has anyone else noticed how much bill & calvin criticize francis?

I do and I think they do not have a choice. It is plain for everyone to see.

 

i've only been able to watch calvin and bill this year and last year. However, i remember them both complaining about the lack of ball movement in our offense last year. I think that its just inevitable to happen when old school people consistently watch this team. You can only put up with the same mistakes for so many consecutive seasons.

 

Maybe they're regulars on this board...

 

I have noticed one thing when Rudy T was around they were layed back like him but not that JVG is in town they make their remarks like hes does Straite Up truth, IMO

 

Criticizing him is one thing but now its getting to the point to where they're making fun of him. For instance, during the game at philedalphia, Bill said ' Francis tried to dribble through the whole city of philedelphia' and nonstop laughter from Bill and Calvin ensued. Im not digging that crap.

 

Being that Stevie is my favorite player, I always like to look at things in a "glass half full" way myself. Try to outweigh the neg with the pos.
I have noticed both Bill and Calvin being a bit more negative than the norm towards Steve, but to be honest he looks like he has regressed some in the last couple of games and doing a lot of things he had done in the past.

 

According to Yao it isn't Steve it is the JVG game plan to run the offense that way - go figure?!

 

The boys seem more focused on the games this year. Perhaps their expectations are higher? Perhaps they have received constructive critique from team?

BTW - by telling it like it is with SF et al, they gain cred for spiffing the guys, too.

 

They have been making those comments for the past three years. Each year with more frequency, my guess is out of frustration.

SF seems to have these tendencies:

1. To dribble along the sideline while bringing the ball upwhich allows the opposing team to trap you either before the 8sec line or after.
2. Once across the 8sec line, if he decides to penetrate (which always seems to be his first option) he realized that the defense has set him up too late and by the time he does realize this he is to far into the paint to pass the ball effectively and has to put up a bad shot.
3. On fast breaks he rarely (won't say never) looks to pass the ball to any teammate who might be running the floor with him. This does two things, allows the defense to conentrate on him because they know his tendencies, and discourages his teammates from running the floor on future breaks because then know his tendencies. I have seen to many times (this season) on fast breaks where the rockets had a 2on1 or a 3on2 break in our favor and he never even looked to pass the ball, often times the result was a blown layup or the like.

I think the frustration mounts not so much from these mistakes per say (every young player will make them) but from SF lack of maturity in certain areas (i. e. the references made above). Its just Bill and Calving keepin' it real!

 

Believe it or not, Bill and Calvin AREN'T just homers, and do actually have A LOT of basketball knowledge.

The reason why they're so critical now is that this team is no longer young... thus, they don't want to see stupid mistakes that only young players should make (ie, dribbling into traps, forcing up bad shots).

In fact, if you remember the Olajuwon glory years, Bill and Calvin would repeadtedly lambast the Rockets for lack of defense against the pick and roll, lack of rebounding, taking too many threes (Calvin - "What's wrong with a middle distance jumper?").

Actually, their criticism is one of the reasons B & C are the BEST in the business... its never that bad, in terms of them just ripping on players... its always said constructively in order to hope for some improvement on what they're commenting on.

I truly believe that as this team's expectations go up, so should the way the commentators view them... in other words, THERE'S NOMORE EXCUSES!

 

Hate to say it, but they had a point esp during the Philly game. I absolutely cannot stand homer announcers, call it like you see it. It was absolutely amazing to me how many times Francis would bring the ball up the sideline and get trapped in the Philly game. You would think that by his 5th season he would learn something simple like this.

Also, I noticed during the Philly game and Toronto game Calvin commented about the lack of offense on both sides of the ball. Cant blame him. A score of 74-66 in an NBA game is absolutely unacceptable. I am a big fan of good defense, but I dont care what defense is being played scores like 74-66 which have occurred all over the league are simply not acceptable. These are supposed to be the best players in the world and if this is the best product that can be put out, thats pathetic. Not to mention, implementing zone defenses was the biggest disaster and needs to be repealed asap.

 

That was a hilarious line, one that was referring to THE worst play of the game. Francis just kept on dribbling, struggling a bit with it. He never passed, despite drawing lots of defensive attention, then he drove into multiple defenders while the rest of his teammates just stood and watched him turn the ball over. It was a horrible play, and Bill brought some lighthearded humor to the rage-inducing play.

 

I'll take #2 for 55 wins...

 

Actually, this is the reason I like Bill and Calvin. They call it like they see it. Unlike Geno who just blames everything on the refs...

BTW, MManal. Did you used to post on the old AOL Rocket board a looooong time ago under that name? If so, I actually remember you. You should post here more often.

 

They don't really do interviews all that often, and i don't really remember one in particular where they talked to Steve. They usually talk to a role player that stepped up, such as Boki. If the rockets lose, they'll talk to the roleplayer of the other team that has rocket ties. It was Posey in the Grizzlies game.

 

Frankly, I would be peeved if they sugar-coated some of these obvious flaws.

Perhaps, they believe that the coaches view tape with audio and they're crying out, "pleeeassssseeeee!!!".