Francis has to go for this team to win consistently

Yao and Boki are Rudy guys too - remember?

And show me in history where role players make a superstar better and not the other way around.

 

I dont think Sac would be foolish enough to do this trade. I'd trade francis for Bibby or Nash in a heart beat. However, Mobley is showing signs of him willing to except a smaller role on this team. Mobley beens playing great ball compared to last years. I'd hold on trade for mobley.

 

Most recently, David Robinson became a role player in order to allow Tim Duncan to play where he was most effective. Mario Elie provided grit.

Shaq did not play well with Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones and Elden Cambell and so on. They re-cast the team and reduced the options.

Chicago also re-cast the team so that Jordan could refer to his teammates as his "supporting cast".

Houston moved Thorpe and Max for Drexler.

Detroit moved Dantly, etc. Teams need to FOCAS. We're not focused. The picture isn't clear. They look confused and frustrated because they are beating themselves.

 

I would try SF+Cat for Tmac first. Then we need a couple of good role player with decent shooting. Yao can open up the lane and then you need a penetrator who can finish. Tmac is much much better than SF at attacking the basket. Tmac often finish with an one-hand jam, while SF almost always has to go for a next-to-impossible circus shot.

 

I agree with A-Train on this one, SF shot extremely poor and he didn't make good dicision at clutch time. But no way he was the only one to blame.

Yao had huge problems last night too and he was a non-factor in the second half. He didn't get the ball? NO, he got the ball a lot in the fourth QT. Kings didn't even front or double- team him hard. He was way too hesitant when he got the ball, and always waited for kings' double team.

Assertive and aggressive, he failed to do both last night.

It was really troublesome that our two best player both have huge problems of their own.

 

I have bashed Steve quite a bit, but I think i'm actually starting to feel a bit more confidence in him. In order to be a good shooter you must relax and not be concentrating hard.

The Fact is that Steve Francis is CHANGING his game this year for the team. He had an EXCELLENT passing night last night. His passes were sharp, crisp and he initiated the offense well.

He dumped it over and over to Yao as many times as he could take it till Yao started showing fatigue.

I think that when he is concentrating damn hard to play Defense and be a playmaker that he is not playing naturally. It takes time to go from him now concentrating, to the playmaking becoming much more natural. When the defense and playmaking become easier as they will, he can then relax and score better.

I think that fact that he has changed his game is a tribute to how coachable and how much he wants and desires to win.

The fact is that Bibby wasn't scoring only on Francis, but was using an array of picks and screens in which many of his shots were because Yao could not get to him quick enough.


All in all, Steve is becoming a good playmaker as witnessed last night and is becoming a better defender as well. Many of his assists were fantastic and his awareness is much better than I have ever seen it. He also initiates the offense through Yao and Mo and is playing so unselfishly.

He is a great shooter and always has been. As he gets more comfortable with the playmaking and the defense, his scoring will come back and he will be deadly.

We always complained that steve only scored and didn't play defense or make plays. Now he is learning the last two, and when his scoring comes back he has the ability to be an absolute MONSTER!

Patience is what I ask for now. Trading Steve would be foolish unless there was a true superstar on the other side.

 

Clutch said it all....nough said

 

Heard it on Dan Pat show. Steve Young said about how Delhomme should handle superbowl pressure. He said that "Delhomme should know this game is not about him. He should know that he needs to do all those little things to help the team win, not try to make a big play to put team in a bad situation."

I hope SF dialed in and listened.

 

How many time did Yao got the pass from SF down in the low post last night???

Watch the tape, only JJ and Mark Jackson were passing the ball to Yao, SF and Cat dribblee the ball around and throw up a prayer everytime they got the ball.

 

I think you were watching the wrong game. Francis was force feeding Yao the ball everytime he had single coverage. He was constantly feeding the post.

I think he fed Yao the first five possessions in a row. The only guys that are too hesitant to give it up are Mo Taylor and Cat.
But the way Taylor's been powering in the post, he shouldn't be giving it up.

