Orlando Sentinel: mentions the Rox trading SF for TM

Even if we can swap Francis for T-Mac?

 

I would do the trade myself, but you can't bust on Steve. The team is still on the incline, Steve's game inclined 4 straight years, and the true superstars peak at about 8-10 years. So it's possible to be patient and build a team. The building blocks are still in place and getting better. Even better news yet, if we do start to decline, at the 8-10 year mark, we'd still be able to bring a wing man in for Yao when he reaches his peak. So keeping Steve is a no lose proposition in my view.

The kings are on the decline if they lose. The Rockets are on the incline.

That being said, I think T-Mac is the better player.

 

My feelings exactly....

Give him another year, but this time get a better PF, and make the supporting role players better...

 

understatement of the year

 

thank you adeel! guys, every year francis has improves his game.. except for this.. new system.. give the man a break, he gives it all he has. one more season for steve please

 

Uhm, wasn't this a "transition season" for ALL the players?

Cat was influenced to restrict his play and learn his role, to be more consistent and to play d, he did all that, it's called ability to adapt and mature. Force to change his game, he did it SUCCESSFULLY.

Yao was forced to be Patrick Ewing, bang bang bang etc
Really screwed with his soft touch, and really deprived the use of all his natural talents, didn't utilize his passing skills, didn't utilize his driving or his finesse moves. Froce to change his game, he did it SUCCESSFULLY.

Let's not forget Boki, JVG told him to work on his game more, to try and focus on all aspects, including defense, more hussle and not just try to be a perimeter player and somewhat of a hesitant slasher.
And he did just that, SUCCESSFULLY.

These are just a few examples of three players, who too were having a "transition season", yet their play didn't decline at all let alone as greatly as Steve's did. They all had new things thrown at them, things they weren't accustomed to, and adapted more than adequetly well.

Francis couldn't, because he can't learn, face the facts. He hasn't the capabilities to grow. He tried focusing on "the team" concept, yes, but look how awfully it worked for him. When something doesn't only work, but also makes you look like a way worse player, it means you aren't capable of doing what you're trying to do. Like I said, he's a one sided player, like Allen Iverson. They cannot change their games in a way, shape or form, or their play declines and suffers greatly.

And like Allen Iverson, their game isn't worth adapting a team to, making it a focus, because even without the restrictions or changes, their play is very inconsitent and just deprived of any intelligence.

Name me ONE time, ONE moment, just ONE, where Francis truely showed he had the capabilities of growing, maturing and learning in all his 5yrs of play.
Not, where he hesitantly tried to but failed miserably, that is not maturing. Name me ONE.

A "superstar" does usually peak around the 8yr mark, but in the process of reachign that 8yr mark, he shows through his career he has the capabilities to grow, to learn, mature etc Francis hasn't shown any of this, not ONCE.

This "transition season" excuse is just that, an excuse, because more of our players had through go through the same dramatic change, not just Steve, and it didn't hinder them one bit, infact it made them actually improve thier play and advance, grow.

So, c,mon, what's another excuse?

 

Wth? Every year Francis has improved his game??

What freaking game have you been watching?

His game has always been what is now, it's never changed or improved, he's doing now what he's always been doing from his rookie year, He's lack of d is the same, his offense is annoyingly the same, his style is all the same, his dribbling, his hesitance, his stupidity, it's all the same. It has always been the same near triple doubles that he showed his rookie year, that's all it's been, same old same old. Please do not make claims that are completely false.

 

For those of you who are confused to the "improve" concept.
Here are a few examples of what that term means.

Cat this season= improvement
Yao on his second season=improvement
Boki on his second season =improvement
Cato his last two seasons=improvement

Steve on his 5 seasons=redundancy

A whole different term, which means, overlly repetative, same old same old, nothing different, everything the same.

 

Hmm,

My point about the Lakers wasn't meant to suggest that we would be exactly like that team, just that a team with a superstar at C and SG means absolutely nothing in the West. In case you didn't notice, the Lakers were so enamored with watching Shaq and Kobe carry a bunch of scrubs last year that they went out and signed two Hall-of-Famers. We will not have that luxury with GHill soaking up all of our cap-space.

You keep talking about bringing in Tmac like its going to free up all of this money that we can then use to fill in the obvious holes that this proposed deal would create, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In fact, this would be our new 12-man depth chart, assuming the following deal is made:

Steve, Cat, and Cato for Tmac and Hill

Yao / Padgett
MoT / Spoon
JJ / Boki / AGriffin
Tmac / Piatkowski / Hill
Wilks / 2nd round pick

Let's see if this is truly better than the Lakers of last year, man to man (at least through the top 8):

Yao v. Shaq - EVEN - if you want to declare Yao the hands down winner, you can, but I would call it even.

Mo v. Horry - LA - I don't think anyone would say Mo gives you more in the postseason than Horry.

JJ v. George - HOU - JJ was our best role player, and certainly is better than George.

Tmac v. Kobe - LA - No arguments please. Kobe has three rings, Tmac zero. Until he has any, or at least hits two huge threes on the last day of the regular season to clinch a division title for the Magic, please don't even bother making this argument.

Wilks(or whoever) v. Fisher - LA - Anyone they could bring in would be a stop-gap, non-impact player at this position. As for Fisher, well, watch THE SHOT again and tell me who we could get to do that for the veteran's minimum.

Bench - (Spoon, Boki, Piatkowski) v. (Fox, Slava, Shaw) - EVEN - both teams have equal amounts of crap on the bench, so I think its pointless to debate whose crap is better.

So, let's see, that ACTUALLY gives us a clear advantage at exactly one position, while the Lakers enjoy three. Even conceding your opinion that Yao is clearly better than Shaq, that's still 3-2. If you would like to offer a better comparison be my guest, but other than Shaq/Yao, I don't think you can legitimately argue any of my other assesments.

Anyway, back to the bigger picture.
Any significant addition through FA would put us over the cap, we would have no more tradeable assets to make another deal, we have no impact draft picks, and we would have TWO HUGE HOLES at PF and PG.

Even if we were to somehow sign a Brent Barry to take over at PG, our back ups for Yao and Mo would be Spoon and Padgett.

Let me put it this way:

Would you consider the difference between Cat - Tmac as being equal/greater than the difference between Cato - Padgett AND Francis - Wilks?

I didn't think so.

 

Not a bad idea but we will still need our pass first playmaker.

 

...or a dunk first center.

 

You mean a person who take the ball and dribble it up the court and then give it to either yao or tmac.

 

You kidding me?? We've got one!

Let's start Cato and trade Yao!

 

Yeah right, my nickname for Cato is court potato. Try again.