In the last two games, I have noticed that the opposition doubles Cuttino every time down the court, but when Steve brings it up, the defense usually lets him go one-on-one with his defender. Does this mean the opponents are more worried about Cats quickness and explosiveness then Steve? If you've noticed, a lot of Steves points have been coming from the three-point shot and he is not driving quit as much. I think at this point the opponents are going to let Steve shoot that shot until he can prove himself from that range. I think he already has. He has been averaging 3-4 threes nightly while taking quit a few. I have a feeling teams will start to adjust to this play and Steve will go back to driving more. Back to my main topic, does anyone else feel that Cat is more explosive then Steve? I think so, any ohter thoughts on this topic. ------------------ "GiddyUP!!!" Krammer from Seinfeld
Francis is more explosive. Last night against the cavs, they would double team whoever was going one on one. Then cuttino throws it out to kenny and kenny to Francis. All I can say is keep doubling mobley, because francis can knock down his threes. By the way he is the leader on the team not BULL. ------------------ "Break off the block like Maurice Green" --- Steve Francis President of the Moochie Norris fan club.
Teams don't double Francis as often for two reasons IMO: 1. He is more adept at passing out of the double teams. He doesn't tend to force the action whereas Cuttino nearly always does. 2. Cat almost always runs an ISO on one side or the other making it easier to trap. Francis starts at the top of the key quite often and runs the pick and roll about as often as the ISO. Both situations make it harder to double team him. The other main reason is that the Rockets score better than 60% of the time when Cuttino is the focus of the offense. With those percentages, you do whatever you have to to get the ball out of his hands. They are both explosive players. They are both a danger to other teams and difficult to guard. Francis is just a little more versatile which makes it more of a risk to double team him and Cuttino is deadly in the ISO making it more necessary to double team him. ------------------ Me fail English? That's unpossible.
I think that Mobley is more explosive, but Francis offense is more refined. Francis hits jumpers, drives and sets up the offense. Cat is so explosive to the basket he draw fouls and destroys defenses. It like the difference between Jordan and Dominique. Both were awesome scorers, but Jordan had an array of offensive moves, away from the basket and was a solid passer, 'Nique was just a flat out explosive scorer who could kill you one-on-one, but lacked consistent passing skills. Both were successful though. ------------------ Dream a deadly Dream. . . [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited February 18, 2001).]
Jeff, usually when Franchise runs the PNRs, he is at the wing on the three-point line, not at the top. Also, Mobley usually passed out of the double team, but he holds it a little longer to draw the defense towards him. Francis a lot of the times just dribles out of the double and sets up a differnet play. ------------------ "GiddyUP!!!" Krammer from Seinfeld
I know this is the wrong page for this but McGrady said he could have put 50 on the Rockets if he wanted to. They should be very offended by that when they play them again Friday. ------------------ President of the Steve Francis, Jamal Crawford,Larry Hughes, and Charles Woodson fan club.
Almost anybody could put up 50 win you got much smaller guys trying to defend you and the other coach wont come with the double. Lets try to forget about that game. ------------------ "GiddyUP!!!" Krammer from Seinfeld
Then Why didn't he??? Francis could probably put 50 on any team in this league, but because thats not how you win, he doesn't try to. ------------------ Never Underestimate the Heart of a Champion
RocksMillenium, I hear what you are saying, but the Cat is older than Steve and I think his game is more refined. He can score in so many different ways. Nique may not be a good comparison, maybe a younger, more explosive Alex English ? Just a player who can score anywhere, anytime. Watching Steve dunk and his quick movements, I would say that he is more explosive then Cat. ------------------ "Roses are red. Violets are blue. I'm a schizophrenic and so am I."
I wouldn't say Cuttino is more explosive,he is definitely better at getting to the hole, because he FORCES it. There could be nothing there, but Cat will force it and get to the line. That's great when it's working, but as we've seen before ,like the win at home against New York, it can be a thin line to walk. He had 7 TO's that game, including like 3 charges. I have no problem with him trying to get to the hole, because that is his strength. Is Cuttino better at getting to the hole? No question. Is that because he is more explosive? Not really. Teams stay off Steve and tend to let him have the jumper, because they want him to prove he can make it on a consistent basis. This in turn, means he can't get to the hole as easy. Cuttino has a better first step, but Steve is quicker. ------------------
I don't actually understand how there's a question here. Francis is faster, AND has better moves with the ball than Mobley. This is not to disparage Cat: Francis is probably one of the hardest people to guard in the league. I'd point to Jeff's post here; Cat does more ISO's, and he seems to view scoring as the only option. Francis is more open to improv. Mobley does seem much better at "getting fouled," but that isn't really a matter of "explosiveness," although it could give the illusion of being thus. When Francis' drives don't work, he looks sillier than Cat sometimes, because he doesn't "get fouled" as much. Often times, a foul is a huge break for someone who goofed. This is probably a sign of Cat's more polished game. Remember, Francis has only played a few years of organized basketball. Cat's older and didn't have that break in hs. ------------------ Shandon Anderson rocks. The lottery sucks. Playoffs 2001. [This message has been edited by haven (edited February 18, 2001).]
