Brandon always hands Francis' ass to him on a silver platter every time they face each other, so that may not be a bad type of trade. Baron Davis anyone??
I agree with the above statements. We need to find out what Steve really feels. From all indications, he does not want Yao Ming. Since Rudy & Company is committed to Yao, something has to give. Frankly, the Rockets have bent over backwards to accomodate him. Drafting T Morris, making Cuttino happy, sending him to the NBA DRaft. At some point, the management has to make a choice. If Steve does not like Yao Ming for whatever reason (even though he hasn;t seen him play 1 minute), this could be potentially very disruptive. Chemistry is huge in basketball. 1 rotten apple could spoil the whole bunch. Talk to Steve and if he won't sign an extension, let's trade him now before we get hijacked ala Vancouver.
I think it's all ego-based and Steve can not handle the fact that he may not be the team's sole franchise player. I believe he does not want to share the limelight and appears jealous of the attention Yao is getting. Look at the Chronicle with it's "Yao Central" section. Lavish praise that is probably driving Stevie and TroyB green with envy. All this attention to Yao who "has never played against yadda yadda yadda." Stevie's not getting his "respect" as the Franchise. He feels "dissed." Stevie is too immature to handle it. That said, I want Stevie here and winning will cure everything. The one thing I hope TroyB is correct about is that when (not if) Yao shows how good he can be (this year) Stevie will (can) admit he was wrong. With Ming coming, we will win, with or without Stevie.
Shaq scored like 63 points on Kandi's ass. Kandi might be 270, but most of that sure doesnt look like muscle. To me it looks like he's been living up to his name and filling himself up with some Kit Kat and Snickers. When Shaq annihalated his butt Kandi did not even show any shame. Instead he was smiling as if he was in a candy store. In short, I also think I would trade #1 for just Odom. We dont need two Catos on this team.
I actually saw Kandi on the Clippers special on ESPN. He is in very good shape. His talent is what I question!
"I've never been able to play with a guy like that so it remains to be seen how it will help my game ." I don't ever remember ANYTHING like this coming from a legends (Jordan, Bird, Magic). They made the other's game better. That's the difference between a ballplayer and a great ballplayer. With this attitude, Steve will only be a legend in his own mind. "You want to be like Mike...You've got to act like Mike." Well, I guess Cato is helping his game <i>look</i> better.
Art, "I've never been able to play with a guy like that so it remains to be seen how it will help my game ." could mean, "I've never had the opportunity to play with a guy like that so it remains to be seen how it will help my game.". Now, the next step to ask yourself is... what was the question that was asked for Steve to respond with that response? What if it was : "How do you think having Ming will help your game?" "I've never [had the opportunity] to play with a guy like that so it remains to be seen how it will help my game." ooooh that evil Steve.
I agree. I still think Francis should be a little more positive about the situation but as far as I am concerned until something happens like the contract extension does not get signed I am not going to get too worried. Twice in this thread I have asked Troy Baros about it, yet both times he refused to answer my posts. Wonder why? Again, I am not going to dog Steve for his comments. The way I look at it is he is frustrated, just had surgery so he can't ball all summer, he had a tough year last year with the migranes and such, the team was having problems with the injury bug and they have been out of the playoffs the last few years. He is frustrated and I think it is this frustration that is causing these comments. It is my hope that when training camp rolls around and he gets back on the court with the rest of the healthy Rockets and he sees the team gelling and playing well and then sees "positive" signs for the season he will be ok. And he will be ok with Ming. Again, until I see him decide to NOT sign the contract extension this summer (that he said he would do enthusiastically) I am not going to get too worried or upset. I think that will be the key point of the summer where we see where Steve's loalty really sides. Chris
Pointguards love to have people to pass the ball to, problem is he is not the player a pointguard should be, hes not a pass first guy (maybe because there hasnt been anyone to pass to), and hes not as good as the best score first guys like Iverson. He has to realize that having a true post presence could elevate his game so much, it could boost his apg to 10 and maybe get him more points too. When hes 20/10 he will get the regognition he wants and deserves.
Ok, someone please tell me what the question was...I have heard all this bashing, but is this only over a sound byte possibly taken out of context?
maybe u should have read my post a lil more carefully. if u go back up to my post i said has a chance to contain shaq not will and i also said it will be in the future not in previous seasons. next time read the post more carefully so u dont waist ur time.
Previously posted by Clutch: Francis should really attend the Jalen Rose school of being a team player. Have an opinion. Just don't publicly do or say anything to undercut your team's efforts to improve.
and next time dont include a long-a$$ buncha crap for us to have to go thru AGAIN... on-topic......ppl, just be patient and see if Steve comes around.if he doesn't get his attitude straight by the trade deadline...trade him...but lets give em time to get it together... just my .02
D0D, read Francis's quote again, slowly. "I've NEVER BEEN ABLE to play with a guy like that... How could you mistake that for "never had the opportunity"? Shame on you. If anyone remembers when Francis played with Dream and Barkley (2 pretty good low post players) Francis was not very good at passing to the low post. Just something to think about.
Exactly! Having an opinion is fine but it doesn't help the team in any way to publicly undercut the team's efforts to improve. Chris
I seem to remember in TB's last thread him referring to Rimbaud with a play on his name that connotes a somewhat unhygienic sexual favor.
I got onto this thread pretty late, but i've been patient and read almost every post before plcaing my comments. Most you guys may not even read this far but here it goes anyways. First of all, if anyone is going to make any type of analysis and expect that it can be construed as a valid point, then one needs to take emotions by the wayside and dissect things as objectively as possible. First of all, Steve Francis has clearly made PR mistakes by reacting the he he does in the media. But it's not a big deal unless we make it one. Yes he is a great palyer that we shouldn't lose and yes he still has some maturity to gain. When Kobe got on his high horse few years back about Shaq and his team, the media blew it way out of proportion, but now he and Shaq are the dynamic duo with 3 championships between them. Yes, Yao Ming has not displayed his ability here in the States, but he has gone against NBA players and top international palyers many times before, and has handled himself in a most self-respecting light. That's why he is prospected today at #1. There is no argument about what Steve and Yao Ming are capable of, it's the question of how their chemistry will be. Remember the glory days of Hakeem, Barkley, and Clyde. And how about Hakeem, Barkley, and Pippen. We all remember the results of those tandems. 3 of top 50 players of all time together could not win another championship. Yet Hakeem, Cassel, Horry, Elie, Smith, Maxwell, Thorpe could? (No disrespect if I left out other contributors). I think that if fans are to help the Rockets, then we need to support the whole team, Steve, Rudy, and CD through the process of BUILDING A TEAM. And if there are any CLEAR indications otherwise, then yes, roster changes need to be made. I have only one comment towards a poster here. TroyBaros has stated that he is Anti-Ming, he also holds himself in high regard, and he clearly fuels the fire in this thread. But the truth is, I get no satisfaction from his scoops, I find no value in his biased opinions, and I don't appreciate the trouble he stirs. I don't know him, but from reading the posts, it would seem that he gets more gratification from emotionally charged fans than he does as a true basketball enthusiasts. Nuff said.
