Isn't what you saw last night, what t-mac wants

My question would be is Steve a better passer than Mike James?

It seems all of our PGs have warts.

1. Rafer - can't shoot or finish but is best passer
2. Mike James - Looks to get his own first, ballhogish.
3. Steve Francis - Dribbles too much, turnovers, can't run a break
4. Aaron Brooks - Short and light

The best thing is that the team has options, if one isn't working plug in another one.

I am not sure there is a perfect complimentary PG player on the roster, one who looks to pass first but is a good option as a shooter as well.

I am not sure which way Adelman is going to turn, but if I had to guess, it would be Rafer starting and MJ and SF coming off the bench to provide offense with the 2nd unit.

DD

 

It's called "pre-season" for a reason.

Kyle Lowry...44 min...21 points...12 assists.

Let's start evaluating the effectiveness of the PG's next Tuesday.

 

A wise poster on here (can't remember who at the moment) made the observation that even though Steve (and to a slightly lesser extent, MJ) likely will have trouble fitting into the system, which I think is true, you need players that have the ability to make something happen outside the system for times when the system just isn't working that night for whatever reason.

I thought Steve looked pretty good last night, and he showed that he in fact does still have that ability to make something out of nothing. In an ideal world, sure, you'd also like him to be able to play well within the system, but I think what he showed that he can still bring will prove valueable this season.

 

Francis hasn't commited over 2 TO's in a game yet. Grizz game was a PB of only a single TO.

That said, no one is convincing for me. I'm all for packaging Rafer for White Chocolate if the Heat are still shopping him.

 

If he is healthy that would be interesting.

 

You can't really expect to evaluate Steve offensively when he is on the floor with 4 other receptors that cannot create. He was the only creative option out there with Luther, Novak, Laundry, and Chuckie.

However, defensively, he was simply terrible. Just stood around looking to pick off passes while his man ran circles around him, he made Lowry look like the second coming of Nate Archibald.

 

I recall the last time Steve was here, a thread I made calling him out as a "peaker" someone who follows the ball too much and loses containment of his man.

Not much has changed in that area.



DD

 

Rafer runs the offense better than anybody. Therefore, we should keep him. This year the rockets can plug somebody in there when he starts shooting bricks.

 

The problem with that, if Steve's jumper is not falling, which it wasn't last night and the defender backs off him after he dribbles the shot clock out we're stuck with a bad shot.

Steve still hasn't learned that Adelman's offense requires passing the ball ahead (not dribbling), and swinging the ball to the weakside, cutting without the ball (still doesn't understand that theory) and staying in front of your man.

 

I don't think Steve would have played like he did at the end if he was with the starters. We needed somebody to create plays and that is where Steve came in. Like an above poster noted, we are need guys like Francis and James to create when the system is not working. Because like tonight, the system won't work every time. A Steve Francis game with 1 TO and the team has 26 TOs, means Steve had a good game.

Honestly, what Steve did at the end is what I want T-Mac/Yao to do when the game is in crunch time. Give either the ball and just let them create. That is what separates your Superstars from Role Players.

 

Steve scored, drove to the basket, dished, rebounded, etc, which was a good sign. What's needed is for him to mesh with our top 8 players and do it while they are on the floor, all the while blending in without disrupting our offensive flow too much. Last night was progress compared to what he's done so far, but there is a ways to go. The jury is still out but I'm hopeful.

 

thats not true there was one play in the 2nd quarter T-mac and Yao were in the game he dribbled the hell out of the clock till there was 12 seconds left then he drove in and got a charge called on him. He still has a tendency to screw up every now and then but he did play a good game last night.

But some of the calls in the OT quarters were very questionable i know the refs who made those calls will hear about it when the refs have their meeting before the season starts.

 

Yeah, that was at the end of the Quarter with 30 secs left. That is the usual play if Steve is in there with the quarter coming to an end. Let Stevie dribble out the clock and then create a play.

 

francis can average 15 5 and 5 but itll be at the expense of t-mac and yao. he needs the ball at least 20 seconds a play to be effective and thats why he wont see the floor much with t-mac. rafer, mike james, and even luther head are better complements to tmac and yao than francis is.

but at least we know what francis' role on the team is now.


garbage time MVP

 

ive been an avid rafer supporter, but i would probably do that trade. williams does just as good a job as setting up players as rafer does, plus he can shoot.

 

correction. rafer can shoot from the outside...just not finish.