Cat's d's been better but he needs better awareness and needs to take better shots.

 

To me ,judging pg's is just like judging running backs and mlb's. Its a positions where its not always about the most atheletic, but its more instincts. Instincts is a skill that either you have it or you don't. You don't learn it, or even practice it, its natural. You can find rb's who are 6ft 230 and run 4.3 in the 40, but if they don't have instincts, they normally just run into their own linemen instead of breaking off long runs.Cassell had and still do have good instincts as well as Davis,Marbury,Bibby,Kidd,Payton and a slew of other pg's, but Francis just doesn't have it.Even if he played the 2 spot, his instincts would come out and people would say he just doesn't make good decisions with the ball. I think at the end of the yr playoffs or not, Francis will be dealt. I brought it up months ago about a possible McGrady-Francis trade and I still think it will happen. Why? Orlando don't want the Shaq fiasco to happen again and in turn they would get a 2nd tier star player who combine with Gaines could make the playoffs in the east. Once McGrady is traded here, the Rockets could then make a move nd go get a guy like McInnis to run the pg next Mcgrady or play a Mobley-McGrady backcourt and move Mobley back to pg like he did as a rookie. This would instantly improve the offense and defense of your team. Orlando will never get equal value for McGrady, but they come as close as they can with Francis. A guy jumoing 40" off the ground doesn't impress me as much if he can't even have a basic 2:1 to ratio after his 5th yr in the league.

 

I've always felt that this team does not fit Van Gundy's character. Look at Jim O'Brien. He quit because the character of the team did not fit his coaching style. If anyone thinks the most highly paid player on the team being Steve fits Van Gundy's style, you better think again.

 

Why would the Magic trade T-mac when they have him under contract for another 3 years?

 

His contract is up in 2005. Even though Orlando is headed for a Top 3 lottery pick, they'll still be in rebuilding mode next season barring a miraculous recovery by Grant Hill. And it's no secret that McGrady isn't happy with the current situation. The dude even talked about retiring. I don't think he meant it obviously, but it does show that he's upset with management.

Since the Tragic would be insane to risk losing the guy for nothing, they'll listen to trade offers this offseason. And Francis and Cato would likely be enough if they felt they had to move McGrady. Francis gives them a legit All-Star guard which lessens the loss of T-Mac. And Cato would immediately become the 2nd best center in the East after Ben Wallace.

As far as the Rockets are concerned, a team with Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady would be a dominant force in the West for the next decade. They'd be so good, they could get away with not having a true point guard(just bring in a Kenny Smith clone).

 

First of all, people are overreacting so much that ATrain has to defend Steve.

Second, like Clutch said, the Rockets have been playing too well late to give up on them now. We are 7 over .500. and this is w/ Steve struggling mightily. Could u imagine where we would be last year if that had happened? Our main problem is that steve and yao dont always show up every night. Steve is aggressive, but cant hit a shot. Yao can hit, but is not always aggressive. I think the role players are solid right now. Once Steve and Yao get it going EVERY night, we can win 50 this year. Peace

 

maybe they need to run a couple of plays for him like sac do bibby where he takes that pick and roll shoot and hide behind his team mate to get a open jumper.........or they should set a few pics and improve there spacing where he could get to the rim easier.

 

how long does it take to adjust, we are already half way thorugh the season

 

I would trade SF and Cato for T-Mac in a heartbeat. I don't know what's T-Mac contract is in comparison to SF but they should be close (maybe we can get Steven Hunter for just another big body when we trade Cato). Mo Taylor should be starting anyway (provided he stops smoking weed).

As for point guard, have Mike Wilks and Mark Jackson platoon until we can get something better in the offseason.

 

Crucial posession to the 2 minutes was incredibly showed a poor decision and turn over the ball so much and poor shots selection really put the rocks in bad situation that leads to lost.

Shape up, or ship out!!

Franchise we believe in you, so take your game to the next level!!!

 

wow who would have the thought something so serious from A-Train would be so on the money

Great Call