Chron:With regular season looming, Francis' status unclear

Thanks for the info, but if Yao is out for awhile, the "big" teams will savage us. Well, maybe not, if we make Artest the center.

 

I still like Steve Francis.

Maybe I am remembering his glory days, his crazy dunks, his fun attitude on the court, but I like him.

I think maybe we can help this year, maybe not, but I really really hope he can. I hope he gets to play in the game tomorrow, and I hope he gets over being sick.

I know he used to dribble around like crazy and jack up shots as the shot clock ran out, but maybe he can be settled. Rafer wasn't known as a great PG before we got him, and I feel like as time has progressed he has gotten used to his role and has become a very good PG. Not great, but certainly adequate. Let's just hope for the best from Steve, and hope he can get in there and show us something. GO STEVE GO!

 

i'll ask again, "WHY IS THERE SUCH AN INFATUATION WITH STEVE FRANCIS?" I mean, the support for Francis and the constant jeering of McGrady makes no sense.

 

Right now the only thing that holds value is his name. Really, what has he done the past 2-3 seasons!? Physically speaking, he's headed toward the exit.

If he's somehow good to go, bring him on. But if not, it's time to face reality and do what's in the best interest of the team.

 

It's all in the perception for the hype over substance type of certain Rockets fans.

Steve Francis is perceived to have "heart" while Tracy has the opposite perception.

 

Sense doesn't have anything to do with it. Some Rockets fans made a lasting emotional connection with SF, which is why it doesn't make sense to people like you and me. In a similar vein, others dislike SF because of his over-dribbling and lack of Bball IQ when he played here before.

Because SF was directly traded away for McGrady, many SF fans are over-critical of Tracy. Others are critical of McGrady because he makes himself an easy target. Count me in the "Will you just shut up and play Tracy" group.

 

Noted, and I am with you. I am an Otis Thorpe believer. but whatever minutes they got from Deke during the streak were made up by the smalls so they have a point.

 

Kind of like Steve's "low b-ball IQ" and Tracy's brilliance?

heat check

 

Yao fans do the samething to. they bash mcgrady to propup there ideal. wekko and few others are a prime example.

 

That would be the perception of knowledgeable Rockets fans

 

Francis needs to man up and play his heart out.

 

Stevie Franchise fans need to take what is left of their disillusions and chuck it out the window. Steve Francis is on the wrong side of 30, hasn't played significant minutes in over two years, coming off of multiple complicated knee operations and is taking up a valuable roster spot that can be used on more productive players. If it was truly for the "good" of the team, I would say ship him out or waive his a** already. Those that still think he is the answer to our point guard problems have probably never touched a basketball in their lives. Yes, he did possess world-class athleticism and was at times exciting to watch with his flash n' dash style of play, but in all honesty, he was a terrible point guard even during his All-Star years in Houston. He is a shooting guard trapped in a point guards body ala Stephon Marbury. His court vision was limited and his basketball IQ was pretty much nil. The only play he knew how to run was the "how to get mine" ISO plays from Rudy T along with running mate Cuttino Mobley. All he ever did was dribble out the shot clock and do one of two things: 1) take a horrendous shot and 2) lose the ball. Heck, when the Knicks brought him over from Orlando, I thought that was by far the dumbest move that franchise could possibly make. Two practically identical players playing the same damn position? And all this nonsense about measuring a player's "heart" and how Tracy has no heart and Steve has so much heart. STFU already. Just because Francis wears his emotions on sleeve when he plays (which often resulted in unnecessary technical fouls), does not mean he has more "heart". For cryin' out loud, this is the same guy that decided to jettison to the Super Bowl during the heart of the season seasons back. That is a lack of respect for your team and the organization as a whole. In my opinion, his ass is lucky to be in a Rockets uniform right now. His days are numbered.

 

Just by some remote reason Francis pans out to a minor role on the team Like Rafer and Artest where saying would that surprise you

 

On the contrary, I was a point guard, and I played varsity ball. I still believe Steve can reinvent his game...true, his athleticism is gone, but he can still hustle and create opportunities for other players. And as for the Super Bowl issue, yeah, he made a mistake....but who hasn't? Yeah, I believe in calling out an individual on mistakes (to let that person know what he/she did was wrong)...but I also believe in 2nd chances.

 

i am a steve francis fan, and it would be awesome if he could come back and be the star he used to be, but sad to say i believe he is done.

we got younger, stronger, faster, quicker, and hungrier guards in our camp. francis has not done anything significant in the past 2 years, plagued with injuries. the sad thing about it is that he had 6-8 months to recover from his injury and he is still not 100%.

sure it would be every rocket's fan dream come true for steve to jump off the bench and contribute, but looking at it objectively i hate to say it but i think he will lose to youth.

 

How many times has Tracy dribbled the ball of his foot with the shot clock running down? I like Steve Francis, but any impartial person will tell you that Francis has NEVER displayed a high bball IQ. It's always been about talent with him rather than understanding. That said, I think he's more mature now.

Anyway, I really think that Steve could be huge for this team if he really can come back to a reasonable degree from his surgery.

Best of luck Franchise!

 

Have faith in Steve, he's in a contract yr so it's either produce, be waived, or be traded.

 

not sure I understand what you are saying, but Francis hasn't even shown that he can take on a minuscule role on the team. Last time I checked both Rafer an Artest have been and will be playing SIGNIFICANT roles on this team. What is the point of having Francis on the roster if he can't even contribute? He is a waste of salary cap space and a roster space. It seems to me alot of the Francis fans are living off of memories or an infatuation with his former success or lack thereof and simply want him on the roster for the sake of having him there. Francis has yet to show that he is worthy of assuming a role on the team, a minute one at that. The only reason he is presently on the roster is because management can't any takers for his sorry ass.

 

Management can't find takers because the season hasn't started yet. If we were to move Francis, it will be to get below the luxury tax. Teams don't bother trades regarding exemptions until around trade deadline. Therefore, Francis will have couple of months to prove his worth or out he goes.

 

When your value as a player has been reduced to simply moving a couple of figures on the balance sheet, your days are indeed numbered. Since he has been here, Francis has yet to prove that he can contribute or be productive. Whether or not you want to blame his lack of production on his injuries (which can be attributed to his poor conditioning habits and an apparent lack of dedication to getting healthy) or "bad luck", his days as "Stevie Franchise" are over. All Francis represents to the organization is a couple figures on the balance sheet and if the Rockets could move him now, there is no doubt in my mind he'd be gone already. The problem is, Francis takes up a roster spot that can be used on other players that are CAPABLE of contributing to the team. The team has a responsibility to place the best team they can put together on the court as a duty at the very least to their fans and Francis happens to sit between a rock and a very hard place.