I have seen enough !! (The Francis and Mobley are dumb thread)

just sticky this puppy, I'm sure this title will cover them all

 

We still have the same problem we've had since Steve arrived -- redundancy in the backcourt. Mobley and Steve are the same player and we only need one of them.

Personally, I'm starting think Steve-O need to go. I don't blame him for the loss, or any of our losses this season, I just don't see where he fits with this team. He doesn't distribute the ball, his bball IQ is mediocre at best, and he doesn't trust his teammates at all, even though most of the time, his teammates have been far more productive than he has. Plus, he can't run a fast break to save his life. He does not need to be captaining our ship. We have a fantastic mix right now, I think we have a lot of guys who can fill it up and contribute, they just need someone to orchestrate and get them the ball and Steve is not that guy.

 

I bet JVG has drugged himself into unconsciousness by now (prescriptions of course). He is getting an up close and personal look at some of the dumbest guard play in the history of the league. We have suffered through this stuff for years and the tapes just doesn't do it justice; you have to really be there live to see how unbelievable it is. DD, I am with you, I have tried to be hopeful and give Jeff a chance to change these guys, but I honestly don't think it is possible, their bad habits are so ingrained. Maybe I will feel differently in the morning.

 

Cat should have known that he is not as good as Yao and Steve and never exceeded Yao and Steve,and he should have passed the ball to the key players.

 

A few points.


We are going to lose games. We are going to lose games to lesser opponents. No one goes 82-0, and precious few go anything near it. So the point isn't to cry havoc and let slip the dogs of trade because we lost, it's to look for the patterns. And, as I've said for so long, the patterns are evident in some victories as surely as they are in losses like tonight. The problem isn't Steve not wanting to win, or not caring if we win, the problem is that he thinks that he can make us win all by himself. And he's so damned talented that upon occassion, he manages to do just that.

And those times, friends of mine, are at least as damaging as efforts like this evening. If every one of Steve's solo gigs met with failure like tonight, he'd adjust. The fact that sometimes he manages to pull rabbits out of his hat reaffirms his belieif in his own magic. And until that is changed, we'll win some and lose some, like always. I seriously cannot understand those who think a win is a win is a win. Coaches don't see it that way, and I'm unsure of how otherwise astute fans fall for it.

Take the Toronto game; we all agree, an example of terrible play...lessons to be learned, correct? Suppose Bosh's 3 clangs off the rim. SUddenly we need take nothing negative away from it? Doesn't make any sense. And had Steve managed to chuck in 2 last second 3s tonight, there would be those in here saying that observing Steve's flaws, or Yao's weaknesses is looking at the glass half empty. I'm not saying this as an I told you so, I swear. I am saying that if we don't look at this pattern in moments like this, and realize that the seeds are sewn in solo effort wins, at least in large part, then we are going to go through this cycle again and again...

 

Don't fool yourself. We are a good team, but we were beaten straight up against all three of those teams. You could make an argument for the Portland game, but we were out hustled in the other two.

It's amazing what real competition will do. The creampuff schedule we had the first week or two was nothing. Wait until next month. We'll see if we are as good as we look on paper. Unfortunately paper doesn't perform very well on the court.

I think they'll get it together soon enough. Hopefully we won't be looking up at the 8th seed when it happens.

 

Hey, Mark Jackson is off the court for too long. I doubt he will have any impact because he is already 38 yrs old and I don't know if he even practise anymore.

BTW, how the jazz find their PGs? I mean that Arroyo and Lopez played somewhat like Flopton. Push the ball up the court, make smart pass, hit clutch shots and they are paid much less. Why can't we find one of those guys?

 

2 more things.


Mark Jackson, God No.


And Steve is entitled to more time. Yes, he's past the free ride stage, but as DD pointed out, Iverson has beome a better passer...a decade later. Marbury took longer than this. There is a reason that, fair or not, extremely talented players get longer leashes...because the payoff is worth the wait if it comes.

 

Mobley plays dumb, but he is cheap, better shooter, and plays defense. He still has a chance to fit into JVG's sytem. Francis, on the other hand, is completely hopeless. He is a max player, gets schooled by every rookie PG he ever plays against, choke at cluth time, crumble under every full-court press, cannot run a fast break to save his life, and is plain too arrogant to realize all the above.

