Okay, I've been out of the loop for a while, and in the time I've been gone, it has apparently become the concensus opinion that Francis isn't a 'true' point guard. I am interested to know how/when this unanimity came about. I don't happen to agree, as I feel Steve should be the pg, or traded, as I feel his physical limitations at the 2 will be harder to overcome than his mental ones at the point... There have been some smaller pg's who have met with success, yes, especially the guy to whom Francis is most often compared, Iverson. However, Iverson is a unique player who brings a unique package of talents to the table, one of which is his ability to endure the constant injuries which plague him as a result of constantly playing against bigger men. I'm not convinced that I want Stevie, who already is hampered with enough ailments, to have to face night in and night out pounding. I am also unsure as to the foundation for this reversal of opinion. Yes, this has been a difficult year for Steve, but it's hardly the litmus test for his point abilities...His constant injuries have to be taken into consideration, especially in terms of whether or not this is the year to judge him by...Allow him a relatively injury free year before making such an important decision regarding our most important player. The primary deficiencies in Francis' game have been his inability to fully involve his teammates, and his defense. Let's address these one at a time... Running the offense...While I am not laying all the blame at Rudy's feet, when was the last time we had a point guard who truly involved his teammates in the conventional sense? Neither Cassel nor Smith were proto-pg's, but back then the presence of Hakeem, and the offense running through the low post was seen to be the reason, with justification...but since then? I think that you could suppose that Rudy's offense might have something to do with Steve's lack of pure point guard play...Secondly, pg is by far the hardest position to learn, and Steve has been at it a relatively short time, the most recent stretch of which, as mentioned, was hardly ideal. I feel, again, that more time is needed before making such a decision... Defense...This will only be compounded by a move to the 2 guard spot. This is, in fact, the main reason why Steve to the 2 spot might be a bad idea...when you get an overmatched defender who happens to be the other team's best player, coaches will always go at the guy all night, forcing fouls, or allowing the 2 guard facing him to have an easy big night...The Sixers try and compensate for this by having Snow cover guys giving Iverson a hard time, but it's a limited solution... Another reason against the move is that it would make our best player unhappy...Francis has worked very hard to develop into a pg, and if I'm not mistaken, one of the main reasons he was against going to the Griz was Mike Bibby...Again, I would advise caution before annoying/alienating our best player. I CAN see the reason for the frustration with Steve, and I have pointed out that history is against us to a degree, in that virtually any modern team whose point guard was also one of their stars has had a more team-oriented point guard, a la Magic or Isiah, whereas the score-first type points-stars have had trouble winning anything significant. But Steve is another unique talent, and could change history....if we give him the time. Otherwise, if it is determined that Steve CANNOT be a pg, then I say we trade him before the above mentioned factors lessen his value.
I think Steve has the potential to be a great PG and should stay there. He just had a bad year in every aspect. Next year he'll be healthy and show what he should've shown this year. I just hope we can come up with plays that he can run and rack up assists.
I agree with everything you just said. Unfortunately, I am one of the few left with that opinion, because when DaDa and kr8 were coming up with a new "move stevie to the 2" or "let's trade for john havlicek" or "let's go back to nut hugger shorts" thread every other day, it sort of inculcated everybody else. That's my theory, anyway. I think all the frustration of this season has led irrational but caring fans to make "conclusions" about Stevie without breaking it down as rationally as you just did.
great post jag, couldn't agree more. imo, steve has the ability to be great but i certainly wouldn't base my opinion either way on what he did this year with all the injuries. it's like he's treated as this prospect whom we've been waiting desperately to develop but just never panned out. that seems just wrong when he's so young and has displayed so much talent. the best days are ahead of him and to me that's as a point guard.
I think we are all thinking too much. That being said, I think we wait for things to happen. We were all spoiled by the recent championships and only look for that to happen again each season. Championships take time and I for one am willing to wait. The team chemistry that the Houston Rockets have is incredible. Steve and Cuttino are best friends. Kobe and Shaq are not best friends, Jordan never had a best friend. Imagine the joy that we will all feel when Steve and Cuttino get their championship. They will both have seasoned bad years and growing pains and we will be even more fullfilled as fans for sticking through those times. How you get there is often more important than when you do get there. Let's sit back and enjoy ride that these young fellas' take us on... then party like hell when we all get there!
