Griffin will be the Heart and Leader of the Team

You're ****in crazy! If you think this is anyone's team but stevie's you're smokin some of that.(and it aint green). Sounds like the yellow dope to me. Eddie is going to get his, but it aint his team. Example: why the hell u think Terrance Morris was drafted. uhhh... Stevie. Cuttino thinks its he and stevie's team but he is just ridin stevie's coat tails. Either way, the Rockets are too small to hang with them Laker boys. Remeber that!!!


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"Vast Stupidity Spill Spoils Clutch City Coastline"
(AP) Houston- What has been described as an "intellectual holocaust" has been unleashed on the Houston Rockets message board. Captain of the Moron Valdez, Smeggy Smegg has called for a 19 year old rookie with previous disciplinary problems to assume leadership responsibility for team that already has the capable Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley. This despite the fact that Francis has repeatedly said this offseason that he will assume more team leadership and has the game and team respect to back this up.
Captain Smegg was reportedly drunk on rhetoric and a high post count when the disaster was precipitated. First mate Crispee compunded the intellectual error by complaining about Steve Francis' on-court enthusiasm as some proof of his lack of leadership. Observers on the scene noted that Smegg had not seen the Griffen rhetorical landmass when his vessel collided with reality. When asked to comment, Larry Bird was reportedly flying to Houston to slap Steve Francis.

-Elvis!

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lol Elvis. I think you pretty much summed up my feelings on the subject.

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So, who is the leader of Phoenix: Kidd or Shawn Marion?

lol!

Defensive stoppers who can score are rarer than point guards who know how to wave off Shandon Anderson and a feeble old guy.

 

I think Eddie is too quiet to lead,maybe by example and I'm sure in some time he will lead and change somegames specially with his defense,but not yet.

Cat is all guts,all heart, and certainly clutch but he's too erratic sometimes.My guess is Francis has the best balance,he's vocal but can also take over games.I know I cant watch many games,but in his rookie year,against charlotte,stevie just impressed me with his leadership,we were down so he just took charge and the rest followed,just wait and see.

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Bigamy is having one wife too many.Monogamy is the same

 

I'm sorry to say that, based on watching his play, I don't think that Griffin can in any way be the heart and soul of this team. For one thing, there's the obvious point that he's so young.

I don't think he's quite ready for the NBA game, and he'll have his hands full trying to get to that level, much less taking the top spot away from Steve.

For another thing, and you'll understand this more when you see him play, he just doesn't have the emotional charge necessary to be a leader at this point. He is very methodical and business-like in his approach to the game. He's explosive at times, but it's controlled instead of raw.

Leaders in professional sports, for the most part, are firey and outspoken. He get in their teamates face, not necessarily in anger, but with authority. They inspire and they cultivate an attitude of synergy. It takes passion, and a willingness to put oneself on the line night after night.

Eddie Griffin is not that player.

There are exceptions. Tim Duncan is a great example. There are those who quietly dominate, demanding the respect of both their teamates and those around them. They can reprimand with a look, and praise with a smile. They are the leaders that lift others by their very presense, the shear willingness to be something more in their presence.

Eddie Griffin could be that kind of player. On the other hand, that kind of leadership must be earned. It is not given freely, because it is a subconcious state of mind. That kind of leadership comes with time.

And it won't be this year for Griffin, if ever.



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"There are three kinds of lies:
Lies, Damned Lies, and STATISTICS..."
- Mark Twain -

 

You're so underappreciated and misunderstood Smeggy.

Come on people.

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It was the time of the preacher, in the year of '01
Now the preachin' is over, and the lessons begun . . .

[This message has been edited by Tolpatcsh Verkinder (edited July 22, 2001).]

 

we'll see. let's not speculate on negative crap, I think Griffin will surprise, as I've said. He will be good.

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Rarely is the question asked: Guns kill squirrels than REDRUM to fools across the nation?

 

Leadership is a give/take thing. I think I'd have to be really wary of someone like Steve taking upon the leadership role completely as long as Hakeem, or Charles, etc was on the team. I'd consider them a presumptive young punk, most likely incapable of dealing with the 'give' part of the leardership. I think that if Hakeem leaves this year, Francis may have that last little restraint removed, and he can finaly grow into a full-on leader.

I also think that the Terence Morris thing was actualy a stroke of genius, from the fact that Morris has sort of been designated as "Steve's guy".

Francis will, most likely, feel a sort of dominant positon in his relationship with Terence, which could provide him with a real stepping point to a genuine leadership. I think it could be a real nice natural transition point for him.

If you watch old war movies, there's sort of a cliche about 'reluctant leaders making the best leaders' that you see quite a bit. Cliches only become cliches because they are true. Though this one seems to have been forgoten in the last 20 years, I think someone like Francis, who seems to need time to fully grow into his role as leader, will in the end make a much better leader than someone more eager to take the reigns.

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that's better.

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Rarely is the question asked: Guns kill squirrels than REDRUM to fools across the nation?

 

I have yet to see EG play, but I've heard he's quiet and somewhat somber, and one thing I know is that leaders open their mouths from time to time. His leadership skills are a question mark at this time.

Anyone who actually watched any games the past two years knows that we have two leaders. From what I've seen, Steve is the Captain, and Cat is his Lieutenant.

Cuttine has fire. Heart, guts, emotion, desire, etc. What makes him a leader is the fact that he makes everyone else feel it, too. He's just short in the wisdom department, and that's why he's #2.

