Yep...I would question EVERYONE'S heart the last couple games. Not just francis'; cuts both ways, don't ya think? Then again, Francis wants/wanted the be the leader of this team so he has to take the brunt of the criticism when the team is not playing well -- fair or unfair as it may be.
Sorry to post again so quickly, but we can't edit. When we picked up Steve, I remember people talking about how he was going to break old man Stockton's ankles. I, personally, haven't seen it. There may have been times when Steve had the upper hand, but there have also been times when (boy, I hate to say this) Stockton's knowledge has more than made up for his lack of physical skills. (Yes, his cheating played a part as well, as always.) The point is that Steve's considerable physical skills just haven't set him that far apart from other player--at least not in the wins. I guess there's an argument to be made that they have in All Star voting, but I really don't care about All Star voting.
Yeah, but Francis has broken a lot of ankles, but that doesn't mean sh*t to be frank with ya, man. And when the Jazz-Rox play, UTA rarely has Stockton on Francis anyway.
Agree, he is a great player, but not as good as it is hyped to be. One thing he lacks most is his defense. I don't remember how many time he's been abused by some good or so-so guards such as Ollie of Seatle in the league. And he is not that fast at all. When he is really fast, most of them will be those silly drives and rejections by the defenders. And he is not shooting very well. His jump shots are simple not that good compared to most of the league's guards.
I love him. But he's really not that great...if you think about it. His defense sucks. But so does all the other so-called star's defense... He can't shoot. Really. He has to shoot in rythym. He can't make open shots. He has to do a little shake thingy and then shoot. He isn't the best dribbler either. But his crossovers are nice. And his dunks are nice. His passes are better than average. But his decision making is not the best. And his attitude is not good. He is a good player. Very athletic. But not a good attitude. He doesn't respect the Ollie's or Tyronn Lue's in the NBA. But he should... I still love him.
He doesn't respect the Tyronn Lues and Kevin Ollies of the NBA, yet he respects Moochie Norris. *haha* Go figure.
Story_Teller, I didn't say I knew he would not be in the Hall of Fame, I predicted he wouldn't, based on four years of observation. IMHO, He lacks MANY of the qualities of the truly great players of the past and present. This board is all opinion. Futhermore, you don't know who I am and what I know about evaluating basketball talent. Who do I think I am? I am me! Who are you?
And futhermore, I did love Grant Hill, not only his talent but his attitude. I am very sorry about his injury, very tragic. I met his dad, Calvin Hill, when I lived in the Dallas area. He was a very fine gentleman. And so is Grant.
For the most part I love Steve and his attitude. He works night in and night out. There aren't many if any other players on this team that can say that. Steve over the course of the season, has improved in passing to teammates, getting others involved, taking less shots etc. However, on this board it's often that if something goes wrong for a game or spell of games, then it's time to hate Steve. Yes we've lost and played poorly, but don't throw the baby out with the bath water. We need some fans with backbones. That won't overreact everytime something goes wrong.
The problem is that Steve has shown no backbone over the last week... He has done absolutely nothing as far as leading this team except for speaking up with more excuses than normal.
What excuse? Steve said it was his fault, and that of the other players, and not to blame the coaches. He wasn't making excuses, he was taking the blame. That's what a leader does. I just think it's important to look at the season as a WHOLE, and not the last few games.
I like Steve too. I think that he is trying to adjust his play. I blame the coaches for not helping the players adjust better.
I was talking more about the quote from the game before last where he told the media to kiss his ass if they blamed the poor performance on anything else but the shooting percentage. Yes the shooting percentage was horrific but so was every single area of the Rockets play that night. No energy, no heart, no etc... No playoffs!
If Vince is available, and he well may be, I H O P E Rox pursue him, and pursue him hard. Stevie is terrific, tho I think he took the 'selfish' charge to heart and it limited his game. Stevie is upper echelon. Yao won me over. BIG time! JPo is a great complimentary hustle piece. There is hope. Nothing but hope, actually.
I think that's awful for anyone to believe that Steve is really selfish, since the all-star break no other star has reduced the amount of shot attempts as much as Steve. It's just way too obvious that most of you are bitter over the recent play that is killing the season. How many superstars are willing to stick up for their coaches the way steve has? That is completely selfless, I don't see how you "fans" could expect more out of him.
