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

Who were the 2 that Adelman "excused from training." Lucas and Reed??

 

Agree with you , even if he looks better in this offense it doesn't change the fact that Alston is a broderline start , he is a below average starting pg.
Certnaily not a championship caliber pg.
To the situation with Francis is very very disappointing.
A guy with his talent could have given the possibilty to have championship caliber pg.
Without him our pg rotation is not what we hyped it to be , we have a below average starter and a good backup , I don't think thats enough for a championship.

 

^^ Lucas and Butler ..

 

amen cabbage..... its like nobody actually watches NBA games that don't involve the rockets or read and believe any writers around the league when it comes to negative performance and declining skills

 

While I am taking a wait and see approach I don't understand why you find it "amusing" that people think he could be a major contributor. He has superstar talent and is only 30 years old.

 

boohooo, what's the big deal. SF3 is obviously out of shape (or fat). So he's not in the rotation, i guess we will see him get more time when January rolls along?

 

..And it begins. I hope Alston or Head is moved to find room for Steve. He's too good to be out of the rotation - we need to find a place for him. Especially when James and Luther are redundant, and Skip just flat out can't score.

 

Again, it's amusing that people are writing off people before a regular season game has been played. That's what I find amusing. We haven't even played ONE regular season game yet!

 

James wishes he had Head's shooting stroke, James knows how to jack em up while ignoring other teammates but the point is to make the basket.

Francis and James driving to the basket makes me cringe alot of times cause they have a chance to dish to wide open teammates but instead try to drive on 2 or 3 opponents. Francis being a better defender then James and Head isn't really saying much.

 

F*ck it. Lets just trade him before the sh*t hits the fan.

 

So you rather we stand around and shoot like less than 30% 3's, was that luther head shot 28.9% 3's against Jazz in 7 games "wide open"?

 

Fixed it for you...

In Alston, James, Francis, and Head, we might have the most talented low IQ guards in the league. They just don't get "IT".

 

That is true, but last season Van Gundy thought he had plenty of front court options, too-- Novak, Batter were both projected to log minutes a PF due to his plan to use a 3 pt shooter at the 4. As it turned out, the Rockets functioned better with Hayes and Howard.

Adelman has a plan in mind, but even he admits nothing it written in stone. If Steve finally gets his health back and learns the system, he can still bring something the other guys can't-- the ability to get to the rim and draw fouls. There may still be 3 more guys out there, but he may be able to beat one of them out. If the Rockets simply end up struggling with one of them and Steve gets inserted and has a positive impact, Adelman would likely give Steve another chance.

In any case, I just hope Steve stays professional, uses this as motivation, and gets ready when he's called upon. His problem appears to be that all the 3 other guys did their homework. Steve went on vacation and assumed he'd beat all of them out even without staying in great shape and doing his homework.

 

Who's more likely to shoot less then 30% from the 3? Head or James? My bet goes on James, one playoff series notwithstanding. At least Luther was in the playoffs last year, unlike James or Francis.

 

I think Steve's abilities are better suited to JVG's system than Adelman's. Francis and Sura are both very similar players, and they both had good all around years playing for JVG. There's no doubt in my mind Steve would be starting and playing under control like he did for JVG. Under Adelman, he dribbles way too much and throws up crap, just like old times.

 

Why people keep thinking that Steve can be the same player he was 5 or 6 years ago.

There is a reason NY send him to Portland and they immediately ship him out.

 

It is hard to change someone's skin this late in the career, so you have to assume that what you see is mostly what you will get.

Stevo = ball hog who can take the ball into the hole, but does not make good decision. He has lot some athletism but not gaining much in wisdom. His defense is so so.

Mike = ball hog who can pass pretty well and most importantly can make good decision. A bit less athletic than Stevo, but he at least doesn't dribble the clock out. Mike's outside shooting is much better than Stevo. Defense is a bit better (again because he is a smarter player).

Luther = not a ball hog, but just learning to be a PG. Makes fairly good decision, shoots better than Mike, drives as well as either Stevo or Mike, with decent defense against similar sized opponents (which means not that good against normally taller SF out there).

Amongst the 3, I'd keep MJ and LH: MJ for better fit now, LH for great upside potential. I feel bad for SF personally though, as he is willing to come to Rox at the cheap, and may end up at the end of the bench.

 

Agree, but I think by seasons end Francis will be the starter. I don't see Alston a rocket after the trade deadline. The cream will rise to the top and Alston will be Alston. The guys that will play in the end will be the guys that can attack the basket and finish. Alston can do neither. The rockets won't sniff at a championship or shall I say beat the Spurs, Suns or Mavs with Alston at the helm. Francis can be a bit of a turnover machine, but he also can get you extra possessions with his rebounding and he's a offensive threat on the court where as Alston is not.

 

I agree, even though I have never been a huge Francis fan. Injuries always happen. Players will slump. I think a oppurtunity will arise. Hopefully, at that point, Francis will have a better understanding of the system.

 

You must have not noticed Francis' stats the first year he was under JVG, they all dipped and Francis was critical of JVG's system when he got traded.

How is that different from any other system he has played in LOL? You put him in a russian communist bball league and he'll do the same thing lol.

It is what it is.