Hey Fran, why do you suck so much. Spam that and hope it cheers him up a bit. He needs all the encouragement he can get.
Not in the slightest. I can tell you for 100% fact: The person who posted that on their chat is the person who posted it on the Spurs boards who is the person who posted the YouTube videos who is the person who posted as Rockets Dynasty/BBall Scientist here who was hated as Yao_Ming_7_6 elsewhere before that. Dude is a psycho nutcase.
I believe he is also Spurs_Bill_Pana or something like that. Transcript of chat with intelligent questions in bold I left half way through for lunch..... Fran_Blinebury: Sorry about the delay. Gremlins in the laptop. I'll hang around for the full hour to get to as many questions as I can. Fire away Johnson: Will Tmac make an all NBA team? Fran_Blinebury: That's doubtful, unless he has an absolutely monster last 30 games. DaDakota: Hey Fran, Do you see Luis' emergence as an every day starter a catalyst to the recent win streak? Fran_Blinebury: Yes. It was definitely a move that had to be made and I'm glad that Rick Adelman decided to make it sooner rather than later. It's not so much a slap at Chuck Hayes. It's just that he's a very limited offensive player and Scola can bring another weapon to the attack. Especially when you have another reluctant player -- Shane Battier -- at the small forward spot, it was important to get somebody who can generate points at PF. barkley: Hi Fran. What happend to Francis.? Was his leg that bad or he just didn't play and decided to go on that surgery. Do you think if he had played he wouldn't have decided to do that? Fran_Blinebury: Originally they thought that he just had a strained in the quadriceps. But Steve went to see a specialist in Colorado who found a tear. He could keep hobbling around and not get better. Surgery was the option to make a full recovery. DaDakota: Fran, What is the prognosis on a full recovery for the procedure that Steve Francis is undergoing? And what is the normal recovery time? Fran_Blinebury: He hasn't had the procedure yet. The talk is that he won't be able to get back onto the court until October. Steve_1: Fran, is Bonzi Wells finally becoming the steady producer the Rocket's needed off of the bench? Last year was just a disaster for him, and it seemed like he was a little slow getting in to the swing of things this year. It seems as though recently that he's ready to become the consistant offensive threat that the Rockets desperately need coming off of their bench. Is his recent production for real? Fran_Blinebury: Bonzi was obviously never on the same wavelength as Van Gundy and it didn't work. It's definitely taken him a while even to get comfortable in Rick Adelman's system. At the start, he was playing decently about once every five games. Now he seems to delivering with more consistency. But this is still just one relatively brief stretch. I'd want to see him do it much longer to believe he's going to be somebody you can count on every night in the playoffs. superman: what do the rockets need to do in order to stay playoff contenders? Fran_Blinebury: They need to keep playing the solid defense that has moved them up to second in the league in field goal percentage and they need to continue to move the ball, make the extra pass, on offense. And, of course, make those open shots. riptide: Where's the offense we expected from Mike James? Does he have a role on this team? Fran_Blinebury: I don't know what you expected from Mike James. I thought all of the excitement about his return was overblown. I think he's pretty much a one-trick offensive pony and the Rockets have a younger, better one of those in Luther Head. ryno3586: do you think the rockets need to get another strong shooter to be a real threat in the playoffs? Fran_Blinebury: A solid shooter who can take advantage of all those open shots that are presented by double-teams on Yao and McGrady would certainly be a valuable weapon in their holster. I certainly understand the interest everyone has in Mike Miller. He'd be the ideal type. If the Grizzlies are unloading him, I don't see the Rockets having enough to swing that deal, not even the expiring contracts they took for Pau Gasol. DangerB: Based on the recent performance what is your prediction on where the Rockets will end up this year? Fran_Blinebury: Same as I had at the beginning of the season. Bottom half of the playoff bracket. I still think their maximum potential -- as currently constructed -- is a first round win. But losing in the first round again wouldn't surprise me at all. They're not a final four team. McGrady4Prez: Do you think the Rockets are finally understanding Adelman's offense for good or is this just an inevitable mid-season run? Fran_Blinebury: First of all, they're not running the Adelman motion offense that was talked about all summer and through camp and the first month of the season. Adelman realized that he doesn't have the personnel with the mindset to do that. They've been much more your standard pick-and-roll team. The difference is that they're making the extra, they're moving the ball very and they've taken advantage of a soft stretch in the schedule. The fact that assists are way up of late and turnovers haven't been a problem is an indication that they're making those extra passes, not trying to force things. DaDakota: Fran, Do you think the Rockets can upgrade the PG situation without giving up too many rotational pieces? Fran_Blinebury: