Fox: Francis As Upset as Being Drafted by Vancover

Yeah, I love it when people chirp in and make it sound like Francis sits on his a$$ during the offseason. Maybe Jeff can clear this up, but would you consider Steve the hardest worker on the team? Just from reading some of the insane stuff he does at Westside sold me on his determination.

 

steve francis is the cause of all problems on the rockets. how he can't get a team with the greatest forward rotation in nba history into the playoffs in the weakest conference of all time is beyond me. and the way he's never in shape or ever giving it his all during the game is ridiculous. i'm going to second A-Train's dying in a flaming car wreck idea. then this team would really take off. oh and bench mobley too. lord knows juaquin should have been starting this whole time.

 

from everything that's been posted or i've read (from people who would know on this site), cuttino and steve are extremely determined and hard workers in the offseason. but even then, it seems like cuttino is even a notch above steve. the dude just loves the game, improves every year, and will ball and workout until he can't anymore. this ankle surgery is probably killing him by not letting him play but maybe it will be a blessing in that he may not wear himself out this summer (if cuttino is actually capable of being worn out).

 

no matter how much you hate the guy or what he has to say it's pretty stupid to question any of steve's workout habits or hustle. he no doubt works his ass off during the game and in the offseason.

i can't understand where there's a problem in anything he said tonight. he's upset, as a good amount of people on this board are, and he's not the type of person to hide his emotions. why does he get bashed for showing loyalty to his only coach and a good friend? that's the kind of person i'd hang with.

 

i unno what they be thinkin bout all this bulls*** they be talkin.. let em talk, its just words, it wont hurt...

 

How about the 1986 drawer? I haven't seen tube socks like that since the days of Hakeem punching Michael Cage and World B. Free jacking up 35 footers.

 

Steve has a two options

1. Stay in Houston w/ Yao and compete for the Chamionship year in or year out

2. Demand a trade and become the most unpopular player in the game. Steve demanding a trade twice will be a major backlash not only from Rocket fans but around the league

I know Steve isnt the smartest guy on the court but this is a no brainer.


Mooch could even figure this one out

 

My thoughts on Rudy:

My family had season tickets to Rox starting in 1973 through 1998. As a kid, I was hooked. I remember Rudy's famous bank shots, and trying to duplicate it in my driveway. I remember he was always a class act, and never made excuses. He was never the best athlete and the most graceful, the man just worked his tail off and "brought the lunch pail every day."

I was watching as "the punch" shocked the nation, and I remember athough Kermit wasn't exactly apologetic and professional about checking up on Rudy's condition, Rudy forgave him and nary said a derogatory statement of Kermit. He handled adversity with class. He sucked it up, dealt with it, adapted, worked his way back, and became an All-Star again.

He never wanted the limelight, was a focused team player who did what the team needed. He was a true basketballer who understood the game.

As a reluctant coach, he molded team chemistry and created a team that was better than the sum of its parts. In victory, as in adversity, he conducted himself and his team with class.

He truly has the heart of a champion. But as with all champions, the time comes to step aside and allow the next champion to emerge. With his health related issues, and whatever is going on in the front office, this is now the time.

Rudy will always be one of the faces I associate with the Rockets organization, and I hope he can still add value to the team in the front office somehow. And some day, I hope to see him inducted to the hall of fame.

 

Another thing that pisses me off is people saying that Steve is just upset about losing his "protector."


Ok, let's revisit the press conference. Obviously, it was very emotional for Rudy, but he couldn't hold his tears back anymore when he mentioned how much he'd miss his assistant coaches and his players. Obviously, Rudy cares about his guys alot. Why is it hard to believe that his players feel the same way about him, not just as a coach, but as a person. Saying that BS about losing a protector is basically the same as sh*tting on Rudy's character. Francis isn't upset about losing a "player's" coach, he's losing a friend and a mentor. Francis didn't have a dad growing up, I'd go as far as saying that Rudy was a father figure to Francis.

 

FWIW, Barkley at halftime said that he didn't like the situation with Rudy either. I don't know what he meant by it.

