Alot of that happened after an inury that he is now on the inactive roster for. Whats that called again? Our team used to have alot of it back in 04-05? Oh yeah, heart.
Ya know, T-Mac had the ball and passed it off to Francis who took it on himself to drive to the hole. MJ would never have done that on the Bulls. He would have taken it to the hole himself.
Everyone expected T-Mac to take the last shot. Suns were ready to collapse on him. Being the smart player that he is, he gave the ball to Francis who had a better opening at attacking the basket. Francis converted and we win the game. Back to the Jordan statement, Jordan was not all me. In the 1997 Finals, he passed the ball to Steve Kerr for the game winning shot. Now let me remind you that this is on the biggest stage of all. MJ perfectly set up Steve Kerr for the game winner and the title. In fact, lots of game winners with high stakes were not always by the Superstar. Everyone expects the Superstar to take the shot so you have to surprise the defense. I applaud T-Mac for trusting his teammates.
Funny thing is everytime when Steve pass the ball to MJ, MJ will take the shot no matter what happened. Even When steve is wide-open, he will not pass back.
Steve Francis is a better passer, rebounder, scorer, shooter, defender, stealer and blocker than Reefer and Dike James, Steve should be starting and rafer should be cheering as our 12th man.
I'm no Rafer fan but Mike James is just beginning to piss me off He Jacking shots left right and center sometimes. . . when he not on!! Rocket River
Steve should start MJ should come off the bench with a short leash Rafer should do what he does best: take a dump
Wait, Steve is on the IR? What happened? Also, does anyone know why Alston walked to the locker room in the middle of the Warriors game? I never heard an explanation on that...
The major advantage that Rafer is supposed to have over Francis is decision making and a low number of TOs. I see NOTHING that tells me that Rafer's decision making is better than Steve's decision making. In fact, I have been impressed with Steve's patience and ability to judge when to push things and when to slow them down. That leaves us with TOs. At this point, I will take a few extra TOs with Francis for the jolt he can (at least its possible) to the offense. I see VERY little value in Rafer's game at this point.
Not to mention Steve's TO average right now is only .50. Of course that's gonna rise as he plays more but, that's a start to indicate he's under control now.
Rafer brings consistent passing and a low turnover rate. He looks extremely comfortable running the offense. Francis has been okay with his scoring role but i do not want him as a distributor. There were about 3-4 passes he made against the Suns that were tipped by a defender but luckily Scola or Hayes got the loose ball. I expect his turnovers will rise quite a bit and he'll be benched for Rafer.
Correction, all our teams under JVG had heart. It's no coincidence that all of a sudden this team lacks passion under a new coach.
Teams with heart don't lose by 40 points in a deciding game 7. Teams with heart don't put out the pathetic effort that the Rockets did in playoff games in Utah last season.. In game 3, Rockets set the record for least amount of points scored in a playoff game. All they could muster was 67. Teams with heart don't lose 4th quarter lead in game 7 of a playoff series on their own home court. Teams with heart dont go down to lose a playoff series after being up 2-0.....TWICE. JVG was on the coaching sidelines when all of these went down in the Rockets history book, was he not?
I think after these few games, it is obvious Steve is better than Rafer and James. It would be impossible to argue on that fact now. However, Steve has not reach his full potential yet. He still hesitate to score or shoot at times and his %FG is still not back to normal. He is also slightly gasping for air at times currently. Steve can also play SG so he contributes in two positions. Mike can contribute if he can look more to pass first (Adelman needs to point it out to him). As Rafer, he needs to practise his shooting and his %FG is not that bad he can still contribute to some. AB should get some PT whenever possible.
