[ch 2 video] Francis interview: "I definately didn't come here not to play at all."

This is just my opinion: but I think Bonzi actually playing this season and having an offensive presence, along with signing Scola and James are going to have the biggest impact on our team, in that order.

Unfortunately, I think we should just try to move Francis before he starts becoming a disruption. Not a good sign if he's starting all this already, in the preseason.

 

Alston fits better with the starters, then James, and then Francis. But when both Yao and TMac are out on the bench, Francis is way more valuable than either James, or Alston.

 

Agree. Alston is better with stars. He's horrible shooter we know, he cannot carry the team. I only remember he carried us against Phoenix (last season) but we still lost. Alston can pass, he's a great playmaker, great passer so he can distribute the ball to Tracy Yao or other guys.

When T-Mac and Yao go to the bench we need a scorer, guy who can carry the team. Well he have Bonzi, but the best fit are James and Francis. James cannot pass buut he can shoot, even drive strong to the basket. The same with Francis. He used to be that type of guy. Of course right now he's a different player but he still remembers it. I love his drives. He can finish the layups, dunks from every spot and we need it cause the shoot will not go in every game.

 

Man the season hasn't even started yet, things will change a lot this year, people will get hurt, and players will go through bad shooting periods and good ones. I'm glad we have Rafer, Steve, and James...IMO they'll all play throughout the year and we'll be glad we havem when the other is playing like crap. Seesh so much hate.

 

If people want a starting PG (alston) that cant shoot.... good luck with that.... defenses wont collapse on Ming and the passing lanes to leave Alston to throw up a bunch of bricks from the outside... would they? Put the best talent on the floor and the rest will work itself out (for my money, James starts, SF3 backs up and AB gets scrub minutes to develop... after last season, Raefer shouldnt even make the squad - let alone start!?!?!?)

 

Interetsing line up when we want to turn up the speed:

Scola
McGrady
James
Head
Francis

 

The point-forward guy strikes again, this guy is on crack.

watch this guys?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgk9xvroqA0

 

Its a long season, I hope he just keeps his head. he'll get his chance

 

That's the key right there. The Rockets will need what he can do late in the season and in the playoffs. SF needs to work hard, get into shape, learn as much as he can about the offense & his teammates and then adapt himself enough to fit in.

It's a long season and everyone should be patient.

 

keep fighting the good fight. we'll know you stayed true when he plays.

 

Now now...

Lets not have the posts saying that his style doesn't fit the system. Hardly anyone had an issue with him coming here. All we saw were confetti coming down from the rafters.

I think that he is going to play a major role. But to say hindsight that he doesn't fit is...not nice (borat voice).

 

So just let Francis sit on bench unless both Yao and TMac are not on court. It might be 1 ~ 2 minutes per game.

 

you got to be kidding me.

he is neither a great passer nor a great playmaker. plain and simple. otherwise, tmac would not be so tired at the end of the last game vs Utah in playoff. once a while, he might make your eyes popped out, but that's it. he is good at protecting ball and is good at 3pts in regular season but not in playoff. he will be the weakest link in starting lineup.

unfortunately, neither mj nor sf played better than him in preseason games. we have to stick with him until either of mj and sf (if still with us) really understand the new system.

 

you're absolutely right. so far rafer is the best at pg. no one we brought in has showed better.

i am disappointed that we did not improve our pg position after we traded and signed two veterans.

 

I am with you. But I still think SF3 needs time to fit in. RA played long time with T-mac and this Rocket team, of course he is a better fit now, JUST NOW.
I like SF3's drive to the rim. I hope both Rox and SF3 not to give up wach other. We need you, SF3, for the sake of the playoff.
If RA continues to be our point guard, I am not going to watch any more Rox game. We'll exit again in the playoff.

 

steve has a history of all star play, the texans, well they have a history

i guess when it comes to steve you're not true blue houston

 

I, for one, will not be sad to lose you as a fellow fan. I just hope you find a team to watch that has no weaknesses whatsoever (in your eyes, of course), so you might not have to bear the sight of something so offensive as a guy failing after putting his blood/sweat/tears/etc. into a game (for you).

Come on! Would any of you honestly be sports fans if you knew before the season started that your team was going to win no matter what? Rafer's doing his best to bring back Clutch City, and half of ya'll won't even be watching when we reach the Promised Land.

 

Agree, devin harris and ginobili burns alson to the basket for sure. We are bad against penetrating guards.

 

Assuming the Rockets decide to give Head minutes over Franics to start the season, it would truly be a joke if that is still the case a few weeks into the season.

Right now, I blame Francis for coming to camp out of shape and not having appeared to even try to play within the team concept. I know Francis has never been known for having good basketball IQ but I figured he would at least show signs of trying to get "it". So far, in the preseason, he has not only looked rusty and in relatively poor physical shape but also hasn't seemed to grasp anything that Adelman is trying to implement.

Still, given some time and patience (a big "if" given Steve's ego), I expect Francis to be in the rotation over Head.


Regarding Luther Head, at the risk of offending his fans, Luther is, was and never will be, a rotation-caliber player in the NBA. He is not even close to PG material and is too undersized to play SG.

His only clear strength is shooting 3s. He can't even shoot mid-range jump shots consistently and has never shown the ability to get to the rim. He is not a good free throw shooter, either. His dribbling skills are mediocre at best. His passing skills are extremely questionable. He is too predictable and unsure of himself when he tries to pass the ball.

His overall defensive skills are weak and he is a defensive liability when he is on the court because he cant handle PG duties. He does have quick hands and, thus, the ability to pick up some nice steals but that does not, by any means, outweigh is other glaring defensive inadequacies.

Luther only got playing time last season because he played on a team with little depth and few choices in the backcourt. It is amazing we won so many games with him in the lineup (I don't care how many 3s he hit). I hate to say it, but you have to credit Van Gundy's ugly style of play for making Head look good. We should be looking to trade Head while his value is at its peak before it is too late and the rest of the league sees the truth. I bet most scouts already understand that Head will never overcome his weaknesses.

At this point, it sounds like Luther's choir boy act during camp (something Francis could have tried if not for his ego) has payed off so Adelman is giving him the nod over an out of shape Francis. If Francis is patient, I expect this to change over the next few weeks. In addition to Luther's basic weaknesses (mentioned above), he lacks the creativity and skill set to be effective in Adelman's system. As a predictable player, Head was able to at least appear adequate in Van Gundy's predictable offensive schemes that didn't require nearly as much reaction and instinct as those of Coach Adelman. Luther will ultimately struggle in this system. When that happens, Steve will swallow up his minutes... if his ego can wait that long.

I have nothing against Luther. I am just telling it like I see it. He would never get significant playing time in Dallas or San Antonio. He would barely see the court. The same is true for most other teams throughout the league, including the below average ones. Do you think the Bobcats would have a starting backcourt of Felton and Head? C,mon... get real. Head is not Iverson. Not even close.

 

At the rist of offending you... didn't you just say this in the Head thread?

Let's try not to copy and paste the same comment into more than one thread eh?