Steve also has the fire, but he's a little longer in the wisdom department. More importantly, he gets everyone involved in the game. THAT is true leadership, and that's why he's the #1.

With these two leaders, we can get everyone involved. Cat get's everyone fired up, and Steve adds fuel to that and gets them physically involved in the game (assists). This leadership 1-2 is one of the Rox's greatest strengths, IMO, and why they're so exciting to watch.

And if our Captain and Lt ever fail, we've still got our General: Mooch

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Man, for people who think that Francis and Mobley don't have leadership quality or heart or soul, all you need to do is look at how they lead a team with a thin frontline to 45 wins and almost made the playoffs. To say that a 19 year old will be the heart and soul of the team is unfair when he hasn't had a chance to prove himself yet. Eddie Griffin will contribute next year, probably off the bench early. But to say he will be the leader, and Francis and Mobley aren't is strange considering these guys are still growing.

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"Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another."

- Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air

 

You hit the nail on the head treeman! I think the Rockets will be alot like the Detroit Pistons of the mid to late 80s, although people assumed that Isiah Thomas was the sole leader, and people tried to make out to be so, the Pistons had TWO leaders, Isiah Thomas AND Joe Dumars. I think that is how the Rockets will be with Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley.



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"Instruments are like women: After a while, you want to make love to another."

- Nicolas Godin of the musical duo Air

 

Eddie = Tim Duncan

- I'm not talking about his skills, trust me, it would be great if Eddie had the skills of Tim Duncan, but he doesn't. He has some of the same skills but he is a different player then Tim. Tim has always been and will always be a center. plain and simple. He plays 4 because he can. Eddie on the other hand is a hypothetically perfect 3 with option once gained bulk to become a decent 4. There manners and how they handle themselves are completely the same however, and thus the comparisons. Just like Tim, Eddie will never lead a team by his sure prescence, he will lead by a solid 1-2 punch of constant hard working ability, silent and humble.

In my opinion this is the perfect fit for this Rockets team. We can't get Tim Duncan, who would be our ultimate end answer in the 4 or 5 position, so we will settle for the same mannered player in Eddie at the 3, 4 position. We really turned a trick in this years draft.

Francis/Mobley = Jordan

For now. Francis has the physical and athletic abilities tempered with the mental vision of a Jordan type figure. The reason he isn't Jordan is because he is Steve Francis. Stevie has a problem up untill now with being the ultimate man. The point guard role hides this, but ultimately Francis could be the ultimate backgourt man if he so choose, but he doesn't. Mobley has every single bit of fire that MJ had with the lack of personal gift. His heart is there, but his physical gifts go just to the point where MJ could take it past. Francis has that talent, but so far has left no indication of proving it, or ascending to the next level of a basketball player, a legend. Does he have the potential? Yes. Will he? I don't know.


Untill then though we have to realize the yin yang relationship that Stevie and Mobley have in their backcourt prescence, and hope that Mobley will rub off.


With those pieces and 1st quarter MO going consitently, the Center position is thus become less valuable. Can we beat the Lakers without a dominant or servicable center? Yes. How do we? Run, run like the wind boys.


Eddie/Collier/KENNY at 5, MO/Kenny/TMO/EDDIE at 4, Dan/EDDIE/TMO/Anderson/Mobley at 3, Mobley/Anderson/Dan at 2, Francis/Moochie at point suits me quite well for the future generation of basketball. That team eventually will easily handle the lakers.


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-jbond77
"truth be told, my car is dead, and I'm having am radio withdrawl symptoms"

 

eddie Griff has not even played a single game of NBA basketball... i don't think you can just say he's going to be a leader...or has to be a leader... let him atleast play for one year before you label him as a leader...

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crispee: You sound like an old man...

"Damn kids with their new fangled music and fancy shirts. In my day, we were lucky if we got to hear American Bandstand on Saturdays and if our clothes weren't eaten by moths."

I think it is a tad premature to suggest that ANYONE is the leader on this team. These are young guys still learning and asserting themselves. The jury's out at the moment.

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Who's your buddy? Who's your pal? I am, aren't I?

 

Jeff, you don't think Steve/Cat are a great leadership duo? I'm... Well, let me ask you this: What do you think leadership really IS?

Seriously, think hard about it.

When I answer this question for myself, I thank Dog that Steve and Cat came along, 'cause Hakeem hasn't really been leading for 3 years, and Chuck's teeth were getting long...

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Jeff,

not an old man. Just feel I know a poser when I see one. Like Shaq! I'm not talking like Barkley did to Jim Boylen at Kenneally's about CD players in the lockerroom...Barkley's an old man. I'm merely talking about someone who seems to think some about looks and appearances rather than just basketball. He's a pretty boy.

At least Mobley and Moochie, for smeggysakes, are oblivious to how stupid they look on the court sometimes, because he is playing the damn game. Whereas sometimes I think Francis is trying to be a celebrity like Magic or Charles...and Iverson, imo. Look stevie, you either have charisma or you don't....you can't fake it; you poser. Non-charismatic leaders must lead by example and fockass.

Stop strutting onto the court with that silly pout on your face. quick fumbling the ball trying to cross-over every defender and the beer man on the way to an ESPN highlight. Shoot the boring jumper--your best offense.

oh, and don't forget to wave off Dream and pass it to Mobley--our best offense.

 

forthree, I agree completly. Wait to see if Griffin is a bust or a gem first. He could also blow up and punch Francis... I'm sure Vancouver fans wouldn't mind.

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