Trade MJ, or just send him to ANY team who wants him, if there is any. When he is playing, he is our 1vs5 "hero" who ignores all his teamate including YAO AND TMAC. I really hate him. Put Steve on the starting line and I think Rafer is good as a substitute.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/bk/bkn/5346614.html Francis is a changed man. He'll be starting soon. Adleman is beginning to trust him more and more. Dec. 3, 2007, 12:49AM What are friends for? Steve Francis believes the fans are his neighbors, and he's grateful for their support Steve Francis noticed the odd sort of conversations right away. Before fans began calling his name, before they got him through the first month of the season — most of which was spent on the Rockets' bench — before they cheered his every move when he finally played, he noticed that they simply talked to him. He would get up to check into preseason games and fans in the front rows would chat easily, as if talking over the back fence. "I think that's what they are, neighbors," Francis said. "Even when I had events, my Christmas, Thanksgiving, summer events, things like that, I kind of saw it. In my neighborhood, my neighbors and their kids come and play on my basketball court. There are people I've grown to know in my neighborhood. "But I never knew it was like this. This is my ninth year in Houston. This is where I plan on retiring. My wife and I flew down here two weeks before my son was born so he could be born in Houston. I wanted him to be born in Houston." So when Francis played only once — and then only because Tracy McGrady was hurt — in this season's first 10 games, he did not despair because of the way he was treated. "The fans make me grateful every time I step into Toyota Center," Francis said. "It's unbelievable. I can't believe it. It's crazy." • • • Though it seemed likely throughout the preseason, Francis was stunned to be excluded from Rockets coach Rick Adelman's rotation when the season began. He kept the stat sheets from the first five games, with the notation DNP-CD — did not play-coach's decision — next to his name to serve as a reminder and motivation. "Of course I was thinking, was it the right decision for me and my family to come back," Francis said. "Looking at other teams, other rosters, I was wondering could I get more minutes at another situation. "I never thought (it was personal). He doesn't know me. I don't know him. I never looked at it like that. It was definitely a big surprise." Adelman said he went into training camp believing Francis would be his starter. Instead, he was outplayed in games and practices by Rafer Alston, Mike James and Luther Head. "When he came into camp in October and we started camp, he came in maybe just expecting to play himself into a role," Adelman said. "Maybe he thought he had a role there. I didn't see him respond in practices. The other guys were really competing and going after it. I didn't see that. "I think he has gotten better as it has gone. And give him credit, the time he has played, he has responded." Francis has shown more of his old competitiveness. Whether responding to his time on the bench or better conditioned, he has been aggressive in chasing loose balls, driving to the rim and getting back defensively. Against Phoenix, he helped key the Rockets' win, playing throughout the fourth quarter and closing out the game in the last minute with a strong drive past Steve Nash and Shawn Marion before stripping Amare Stoudemire. The next night against Golden State, Francis took a hard fall on a first-quarter drive, struggling through the game with a sore back that kept him out of Saturday's loss to Sacramento. He is expected to be ready to play Wednesday against Memphis. "It's more of a feeling I have to take advantage of the opportunity," Francis said of his renewed intensity. "We have a lot of guys who are capable of competing. We all have to take advantage of it. I always thought, when given an opportunity, I could produce. That's something I learned through my career. It doesn't have to be scoring all the time." • • • Francis' responsibilities have changed from his three All-Star seasons as the Rockets' "Franchise," with Adelman praising him for accepting a reduced role. Francis had said that had been his intention when he chose to return to a team now centered around Yao Ming and McGrady, and he has worked to find his place. "I see a guy who is very willing to do whatever it takes for us to win," Adelman said. "I saw a quote he had, 'I'm not the same person.' I think that's true. Steve just wants to go out there and help us win. He doesn't have to be a star. He just wants to be a part of it. I think that's a positive. "The one area I worry the most with him is defensively. That's where Rafer has a big advantage; Mike to an extent. Steve would get tired and break down and not be ready to play at that end. But I think he's getting better and better. "It's his conditioning more than anything else. He's done extra work. He did a pretty good job in the fourth quarter against (Phoenix). He went the whole way. He's got to keep pushing himself. There were times his shot was flat. If he keeps pushing, he is going to get better and better. The drive he made at the end of the game, to extend himself and get to the basket, that's the quality he has, that sense of attacking the basket." That drive and subsequent defensive stop helped deliver a much-needed win. But Adelman even appreciated Francis' approach when he wasn't playing, when fans were calling for him and sometimes questioning the Rockets' new coach. "I guess I'm a little bit surprised how much there has been, but he was an All-Star here; he was the main guy," Adelman said. "He was a great player here. "It didn't bother me. Fortunately for both of us, his attitude has been really good. If that wasn't the case, it could have been a real difficult situation all around. But that hasn't been the case. The fans have probably encouraged him to keep going." They helped him maintain his composure and confidence when things were tough. But then, that's what friends do. "It's not embarrassing," Francis said. "It just shows you how things have changed. The reality is, and I'm not trying to be arrogant, but the reality is I can play. When I step on the court, I can play." jonathan.feigen@chron.com