Come on now Prem, no player is beyond criticism, and you certainly can not blame us for criticizing a player that we have high expectations of.... DaDakota
So you're saying Steve versus Bibby/Parker/Fisher/Nash is the same as Steve guarding Christie/S.Smith/Kobe/Finley? Steve against Kobe or Finley all night makes me cringe. He can play all of the the PG's heads up IMO.
Yes he can, because then they can blow by him AND post him up. I think Francis doesn't need to work on anything this summer. What he needs to do is what Baron Davis did. Watch John Stockton tapes all summer.
As much as most of us hate Stockton, there's no denying he mastered PG skills. I wouldn't mind it one bit. Stockton is a small player too, Francis can learn some defense. Some "knowing when to pas, knowing when to shoot" skills. I'm not saying he can't or doesn't want to. He can apss really well. He can't shoot really well. But timing is what makes everything perfect. He could learn quite a lot in fact. I'm certain we'll end up with the perfect PG if he takes that path. I always thought Francis was better than Baron. I still think he has more potential. But Baron is doing the essential things, like learning the position. There's only so much you can improve on in the summer when your Francis. Our biggest concern, is him learning to be a true PG.
I just averaged out the heights and weights of the top 35 pgs and sgs (in terms on minutes), and here are the numbers... avg. pg...6'2", 187 lbs... avg. sg...6'6", 217 lbs... Now Francis is listed at 6'3", 193 lbs, which fits him comfortably within the avg pg range...he's an inch over ( actually less, it avg'd out to a fraction above 6'2" ) and less than 6 lbs over...But against an AVERAGE shooting guard, he'd give up 3 inches and, more importantly, 24 pounds!!!!!! And you really don't think that he'd play them worse than he plays points?
Good post, JAG. I agree for the most part, though I think that Steve would make a better 2, physically, than Iverson. Iverson was small, even for a 1... Francis is not. Moreover, I think that Francis is a better natural shooter than Iverson, so that his game isn't totally predicated upon penetration. Iverson has developed a decent shot, but I don't think it comes as naturally. You raise good points about the "system." I think we need to disregard Francis' assists a bit - the Rockets play far too much one-on-one for his #'s to ever be good here. I think the key is for him to be opportunistic in transition and avoid turnovers. If he can do these things, then the 1 should remain his position.
what is this point thing that you guys keep talking about? it's all about the sgs. sg1 - Francis sg2 - Mobley sg3 - ?? sg4 - Taylor sg5 - Ming
All things considered, I'd rather see Francis at the two and Mobley comming off the bench. However we would have to have a good point. I am willing to wait a year and see how Steve does before I ask for changes. And in that year, I only need to see progress, not an end result.
heypartner, As incredibly SAD as it sounds: 1-2: Francis 2-1: Mooch 2-3: Cat 4-2: Mo Taylor 3-5: Griffin/Taylor Takes the humor out of the day doesn't it? The only exclusive-position player we have is Cato. Maybe Rice, who in Rudy's sytem, is a 3-4. Tierre is a point, I think, LOL! This whole Francis being a SG idea, doesn't it perfectly support getting Odom? Also, I've noticed something lately. Maybe heypee can clarify. ALL good teams, ALL of em, have at least 2 players who can create for other in the starting line-up. Examples: Shaq-Kobe-Fisher Vlade-Webber-Bibby Nash-Finley-NVE (might as well be a starter) If not that, then there's a player at the point who is masterful. Like Kidd, or Payton. Maybe getting another creator is essential in keeping the flow in the game. Maybe it's necessary. Either the PG thing clicks with Francis, or we get Odom to share duties, like they do in Portland with that thing at SF.
Judas Priest, people. So, don't tell me that you-all had fond memories of the Matt Baloney era? Just thinking about him getting torched every night by Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Eldridge Recasner, Henry James, etc. gives me night tremors. Yes, Francis can be better but like someone else pointed out, it could be the system that is messed up. It would be interesting to see how well Francis plays the point if 1) He is healthy and migraine-free 2) We use a different offense If he is still "sucking", then I would think it is time to trade him while we still can get something big in return. However, Rudy may never change the offensive system.
