Stevie is amazing! He keeps getting better too. I think that says a lot about his drive, and his heart. I have only question though. Does anyone know if he is working on his defense? It seems everytime we played a team with a premier pg, we got torched by that pg. Marbury, Cassell, Peyton, etc. Opposing Point Guards lit us up time and time again. I know Stevie's control, and decision making will improve, and his defense isn't actually bad, but now that his decision making and turnovers are improving, I think his defense needs the most work. But I haven't heard any talk about that. Does anyone know if he is concentrating on that? ------------------
Is defense something you can work on in the offseason? Is it something you can dramatically improve during the offseason? I suppose a lot could be learned by watching the tapes and trying to better understand the team defensive concept that Rudy tries to instill. I wish him the best in all of his improvements. ------------------
I think if you look at fundementals of defense and work on that and concentration. He can't work on it by himself, but in any summer league games, or practices with other people, I think he can pay special attention to his defense, and hopefully it will help. He is awesome, and I am sure that just time in the league alone, playing against the high calibur players will help him as well, but I just wondered if anyone had heard about him making a special effort to focus on defense. ------------------
Playing defense is more a mindset. You can be a horrible player in most areas, but be a great defender. He needs to take more pride in his defense, and take just as much satisfaction from shutting his man down as he would from scoring 35 on a team. The good thing is that he has the physical talents and lateral quickness to be a great defender, he just has to want to be a great defender. ------------------
no i haven't heard anything. that said, i'm not entirely sure you can "work on your defense" in the offseason. what's he gonna do...play video games??? the only thing i can see him doing, in the offseason, is strength & conditioning training, and playing more. during the season, what i'd like to see steve do is "study" his man on defense. you know...his man's tendencies. everybody has them, but i rarely see steve take the attitude of "ok, i know you like to go left (n.vanexel), so i'm going to consciously force you right." that, and i am a big proponent of "your offense is your best defense". if steve were to become more offensively aggressive with driving instead of juking, he'd get more fouls on his man, as well. a man can't score if he's on the bench. last, i'd like to see steve improve on his decision making on defense. i can't count the number of times i saw steve pick up his 4th foul early in the 3rd quarter while trying to play defense on a fast break layup. that's just plain stupid. that or fouling out of a close game. that's equally as stupid. what he will have to realize is what moses malone (kudos!), wilt chamberlain, magic johnson, etc. learned: you are much more important to your team on the court than off the court. let your team play defense, but YOU have to be the focus of the offense. if your man beats you for 2, so be it. go down and punish him with a foul or a layup. or penetrate and dish for a layup +1 on his post players. now you're hurting him 2-fold. once steve realizes this, he'll begin to become one of the great ones of all time. he has the ability, he just lacks (right now) the focus.
the other thing that will improve steve's defense is having kelvin cato on the court for 30+ minutes. it's amazing how having an "eraser" in the paint makes an average defender look good, and a good defender look great.
I agree, about having an eraser behind Steve. That will help a lot. Though as far as working on defense it can happen. Like Tacoma said, it's a great deal mental, and just making it a priority. If Steve while playing this summer makes defense a priority, it will improve. After all many people didn't or don't really think of practicing rebounding, yet Moses Malone used to do it all the time. He would just bounce the ball off the backboards hundreds of times every practice, and work on going after them. In addition, shutting his man down, means more opportunities on offense for the Franchise. ------------------
Do you really think that Cato is a better defender than Hakeem? Apparently so, if you think Steve's defense will improve with more minutes from Cato. ------------------
I don't think Cato is a better defender than Dream. I just want a defensive stopper back there no matter who it is. ------------------
moe, if you're asking me, no. i just said that because i don't think hakeem's coming back. and, yes, defense is mental. although i wouldn't compare it to boarding. boards are a matter of practicing timing, and having desire, box out skills, etc. defense is mental from the effort standpoint, yes. but i think steve does that already. what he lacks is the "knowledge" on defense. that's what i meant by studying his man on "d".
Cato an eraser? WTF? If Cato's an eraser then I am a p*rn star.... Yeah Baby! ------------------ Go Rockets!!! SS
Steve Francis was 2nd in the league in technical fouls , He never got two consecutive techs , He only got ejected from 1 game (Which was complete bull$h!t anyways). Thats some self control . ------------------
i don't think wink's defense is that bad, i just think that he talks alotta trash, and that gets the other kid all fired up. i can't count how many times i've seen the opposing gaurd hit a real tough shot. other pg's don't really drive on wink, he's too fast for that, but they kill with jumpers. although i will say this, i think he needs to recover on picks and screens better. ------------------
Rudy tries to instill team defense? ------------------ The Protrolls.com message boards! Protrolls.com! And his ghost can be heard as you pass by that billabong: "All I did was steal a bloody sheep!"
When I said Steve's control. I didn't mean his temper. I think Steve is a class act. I named half of my screen name after him. I meant turnovers, and decision making. Steve Francis has already shown great improvement in those areas, and no doubt he will continue to improve. I am in no way saying that Francis sucks at Defense or anything like that. I just think that is the one area of his game that I would most like to be improved. ------------------
Funny, ZRB. So what's more important, being an outstanding one-on-one defender a la Payton, or completely understandig the team defense concept? ------------------
Did Seattle ever win a championship? TEAM DEFENSE IS MORE IMPORTANT, but team defense involves individuals so Im all for Steve improving that aspect of his game.. I guess Kemp was too busy doin crack and getting 15 year olds pregnant or they might have won. ------------------ BILL KENNEDY SUCKS!
don't trash payton or the Sonics to much from 94-96 this team had our number the nuggets saved our buts twice payton would kill us every time we played agents them ------------------
Yes he is getting better. His midrange game is near superstar quality, already. imo, Calvin is right (although being self-indulgent while doing so): His main improvement lies in him learning to slow down and use that midrange game to set up his team more, as well as his own drives to the basket. He is isolating and forcing it to the rim too much for my taste. (And yes, so is Cuttino, so let's please not make this another SF vs CM tit-for-tat.) And as I've said ad nauseam; the whole team needs to improve the fastbreak, starting with Stevie. Here's some telling stats to measure whether he could stand simplifying things a little and picking a better option. Not only did Francis have too many technicals, he was 13th in the league in fouls, leading all guards. 3.4 fouls per game. More than the intimidator, Charles Oakley. He was also 6th in the league in turnovers, and continues to have the worst Ast/TO ratio for PGs (unless you count Terry), with only marginal improvement over last year. Yes, he led the team in everything (but FT%),,,that includes fouls and turnovers, too, and that is with a SG who most of the BBS thinks runs too many plays, plus a 3 guard set in the 4th with Moochie running the point. It is not like Francis is the main playmaker all the time, like Marbury. Stevie is learning a new position that he has never played before. imo, he is not yet a lock for us designing a team around him as the main playmaker. I continue seeing others receiving major playmaking chores. That is, he is not Isiah with hops, yet. So far, this team looks better suited for multiple playmakers and each of them learning weak-side responsibilities and backdoor cuts, including Francis, which means we need Mo', Cuttino and Moochie to continue improving as playmaker's, too. [This message has been edited by heypartner (edited May 31, 2001).]
