The rockets get so much bad press. It really pisses me off. I was watching fox sports news after the rockets beat the knicks, and the newsanchor, obviously a knicks fan, said I'm okay they lost on a back to back, but "THE ROCKETS!!". That really pissed me off. In reality, to fans who dont know much about the team, they look at the rockets as a great backcourt with the rest of the players being trash. We know better though.Also in Sportings News, I have lost all respect for this magazine, they stated that the rockets steve francis and Cuttino Mobley need to be far less selfish for the rockets to be successful. WTF? This was a while back when everybody was b****ing at Steve to be less unselfish, and Dream was dealing with injuries. Now, in last weeks issue they said "you can pretty much blame any defensive rule changes this summer on one team, THE HOUSTON ROCKETS, whose one on one offense is a snoozer. I for one, feel the rockets are one of the better teams to watch, if not the best. It's funny how the press will put a label on your team and players that is far from the truth. Also, I dont see the difference between iso'ing a guard on the wing as opposed to iso'ing a big man on the post. It's the same damn thing, just with more dribbling involved.Also, we have two of the better one on one players in the league in Cuttino and Steve. If any other team had players like them, they'd be stupid not to ISO them . [This message has been edited by tacoma park legend (edited February 09, 2001).]
I think his point is Stevie is the best player on a below average team. Yeah we're playing beter the last 3 games but we're only at .500. As far as the bad press. Well we don't have any good post players. Dream is playing great lately but before that we had Mo who is an offensive minded PF who is down on scoring this year, doesn't play much D, and rarely rebounds, Cato who is earning about a million dollars for each game he plays in, and a series of guys who would never touch the court for many teams (KT, Bullard, Los, Langhi, Collier). Thankfully Dream is playing better to finally give us a post-up threat. And no I don't like Mo. He does occasionally have a nice game, but I want reliabilty out of a PF and not a streaky player. There are too many good PFs in the West that we ned someone who can match-up night in and night out.
By Dave D'Alessandro - The Sporting News Some of us are staying away from the All-Star Game this year because, like Michael Jordan, some of us have an aversion to watching basketball in Washington. There are others who want to go but were not among the chosen. We have a place for them here. Actually, the players excluded from the All-Star Game each year by the league's coaches usually fall into one of three different categories. The first is a collection of supremely gifted players who happen to be knuckleheads, or players with indelibly bad reputations. Anthony Mason and Latrell Sprewell graduated from this group this year, whereas Dennis Rodman never could. Another group consists of those who emerged so quickly that the coach can't bring himself to make the selection. Theo Ratliff used to be one of these sudden stars. The third bunch comprises younger guys who just have to wait their turn. Until this season, Stephon Marbury and Antonio McDyess were annual members. Here are the 2000 Almost Stars: THE RODMAN CLUB Antoine Walker, Celtics. If it were only about talent, he's there, because he is as gifted an offensive forward as you'll find. If it were only about numbers, they would lay down the red carpet for him. But this is Walker, the same guy most coaches have branded a selfish player whose bad behavior and end-game blunders are impossible to overlook. But since Jim O'Brien took over, there hasn't been a better player outside of San Antonio. Nick Van Exel, Nuggets. He leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio, and the team would fall apart without him, but everyone concluded he was bent on career suicide when Shaq had him thrown out of LA, so that's that. And it's fine with Van Exel: He hates you back. Besides, he has no tolerance for the pomp, pageantry and pretense of the whole show. Our suggestion to David Stern: Next time Van Exel does something that requires punitive action, force him to play 2 ball. Sam Cassell, Bucks. George Karl surmises Cassell's exclusion could be attributed to "image, perception, small market." Love his talent, but Cassell used this snub to resume barking about his contract, saying the selections of Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson show that "everybody is benefiting from Sam Cassell except Sam Cassell." No more calls, we have a winner. THE OUTTA NOWHERE GANG Antonio Davis, Raptors. He's one of our faves, always has been. But to call A.D. a "star" is an insult. He and others of his ilk work for a living at real basketball, not this glitzy imitation of a game. Steve Nash, Mavericks. Everyone says he's the team's MVP. No argument here. He has proved a time-honored theory: It takes three years to make an NBA point guard, because that's how long it takes for them to develop between the ears. Aaron McKie, 76ers. Jeff Van Gundy, who never admits to anything, implied he voted for him. His reasoning is sound: Without McKie, the team has no direction and probably crashes during the three long months Eric Snow is out. Juwan Howard, Wizards. Hey, it wasn't our idea. Ask Jordan. "He's played like an All-Star," Howard's boss says. He probably isn't far off. Howard has been pegged as an overpaid, second-tier player for so long, he will get no credit for accomplishments during his current contract. Donyell Marshall, Jazz. If he played in the East, he would be one of its top three power forwards. Another instance of a contract overshadowing talent and a player not getting credit for steady development. Jalen Rose, Pacers. He didn't make it because he missed the first month. And pity the coaches who didn't vote for him, because he has a long memory and a vindictive streak. Jamal Mashburn, Hornets. On second thought, nah. THE WAIT-YOUR-TURNERS Elton Brand, Bulls. The only 20-and-10 guy told to stay home. Nobody handled the snub better: Anyone playing for a 6-40 team doesn't belong in D.C., he says. You just hope he stays hungry and withstands the continuing frustration. Andre Miller, Cavaliers. There aren't many point guards in the East who can match his numbers (16 points, 5 assists, 5 boards, 1.6 steals), but the interesting thing is he's not close to fulfilling his potential yet. Antawn Jamison, Warriors. He had the highest scoring average (25 ppg) of any player left out, so obviously, he started whining, "What else could I have done? I feel I belong in the game. I thought I was going." Sounds like he's bidding for the Rodman club. Steve Francis, Rockets. Stevie Franchise leads his team in minutes, points, rebounds, assists and steals. Of course, his team is also in 11th place. So forget we brought it up. He'll be a perennial pick beginning next year, anyway. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks. His numbers are comparable to Jamison's (21.5 ppg, 9.4 rpg), and he has that indefinable quality we call presence, but the next person to compare him to Larry Bird is hereby invited to examine his assist totals. Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Grizzlies. How long has he been a member of this group? It must be a karmic curse left behind by Buck Williams from his New Jersey days. Terrell Brandon, Timberwolves. The hottest point man in the game -- "It's like in that movie Braveheart right now," Kevin Garnett says. "He says, 'Charge!' and we follow," -- but no one will forgive him for being such a lazy defender the first two months. Dave D'Alessandro covers the NBA for the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger. E-mail him at daved@sportingnews.com. --------------------------------------------- Leading your team in every Major Category doesnt Even Make You A Pick for The All-Star SNUB team??!?!?!?!? This Fool Obvisiously Didnt look at a guy like Francis as the Heart of a team , because of their record . Maybe he forgot The Rockets would be 32-18 in the Eastern Conference . And he tries not to piss off anybody with his "he'll Be a perrenial pick next year" crap . ------------------ Moe's Classic Signatures "Will Work for Clutch 101 Book"
Sounds more to me like a slam on the other rockets players more than it is on Francis. ------------------ As the wise Ewok philosopher, Logray, once said, "yub yub"
