You can't help but root for Yao. Steve, if he doesnt control himself, ma stunt Yao's growth. Other part has to do with Cuttino. Alot of people love Cuttino. I know stats and cliches don't mean much, but a 6'3" guy averaging 20/6/6 is very impressive. I get the feeling Steve could be a once in a lifetime kind of talent. Alot of people blow off or think Steve's rebounding is detrimental for the team, but like Barkley says "you can never rebound too much."
A two pronged attack has shown to be pretty effective. I'd split the offense almost 50/50 between Yao and Stevie. If one of them is having an off night, in steps Cuttino or MoTay (ok, so MoTay may not be a super star, but I see him as a good 6th man option)
Who thinks Steve can't score 28-29ppg on 38% shooting like Iverson? We know he can. But we don't want that. Allen Iverson and Larry Brown would've each given us one of their nuts to have Yao Ming in the middle. What Steve Francis can do for us is this: 23/5/5 @ SG or 21/7.5 asst vs 3 TO's/5reb @ PG The important thing is fr him to be efficient. High FG%, high % attempts, low TO's, fastbreak points, cut to the basket for an easy layup. That sorta stuff.
he may not be as fast as Iverson but he's only a hair slower. He offsets that with his strength though. He's ALOT stronger than Iverson. steve francis is probably one of the top five quickest players in the league. he's fast enough and strong enough to do every bit as much damage as Iverson if not more. the only concern i'd have with him playing the two guard is his defense.
Steve has been in the league for 4 years. He is no Iverson, no Tracy, no Kobe. There is a reason for that. Don't say he can jump high, he can move fast. The fact is his size prevents him from becoming the top guards as Kobe and T-Mac. The fact is that he is not Kobe, he is not T-mac. He is still an all-star guard though. If someone trades Kobe or T-Mac for Steve, would you take it? You will be insane for not taking it. You know what, the reason Kobe and T-mac are superstars is that no single player can shut them down consistently and they demand double-team. For Steve, Bruce Bowen can shut him down if Steve plays SG. Sure, Steve can try to shoot the ball, but he will be blocked many times, his shooting percentage will fall.
Huh? Noone has said that Steve is in these guys' league. If there was a league higher than the nba, Tmac and Kobe would be two of 6 guys I know that would be playing in it. Steve is not in their league, not even close. But what's the point? Is this just another flame at Steve? Some of us just think that with the right coaching and direction, Steve could be a great player.
Steve Francis is a great athlete. He is a great scorer. He has a great eye for the ball. I think very quickly JVG will have him leading the NBA in steals but reduce his rebounding. Steve Francis can playmake and can play defence, when he has the right mind set and JVG will insist on him having these abilities in every game.He doesnt trust other players that are developing, this he will have to do, to develop the overall team game. JVG and his Staff are going to insist that he improves his passing and reduce his dribbling time, so that the ball will touch more hands and increase the percentage chances of scoring by an open shooter. If Francis is realy determined to be on a winning team and improve his game, he will survive through the coaching onslaught. In two seasons we wont recognise the 'bright star' named Francis, provided he goes along with all the requirements presented by JVG.
Don't try to make him something he isn't. Francis is a better rebounding ,less assisting version of Marbury. That doesn't mean he can't be real good, but thathe has limitations mostly on the IQ side of things. Francis will not thrive at 2 guard because of his hesitation and IQ to take certain shots instead of taking what is given. Its not asking alot to simply play smarter, but people have been trying to get Portland to play smarter since 86. To me, if Francis stays at his 6asst clip, I would like for him to reduce his to's to 2.5, which would mean extra possessions for us. If he's going to score 20pts, try to get at least 4 or 6 via fast breaks. That means not going below the ft line so much for rebounds and really pushing the ball off the ones you get. Steve is more fast than quick so comparing him to Iverson is really unfair. Steve is a good talent, but what will over time get him the recognition he wants and needs is by doing whatever in his power to get this team to the postseason. Once he does that, the accolades will come and everything will bt cool.
It's silly to compare Francis to McGrady. McGrady 1. MVP caliber type player 2. can play (1,2,3,4) 3. 6 ft 8 with a 7 ft wingspan 4. Ranks 5th in total Efficiency points Francis 1. All star caliber type player 2. can play the (1, 2 (jury is still out)) 3. 6 ft 3 with little wingspan 4. Ranks 14th in total Efficiency points What we are comparing is apples and oranges. McGrady is the superior talent and is the more versatile player.
As a 6'3 player, Steve has A LOT of work ahead of him. He has to increase his court vision and make intelligent assists instead of bail outs. That doesn't mean forcing an assist either. As he gets older, his raw physical skills will diminish and even out. If he doesn't sharpen his basketball IQ, he'll end up being a Damon Stoudamire type player.
