http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcon.../stories/042505dnsporocketsside.43c13c07.html Houston's two-point conversion Addition of Sura, James gave Rockets dimension they lacked with Francis 04:05 AM CDT on Monday, April 25, 2005 By MIKE HEIKA / The Dallas Morning News Steve Francis is a three-time All-Star Game starter who averages 20 points during the regular season. Mike James and Bobby Sura are not. And yet the Houston Rockets may be better at point guard this season with their unusual combination of shoot and shove. "I don't measure point guards on statistics, I measure them on how the team performs when they're on the floor," Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "In that regard, I'm very pleased with those two guys." It's clear folks in Houston feel they got the better of the deal that sent Francis to Orlando last summer for Tracy McGrady, but the irony of the deal is that the Rockets might actually have improved at two positions. Because Francis and Van Gundy never really saw eye to eye on how to run the team, the absence of "Stevie Franchise" might actually be a good thing. Of course, it wouldn't have been that way had the Rockets not found the right mix to lead the team. While Sura has been a dependable leader since his acquisition from Atlanta last summer, he is a role player, a journeyman who has his limits. So when Houston was struggling, some of it was because Sura was being overused and Reece Gaines, Andre Barrett, Rod Strickland and Tyronn Lue were not offering much support. The addition of David Wesley, a shooting guard, helped balance Sura. But when Sura missed two games because of a back injury, the lack of a dependable backup became obvious. So Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson went to work and produced James from Milwaukee on Feb. 24 in exchange for Gaines and a couple of second-round draft picks. So far, the move has been well worth the cost. James not only has given Sura a break, he has given the Rockets a new twist. The slick shooter who helped Detroit to the NBA title last season can offer points off the bench in an instant. "He's great at creating his own shots, and he can make shots with the clock running down," Van Gundy said. "Now, we just have to keep him from letting it run down too much." When James isn't out there, Sura is a tough defender, solid assist man and strong rebounder. Van Gundy emphasized the last attribute will be especially important in Game 2 tonight. And while he doesn't like to look at statistics, the Houston coach should be happy to know his two point guards combined for 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists in Game 1. Those numbers are comparable to the ones Francis used to throw down. "We're confident we can get the job done," Sura said with a smile. "A lot of people might not know us, but we know what we can do." E-mail mheika@dallasnews.com
It is going too far to say sura/james combo is better than steve last year. Both of these two guys are not good passers, they do things like shooting, rebounding, and hustling. That is it. The difference lies in that we have got a better playmaker in T-mac.
Does it really matter where the playmaking comes from? I feel a lot better with the Sura/James combo than a star PG Francis. Sura/James can give us everything steve got us minus the poor bball IQ and costly turnovers, which is just not a good trait for point gaurds to have, especially star PGs who have to have the ball to be effective. Now in our case this year, our Star who needs the ball most often is the best playmaker, dominating scorer, best passer, strong defender, high BBall IQ. Our PG position has tough defense, quickness, scoring, tone-setting offensive playmaking. It's just a better balance, less talent but better balance.
usually we get more than 3 assists out of those 2.... and when you factor in the fewer TOs we are better in at the PG BECAUSE we have Tmac AND James/Sura
I like Sura James combo than Francis anyday. Although Francis played hard, he isnt the type of player who is going to amount to $hit because he simply doesnt have it in him. Sura and James both know their roles and play hard... and hit their 3`s and dont turn the ball over like dribble mania francis.
Steve is an amazing athlete, no question. But I think it's really coutered by some of the bone-headed stuff he did. Always driving into traffic, turning the ball over, etc. It was very frustrating to watch the team when he ran it. And if the team was down late in the fourth, he would always try to force it. I think the team runs much better this year. Just my opinion.
Is JVG serious that he's happy about the grand total of 3 assists from his two point guards? If Rockets are looking for improvement other than Yao's production, they definitely need greater output from their PGs in this category. Of course, shall I say, Yao's scoring and PG's assists are not entirely unrelated.
I'm very happy with the job Sura and James have been doing at the PG spot, but Heika goes a bit too far to say that we've somehow improved at that position. Those 2 don't turn the ball over as much as Francis, but that's about it. They aren't better passers, or scorers, or rebounders, or hustlers or anything. Plus, Francis gets it done as 1 player, not 2, which is pretty important considering you can only play 5 guys at a time. Can you imagine fielding a team with Yao and McGrady and Francis in the starting lineup? That's a bit more fearsome than Yao, McGrady and Sura (or James).
Don't turn the ball over as much, play better d, cost a lot less against the cap, and are better for chemistry on and off the court. Only reason I would want SF back over those two is for trade bait.
We have improved at the PG position because these guys know their roles. Francis is more talented but he was much more of a scorer than a true PG. Improving at a position does not mean the replacements are better but the position is better manned. Francis worked the clock way too much, was a terrible passer (which was a major reason for his turnovers), and was not great defensively. His best attribute was scoring off the dribble - which is not the recipe for success for this team. Addition by subtraction.
That one is the key, these two take care of the ball. Francis may have had the ability, but Sura is tougher than him and James is a much better shooter and defender. Stuart
It's hard to say if Francis would have been a better complementary player or not. He has never gotten the chance to be on a team with a top-5 player. It's tough when you are THE focus of the opposing team's defense. In SF's defense, he did play well in his 2nd all-star game when he had lots of stars around him. His biggest problem was that he never really had the chance to fly under the radar like a Tony Parker. He was always the man and he wanted to win so bad that he tried to do too much.
For JVG Ouch! Just picturing Steve-o going into his dribble dribble routine with T-mac and Yao on the same team? The pain!