Seriously I hope Francis is gone by Feburary trade deadline, if JVG is all serious about winning championships. There is no way in hell Francis can be a winner.

 

I am no longer as against the idea of getting a Snow, Alvin Williams type and shifting Steve to the 2 as I used to be. It might be the best answer after all. Or at least get a playmaking 2. I really don't think we can run an inside out offense with a backcourt of small, quick shoot first players. Cat as 6th man or as bait for a playmaking, defensive 2...or an Alvin Williams type point...and I think we're on to something.

 

Like Bill Walton said, the Rockets do not have a PG. Francis ain't a true PG, that's why this team doesn't get much assist per game. To be a offensive powerhouse you got to have a PG that are willing to sacrifice and make the teammates better instead of himself better. That's why this team hardly ever going to score over 90 points per game cuz the players aren't smart enough to take advantage of certain things on the court and are too selfish and not good passers on the court. Also they're prone to turnover. Only reason Francis is playing the PG position is cuz he wants to touch the ball as often as possible so he can jack up any shot he wants when the clock is running down. He's a streetballer like Jason Williams where he needs to get into a flow to score which means he needs to dribble and dribble and dribble to get into rhyme to score. He ain't a spot up shooter. He has no fundamental whatsoever. That's why Kings traded Jason for Bibby cuz Bibby is fundamental and Jason ain't. Players that play with no fundamental is going to kill the team. Don't get me wrong, Jason and Steve are very athletic and they will help the team, but at the same time, will kill the team due to lack of fundamental.


ROckets should upgrade their team to a TRUE PG....get rid of Francis!!!! Bring in Steve Nash. I am sure Dallas will accept this trade. Steve Nash + Najera FOR Steve Francis. Imagine if ROx have Steve Nash, man he'll be looking to penetrate and dish out to wide open teammates and dishing to Ming for easy dunks. And on the other hand, imagine Francis dribbling and dribbling and dribbling forcing up shots. That scenerio ain't going to work on this team.

 

Obvious Pattern:

losses to every team they have played that currently holds a winning record.


Oh well...

 

I'll give you Marbury, but not Iverson. When he was at the point early in his career, he was a worse shoot first offender than Steve.

A couple of years ago, the Raps had Jackson on their team, and God it was awful. Yeah, he can pas allright, but I could beat him off the dribble. And I doubt he's gotten quicker since. He was just an incredible liability on defense, far outweighing what benefit he added on offense. Nice guy, amybe bring him in as a pg coach for Steve, but never lace him up.

 

I'm starting to feel this way myself. If steve or cuttino have to go it should probably be SF. Cat plays better D, is a more consistent shooter, turns the ball over less, and all comes at a MUCH cheaper price.
I've never once said Trade Steve in a post, but today is the day.

His numbers are on the decline and have been for a couple of seasons now. He's showing no improvement(especially in his D) and is rountinely upstaged by opponent PGs. This type of play doesn't deserve the Max and Steve doesn't look like he'll ever live up to it.

 

What worries me right now is the real competition hasn't started yet. You can bet after all star break a lot of teams will show their true color and the games will become much more intense.

But right now most of teams we beat are below .500, a lot of game are blow out. We had no chance against elite team like Mavs and we lost almost every close game we had so far. So did last year.

It has to be a mental problem and it is a big issue. It is predictable that more and more games will end close, if we don't solve it sooner than later, it will turn ugly.

 

it sickens me.

Francis CAN be a great player but he has to leave his ego in his locker. You can't keep playing games like the Utah one and expect people to worship you.

Seriously, I think it was in the 4th and with 1:40 left, we were down by 5 and he decides to drive in. But wait, he's bein swarmed by defenders. COMMON SENSE would tell you to kick it out to one of THREE open teammates. But not Stevie. NO PASS BUT TURNOVER. this really sickens me. Why on earth do you do things like that?

Is he trying to draw calls like Iverson? Well if he is, it's not gonna work b/c 1. Iverson is smaller and 2. the refs are tired of Iverson's whining.

I am just baffled. How can our best player play with so much idiocy???

And don't get me started on Mobley. I'll leave him out of this since it was his hot shooting that helped us on occassions this season.