I agree with you Mark from his posting on Stevie. I have been one of those loyal fans you were talking about. As I said before, I have always liked Stevie. And when I read all these ludicrous trade suggestions it really makes me sick to my stomach. It's as if most of these people don't even watch the game or have any understanding of it. you NEVER trade a young star palyer for mediorcre, unproven talent. I look at this board and I see silliness like Ridnour, Heinrich, Eric Snow. Most of these guys are average player who have shown nothing. Steve Francis on the other hand has proven he can lead a team. He has doen this under Rudy T's system and is adapting to JVG's. I have seen great improvements in his game as far as dishing the ball and directing the floor. His defense has also gotten better as you see him defending a player at mid court. Many people here make haste to hate the guy when they have not given him a chance. The NBA isn't NBA LIVE, it's reality. and if you ever picked up a ball and played any sport, or if you are an astuite observer of the game, then you'd understand. There are little things people neglect. Little nuances that people miss. People see Franchise turn the ball over or shoot 39 percent. But let's look at Ridnour, Snow, Barry, Heinrich. Heinrich shoots 39 percent, struggles with full court pressure, and is an unpoven player in this league. Ridnour is nobody and shoots 40 percent. Snow can't shoot, average speed and cannot create his own shot. Barry averages 11 points a game. Doesn't have the explosiveness of Francis, and gets 3 rebounds a game as opposed to Francis' 6. Believe it or Not, but Stevie means a lot to this team. How many times have you seen him risk his body to rebound a ball or keep it in play. you can't teach that! It's all heart like Iverson, like Kobe, like Dennis Rodman. It's all desire and the willing to sacrifice for the team. None of these guys aforementioned has that heart and sacrifice. Just Look at vince Carter or Penny and their lack of desire. Unlike these players Francis is a special player that should be given a chance to play. Give him some time under JVG--another year and then evaluate for yourself before becoming ridiculously upset about what you see which is only half of the story. Franchise is a good player with the potential to be great.
is it impossible for you to see that another player could have less "talent" than francis, yet fit this team better? is it????
you missed his point - he is saying that you do not get rid of a talent like SF for less just because someone "fits" better - what you try to do is change the way the peices are put together - then add special skilled players.
Hey he won the lottery (Yao) then what about players like Tmac (leading his team into the lottery) or AK47 (Jazz also headed to the lottery) or Amare and SMarion (have decent players but still headed to the lottery) .. im tired of hearing that argument too.. SF3 is having a tough year but is the leader of this team and I would like to give them another chance next year while tweaking the lineup a lil. We could use a definite upgrade at the forward positions (PF or SF) JJackson has been doing a great job but is undersized for that spot and doesnt really have the atheleticism we need. Our PF position is our weakest link right now and seems to be really hurting us.. I hope we can remedy that this coming off season. I like JJacskon coming off the bench to relieve SF3 and Cat and picking up 2 good forwards. J
The thing I hate most is that people expect too much where it becomes absurd. What the hell do you people expect? You expect this team to win it all this year? We haven't even made the playoffs for 4 straight years, and this is a new team under JVG. We see what we want to see and in this case we see the bad things Stevie does. But what about the good. i say the good outweighs the bad. The point position is the hardest position to play in basketball. Before you say anything, pick up a ball and play with your locla YMCA members, join a college intramural league. Even a player from DIII ball can tell how hard it is to play the game. This aint a video game or fantasy sports--it's a business. A very complex business that involves a combination of ownership, management, coaching, and players to m ake it work. remember that before any of you say anything about Franchise or any other Ball player.
Oooohhh.... this line is the worst defense of Francis ever. Francis is much better at the point than Brent Barry because Barry doesn't have the scoring average you want and gets 3 less rebounds a game (the difference is actually 1.9, but hey - who's really counting!)? It's like saying we should trade Yao Ming because he doesn't get enough assists. I just don't get it. This type of foolishness runs so rampant. Brent Barry plays 10 fewer minutes a night than Francis and takes between 7 and 8 less shots per game than Stevie, yet despite significantly less time and fewer shots, averages the same number of assists and steals as Stevie, 1.4 less turnovers and is 3 inches taller. Did I mention that Barry hits between 51% and 52% of his shots and is currently nailing almost 47% (that is insane!) of his three-pointers? Translation: For every 10 three-pointers they hoist up, Steve might make 3 and Barry might make 5. So give Barry 10 more minutes and put him in Stevie's role with 7-8 more shots a game and fewer turnovers... you really think 5.5 points is not going to be made up? I don't know if it's since Allen Iverson destroyed the image of what a star really is in this game, or SLAM magazine, or crowning the likes of Eddie Griffin before they do a thing, but when will fundamentals and offensive efficiency be given the value they truly deserve?
AMEN ! the Rox got Yao because Steve was out half the year on the IR they also now hold the dubious record of having the best record and NOT making the playoffs we could be the T-wolves and have made the playoffs with a first round exit every year for the last 7 years ...would that make you happy ? there are at least 20 teams (and 20 citites) that would love to be in the Rox position right now (probably more - if fans were honest with themselves)
Great Post tbui. I think you and I are not the only ones who actually know about basketball and don't post often in here because the basketball IQ is often so low. What's the point...
I understand the point you're trying to make, but Allen Iverson did lead his team to the Finals. Fundamentals is nice, but wins are nicer, how many wins do you think Seattle would have if Brent Barry was their number 1 option.
Brent Barry Steve Francis Seattle SuperSonics Houston Rockets Position: G Position: G Height: 6-6 Weight: 203 Height: 6-3 Weight: 200 College: Oregon State '95 College: Maryland '99 2003-04 Statistics PPG 11 16.5 RPG 3.6 5.5 APG 5.5 6 SPG 1.47 1.62 BPG 0.22 0.45 FG% 0.512 0.397 FT% 0.845 0.763 3P% 0.466 0.284 MPG 30.8 40.5 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Please note the shooting percentages and minutes per game. Barry is also not a first or second option. He plays 30.8 mpg, not 40.5. Pair Barry with his teammate Ray Allen in the offseason and you have sweet shooters that can pass and ply smart ball to team with Yao. Yao gets shooters who can take advantage of his court vision and partners who can deliver him the ball with good spacing. ---------------------------------- This is not to say Francis and Mobley don't have talent. They do. Those talents are going to be better paired with a bruising power forward, instead of a finesse center. They'd probably do really well teamed with Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest. The dribble game just isn't suited for Yao.
Yeah, but he lead them to the finals in perhaps the worse eastern conference in history. Remember that was the year we swept the Central division but still didn't make it to the playoffs. BTW, how many wins is Iverson's heart giving them this year?
That's true too, it was one of the worst sets of teams in History. Still, Barry's a nice role player, no one's denying that. BTW, how many wins is Barry's heart giving the Sonics this year.
