Look what's happening in tonigt's game against the clippers. Steve is trying to PROVE YOU WRONG. I'm against Francis but this kind of thread IS NOT gonna help the team.
I would like to see how Steve and Yao do in the playoffs. I dont think Steve handles pressure very well, he makes too many mistakes. There is more pressure in the playoffs and I think it might get to steve. I wonder how Yao will handle it.
Are you kidding me? Steve by the end of last season was one of the top 5 players in the league in clutch stats. (Efficiency in the last 2 minutes of regulation). Cat was pretty high up there, too.
What in the flying **** are you talking about??? Are you saying you're AGAINST doing things that you think would help Stevie's game? Do you really hate him that much??? That would make you the epitomization of a YOF... But besides that, you don't actually believe Francis is being influenced by this thread, do you? That was one of the... weirdest posts I've ever seen.
I think it's actually a sad sign of how short term the collective BBS memory is. Steve has 1 bad game? Trade steve Steve has 1 good game? He's still the franchise, baby! Same thing with Yao, Cat, Cato, Spoon, and generally everyone except Jim Jackson, who seems to be immune from any criticism, for whatever reason (except, of course, from the Posey-cultists).
good observation bdnug.. im glad people arent talking about it and realizing that he is an important cog on this machine.. I feel Yao is the engine and will carry the team over the course of the season while being a workhorse in the post season. SF3 is the driver if you will he leads this team (for better or worse and since we are 11 games over .500 I would have to say better) and everyone is a wheel or a cog. SF3 knows this is Yao's team and has been deferring to Yao often in the game and lately trying to find his points in the flow of the game. It looks like everyone has jumped on board and im pleased with the way the team has been playing the last few weeks. When was the last time we got blown out? Every game has been tight for awhile now.. I see definate improvement in so many categories (cept our defense seems to be slipping) like TO's, assists and quality of the wins.. and actually the competition in the losses.. yess even the losses have been easier to swallow when they play as hard as they can.. show me the effort ill show you the love. Every player has deficiences.. and ill admit ive changed my tune about SF3.. i want him a Rox. J
Just reviewed some of my old bookmarks, here is the one every Rocket fan would like to see again... Fin For Yao? Let The Offseason Gossip-Mongering Begin Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com - Posted: 5/23/02 Back to Directory... By Mike Fisher -- DallasBasketball.com We¡¯d like to laugh off every rumor of a Mavs deal that would cause the franchise that has ballooned from a 41-game winner to a 53-game winner to a 57-game winner to balloon again, but in the aftermath of Dallas¡¯ elimination in Sacramento on Monday, the Mavericks are only able to completely dismiss the gossip of a Michael Finley-for-Yao Ming swap. "No truth to any of that crap,'' Cuban tells DallasBasketball.com. "I don't even think Yao Ming is worth a top-10 pick.'' LAKERS LINKS KINGS LINKS MAVERICKS WEEKLY FISH On FOX Sports 1190 Let the offseason ¨C and lots more of the ¡°how-does-Dallas-get-better¡¯¡¯ speculation ¨C begin. The Chicago papers are behind the Finley-for-Yao stuff. Rumor-monger Peter Vescey infected the Turner Sports set after the game Monday to ¡°report¡¯¡¯ that Dallas simply must trade Finley and Van Exel. First, Cuban¡¯s analysis of 7-5 Chinese star and rookie-to-be Yao: ¡°If you could digitally alter tape of Yao Ming so you couldn¡¯t tell it was him, he wouldn¡¯t be better than Shawn Bradley. Had Shawn gone to Chicago to work against Yao in that tryout, Shawn would have eaten him up. ¡_ Shawn is quicker, more athletic, they both shoot OK from 17 feet in, Shawn¡¯s got a stronger upper body, Yao a stronger lower body. ¡_ they both have problems in the low post establishing themselves, so they both like to face the basket. ¡_ Add the fact that you can¡¯t even expect Yao to be in your training camp, and you¡¯d have to be crazy to take him as a high No. 1 pick. He¡¯ll get some GM fired.¡¯¡¯ Clearly, the Mavs have decided against another Chinese guy to pair with Wang Zhizhi as their interior savior. But also clear is the fact that the organization hasn¡¯t fully decided which way to go in that area. Cuban, for instance, reflected on Monday¡¯s elimination by the Kings by saying that he intends on keeping this roster intact. "We're not going to make any changes other than to let this group of guys grow up and mature together,'' said Cuban. "Remember, after the trade (for Raef LaFrentz and Nick Van Exel) we've only played 40 games together. The mistakes we've made to lose games we can correct by playing and practicing more together. "The final result may look the same (as last year¡¯s 4-1 elimination in the second round by San Antonio), but c'mon, which (Mavs) team would you rather have?'' But some in the Mavs braintrust will suggest that a Mavs team with a inside ¡°enforcer¡¯¡¯ would be even better. Said top assistant Del Harris: ¡°To be the perfect team, we need a power player, an enforcer who can be a rebounder, a defender inside and our offensive low-post presence. We need to be alert in finding somebody ¨C a free agent, a draft guy, a European, somebody ¨C to fill that spot.¡¯¡¯ Harris added that that guy might already be on the roster. ¡°Maybe we have that guy. Bradley could come back to life. Evan Eschmeyer can develop. Maybe we can improve Wang. But the rest of the pieces are in place.¡¯¡¯ For the present, and maybe long-term, those good-fitting pieces include Finley and Van Exel. But what about Vecsey¡¯s ¡°reporting¡¯¡¯? Beware the news of an impending trade that only mentions what one party is giving up. When it doesn¡¯t include what a second party is giving up, that usually means there is no second party. http://www.dallasbasketball.com/morestories.asp?id=2039&NAV=12
Yao Ming will never think of the Rockets as his Team while we have another player called the Franchise. It just not his way.He will be the Best Player but will not be the leader.Of course things might change!
