Francis is better than Sura in almost every facet of the game. A healthy Francis should have more impact.
Those 2 dudes look like a couple of crackheads, or r****ds, with no rhythm. I apologize if they are, in fact, r****ds.
The positive side of MJ is that he always stays in great shape. Conditioning is a big factor in the NBA once you get above 30 years old. MJ still has some quickness and a very good shot.
I actually like this as our 1st and 2nd lines in the rotation: Starters: PG - Rafer Alston/Aaron Brooks SG - Tracy McGrady SF - Shane Battier PF - Luis Scola C - Yao Ming Reserves: PG - Mike James/Aaron Brooks SG - Steve Francis SF - Bonzi Wells/Steve Novak PF - Chuck Hayes/Jackie Butler C - Dikembe Mutombo/Jackie Butler That gives you a 12-man rotation, assuming either Alston or Mutombo are not with us next year. I don't think both will be here.
Battier is not a PF and Scola is not a center. Battier is overmatched when trying to defend the other team's PF and we lose his ability to shut down the other team's scoring perimeter player. Scola is going to have a tough enough time defending NBA PF's let alone Cs. Battier is a true SF and Scola is a true PF and those are the only positions they can play on a consistent basis in the NBA.
That lineup is not a contender even in weak the East even though some have been making that assumption. And, not all of those players will be on the 15-man roster come next season. However, the Rockets should have a deep bench and a capable set of reserves.
I see your point on decison-making. I would still say they are equal in that regards and Sura was not a very good ball-handler. He had as much or more turnover problems as Steve per 40 minutes. Sura was a good passer but so is Steve despite what some tend to say about him. I stick to my first statement with a minor tweak: Francis is as good, or better, that Sura in every facet of the game.
Alright, I will be the first one to admit that I have always been critical of Stevie Fran's poor decision making, being a pre-Madonna by trying to win every game on each trip down the floor by forcing ridicules shots (albeit, sometimes making some of those shots that sends any Rocket's fan jumping out of their seat, fist to mouth, ooo-ing, yelling "DID YOU SEE THAT?!?"), and being on the shallow end of the pool when it comes to basketball IQ. I was uneasy with the thought of the Rocs giving up much to bring back someone I always considered one injury away from being a permanent member of the Pan-American (no offense, I have a lot of friends I ball with in the Pan-Am, and they’re nothing to sneeze at). But I think about his ability and age and hold out hope that the journey these past three years and the injuries that Steve has fought through will be taken in by Steve and he will use that knowledge, WISDOM, and HUMBLENESS to help our beloved Rockets become that relentless underdog that every team in the league truly fears. We have a making of a team that shows promise like no other team I’ve witnessed the Rocs field, and I state that being one of the die hard “Dream” fans. I haven’t felt this giddy since the ’86 -‘87 Rocs: 1986-1987 Houston Rockets Player Stats Name PPG HAKEEM OLAJUWON 23.40 RALPH SAMPSON 15.63 RODNEY MCCRAY 14.44 ROBERT REID 13.72 LEWIS LLOYD 12.38 JIM PETERSEN 11.27 MITCHELL WIGGINS 11.09 STEVE HARRIS 8.28 ALLEN LEAVELL 7.77 DIRK MINNIEFIELD 7.65 CEDRIC MAXWELL 7.22 BUCK JOHNSON 3.80 DAVE FEITL 3.69 RICHARD ANDERSON 2.82 CONNER HENRY 1.33 And they weren’t a 1/4 as deep as tis years team, with twice the scrubs. I felt the same in ’94 -’95 when our Rocs brought in Clyde. And no, I’m not saying Steve is Clyde, but what I am saying is back then it felt right. I was uneasy when I heard the Rocs wanted Steve but once I heard Steve signed, it just felt right. I feel something special with all of these moves, so I say welcome back Steve, you have a clean slate with me. KNWLDG Aka DJ PM Grind
Sura wasn't that great of a defensive player. I remember he got torched over and over in that Mavs series by Jason Terry. I also remember this board blowing up over his defense (lack of) on Terry.
Well i was talking about Durability man.the respective poster said francis is better then Sura in every facet of the game. he is in almost 90 % for sure, but i thought sura was a better defensive player. overrall, i do agree with that certian poster that i would take francis over sura, yesterday, today and tommorow.
Yeah, he had a bad series defensively. but in general he was a solid defensive player. gotta understand terry was in he's prime then and even bruce bowen would have struggled with terry. he was hitting shots from the car park.
sura was a surprisingly decent spot-up shooter. i'm not even sure if francis can physically take a shot without a dribble first. that's a reason why i'd much rather see steve come in with the second unit. he'd have a little more freedom to create shots for himself.
