because full size steve has never been able to lead his team to the playoffs even with a much better supporting cast than AI had when he led the sixers to the finals
theyd make it to the second round at best.......wouldnt have a chance against the top three teams in the east
so whats your point? You said Steve hasn't been able to lead us to the playoffs. All I'm saying is if we were in the Eastern conference we would make it, I'm not saying we would go to the finals and win the championship.
And that's why I think Iverson is a more valuable player than Steve Francis. He is a born winner. With Mourning out of the league, Allen Iverson is your fiercest on court competitor in the league. With that said, I don't think players with the types of games that Francis and Iverson have fit in with the team's future (which is Yao Ming regardless of whether he lives up to his potential or not due to his economic impact on the franchise). I don't think you make this trade until you've exhausted all other possibilities, but I find it laughable that people on this board think Francis is in Iverson's league. I think Francis has the athletic ability to be as good or better than Iverson. I just have seen little evidence of the heart Iverson plays with, nor have I seen Francis take over games as often as Iverson pre or post Yao.
To add to my last post, I would agree that people that argue about Iverson's age and health being a concern are right. Iverson plays fearless and has spent more time on the hardwood at the feet of some behemoth that just hacked him while driving to the hoop than he has on his feet. Iverson's career is sure to last shorter than the NBA average career span as will his prime.
OK, so by your logic AI takes all those shots because there is nobody else on his team who can score. They are currently not bound for the playoffs. Yet when they were in the finals AI still took all of those shots because they didn't have anyone else on their team who could score. They made it to the NBA finals. So since the main scorer is the same and the teammates are different then surely something must be wrong with the main scorer. They aren't even in the playoffs now, and that's in the east. Do you believe AI is markedly worse than he was before? The Sixers with AI are not in the eastern conference playoffs should they start today. The Rockets with Steve Francis are in the Western conference playoffs should they start today. AI doesn't train properly and thus gets injured every year. Steve Francis worksout like a madman, and gets any medical problems he has properly treated so they don't interfere with the team. I don't see this trade as good one for the Rockets.
Because Iverson is older than Steve, and even further distant in age from Yao (the team should be building around him), I probably would not do this trade. Those of you who think Steve is the player AI (or Paul Pierce for that matter) are big time homers though. For Steve to try to get mid to high 20 PPG, let alone 30PPG as AI has done in his career, you would see his FG% and TOs look a lot worse than Iverson's. The guy (AI) is a warrior and one of the best BB players in the planet because of his combination of quickness, body control, understanding of the game, and instincts in the team game (only the first two of which SF has), but AI just is not the right fit for the Rockets foremost because of his age/injury potential. I notice none of reactionary SF defenders care to talk about defense either.
I don't know if I qualify as a reactionary SF defender or not, but I think this year Steve is playing as good of defense as IVerson. Iverson will roam and get more steals, but that doesn't make him a better defender. I'm not saying Steve is the player AI is, but that's not the issue. The issue is what fits the team. I was merely pointing out the aspects(high fg attempts, not taking care of himself, disdain for practice) etc. that doesn't make him a good fit. I think our team is better with our current make up then changing Steve for AI.
AI probably gets hurt so much because he is so small, not because of training improperly. I have liked him since Georgetown, but some of you are right about him probably not lasting much longer. I hope we don't trade Steve anyways, it's not always good to mess with your team. Let's see how things go now for the last 30 games.
That is part of why AI gets hurt so much. But he could embark on a training program to add some size and strength, so that he wouldn't get hurt so much. The management at Philly have been trying to get him to do this for years, and he hasn't done it yet.
If Iverson adds size and strength, he would lose his quickness, which is probably the most important facet of his game.
It depends on how much he adds, and how hard he works at maintaining his flexibility. I don't think that the management at Philly would want to do anything that would make their star a worse player. They just want him to be able to stay healthy.
Well of course they would not want to make their star player worse. But Iverson takes a beating almost every game. The human body can only take so much before it starts breaking down.
Sportscenter is talking about it. The Rockets will become a joke, and I will lose respect for this organization if they trade Francis for Iverson. Francis is bigger, stronger, younger and healthier then Iverson, and I think a more talented player. theyd make it to the second round at best.......wouldnt have a chance against the top three teams in the east Hey Adil83, look at the Rockets record against the East the last 3 years genius. Against the Top 3 teams this year the Rockets are 3-3, including wins at Indiana AND New Jersey. They also swept New York and beat Milwaukee and beat up on New Orleans. Yeah, the Rockets REALLY don't stand a chance huh?
Please, the people using the All-Star numbers as an excuse to get Iverson and rip Francis, don't be ridiculous. The All-Star statistics mean nothing. Saying that Francis only getting 4 assists in the All-Star game on a superior West team is as stupid as saying that Iverson is the man for getting like 11 assists. The All-Star game is an exhibition game, and those stats are as relevant as preseason stats.
AI might not be the answer for the Rockets, but he is top 10 players. Easy. For those who say Steve is better are big homers..... Didnt AI win MVP a couple of years ago?
