33 points, 11 assists, 4 steals, 10-19 shooting, 11-13 from the line. If he puts up numbers like this in the playoffs ... Trade him. It may be our last chance to get fair value, a player who can do as much for us as Francis can do for the other team. In the right (lack of) system, he's a hell of a player. In a Yao-oriented system, too many of his virtues are wasted, and too many of his flaws are lethal. Think Jason Williams for Mike Bibby. Flash for fit. That feeling you're having right now as you watch Francis -- "This is the guy everyone thought he could be, this is a guy who can put a team on his back and take them to the promised land" -- is the same feeling some starry-eyed GM with a real point guard is having in front of a TV set right now. Find that GM, and let's make a deal.
What should our trading approach be, Will? Do we try and get superstar talent in return (Ray Allen, Vince Carter, Elton Brand), or do we try to get pieces in need areas to fit around Yao (A Kirk Heinrich/Tyson Chandler)? I think you go for superstar-level talent and find people to plug in later. Jim Jackson is a good example of a solid veteran who is relatively easy to pick up that fills a need area. I don't like the idea of going the "potential" route and getting two players like Heinrich and Chandler off a bad team in a bad conference in return for Francis. The Rockets are still going to need scoring punch from whomever they bring in since Yao is still being worked like a mule in the off-season. I hope Rockets have several contingencies planned for the Summer...should be interesting.
Ouch. I dont know if I buy it. I want to see what this team does in the playoffs. I would want to be SURE we got fair value in exchange for Francis if we were to trade him. That would mean filling the need for a 3/4 type player and a servicable pg to replace him.
SELL HIGH??? If steves "STOCK" were on a plot chart he would look good overall and you wouldnt want to sell, for new "STOCKS" that are only in their first year.
I wasn't aware you could trade players before the postseason started.... Couldn't this post have waited until after the Rockets' playoff run? No, of course not.
Don, You're Knutts, 'cause Will is right on this one. Let's get all we can out of Francis in the playoffs, and then trade him. -P1st, Snd
Will, I'm with you 100%. If there is any chance we can get fair value for Stevie, the Rockets have to take advantage. Francis had the basketball IQ of a rock....no disrespect to the rock.
Well said Will! Even though Francis did have a great game it wasn't Team Basketball, we failed to invole our Center during the first Quarter and he nerver got into his rythem and had a poor game.
sweet, francis can even get dissed after a monster game and we clinch a playoff berth. i had been waiting to test that.
Alright... you people know what you're talking about! Although... I keep holding out hope that somehow we can keep steve, but the offense can run smoothly. Like Sacto where their point guard doesn't have to lead their team in assists. But I guess you have to move somebody to get somebody...
This is exactly the point. If Steve's chart looks good after this year's playoffs, some GMs will want to buy him, for the same reason you won't want to sell him. You can't sell the guy for fair value when he's sucking. P.S. This "stock" is way, way past its first year. I suppose you're thinking of this as his playoff debut, with the notion that now he can finally shine. I hope many GMs share your optimism. I'm not saying Steve is a bad player. I'm saying he's a really good player ... for somebody else. I just want that somebody else to cough up a high-quality point guard for him.
Okay you got us...Vlad leads 5.5 assists to Bibby's 5.4. Sac just has an unusually blend of talent that can pass the ball really well, because they move the ball with without dribbling that much. Everyone can pass on their team, even Webber! We only have like 2 or 3 great passers and the rest at average. But anyways just wanted to point out that stat you had. I feel like I'm in the same "Hope for Steve" boat, let's just watch the playoffs from here and see what happens afterwards.
I feel like Steve's passing abilities are above average if he's not asked to be the primary ball handler. JJ can thrive in a good passing system, he's proven that. We don't have ANY great passers, well expect mark jackson... but he can only play limited minutes. but a team of good passers makes a pure point guard unnecessary. like how ron harper, derek fisher, bj armstrong... hm... i guess that argument isn't that solid because it involves jordan or kobe... but anyhow. the problem i can see is that say we bring a bunch of good passers in and steve plays just "guard" not point guard. he's not really a good shooter. good passing teams like the mavs or kings... it's like pass pass shoot... not a lot of dribbling.
his to-assist ratio has to be worse than steves plus he is a good passer, but he p*****s out too many times and gets it bullied out of his hands.
