http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/2392034 Captain Kirk Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy went beyond membership in the Kirk Hinrich fan club and all the way to club president. "I love Kirk Hinrich," Van Gundy said of the Bulls rookie point guard. "I haven't seen him enough, but I've seen enough to say he's going to be a great point guard in this league. I watch him, he's more athletic than you think. He does not back down. He's a big-time competitor. "When I watch Hinrich, in my limited watching of the Bulls, it's not a stretch to think he'll be a star point guard in this league, as much to do with his competitive spirit and toughness as for any particular skill. I see a guy who is a very, very, very strong competitor."
Don't read too much into it, it wasn't a scouting report. I'm not against Hinrich, because I've never seen him played, but don't go "Ga Ga" over Hinrich for what JVG said in this article. JVG said in an article that one of the BIG reason he took this job is because of Francis. So, if you are going to go by his words...
The very thought would make me weak in the knees if I thought it were possible. Maybe Steve and whomever for AI, AI for Brand. Sterling wants to sell tickets and has little if any basketball acumen.
I am firmly on the Francis for Ray Allen bandwagon, but I would gladly accept with open arms a Francis for Brand trade.
dude can you chill out? read my other posts and I say that Andre Miller is not better than steve francis. way to overreact. geez. I said a couple of posts down that Miller would not take us over the hump but would be doing the same job for less money. how ridiculous are my claims? andre miller is a better passer and takes care of the ball better but francis can score more? stats? please look at Andre Miller's FG% vs. Steve Francis's. We don't need a volume shooter.
No where in JVG's comments did he say Hinrich was an excellent defender. Everyone knows that Hinrich is not an excellent defender and that he is just an offensive player. If the Rockets are stupid enough to trade "Franchise" for some one like Hinrich then they will regret it later.
Sam, Williams has years of bad decission making but great passing. Bad decissions is why Sac traded him. I will agree that he has made tremendous strides and is playing at a high level now. Henrich in my oppinion is just what the Rockets need. He will probably never be the focal point of anyones offense nor is he likely to ever be an all star. What I think we would get from Hinrich is someone that will play with in the system, make good passes, good decision making while working hard on defense. Few players can take over a game the way Francis can when he is on, but Francis can also take the Rockets completely out of the game when he is not at his best. Henrich will never be able to dominate like Francis but he will rarely take the team out of the game with poor decission making either. Steve's talents are more geared towards one on one basketball not a passing offense that is team oriented. We know this because we have watched Steve for half a decade now in two different systems and Steve is not a good passer of decission maker. Steve turn over problems are just terrible and not something that is ever going to go away. If we could get Hinrich and Chandler then I just don't see how we could pass that up for Steve.
Sane, I agree with you 100%, I watched Bulls on TV over 20+ games, I am a little surprised he only shoots 38% FG overall, he looks like a sharp shooter in those games, but his D is no doubt better than Francis. Have you seen he stopped AI's penetrations early on on National TV? This guy may not jump as high as SF, but man his speed is just fast. And what I like him the most is that he seems always keep calm in most situation. No easy for a Rookie, considering how Francis is still easily be frustrated and lose control in his fifth year in NBA.
Then what was your point in argueing with my original post regarding Miller's #s??? For the longest time, people have been salavating on Miller. My original post was to point out that Miller is no better than Francis, you replied with "#s don't tell the story" and the all so quauntifiable "team philosophy". Please enlighten me, what identifies a player having "team philosophy"? I don't get it, so are you saying Miller is no better than Francis or are you saying Miller is better than Francis. You go back and forth, I couldn't tell. Other than that 1 spectacular season, Miller had been avg 6.7ast over the other 4 seasons. Francis' been pretty consistent at putting up 6.4ast over 5 seasons. .3 assist difference. Don't want to exclude that great year? 1.1 assist difference. TO's? Francis has 1 more than Miller for his career. Francis has 2 more reb than Miller, even now? If Miller is such a team guy and great passer, how come his ast dipped to Francis' level (6.5) in the last 2 years? Amazing... Andre's career FG is 0.444 and Steve's 0.431, I guess that's the championship difference. Volume shooter? Is McGrady a volume shooter, his career FG is .447. How about Kidd, FG .402. How about Marbury, 0.431. How about B Davis, .412. You didn't do your homework and try to use that as your arguement. When I research the #'s for you, you didn't even acknowledge that basically there is no difference. I'll chill when you bring some substance to your arguement. The only valid arguement you have is Miller being cheaper. But then what is the point of that? Why would Denver trade with us for someone that is doing practically the same thing but cost more money?
TMac left Orlando because he didn't want to play second fiddle to Vince Carter. You think he's going to defer to Yao? Not a chance.
Personally, I think T-Mac is at the stage in his career where he WELCOMES help and would welcome the opportunity to play with a good low post player. In fact I expect him to opt out of his deal after next season and would not be surprised if he played for less money (not substantially less, but less) to play for a team with a 2nd star player.
