um, I thought Francis was taking it light last night. Not once did he have his determined face on ... The face where he gives it his all and plays like it's his last game, which he does when the game counts. Steve was basically free lancing out there last night. He continually gave the ball to head to create off the pick and rolls and continually tried to get novak or another teammate points (specifically novak the game winning shot). If Steve wanted to dominate the game, he would have. I was sitting there watching the game hoping he would but he was content on letting the rooks get more opportunities. And it's true right now that Steve just doesn't fit the system right now. Steve's always been a superstar in a freelancing system in which he made plays pretty much by himself and dished to teammates or finished. When JVG got here and made him crack down and forced Steve to do these set plays, he was less efficient offensively. What Steve needs to do is be able to make his drive to the basket right when he gets the ball off the pass from a double team. For all you guys saying he dribbles sooo much ... It's not any more than Mike James already does. Steve dribbles less but I don't believe he needs a pick to get a play going. At the end of the quarter and Tmac isnt in, I'd say let him just do what he does best. Without the ball, he does look lost out there. He needs to really improve off the ball movement and be quicker in making his move. But a lot of his issues will be resolved with time. The only shaky thing he can't as easily fix is his decision making, particularly on the fast break. I believe he's better as a finisher on the wing but sometimes he tries to be either too unselfish or too selfish. I think he's trying too hard to please the critics and it's taking away from his game. There's plenty of flaws and maybe he's not the ideal fit, but he still has plenty of value.
I noticed on a lot of the offensive possessions, when Head was running point, that Steve was just standing in one spot. When he did get the ball he was able to penetrate and create shots for others and himself. He played ok but clearly he's struggling a bit in the system.
i dont know what your talking about. francis looked every bit like his old self last night. 13 5 and 5 is vintage francis. youve just been accustomed to watching adelman's offense run smoothy by rafer. francis gets his points but it comes at the cost of the rhythm of the team. thats how it always is with francis. too bad adelman will have none of that. i said before that many people who thought francis would be a huge contributor would be SEVERELY dissapointed, and people bashed me. im not the type to say 'I TOLD YALL SO', but damn, it feels good being right.
