Jan. 23, 2003, 12:36AM Francis is the one who has to lead way By JOHN P. LOPEZ Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle JUST because the Rockets lost back-to-back games on the road -- to arguably the two best teams in the NBA not called the Sacramento Kings -- does not mean the sky is falling. The Rockets' shooting percentages and assist ratios, however, are dropping like an autumn fog. It's time to take firm grip of the wheel, Stevie Franchise. This is your team to drive along the perilous road the Rockets are facing. This is your time to lead the way toward the playoffs. After a string of quality victories at home, the Rockets came up dank and dark at San Antonio and Dallas. From seeing a playoff berth as clear as day on the horizon after Friday's win over the Lakers, the Rockets returned from the short trip hardly able to see 10 feet in front of them. That doesn't mean that beyond the fog the Rockets are on course to another date with the lottery, but shedding just a bit of light on the here-today, gone-tomorrow aspirations of the Rockets is simple. Yes, Yao Ming is a tired young man. After going a few rounds with Shaq Fu last week, Yao responded on the road trip like any heavyweight would. He looked sore, and his damaged game probably needed a pair of wraparound sunglasses. Yes, this team still needs to learn how to bring playoff-level intensity to the arena every night. Lay the lack of spark in prolonged and ill-timed spurts at coach Rudy Tomjanovich's feet, if you must. This team was not ready to respond from a quality win in mid-January. What should we expect in mid-June, then? Yes, Moochie Norris has not proved to be the player he once was, James Posey still is trying to fit in, and forward Eddie Griffin probably should yield minutes to Kelvin Cato, who has performed and acted admirably coming off the bench. But more than anything, what the past 10 days showed is what we should have known all along. It all starts with Steve Francis, and it ends with Francis. As everyone knows, numbers -- except on the 1040 long form -- rarely lie. So examining Francis' and to a lesser degree Cuttino Mobley's numbers in Rockets victories compared to those in Rockets losses reveals some eye-opening realities. When the going has been tough -- like in Dallas and in the game-changing final moments in San Antonio, Mobley for the most part has reverted to old habits of dribbling incessantly and putting up ill-advised shots. Francis, the Franchise, has come a long way in recognizing just when he needs to take over a game and when he needs to share the ball. But making the distinction night in and night out has not happened. In the home win over Boston on Jan. 13, Francis was marvelous, sacrificing points and setting up -- and settling down -- teammates in probably his best game in helping others as much as himself. Then, in what could have been a defining victory over the Lakers four nights later, Francis did what all the great ones have done. He took a slight opening in the opposing defensive strategy and turned it into a gash, finishing with a career-high 44 points and almost single-handedly pulling out the victory. But such nights have not occurred with the regularity true postseason threats produce, particularly on the road. In Rockets victories, when the ball has been distributed nicely and the offense has gone through Yao on several possessions even when his shot wasn't falling, Francis has averaged 6.65 assists and 23.1 points a game. Yao has averaged 13.4 points in Rockets victories and Mobley 20.2. Shooting percentages across the board are higher in Rockets victories compared to losses, which means the offense has been unselfish and clicking. But in Rockets losses, when Francis has averaged 5.4 assists a game and the offense has often reverted to one-on-one games, Mobley has averaged more than four points fewer (15.8) while taking more shots. He also has averaged .85 assists, compared to 1.79 in wins, while Yao has averaged nearly two points fewer in losses (11.5) than his 13.4 in victories. Nothing should have showed Francis this is his team to lead -- not Yao's or Mobley's or even Tomjanovich's -- more than Tuesday's dismal loss to the Mavericks. The Rockets had a mere eight assists compared to 26 turnovers. Mobley finished with 16 points on 4-of-10 shooting, which is almost exactly his average in losses. Yao had six points and never was in it. Norris had four points and zero assists. Posey was erratic in 29 minutes, hitting only one of six shots. In every way, it was a typical Rockets loss. Francis led the way with 26 points and had more than a few head-spinning highlight reel moments. But all it added up to was a dank, dark, stagnant night. Don't give up playoff hopes just yet, but understand that if the Rockets are ever going to push onward through the fog, it won't be Yao or Mobley driving the bus. It has to be Francis.
There is a lot in this article I agree with. Is this the first time the Chronicle posted a story naming the obvious problem with this team?
I like the really insightful comment about how the Rockets average less points in losses and more in wins.
I sure hope Francis will read this article and gather himself to become a consistent leader - get everbody involved in the offense, more assists and less TOs, get points hwen needed.
No. I still remember the "Give Yao Ming the ball more" and "Rice called for unselfishness" articles. Anyway, another a good article on Chron. And for some reasons, the team usually respond to them.
Everybody is calling him out now. You've got weather ladies pointing out problems with the offense. It must be a problem even though I don't want to admit it.
Hmm...he says that Francise has to Lead the rockets. But also quotes that when the ball goes through Yao Ming the rockets usuallly win. To Comprehend what Lopez is saying in this article, one has to think abstract.
Yeah, that was funny. I got the feeling in the article that he used a whole lot of words to not really say anything at all.
Leading the team doesn't equal to initiating the offense. But I have to agree that this article looks very much like what's written on this fans forum.