TMac left Toronto, not Orlando. But he might be leaving Orlando if he has to run w/ a #1 draft pick that will he have to babysit.
Unless Yao becomes Pippen II, McGrady won't be happy to not be the #1 guy on the team. Would you make McGrady the #1 option if he comes to this team? As egotistic as Kobe is, he never ripped his teammates (except Shaq) like McGrady has (twice!). Every team will have players that don't play up to par, but he basically ripped everyone on the team, that to me is not a teamplayer.
interesting stat 8. Andre Miller (Denver Nuggets) 77 135 1.75 8. Steve Francis (Houston Rockets) 75 131 1.75 Miller and Steve tied for Steals per game I had no Idea Steve was becoming a Steal master Rocket River
T-Mac defer to Yao? It would be stupid to ask him to. One averages 30pts a game, the other 15pts a game. Yao would most definitly be second or third option behing TMac. If TMac wanted Yao on the bench then thats were Yao would be. TMac top 5 player in the league, Yao top 30. No way TMac plays for Van Gundy, he can already see what JVG did to Steve's game.
Tmac is not averaging 30 ppg, and Yao is not averaging 15 ppg. Yao has been averaging around 21 ppg and 10 rpg since March. Get your stats right before you post.
Welcome to rabidoverreactionville, population -- you. You can go ahead and bend the stats to prove whatever you want. The point is, Andre Miller is doing a similar job Steve Francis is doing, for less money. Whether we get Andre Miller or not, as I've said before, makes no difference to me as I don't think that will improve or worsen the team. Why are your panties all up in a bunch over this?
Yes, but in order for TMac to be happy and successful, he's want to play in a 1-4 offense, where he controls the ball. He doesn't want to play in Van Gundy's style of inside-out basketball, where everything runs through the big man. The best talent doesn't always get the job done, and what looks good on paper doesn't equal wins. I'm more inclined to deal for Brand or Ray Allen, as they should be able to adjust their game to the big guy. Brand would give us a 2nd post threat, something we haven't had since the Twin Towers days.
Okay... you know what? I thought about just letting it go, but your argument is too flawed. So what is your argument? That Miller isn't better than Francis or isn't a better fit than Francis? Are you trying to argue Francis is better? Because nowhere do I argue that Miller is better. Either way, if you read my quote below, I've said that Andre Miller isn't a premier point guard and would not be a big improvement over Francis. But you know what I will provide some arguments so you can simmer down. You've done a good job with numbers. But here, he averages one more assist and one fewer turnovers, while 2 fewer turnovers. The rockets are top 10 in the league in rebounds, 21st in turnovers(fewest), and 27th in assists. Where do you think we need the most help? Your brining up all those other volume shooters, what's the point? To show that Francis doesn't have the lowest FG%? All I'm saying is this year Miller's FG% is much higher. But I admit Steve is having an off year and he can do much better. But career wise Miller is a higher percentage shooter. Back to philosophy. In the offense that JVG is trying to install. It would be best that the point guard not need lots of shots to be effective. Steve needs lots of shots to be effective. Miller kind of does too, but he needs fewer and takes fewer. For the longest time I wanted Steve to adapt. And he's show a lot of heart and some willingness to adapt. And he's a true pro for that. But he's not without his faults, and I need not mention them. Even now, if the Rockets are able to get an athletic PF, I would happily wait another season to see how Steve further improves. Okay? No where do I say Steve is a better player. I'm only trying to make the point that unless Steve can use all of his tremendous physical gifts and rein in his athleticism within the context of the new offense, then someone like Andre Miller can do an equally good job. Alright? QUOTE]Originally posted by yipengzhao it's not about assists either, again it's about offensive philosophy. as long as someone is able to make smart passes and take smart shots, and not cough the ball over too many times (3TO a game is acceptable, kind of, but more is not), assist numbers don't matter that much. Now is Andre Miller really able to do that better than Francis? I doubt it... he was really exposed in the world championships I think as not a premier point guard. But he does take care of the ball a little better and 3 pointers aside, he's shooting 46% from the field. Again I don't think Andre Miller would take us over the hump or anything. But he could be doing as well a job for less money.[/QUOTE]
It's funny that the same iso oriented, shot happy, no discipline Cuttino Mobley has adjusted to an effective player under JVG's wings without losing his aggression, and the same iso oriented Latrell Spreewell thrived under JVG's wings to the NBA finals with pure aggression - who is still aggressive on the pups not being the main focus, yet the so called Franchise can't maintain his effectiveness or aggression because he has lost that holy status of "I can jack up as many shots as I want to at any time even when it means jacking up a contested shot after a time out in the final minute with 20 seconds left to go". If Francis has to feed his aggression and confidence with the center of spotlight, iso ball, or number of shots, then to borrow a cliche, HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM! A coach can't make a real winner into a loser, Larry Brown didn't turn AI into a no-heart loser when they didn't get along!
