I think he has regressed mentally. Especially after Yao came aboard. Steve thinks he is the franchise player, and I think he is fighting with himself the idea of losing the title to Yao. I think that is the reason he tries to create plays only for himself and ignores completely who is playing with him.
Well, Francis and Brand are making 86 mil for 6 year contracts. You better believe by the time their max contract comes to an end, they'll be commanding a contract equivalent to what's currently a 100 mil contract. That's where Nash is now, he's a allstar veteran in his prime, seeking would could be his last contract. So him demanding 100 mil is not out of the question. Imo, the new CBA has made it very difficult for a player to commnad money, 6 years ago, no one would question giving Nash a 100 million contract. Look at the contract Jim McllVane and Greg Ostertag's been getting. Not happening in NBA at all right now.
Any idea how Steve ranks against other PGs in the NBA in assist/turonver ratio? Try 42/42. Pathetic. I'm not a hater, and I'm not stupid. Steve has game, and he can definitely ball with the best of them. However, he needs to step us his game big time if he plans to contribute in a meaningful way to this franchise. It's time for this team to go to the next level, and Steve can either drive or step to the curb.
Steve is good, but he is not in the same class as Kobe, Kidd, Baron Davis, maybe at the same level with Parker, Payton.
Steve got the first pick and the Rockets drafted Yao. Now you all want to trade him. Is not it that Steve dug the hole for himself to jump into? Steve may think "damn, I should have got the second pick".
I still say: Steve Francis and Eddie Griffin to NY. Antonio McDyess to Golden State. Nick Van Exel and New York's 2004 1st rounder to Houston. Although NVE is not worth his contract, he has heart and stamina, and his assists-to-turnover ratio is outstanding. Plus, his home is in Houston. Golden State would get the expiring contract they want so badly (they want to go after Yao, but too bad). New York would get a star point guard who would be better in the Leastern Conference. And I would also move Cat, maybe for a decent 3 (we need size; JVG can't play the "interchangeable-swingman-spot" in the West).
First, 86 million is not 100+ million. There is a 14+ million dollar difference there! Second, IMO, Francis is overpaid. For what he does on the court I would say he is making between 10 and 15 million dollars more than he should be. Compare him to Elton Brand who is roughly the same age but for what he brings to the floor Brand is far more valuable. IMO Brand is making about what he should be making in this league vs. Steve who is overpaid. Lastly, you cannot compare Nash to either one of these players. For one, PG's with a pass first mentality are generally under-paid when compared with a scoring PG. Plus on top of that you can't compare him with Steve because Francis is over-hyped. Over-hyped players will get more money than they deserve. And you can't compare him with Brand because he is a PF. Good PF's tend to get more money. IMO, Steve Nash will get a contract totaling between 60-70 million.
Golden State is not going to want McDyess because they do not want to sign any long-term contracts past 2005-2006. They are cap planning for Yao when his rookie contract ends.
I misread what you said about wanting to dump the expiring McDyess contract. Why is Golden State doing this again?
Excluding Jason Kidd, who in my mind is also overpaid. IMO, Nash is a better point guard. Kidd's passing ability is superb, but Nash operates the fast break and the half-court offense at an extremely high level. Plus, Nash is a better shooter.
Just for a counterpoint, why does SF get a max contract if he is so bad? What is he worth on the open market now (if it were not for the cap)? How many successful NBA players are late bloomers after five years ( which would be the best case scenario for the Rockets at this point with him )? Cato comes to mind but a huge part of that is acceptance of working with Ming as #1 and JVG as boss, which I don't see consistently in the *play* of Francis.
Yeah but that's SF's second contract. His third contract when this one's up will be him during his prime and will be worth more/year than this contract. If Steve get's the veteran's max after this contract is up for 6 years, he should get around 100 millon. That's the contract Nash is going for, as a veteran, he should under the CBA be able to command more money/year than Steve as long as people value him even at Steve's level. It's also nice to see you back peddle before I even made the argument. Name me another pg that's pass first that's also an all star pg. Maybe Andre Miller skill wise but he's proven to be even less of a winner than Francis is. Steve Nash should be getting 100 million easily. Once again, before the lock out and having CBA in place, there wouldn't even be a question that Nash will get 100+ contract. The CBA with the Max has really put a stigma on any player going for the max while a couple of years ago it wouldn't even be the biggest contract a player could sign for in the off season. With the way I see things are going lately (rashad not getting the max, stephen jackson's bad contract this year, and Olowakandi's contract with the wolves), we are seeing a huge decline in player's ability to commmand major contracts. I think that in a few years, there will be enough resentment among players that there will be a strike.
Maybe Francis is a much better player than some of us give him credit and deserves 100+ million. Perhaps outside DISTRACTIONS (i.e. girlfriends) keep him from his full potential.
By the time Steve's "second contract" is up he will be 33 years old. You are crazy if you think Steve is going to get 100+ million dollars at that age. Crazy! And if you think anyone in the NBA is going to pay Nash this type of money you need to give a call to David Alderidge and get your numbers checked out.
They hold the ball too long. Watch. Next time there's a 2 on 1 or 3 on 2, the guy with the ball will hold the ball (dribble the whole way down) without making the outlet pass. By the time they reach the other end of the court the defenders are bunched right next to each other and it's too late to make a pass. That usually results in a turnovers. They should make the pass the moment the fast break occurs. Then, after the runner on the sideline receives the ball on the outlet, TAKE OFF!!!!! That will give the runner an opportunity to fend off his defender and make the middle lane pass (to the trailer) if need be. The guy that receives the 2nd outlet job is to attract the defender that originally passed him the ball in the first place. All this an side effect of "dribble mania." They look back at film of Magic Johnson and *think* the are supposed to hold the ball and dribble it down court looking for opportunities to "be creative." They never find that opportunity because they hold the ball too long. Here's an scenario... Francis steals a pass, takes off down the middle...Mobley on the left side of the court is about 5 feet ahead of him...Francis then starts to dribble the ball down the middle trying to shake-and-bake his defender that's right in front of him...mean while, Mobley on the left side is waiting for the pass...it never comes until the last second when they are already 10 feet from the basket... at that time they are too bunched up to make any pass. Turnover. If done right, it should look like this... Francis steals a pass, looks ahead at Mobley and zips off a pass slightly ahead of Mobley on the left side (guys without the ball can run faster than with)...Mobley speeds up faster than he was originally going and then catches up to the pass/lob....then at this moment Mobleys job is two fold: One either attack the basket while shielding the (Francis's) defender off with right shoulder OR trick the defender into thinking that he's going to score and then at the last second, only after the defender has comprised his defense on Francis, pass it off to Francis for the easy lay-up coming down the middle. It's all about leverage and deception. They just need to STOP HOLDING THE BALL so long!!! They waste time thinking the fast-break is about the "dribble." It's not. It's about the pass! The best fastbreaks on the one where the ball never hits the floor.
