Francis: "I've still got to play for him, God knows how long"

Positive spin, did you even read the whole quote? Francis basically aid he'd had NO PROBLEMS with the coach, no ill feelings and will be playing for him for a long time, time so long only god knows. How can you "spin" that anyother way? Oh yeah, take a quote out of context and post it as thread to bash Francis without the original article as the first post.

 

As long as SF "plays how (he wants) to play" means droppin' 30 on the opposition, dishing 7+ dimes, get a steal or two, keeping the TO to minimum and creating game for the likes of Yao, JJ, Cato, Cat, Mo, etc...

Bring it on.



You guys are such drama queens. This can only bring good things, trade or not.

SF will now showcase himself, which will make him want to stay once the winning starts.

It will resolve itself.

 

I agree. It's definitely misleading. It's not as bad as the Phil/Kobe/Shaq squabble.

 

Stop talking about trading Steve Francis immediately. Those who feel this way are all completely insane.

 

Wizkid, that's what I got out of the article too. Steve has no problems with JVG. Prime example of why many athletes hate the media.

 

yeah, unfortunately that hasn't happened much this year for a player shooting less than 40% and averaging about 16ppg. not a cost-effective use of max dollars.

 

On this point you and I are in complete agreement. Something is defintely smelly here and it's not just SF's game. If he really cares more about his numbers that the team's winning then the Rockets will have no choice but to try and move him in the off season. I don't see them making any more personnel moves before then. That gives CD more than enough time to screw this up...

 

Not that I want SF traded away right now, but how does that feeling make someone insane?

 

Because of Steve and his base year contract, the Rockets wouldn't get anything at all for Steve right now. The only way would be after the season.

So anybody who wants to trade Steve now is essentially asking to hurt the Rockets.

 

I agree with everything MadMax said. And in addition...

The saddest thing about this thread is that people who are diehard Francis-fans are totally deflecting the blame. Regardless of what you think of JVG, it's no defense for Francis' actions. If you disapprove of JVG's methods: fine.... then you have to disapprove of Francis as well.

On the other hand, even if you don't dislike JVG's media manipulation... and believe that a player has every right to use the same channels... then you still have to dislike what Francis did for being insubordinate and uncoachable.

I'm so sick of Francis. Promise him a trade and then tell him to shut-up so his value doesn't plummet.

 

the saddest thing about die-hard steve haters is that they flat out do not see any postives in the guy, and only preech the negitives.

 

I never see any Steve lovers give a reason why they like him. Strange that people like him just 'because'.
Hell, I've asked you why you like him so much farhan but you never gave me a reason. I guess you don't even know yourself...great logic.

 

That was "Movin" Marvin Barnes. Hilarious story.

 

THe title of this thread, Steve's quote is out of context.

 

I am a fan of Steve's but not above the Rockets. I don't try and excuse the whole Superbowl thing. That was wrong on Steve's part, it showed a lack of responsibility, lack of leadership, and was very unprofessional.

If take that out of the equation I can tell you the things I like about Steve. Though I'm not a Steve only fan by any stretch and have no problems acknowledging his shortcummings.

Steve plays hard every night. He's often the only Rocket diving out of bounds or going to the floor for loose balls. He rebounds with the giants and isn't afraid to put his body on the line.

Steve(an established star) went out of his way to make a rookie(Yao Ming) feel welcome. He drove him around in his car, and talked to him about the NBA, and pressures both on and off the court. Steve went and stretched with the rookie showing an example to teammates and making the new comer feel welcomed by the established star. That shows great leadership, and consideration.

Steve got his shoulder worked on early so he could still work out, he went to the Mayo clinic to get his migraines taken care of and has totally changed his diet(which is very hard to do). Steve also talked to Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, various Rockets execs etc. about what he could do to take his game to the next level, so he has a definite dedication to make improvements. I admit that his basketball IQ and trusting of others may hinder that progress but the desire is there.

Steve is a star but at the same time he's much maligned(often unfairly) by others so in that way he's an underdog, and I always like underdogs.

Originally Steve wasn't happy about Yao Ming being drafted by the Rockets. He was very professional about it and never once made a comment to the press about his displeasure. He also kept an open mind about it, enough that be later became enthusiastic and called Cat Mobely to express how good it was that the team was getting Yao. AGain that's good leadership, and very professional.

His atheletic ability make him fun to watch.

Those are reasons why I like Steve. His recent escapade has caused me to lose respect for him. There is no doubt that I hold him in much less regard than before. But in light of all the positives that I mentioned above if the Rockets play improves and Steve does well, it could be just a minor bump in the road.

 

More deflection! See? Francis does something intolerable, so your only response is to attack - rather than admit and defend regardless.

Regardless, I'm hardly a "die-hard" Steve hater. I was supportive of him until this year. Last year, I felt he didn't pass to Yao enough - but wanted to keep giving him a chance to adjust.

I've defended him against those who claimed he couldn't lead good teams - I think he's already led two good teams. Just because the Rockets set a couple of records for most wins without playoffs doesn't make the team bad - just unlucky in being in a very powerful conference. And Steve should have got the credit for being the best player on a good team.

I think Steve has a lot of positives. He's got a good midrange game, a fantastic crossover, and is spectacular around the hoop.

But this season has been too much for me. I've changed my mind about him. He simply has failed to make necessary improvements in his game. While he's tried to adjust to a new strategy, his immaturity is still stunning at times. I think he's had long enough, and the odds of him ever realizing his potential have slipped below the acceptable mark.

Don't label me a "hater" because I think that Francis no longer has a role on this team. I personally think I'm correct - I could be wrong - but I certainly know this position is in a "range" of reasonable positions.

I've seen a few posts with a perspective of "well, Steve screwed up... but he feels a bit persecuted by his coach, confused by his changing role, and is understandably upset... some of the blame lies with JVG for failing to adapt to Francis." To me, this is a reasonable pro-Steve perspective.

Deflecting the blame and going on the offensive isn't a defense - and does nothing for your "side" of the argument.

 

Francis needs to stop grumbling and play to his potential. The team goal right now is to make the playoffs, and ultimately win the championship again. That should be Steve Francis' mindset, do whatever is necessary to the betterment of the team.

 

I know you guys are just dying to hear from a Spurs fan right about now

I see a lot of Rockets games (I have to keep tabs on what the enemy is doing, naturally) and I've come to the conclusion that you guys should trade Francis.

If he was a complimentary player, some of his shortcomings would be minimized. But he demands the ball a lot, and his style of play really prevents the offense from getting into a flow - or takes the team out of the flow.

At his age, you could get a lot of value for him. For his part, the change of scenery could really help - look at how much more efficient Antoine Walker has been as a Maverick.

With Yao and Mobley, you still have two productive scorers for the other players to feed off of.

There. I've solved your problems.

BTW, Yao was really impressive tonight. There aren't too many bigs that can hang 25 on Duncan and Rasho. Nice smooth jumper he's got.

 

Yep!

 

Hopefully not for too long, Steve, not for too long.