 

The problem is as a NBA star, you physical ability can only be improved so much. After that, start using your brain more will work better.

If Francis think he is the leader of the team, he'd better be prepared to shoulder most of the blames when the team cannot make the playoff. On the other hand, if the team win a championship, he will get most of the praise. If he does not think he is a leader, then shut up and play hard for the new coach, either here or in another team.

I am sure he will improve the next season. This coaching thing is a big shock to all the players in the team.

 

Well said.

 

Steve and Cat have a history with Rudy. Look at the deal Cat took to stay here. I imagine they're both pretty pissed at the cards they've been dealt right now. So long as the Rockets don't hire some chump off the street or these boards for that matter he'll likely calm down soon after the hire is made.

I think the comment that he is upset about losing Rudy as his coach is dead on and that he's a little hot right now. I've lost an excelent head coach before and given the replacement I got I can understand if he is concerned about the future.

I'm curious to see who we bring in and how they use SF as it will have a lot to do with lockerroom chemistry. Franchise and Cat work harder than just about anybody i've ever heard of. Lets just hope he applies himself to making the new system work like he does to crossing over chumps in the gym.

 

francis 4 prez -

I just don't understand why you and others constantly ride this whiny millionaires jock when he has done NOTHING to make his teammates better, but still has the sense of entitlement of a 3-time champ???

Unless and until S.F. demonstrates a willingness to give up the rock and sacrifice his stats for the good of the team, I will continue to b**** about his style of play.

Steve is getting close to the mid-point of his career and showing NO signs of B-ball I.Q. Tony Parker knows more about HOW TO PLAY the game than Steve does and he's only in his second year!!

I don't really care if S.F. NEVER makes another All Star team as long as he pulls his head out, stops dribbling into triple teams and passes the damn ball to Yao Ming!!!!!

 

You have been making some great points, Oski. I think some people let their personal bias creep in, and will bash Steve Francis no matter what.

Whether you like Francis or not, he hasn't flown off the handle and bashed the Rockets as an organization, or Les personally. Nor has he demanded a trade. Some people may not have dealt with losing friends, family members, mentors etc. For those that have dealt with it, things get emotional.

Whether Francis is the greatest player on the team or the worst doesn't matter. So far he hasn't done anything wrong in the way he's handled Rudy's dismissal.

 

Codell, I stand corrected, 1986 my man. I'm just glad Ray Patterson refrained from donning those 1986 Rockets "tighty whities" home shorts along with those tubers.

 

Steve has yet to make any kind of trade demand or proclamation of dissent that we know of...he has just said that he is very, very upset, and needs time to think. Sounds reasonable, even commendable. We would rather he said "Whatever."? Short of this developing into a real trade me issue, my only take on this is that he is very personally upset...Hell, I was practically crying watching the press conference, and Steve knows Rudy a lot better than I do.

Has Rudy protected Steve? Probably...but to assume that that's the primary cause for his being upset is very narrow, IMO.

 

I liked how Patterson rolled his pant leg up to insure that the camera would be able to see the red and yellow rings.

BTW, Patterson looked aged. He must be close to 80.

He was the engineer of that championship Bucks team in the early 70s.

 

I don't understand why you and others can't see that Steve has curtailed his game taking fewer and fewer shots. Steve makes his teammates better by drawing the double team. How many open looks at the basket would Glen Rice have gotten if it wasn't for Francis commanding the double team? Glen Rice sure as hell can't create his own shots. Many of Steve's shots this year were taken because that's what he was given by the defense. He did also dribble into double and tripple teams, but there was an improvement in his shots.

If Steve truly only cared about his shots do you think he would shoot the ball under 25 times a game? If he wanted stats he could shoot almost anytime he wanted like Iverson or Kobe do and make as many if not more shots than those guys.

I'm not saying Steve is a perfect PG, and maybe you are overstating you case just for effect, but the case you make is definitely over stated.

 

So you honestly believe that Francis cares more about personal stats than team success.

I'm waiting for the day when people b**** about Steve passing the ball too much to pad his assist totals. . .