I think Van Gundy brought Marc Jackson in to either help Francis understand what being a pg is, or it's the beginning of the end for Cutino Mobley....if Gundy's true intention is to slowly move Francis over to shooting guard.
But Francis insisted on being traded from Vancouver because he wanted a guaranteed job as a point guard IIRC. Also, I'd rather keep Mobley.
Mark Jackson is 38. I don't think he is meant to be a long term solution to anything, let alone replacing someone like Cat.
Mark Jackson is not a long-term solution for the Rockets. The Rockets will not trade away either Francis, or Mobley for the sole reason of Jackson’s presents. Jackson is 38 years old with a lot of liability. He is great at directing half court offense, but his aged body/legs make him ineffective for fast breaks, and he is always more than one step slower than anyone he is going to guard. Jackson’s outside shooting was average at the best even in his prime, it’s definitely more unreliable now after some absence from the league. He and the Rockets can get away in short stretches in regular season, but coming playoff time, his weakness will be magnified and exposed by whomever the Rockets will face. I’m not saying Francis or Mobley are untouchable, but I don’t think bringing in Mark Jackson is part of JVG’s plan to move any of those guys. --daoshi
I would dare to bet the house that Stevie has NEVER had 10 more assists than turnovers in his entire CAREER. Every turnover should be an $8,000 fine, then maybe he would "get it"!
Not disagreeing with everything, just that Francis is worse at fastbreaks that involve *passing* than your average junior high point guard, so just about anybody would be more effective at running a fast break.
ahem. ahem ahem. like i'm sure others here have too, i suggested mj as a solution to our pg needs last season since he was a free agent. i'm just glad like most ppl here that the rox org finally got their head screwed on properly and got us a real pg (after shipping Moochie out too, another rare move of genius). i agree that this is just a temp fix, but i'm sure some of the objective was to let steve francis learn a thing or two about being a true point guard. and maybe to move him to the 2. i also like this current mix of veterans and youth, stars and role players. and we still have 2 roster spaces left!!! and a MLE to use too!! just like to say, things are looking better. i think damon jones would be a great pick up, his asst/to ratio is insanely low. and mark jackson, 10 assists and zero turnovers.....yeah, that's what we talkin BOUT!!
Effective basketball? Did Yao say the Rockets were trying to play effective basketball? I think ten asissts in 24 minutes by Mark Jackson helped the Rockets play effective basketball, and break Yao's personal scoring record as well. I don't want to bash, because Steve Francis is a good basketball player. It may be just one game, but one effective game by Mark Jackson has done wonders that Steve Francis is yet to do comfortably after having played with the Rockets for four years. Effective basketball. Keep that in mind, Mr. Steve Francis. Mark Jackson has some lessons to teach.
Why don't we just say that bringing Mark Jackson in was a brilliant move by JVG and CD. Mark is the consummate PG. He'll make the whole team better, because his "team/old school" game is fundamentally sound. If his style of play rubs off on SF and Cat, then the JVG/CD move will not only be brilliant, but more like sheer genius. However, it will take the rest of the season to see if the experiment works. I say let Mark play this year and next...then hire him to coach. He'll have the credibility to grow SF and Cat into the type of guards that can play winning team bball. OK, I'm very optimistic, but thats just my nature.
Great post daoshi! And yes, I was one of those who viewed this a pickup from the trash heap. Still do and people will see exactly what you detailed above when the Rockets go up against better teams. Right now, they are looking very good and they get to play some bad Eastern Conference teams which is always a good thing. But the point everyone is missing here is this: IF a 38 year old, out of the league, end of the line point guard can come in here and run this offense so well exactly what is that saying about the "Franchise's" ability to run the point? Remember, as SF was asked to play more and more like a traditional PG, his game deteriorated completely and has yet to recover. He was dreadful yesterday from the field. It's as if he can play well as long as he does not have to think about running the offense and making other players around him better. If the Rockets truly intend to build their team around Yao & SF, what exactly does his inability to run the point portend for the future?
Hillboy, your post is at least 3 weeks old. Plus what do you mean when you say we play the weak eastern conference teams? What is Indy? The Wolves are 9-1 in the last ten and do you know who beat them? We play who we play and we are legitimately hot. Take the time to understand why we are hot? It is not the schedule. It is the fact that we are the best defensive team in the league and all we have to do to be unbeatable is shoot 45%. Added to that we are increasingly featuring a potent low post game, quicker offensive tempo and better ball movement, thanks to the Jacksons, and above average 3pt shooting.
idiots.... Mark Jakson is a liability on D....you will see it in time....i've seen him play in Toronto....all PG have there way with this old fart.... The Magic don't have a PG or anything else.....other than T-MAC of course....so quit lov'in the old fella...cause half of you who wrote in this thread are gonna be the ones complaining....
