Francis is the best PG we have atm. He's seems to be AT LEAST as good a shooter as Alston that can penetrate and isn't a coward when he's one on one in the open court. Steve gets rebounds (something rafer doesn't) and can make the spectatular play ever so often that can excite the team. Steve's only draw back on this team is turnovers which he has been pretty good about so far. Steve's D is at least as good as Rafer's and seeing as though Rafer's assist numbers have SUCKED lately I don't see him as good as Francis right now. I honestly can't see why Adelman can't give steve more minutes...I don't give a damn how 'poorly' Steve has been in practice...if he's better than Rafer in games maybe the coach should open up his stubborn eyes and see what is best for the team instead of trying to pull a 'stupider than JVG' move.
yea.. Some people don't play as well in practice. Like AI. I mean, we are talking about practice right?
as long as yao keeps pounding the box and tmac keeps stroking it, all steve needs to worry about is his ball movement.
Stevie brings heart to the court. He contested every shot. He prevented easy scoring from the opponent. When Steve is on the court, the team is on fire. I am not complaining but I did not like the start of the second half. The starting five played without no energy. It happened many times in this and the past season. If would not have happened if Steve were on the court, because guy has the heart of a true leader!
I'm a believer. I watched Francis get into the lineup and he looks like he is working to become the STARTER. The man plays with fire, and from what I've seen, he's playing more like a PG. I see him passing the ball, getting his team involved. Of course he also attacks the rim, but he isn't hogging the ball. I believe this team will suceed with the resurgence and revival of Steve Francis. However, I don't want him kicking Luther out of our rotation. Luther is our deadliest three point shooter and we NEED to get him involved in doing that, and only that. We need to draw up some plays to get Luther some good, consistent looks from the three, at least four or five a night. Luther can get us 2 to 3 of those, maybe more if he is feeling it. We NEED that. What I'm tired of seeing is Mike James reminding me of the Francis of the old Rockets days. He dribbles for 14 secs and then gets his own shot, usually not a good one. He is not what this team needs. He doesn't pass (Isn't very good at it anyways) and seems to hurt the team when he comes in. I like the idea of using him as a spark off the bench, but nothing more. He needs to bring in some offense, but dear God, PASS THE BALL. Everytime he gets the ball I get that feeling I get when Rafer takes a 3P or a floater. Almost makes me sick. Bring on Francis. Keep Luther. Limit James.
Well, if you're saying chanting "we want Steve" is an embarrassment to SF, what about not getting any playing time at all? Wasn't Adelman treating him exactly like the 12th man by sticking him at the end of the bench?
How many of you think this is a permanent thing? Well not permanent, but you know what i mean.. I love Francis being in there, but anyone know what Adelman's motive was for putting him in? The options are: -Bonzi's out -Worked his way back into the rotation -Realised his starting PG wasnt doing his job and wanted to replace him -Or maybe he caved into the pressure from fans/players
I was micro-analyzing Steve's game in preseason, and tonight you did still see a little bit of the ball-stopper/unable-to-quickly-decide-where-to-pass Steve. However, his tenacity, athleticism, and just the threat of him scoring so that his man can't just totally ignore him like they do Rafer, combined with MJ and Luther playing like crap, make his presence on the floor an overall plus right now. I thought Steve should be a "in case of emergency, break glass" type player. 6-game losing streak? MJ and Rafer stinking it up? Bonzi hurt? Yup, that's enough of an emergency for me. Go Steve!
I agree on James. I think luther can definitly improve. James is currently better at bring the ball down the court. Other than that, i'd rather have head. Head can shoot just as well as james and is willing to pass more. I think head will be as good as james in the future if he can work on his ballhandling more.
I think Head is the new Sam Cassell. He needs to have more plays for him. He also needs to get his confidence up. Hopefully, Stevie stays in the roation, or Adelman adds one more spot to the rotation for him.
Francis has been great. He has not caused any disruption, he was ready when his number was called, and he delivers. WHY IS ALSTON STILL STARTING?!
Cause he's a good passer and doesn't turn it over. He had 5 assists tonight. As long as he doesn't shoot, everything is good.
I don't see anything that either Francis or Alston have done to set themselves as a clearly better option at the point. Therefore, I would like to see PG min split equally b/t steve and rafer until one steps up and grabs it maybe if only because the competition would ideally bring out the best in both players. James can service at the one, but after the Steve/James combo tonight, I'm starting to see James as more of a 2 as he is really only adept at finding his shot, a lot like Luther. Luther shot well tonight, and has been stepping up his shooting recently. IMO he shouldn't drive, shouldn't dribble, shouldn't create... he should strictly leech open 3 pointers that are inevitable with the big guy down low. It's not like we really need more plays run for him, as he is always a threat to do his 3 point damage when we play inside-out basketball (which we do not do enough).