Yetti you said that he will never think of the Rockets as him team...then you went on to say that he might change...
yes, people just refer to only one season. But they have that crunch time stat thing on nba.com, and last year steve was the top 5 clutch players.
Hi FM510 ! I was refering to the fact that Steve Francis might not be with the Rockets so that Yao Ming can feel that he has the right to be the Teams leader.At present Yao Ming is loyal to Steve Francis because he was the Teams Leader when he arrived at the Rockets as a Rookie.He will not depose Steve as Leasder but would fill a void if called upon to do so.
Why? AS a team sports, the no.1 scorer don't have to be the leader. I thought SF3 still is the leader, since he can decide what kind offense run on the floor. I believe SF and YM can work out.
you guys are being silly.. come on Yetti no one needs to be ousted and there is not a coup being planned. Yao is the best player period. SF3 is the leader of this team he holds the ear of the players. Cat is the heart Cato is the muscle JJackson is the smarts The best player doesnt have to be the leader.. and it doesnt always work out that way. With Tmac in Orlando the PG was the leader TMac was the best player.. Duncan was the best player but everyone knew DRobinson was the leader. Im just saying everyone has a part to play.. J
DD, I think all of this still points to the basic question of how to build a team that best helps Yao. Conceding that he is now the franchise player, around which the offensive system will be based, the next step is to surround him with players that can feed off of him. Unfortunately, I do not believe Steve is one of them. Yao needs the following: 1) Tall perimeter players who excel at making the entry pass and hitting kick-outs, as well as cutting without the ball. Other than Vlade/Milller/Webber from the Kings, Yao is arguably the second best passing C in the league. Have you seen how Peja gets his 25 per night? It is often directly from a superb feed from one of their big men. Yao could do the same when the double comes. I would love to see Ray Allen or Rashard in this role. 2) A tough, defensive PF who can handle the dirty work inside for Yao. He is not a "tough" player, and probably never will be. But with he and MoT off the bench, we need the third big man in the power rotation to rebound and bang with other team. Cato is trying, but he cannot match up with a PF, making him a bad fit next to Yao. I'm thinking a Kurt Thomas type of player. 3) A reliable, smart PG who understands how to execute the half-court offense. More than anything, Yao's biggest obstacle is stamina. He is only capable of 8-10 minute stretches of dominance, and as such, he needs a point man who is savvy enough to make sure he gets the ball as much as he can handle when he is in the game. I'm tired of seeing Yao enter, run up and down the court 8 times before touching the ball, and then tiring out in another 3-4 possesions. Maybe Eric Snow for Mobley. I think Steve has realized this. Unfortunately, he has not been able to produce at the level he is being paid to as a max player. He is a tremendous asset, though, and is a great bargaining chip to bring in the types of players Yao (and the team) needs to beat at his best.
You made some great points, Milos. I think Yao will probably never have the stamina to be effective more than 8 to 10 minutes at a stretch. During Sunday's game against the Mavs, the commentators made similar comments. It is imperative that Rox maximize the minutes Yao has on the floor. It is frustrating to watch Yao run up and down the court without being involved in the offense. Rox should never get into a run-n-gun game. As much as I hate Stockton, he would be a perfect PG for us. To take our game to the next level, I do believe that some personnel changes will be needed in the off-season and this is no knock on SF. But for now, let's just enjoy the ride.
If Jwill can make the changes necessary so can SF3.. a commentator made a statement most great players are not the same player they started as. Everyone needs to adapt or modify their game for the benefit of the team. SF3 has all the tools to be awesome.. and I dont think passing has to do with natural talent. John Stockston once said "he knows where to pass too because hes done it so many times before" When SF3 gets the experience of focusing and playing around a big man he will become everything we need for a championship. J
IF WE build around YAO and YAo plays 32 ~ 35 a game WHAT DO WE DO THE REST OF THE TIME? Will we lose games in those 13 minutes he is out? Watch lead evaporate Watch Lead increase for the other team etc? we need SF3 because we need to KEEP a legit threat on the court at all times and IMO MO T ain't gonna cut it Rocket River