No. The Rockets have an overabundance of guards who couldn't beat out Rafer Alston for the point guard spot and offering those in trade is not likely to bring a signficant upgrade. DaDakota: Fran, will the Rockets be able to trade some pieces to get under the Lux tax threshold? Fran_Blinebury: If the Rockets made any pre-trade deadline deals, it will likely be to trim salaries. Can they get somebody to take Mike James? Kirk Snyder? jn: Do you see Rockets make a move before the trading deadline? Fran_Blinebury: I'd never say never. But at this point, I don't expect them to make a major move. As I said earlier, it would certainly make sense to try to unload the contract of Mike James ($5.6 million, $6.0 million and $6.4 million) if he's not in the rotation. DJ: Rafer's been doing better lately, but is he really the answer? Fran_Blinebury: To get to the playoffs? Yes. To go far (conference finals or championship)? No. Apisith: What's going on with Steve Francis? Assuming he has the season-ending surgery, what are the options for next year? Will he stay? Fran_Blinebury: Steve says that he will have the surgery, rehab the knee and return to the court. He's said that he would like to be back with the Rockets. There's certainly a lot of ground to cover between then and now to say if the Rockets would want him back. DaDakota: Fran, How has your job of covering the Rockets changed with the inclusion of the internet? Fran_Blinebury: If you'd have asked me 20 (or 10) years ago if I'd have been covering games via live blogs and chatting with fans during a game, I don't think I would have believed it. There's obviously more of an immediacy to coverage today and I think the passion of the fans is much more evident. If you just judged things from the sound (or lack of it) many nights inside the Toyota Center, you might think nobody cared about the Rockets. But through blogs and chats, you can see quite readily there is plenty of interest and heat. Apisith: What do you think is the best-case scenario for the Rockets? I know that this is a wild idea, but being only 5 games out of first place, is a top 3 place possible? Fran_Blinebury: With a 62-20 finish? Are you kidding? That would give them the No. 1 seed. But seriously, can't see them finishing ahead of Dallas, Phoenix, New Orleans. And probably not ahead of Utah, LA and San Antonio (yeah, the Spurs are still there). J-Sizzle: will there be a rox trade? Fran_Blinebury: I answered that one already. I don't think there will be a major move, maybe just something to save salary. J-Sizzle: Fran, now that Carl and Louis are doing so well and the team is really gelling could the rox release Dieke and get something of quality out there? Fran_Blinebury: I don't expect that to happen. The reason that Dikembe Mutombo is on the team is that Rick Adelman insisted that he have a veteran center to back up Yao in the playoffs. I don't think Adelman wants to use up any miles Deke has left now, but will keep him as a security blanket. Maybe they won't have to use him in the playoffs, but Adelman feels safer knowing he's there. mike_1: Who would want Mike James? He seems a little washed up. Fran_Blinebury: Not to mention vastly overpriced. Jared: Why isn't Novak getting more PT? I know he's a liability on D, but the kid can flat out shoot the rock. Fran_Blinebury: Well, defense does count. A whole lot. Psapp: For next year's draft, not knowing any names would you rather the Rockets address their needs at PG, backup SG, or backup C? Fran_Blinebury: I'm thinking of a point guard with some size. I can certainly see keeping Brooks as a change of pace off the bench. But can he handle the job full-time and match up defensively? mike_1: If you are Daryl Morey, do you trade Mike James and 2008 1st round draft pick for Mike Miller? Fran_Blinebury: Faster than you typed that question. tj: Fran-Steve Novack can nail the "3". Why not put him in more games? Fran_Blinebury: Three words: Defense. Defense. Defense. Steve_1: Is Mcgrady's knee problem a thing of the past? He seems to be moving fairly well out there right now. He is elevating well on his jumper and he is getting out on fast breaks...Is Tmac finally 100 percent? Fran_Blinebury: The knee doesn't seem to be bothering him now. He looks to be fine. How long that lasts? Your guess is as good as mine. Nas: What about during the offseason, do you see a major shakeup? Fran_Blinebury: Well, that would depend on what happens in the playoffs. Another first-round loss and you'd think Leslie Alexander would be willing to swing the ax. PlayNSkillz: Is Luther Head worth keeping? Fran_Blinebury: I think what we've seen from Luther is what you're always going to get. He's a streaky perimeter, can't handle and play the point. If the only way they could close a deal on a big upgrade was to put him in the package, I would. G-439066522: Fran it appears that Vassilis Spanoulis is going to come back to the Rockets or Spurs. This was "reported" by a "Greek insider" on a Spurs web forum. For those who have forgotten Spanoulis' game let me remind you. Video "The Greek Steve Nash" http://youtube.com/watch?v=cHwY13rlPjA Video "Euroleague's BEST Point Guard" http://youtube.com/watch?v=OFJfbQDNwM8 Fran, please explain if you know anything about this. Supposedly Spanoulis' mother and family are fine now and he has a player option for next year and would like to play in the NBA for either Popovich or Adelman. Can you shed any light on