If MJ can still be effective whether hes starting or coming off the bench, good for MJ. If RA feels that MJ should start and Steve cant adapt to coming off the bench, then it sux to be SF. From what I have read so far SF has not been doing too great with the new offense. Until I hear otherwise, I dont care what SF needs to be more effective. If the Rox are winning games and all SF wants to do is contribute and win but he cant learn to be effective in the new system, he should ride the pine happily and cheer on the others.
my brother was at the practice and he said everyone went crazy for francis. that pays for his 6 million deal right there he will get people excited about the rockets. steve has heart and loves basketball and leaves it all on the court thats why fans love him in houston. my brother also said that he was doing alot of dunks in warm ups and still looks real quick so i really doubt he has lost a step which leads me to belive he can be just as good as he was last time he was with the rockets and for all we know maybe thats what the rockets need a another 20ppg. if this does happen then were a very scary team. 20ppg game scorers at every main position pg,wing and center.
i've thought since we picked him up that his role should be as the 6th man and i still don't understand why people want him in the starting lineup. i think his most valuable minutes will be when yao and/or tracy are resting and the offense can flow through him a bit more. based on the past he needs the ball in his hands to be at his best, and coming off the bench is the greatest opportunity for that. james would also make a great 6th man, but between the 2, mike is a better shooter and i think a better fit next to yao and tracy. i wouldn't be shocked if rafer starts on opening day but should he stay, i'd expect his minutes would be cut in half or more from last year.
I sincerely hope and pray that the days of Rafer starting at anything for the rockets are finished. With that said I agree, it wouldn't shock me if he was the starter initially with MJ eventually taking over. However tend to disagree with one of your points about Steve being the only one of the two who needs the rock to be effective, thus making steve more suitable for the second unit because based on mjs last tenure with the rockets he is every big as shot and dribble happy as steve and seems to need the ball quite a bit too. Will concede he probably will start ahead of steve due to having a higher bball iq and probably gaining proficiency with the offense much faster. But it won't be for the aforementioned reason i dont think.
mark my words, francis will NOT start. adelman knows francis is most effective with the ball, and he will not put francis in with t-mac or yao much. mike james is ten times the better complement to t-mac and yao than francis is. francis WILL NOT see the floor with t-mac on it.
Don't say these words too extremely. If you said that both Yao and Mutombo will not be on the court in the same time, I believe.
I have said this before. Francis could be a great role player. One of the worst things that have happened to him was the nickname Franchise. He does NOT have what it takes to be a franchise player. But if he accepted being a role player HAPPILY, he would be very valuable. He could be the rich man's Bobby Jackson, playing a very important role for a championship caliber team. I believe that his decline in the past couple of years has a lot more to do with his UNHAPPINESS of accepting a lesser role than the lost of physical abilities. If he comes back to Houston still with this attitude, he won't be any better than what he was in New York.
Im sick and tired of these so called Rockets fans writing Steve and Mike James off before they play their first game. Give them a chance to play and adapt first before you start frying them about how dumb they are or how selfish they are. Afterall we endured a selfish coach for years and last year we tolerated Rafer Alston in all his 30%ness. If something was given to us to work with, let it work itself out instead of discounting something we've been starved for.
Now that would be something to see. Adleman running a double post offense with Deke and Yao on the court at the same time.
Why is it that no one on this forum seems to like all of our key players? T-Mac's back has been fine for a while now, and it seems the Waco doctor really did a good job. Keep the faith.
If JVG didn't do it, you think Adelman will? That team would be painful to watch get up the floor. Hahaha, alright, consider your words marked. I would bet any amount of money on you being wrong on this. Francis might come off the bench, but he will DEFINITELY spend a good amount of time on the court at the same time as McGrady. He's not playing 10 minutes a game...
Agree. I hate posts like H-town_playa2k2 wrote. Man, so we can also say that about Yao, Francis. Man everythin' could happen but hell, stop it. Do you really want it? So please do not be pessimist.
My particular thoughts: 1. The biggest concern I have is Steve's potential affect on chemistry. He's demonstrated time and again that he detests a bench role and can sour fast. Has that changed? Hopefully, but I don't know. 2. As noted all over this thread, Steve needs the ball in his hands to be productive. Any time he's been asked to work without the ball on offense, it's been a trainwreck. Again, I have to hope he had a come to Jesus moment and is willing to change his game. 3. As a reserve, Steve actually might be most useful in McGrady's role - the Drexler model Adelman is pushing for. At the two, Steve can do a lot of good. Knowing nothing more than any other fan, I'd consider these lineups on the floor: Starting: Yao - Scola - Battier - McGrady - James (McGrady 1ry facilitator) First Sub: Yao - Hayes - McGrady - Francis - James Second Subs: Scola - Hayes - Battier/Bonzi - Francis - Alston/Broooks Smallball: Scola - Battier - McGrady - Francis - James Defensive: Yao - Hayes - Battier - McGrady - James Evan
Francis' strengths don't complement T-Mac's. He's not a cutter, a passer or a spot up shooter. Mike James and Rafer Alston will play much more with T-Mac than Francis will. Don't say I didn't tell you so when Mike James is draining 3s from dishes from t-mac while francis is hiding in his towel on the bench.
No I just hate the fact that people make it seem like T-Mac needs to score 25+ for us to win,and make SF3 look like he's just in the way.
And don't say I didn't tell you when Francis and McGrady are both being used on the floor to create plays because it's impossible to get a wide open layup or jumper on every possession...
sorry man IMO that doesn't make sense. francis has MANY talents other than scoring. to score alot he needs the ball in his hands so i see your point about him playing when tmac/yao are out, but that is just scoring. james only true talent is his scoring ability. and thats a great! ability to have for our team, but he should come in to keep our team afloat when yao/tmac are out. thats how you use mike james talent to our advantage. francis is a GREAT rebounder and a better defender than james and you could argue a better passer as well, etc... so what if james has the edge in scoring without the ball? francis is the more comlete player, he's gotta go with the first team. you want your energy guys off the bench the way AK47, bobby jackson, bonzi used to play. and james on that second unit with bonzi and scola? SICK
i have no idea where you got the idea that francis is a better defender and passer than james. thats just completely false. better rebounder? yes, but francis will not be starting over james just because he can rebound better. james is better than francis at these two very important things: spot up shooting and cutting. by your logic, with francis being the more complete player and better scorer, HE should be coming off the bench with a bobby jackson role, which is exactly what i think will happen. james is bibby and francis is a poor man's bobby jackson