Gather around children, let me explain this to you all. Ok, well though steve is fast as balls, and more athletic and Cuttino, Cuttino has at least as quick, and perhaps a faster, first step. Now, once Cuttino gets a person to his side, his long-ass arms, hands and body allow him to get to the hoop, whereas Steve is small. Notice how Allen Iverson puts up floaters in that situation...I guess steve hasn't developed that shot quite yet. So yes, Cuttino is a better one on one scorer, because of his freakish body structure, and quickness. ------------------
If Francis is more exlosive then Mobley, then why are our opponents doubling Cat more then Francis. ------------------ "GiddyUP!!!" Krammer from Seinfeld
Because like what Jeff already said, Cuttino's ISO's are easier to double team than Francis', because he stays on one side of the court. Cuttino is not that effective against really good defenders like Doug Christie or Bryon Russell. That is the truth. When Cuttino goes up against weak defenders, he's great, but when he runs into a good defender he struggles. He only has good games against good defender when he's hitting his jumper, which can open up the lane for him. Also, like Haven said, teams know what mobley is going to do, whereas teams dont know if Francis is going to ISO, call for the pick and roll, or is waiting for a cutter to pop up top for a shot. If you look at Cuttino's really good games this year, they have come against weak defensive teams or players. When you look at Francis' big games for the most part, they have come against strong defensive teams or players(Phoenix, Philly, New York, even Dallas to an extent). I think that should tell you something about who is more explosive. I just want Cat to use pick and rolls as opposed to ISO's when he has a good defender on him. When he has the Bobby Sura's and Trajan Langdon's of the league on him, I want Cat to ISO as much as he wants.Rocketram, why do teams double team Cat more? Well most teams dont double team the point guard at the top of the key. Cuttino puts himself in a position to get trapped, which I think is the game plan, so they can kick it around the horn to an open 3 point shooter. The fact Cuttino gets double teamed more has nothing to do with it. ------------------
Get my name right, or pay the price, its RockENRam5 I swear to God, both Francis and Mobley set up plays at the wings. When Francis hits those threes, he's at the wing, not on top. Its just, all I see is Mobley with ball on the wing, the double comes immediatly, Francis with it, on the wing, the defense lets him run the play. I think maybe the other team is worried about Mobley getting into the lane and causing foul trouble. When I think of explosive, I think of a guy who can blow by his man and do whatever he wants once he gets to the hole. To me, a lot of what Francis does is just toying with his defender and then pulls up and drains the J. Thats not explosive. Francis has more ups then Mobley but Mobley is quicker, not just on the first step either. I just think that when Mobley has the ball, the other team is more worried about him then Francis, and thats why they double him. ------------------ "GiddyUP!!!" Krammer from Seinfeld
Did Steve do something to upset you ? What is your definition of explosive ? I think it means athletic, i.e. running and jumping. If you mean explosive as in a guy who can score or shoot from anywhere, then maybe Cat is more explosive. But athletically, I give an advantage to Steve. ------------------ "Roses are red. Violets are blue. I'm a schizophrenic and so am I."
Rockenram5, I would probably give Cuttino the edge on the first step. His better first step also has to do with the fact he's a lefty and he's more decieving. Defenders dont know which way he likes to go. As far as quickness and overall explosiveness goes, Francis hands down.Also, teams are more worried about Cat because they KNOW what he's going to do. Try to argue with the other points in my post. When Cat goes up against a good defender, the opposing team does not double team, unless he's deadly that night. Cuttino is UNSTOPPABLE when he is hitting his pull up jumper. He puts the defenders on their heels then just knocks it down in their face. When he is hitting his jumper, game over, he can torch anybody in the league. ------------------
Yes, I mean all three of those, running, jumping and scoring from anywhere, Cat can do it all. Like I said, Francis has more ups, but Mobley can get up there too. I feel Mobley can score in more ways, and is faster then Steve. That gives Mobley 2 out of 3, and in my book, that is a majority, end of story ------------------ "GiddyUP!!!" Krammer from Seinfeld
hmmm....I would think Steve can run faster then Cat, but I don't know. Scoring is what I consider a skill, not necessarily athletic ability. How athletic is Pat Ewing ? It would be more appropriate to include quickness as an athletic ability, and I give the edge there to Wink. ------------------ "Roses are red. Violets are blue. I'm a schizophrenic and so am I."