this? Fran_Blinebury: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh! What is this, Friday the 13th and Jason is coming back? Run for your lives!!!!! He never should have left. kk: I really like what Novak brings to the offense, Will his defense ever be at a point to earn him consistent minutes? Got any insights on coaches' view on that? Fran_Blinebury: They still have hope that Novak can develop enough and learn to guard the 3 position to be able to get his shooting skills on the floor. This will be a vitally important summer and then next year's training camp he'll have to show that he's made progress. They're not going to keep him around forever on a wish. mutalu: fran, do you think this team is better than last year's team, meaning if they played each other head to head, who would be better? Fran_Blinebury: My head hurts. Could McGrady lose both sides of a Game 7? forsale78: do you gys think the rockets will make any trades b4 trade deadline? Fran_Blinebury: Don't hold your breath waiting for anything major to happen. With the recent surge up through the standings and the fact that Scola and Landry are recent additions to the rotation, the Rockets are pretty happy with what they've got. And they don't have a lot to offer to land the big deal. Johnson: Fran, who is the best center in the NBA today? Overall. Fran_Blinebury: If I had to play one game tomorrow, I'd take Yao Ming. If I were building a franchise for the future, it would be Dwight Howard. Johnson: Has Tmac and Yao peaked? Do you see them improving in the years to come? Fran_Blinebury: I don't think Yao has peaked yet. He can still be more of a dominating defensive force, challenging more shots and also learn to just take over games at the end. McGrady is what McGrady is, an extraordinary talent without the inner fire. Physically, he's clearly on the downside. Johnson: Is Landry a future Carlos Boozer? Do you think he has the potential to be as good. They were both 2nd round picks. Fran_Blinebury: It's a long way to being Boozer. But he's definitely a keeper who can be a big part of the team growing. There's so much to like about the way he plays the game. sharky: Is there anything that can be done to correct the free throw situation with the players? Fran_Blinebury: All you can do is practice and the Rockets most defintely do that. As we've seen with so many different players, once it becomes a problem, the mental part of it can make it worse. Jared: Could you see us trying to get Artest? And how would he fit on this team? Fran_Blinebury: Nope. PlayNSkillz: Why is Tracy McGrady at Bars the night hes out the lineup with a Flu? hmmmm Fran_Blinebury: Killing germs? ben: As a lifelong Robert Horry basher, would you say his worse quality is his inability to win championships? Fran_Blinebury: Ben, how long are we gonna keep playing this game? One of the worst sins of an athlete is to not try hard all of the time. That was my only problem with Horry. How good could he have been if he actually gave a damn during the season? Who would he be if he hadn't played with Hakeem, Shaq and Duncan? McGrady. UTfan: Are the Rockets as down on Rafer as the fans are? It seems like everyone wants him gone but he continues to start. Fran_Blinebury: The Rockets are not down on Rafer at all. They know his shortcomings. But they also know that he's been pretty solid of late and is the best they have. ben: What do you think has to happen for the Rockets to win a playoff series? Fran_Blinebury: A visit from Drs. Cooley and DeBakey. J: how is Scola's jammed finger. Anything to worry about? Fran_Blinebury: It certainly didn't seem to bother Scola when it happened. He just told trainer Keith Jones to pop it back in and barely even winced in pain. Tough guy. kk: Luther Head is a better shooter than most on the team. Any update on his status? How will his return affects the current rotation? Fran_Blinebury: Luther was on the floor shooting before the Atlanta game and was campaigning to play, but didn't get medical clearance. I'd say the odds are better that he's back tonight. He likely takes some of the minutes away from Aaron Brooks. barkley: What can you say about McGrady and Rockets. Is that about Tracy playing better or the team is just doing a lot better with him than they were doing in the past? Fran_Blinebury: Except for the respiratory infection, he seems to be feeling better and able to move around the court freely. But the Rockets overall have made progress. As I said earlier, they're moving the ball, finding the open man and not committing turnovers. DangerB: Fran your recent comment on the Rockets fans at the Toyota center was on point, is this a reflection of H-town fans, what can we do to change it? I don't think the Rockets marketing does a lot to help the atmosphere with their Toyota Center presentation. Fran_Blinebury: All fans can do is actually show up, be in their seats and make noise. I think the Rockets game presentation often is horrid. Many times they seem to forget that reason people come to the games is for the basketball, not to watch a fuzzy bear or silly video schtick. Brady: Will all the questions and answers be put into a blog or somewhere we can read them? I arrived too late. Fran_Blinebury: The transcipt will be posted on my blog. Fran_Blinebury: I can never believe how fast an hour (or in this case 1:15) goes by. Thanks for all of your questions and comments. The transcript will be posted soon. Thanks for jumping in and we'll do it again soon DD
