Poll Results from our BBS FORUM so far:- Build arround Yao Ming 186 votes ...................Francis.. 10 votes ................ ...Both..... 68 votes .................Neither.... 18 votes Is this an indication of what our BBS Fans think about Francis?
What is... Yao is currently trailing Stephen Jackson, Eddie Jones, Jason Richardson, Corey Magette, and Carmelo Anthony in scoring Yao is currently trailing Shawn Marion, Donyell Marshall, Lamar Odom, and Kenny Thomas in rebounding Yao is currently trailing just about everyone in the league in assists Yao is currently trainling Rasho Nesterovic, Samuel Dalembert, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas in blocks. Yao is just a good player - not great by any means.
a. So is Francis. b. So is Francis. c. Maybe not everyone, but neither is Yao. d. So is Francis e. So is Francis. The difference lies in the widely - held opinion that Yao has the potential to become great, while Steve does not. I think the old rules would have levelled the playing field for Steve somewhat(Can't believe that the fans have become so divided that we pin our two best players against each other), but there's no contest right now. Yao is a better player now, and he will eventually become a much better player. I think Steve has the potential to become the ultimate right hand man, an emotional leader who plays with heart and can occasionally take the scoring load off of Yao, but he's already been given at least 1.5 seasons(I'd say that we realized about halfway through last season that Yao was the man) and a summer to try to alter his game. He hasn't done it, and I think most around here are skeptical as to if he ever will.
http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/news/story?id=1780122 "Asked to list the best American point guards other than himself and Bibby, Kidd said Baron Davis and Steve Francis." Coming from the "truest" of point guards not a bad compliment at all.
****ing god you are ignorant. Phoenix traded away their franchise player, Marbury, and is under complete rebuilding mode. Most of what you have posted here are total bs.
what is... steve is trailing everyone in points you mentioned above. And he is a 6th year (by your logic) player.
Because Steve sux sooo bad that it has to be addressed (Check the thread title; it's Francis thead!). Because Steve has a 85 Million dollar contract that says that he's our "Franchise" Because the degree that Steve's suckyness effects the whole team, not just himself. Because the role of the PG is a complex one and he hasn't shown that he's gonna "get it." Because the role of the PG position is not a position where you should lead the league in turnovers. Because the role of the PG position is important for getting others involved. Because Yao has shown that he's improving in two years, compared to Francis being stagnant for 5 years (not just this year). Because Yao doesn't dribble the ball of his foot 10 time a month. If Yao is "good" Francis is "average." And if Francis is "average" why do we pay him so much? What don't you understand about the summation of these differences? Individually these flaws might not be that bad. But when they add up, they make the whole player that much worse. Do you understand this concept?
I understand the concept that you can't defend Yao so you bring Steve into it. So when someone says Yao is a wus, you immediately respond that "Steve sux." By the way, no one has ever called Steve a wuss. And even with all those things, he's still the toughest player on the team - something Yao will NEVER be confused as.
I was talking about the Rockets. Amare could have joined the Rockets along with Odom and not required everyone else to suck just so that he could be mediocre like Yao.
Ahh, but that's the difference. I don't defend Yao's flaws. You try defend Francis. You completely ignore them even though they are numerous. The reason that I don't think Yao's flaws are that evident (right now) is because: 1) He's 23 2) Two Years in the NBA 3) He's efficient 4) Strength and speed are his main problem (physical, not cerebral). 5) My experience in seeing progression of players that have the cerebral part down (which includes fundamentals), and how they are able to compensate the physical part with proper training as time goes on. 6) He creates match up problems period! 7) Opponents know that he catches the ball close, it's pretty much money. 8) He's the only player on our team that opponents DENY the ball to. That means others have to stepup if they deny the ball to Yao. 9) When Yao trains, he learns!!!!!!! LOL!!!!! P.S. Yao has weaknesses. That no secret. But I feel the ones that he does have can be overcome. Then, you look at the whole player. Completeness. If weakneses still exist, the training staff will address them.
I don't defend Yao's flaws. Your entire post was spent defending Yao's flaws. Nice try though. Also, strength and speed are among his problems, but his main problem is mental. He is not mentally tough enough to play hard defense, and get rebounds, and play a TEAM GAME. That and he has about the worst hands ever. He can't catch passes, he can't hold onto rebounds, choosing to tip them to himself instead. Pa-the-tic. RE Yetti: I find him only slightly less annoying than DavidS, because of DavidS' pattern of posting until he gets the last word in.
Greg Anthony was on the Jim Rome show today afternoon and they talked a little bit about the Rockets. Anthony said that JVG is a very loyal coach, and as long as he sees that you are trying to buy into his philosophy, he will remain loyal to you. Also talked about SF is trying to do the hardest thing that a basketball player can do, and that is changing into something he is not. This is a process and they have showed progress by making the playoffs this year, so there is no crutch to fall back on to say it is not working, they've progressed. If they didn't make the playoffs, it's a different story. On a related issue, when talking about trading Webber from Sac-town, Anthony basically said that it would not happen since ou can't get fair value back in that type of trade. So count on C-Webb being a King for life (Speculation, no doubt). I don't see how this isn't applicable to Steve's case. Also, two things on my thoughts. It always seems that just when it looks like Steve has turned a corner, he regress and has a stretch of bad games. However, it is fair to note, that as Francis goes, so go the Rockets. He talks a good game, for the most part, but I don't know how much of that is just regurgitation. Second, has anyone looked up the stats to see if the reason Steve is shooting so bad this year is his inability to get to the line consistently, and thus, those horrible lay-up attempts count as shot attempts and not a trip to the line?
In the last game between the Spurs and the Jazz, the reigning league MVP had his shots blocked 2-3 times in one sequence by AK47.
In the lone win against the Spurs last season, Yao blocked Duncan's shots twice. BTW, you can also check out the stats between Spurs and Jazz this year and count the # of times Duncan had his shot blocked by AK47. It was only 8 times my friend.
Hi Juggie. I have been entertained by all the uproar you have caused. I thank you for all the wonderful, intelligent responses that you have drawn. My response is not so intelligent. You are a moron of the highest magnitude. Actually, that is a prestigious designation because based on the sheer number of people that post here, there is a fair amount of competition for that award. Yet you are a landslide winner. I feel confident if there was a poll, you would win. All that said, I am a huge Steve Francis fan. Those who say he is inconsistent are not really paying attention. He has shot horribly from all angles and distances this year, with only a few inconsistent games like Denver to throw off the curve. He has consistently fallen to the ground and laid there, as if mortally wounded, until someone picks him up. His consistency in this regard should not be overlooked because it gives us, as fans, something to depend on. Indeed, it is something that we can be proud of, night in and night out. Also, his decisionmaking has been quite consistent. He regularly identifies a crowd, dribbles into it, and someone in another jersey comes out with the ball. He has a wide array of dribble moves that he has gone to for this particular feat. Nonetheless, each is as effective and consistent.
