http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/barron/2434058 Elliott: Burden on Francis to adjust By DAVID BARRON Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle Sean Elliott is commuting to work this week. He made the trip down Interstate 10 from San Antonio on Wednesday to call the Lakers-Rockets game on ESPN and will return this weekend for the Mavericks-Rockets game Sunday on ABC and KTRK (Ch. 13). Wednesday night's nail-biter obviously was worth the trip. Sunday's game, given the Mavericks' recent success against Houston, may be less worthwhile. "A lot of teams struggle against the Mavericks," Elliott said. "But the big reason the Rockets struggle is mobility. Their big people, Antoine Walker and Antawn Jamison, are only 6-7, 6-8, but they're so mobile that they create problems. "Another problem is the Rockets' style of play. They don't get up and down the court. When you play a team like Dallas, you have to find easy points. With the gimmick defenses Dallas plays, it's difficult to score if you're a team like Houston that's grinding it out all the time." Zones, of course, aren't foolproof. Elliott said what you need to beat the zone is a player like, well, Sean Elliott. "I killed zones in college," he said. "The way the guys are shooting today, and the fact that the zone defenses are allowed, has me wondering if I should come back and play." Elliott isn't coming back, of course. Speaking of which, however, can the Rockets -- particularly Steve Francis -- shake out of their post-All Star Game shooting swoon to return to the playoffs? In fact, can the Rockets make the playoffs as currently constituted? "I'm a proponent of keeping teams together," Elliott said. "The number of coaching changes and players changing teams has been beyond absurd. Most teams win by staying together, winning and losing, laughing and crying together. That is how you build a champion. I like to keep a team together and let them go for a while until you reach the point that they're not going to get better, which is when you make the change." The Rockets, of course, already have made a change by bringing in Jeff Van Gundy. And that leads directly to the question that consumes Rockets fans: Can Francis change his game to fit Van Gundy's system, and, in doing so, get the Rockets in the playoffs? "(Francis) is a guy who for years has had the ball in his hands with the freedom to freewheel. That's how he scores. He's a rhythm player," Elliott said. "Now he's trying to be more controlled, organized and efficient, and his game has to adjust. But every great player at some point in his career has had to redefine himself. I don't know one guy who came in a rookie and retired with the same game. Look at Michael Jordan. "Guys who last in the league find a way to redefine themselves. If they want to win, they have to find a way to adjust. If you're a good player and putting up numbers but not getting to the playoffs, that way is not getting it done. A lot of guys have made sacrifices in their game to win." In that vein, ESPN had a particularly piquant factoid, courtesy of Elias Sports Bureau, on Wednesday night. Other than Geoff Petrie, who played with the Trail Blazers in the early 1970s, Francis and Yao Ming are the only All-Star Game starters who never have played in an NBA playoff game. When it comes to the Rockets as now constituted, "I think they can be salvaged," Elliott said. "But it comes down to results at the end of the year. If they make the playoffs and are competitive, you have a shot at keeping them together. If they don't make the playoffs, or if they have a poor showing in the playoffs, you may see some changes. "This team has Yao, it has some good players and it has a very, very good player in Steve Francis. But those guys can be used as bargaining chips to bring in the combination of players that you want."
Good article. Basically what most here want. See us in the plaoffs, and a good showing, and keep Francis. Otherwise, dreamcast every damn trade possible.
hmmm...just when you think Elliot is an idiot...he comes out and says some stuff that makes sense.. of course...its nothing more than the more rational posters here have been saying for a while... its all on SF...if he can complete the change in viewpoint, and get his scoring %age back up...we could be dangerous.. all will be seen after this season is over. change..or leave...pretty simple formula. I for one hope he changes..I would hate to get rid of a talent like that and have him start playing like a true allstar somewhere else.
steve needs to work on a lot this offseason: shooting, passing, defence, even some ball controll. more directly, if he adds some mike bibby or steve nash to his game, and comes back as marbury or davis we will win 50+ games. the problem is next year is too late to tell. we need to KNOW what we have going into next year. because if we keep him on the promise that he improves in that way and he remains the same, the combination of his poor #'s and big contract will lower his value to that of jason terry alone. thats not bad...but its a far cry from almost getting AI.
I think SF has adjustest pretty well so far, other then his shooting. He has cut down his turnovers. He has been driving and dishing well. He doesn't take too many stupid shots. Hopefully he will keep improving throughout the last few games of the season. I honestly think the offseason is still up in the air. If he continues to improve, I would think they will keep him around.
good article to read and wish Steve could read it. This team's fate this year depends on SF3 rather than Yao
I liked the article...For the most part he's right...I would like to see Stevie's game evolve, but I just don't see it happening right away...
First it's Calvin Murphy. Now it's Sean Elliot. Man, these old men are itching to prove they can still play? Seriously, I think guys like Murphy and Elliot can offer today's young players the course Shooting 101. In the Lakers game, I observed that Francis and Mobley could penetrate with ease. Their quick first step let them pretty much go around the defender at will. The problem with them is that they can't do the stop and pop, or the teardrop runner. They have to go all the way to the hoop. So when they drive, the defense simply stay under the basket and wait for them to come, either committing a charge or doing some acrobatic difficult layups with high possibility of being blocked. They need to learn from guys like Murphy and Elliot who can get past his defender, and if the opposing big guys stay put, just stop and pop those 10-footers.
Can a Jaguar pull a traveltrailor? Some things just don't belong together. Francis and Ming are not made for each other. Five years from now, it still won't work. Let's build the team around Ming and move on. Francis has had his chance. He had four years to do what Lebron is doing in a few months, didn't get it done, time is up.
lebron did in a few months?? what was the cavs record, and what was steve's rookie record. Gosh, your really trying to skew things that make francis look better than he is.
Makes sense. Keeping a team together is the best thing, but whether you keep the Rockets together will be based on results. So if they make the playoffs and do well, great; but if the season's results are mediocre, you have tradeable assets to put together the team you want....which is probably what's gonna happen anyway.
This is the paragraph that jumped out to me. Especially " I like to keep a team together and let them go for a while until you reach the point that they're not going to get better, which is when you make the change." This team is still getting better. With Rudy T, my all time favorite coach, the team was not getting better. They may have been the best 9th place team ever, but they were not moving up to number 8. Not getting better, a change is due. That makes sence to me. I had never really thought of it that way before, but what Elliott is saying does make sence to me. This team is getting better. Let them grow. It may not be this year or next, but as long as improvement continues, keep the core together. If we finish 9th again, no improvement, reason to grumble. Playoffs, four and out, progress, lets try again. Next year 6 or 7 tough games and out, progress. It is a slow climb to the top. I can accept that as long as we keep making progress.
Did you mean "make LeBron better that he is?" And I really like the word , "skew." What I meant was, LeBron is a "make a difference" player, a true superstar that can put a team on this back and will them to be successful. He has made an impact quickly. After four agonizing years, and a sub-journeyman performance this season, Francis has proven that he is not a "LeBron kind of guy." I think the Rocket's should move on past the "Franchise era" and build around Ming.
Wow. Great article. Guess that explains why he's paid an exorbitant amount to analyze basketball, and most of the alarmist "fans" here only hold the attention of well... each other.
