Coming really strong and unite in one! Now I know why Tolbert said about Rockets might pass through the first round.
Maybe, but if I remember correctly, DaDakota's been called DaDa more times on this board than you have posts. I was watching the broadcast where Steve spun into the middle of 4 Grizzlies and Calvin was like - that's his first mistake of the night. Now there's a testimony to some improved play. The other reason this game showed how much the Rockets and Steve have improved is that Memphis forces more turnovers than any other team in the league. The last time we played them, they made us look silly. Tonight, we made them look impotent - I'm impressed.
I will reserve my judgement, until he makes 100% effort finding the way to make inside-pass and for God's sake score 2 pts on a 3-on-1 fastbreak...
Steve is certainly adjusting his play to fit the offense more which is Yao-focused, but his jumpshot is still suspect, but it's getting better. That one play in which he dribbled the ball in between his legs for 10 times and hit a jumper was a good sign that he's getting better from outside even though it reminded Calvin Murphy of the old isolation play days. Yao getting the ball deep in the low post is by far the most effective play for the Rockets. However, if he gets double teamed by the point guard, Steve needs to be able to hit that 3 at a decent clip. Anyone remember in the last game against the Kings when Yao was always looking around his shoulders for Bibby trying to steal the ball from Yao. Bibby is running around Yao with Steve beyond the 3 point arc on the weakside because Bibby is being told by Adelman to leave Steve due to Steve's jumpshot. This is why Steve's jumpshot getting better is the key for the next step in the Rockets' progress.
Someone's got to play devil's advocate in this thread so it may as well be me. I, too, see Francis is buying into JVG's system and it is resulting in more wins for the Rockets so that is a good sign. The problem though is that by fitting into JVG's system, Francis has become just another role player on a roster centered around Yao Ming in the post and he's being paid like a franchise player. While Francis should be commended for sacrificing his stats and highlights for more wins within JVG's system, the question also arises "Is Francis doing anything inside JVG's system that any average point guard couldn't do at a far cheaper price?" There's something to be said for loyalty as JVG and the Rockets organization has asked Francis to give up a lot to fit into the new system and the things Francis has given up are the same things that have landed him many an endorsement, but this is a business and it would be bad business to keep paying Francis franchise money to do a job any number of cheaper point guards could do. Just a thought.
You make very good points. The salary cap is $45 million, and the Rockets are way over it. That's bad.
I think that while Francis is learning to play in JVG's system JVG is also learning about using Francis. I agree it would be a waste to just consider Francis just another PG and I think if Francis isn't traded in the off season you might see JVG using Francis somewhat differently. In a couple of games JVG has played both Mark Jackson and Francis which has worked pretty well so its possible JVG is getting a better grasp about how best to play Francis. Like everyone else I've been infuriated with Francis at time but its still amazing to watch him pull off a jaw dropping shot everynow and then. If Francis can keep up this level of heart and hustle it would be a shame to lose him.
An average point guard can't take over a game when things bog down. Bibby got his max contract because he showed up in the playoffs when the rest of his team choked it up. We will see if Francis is worth his money come playoff time when things really count.
Bibby has been very consistent in the regular season too. Of course, this is his best regular season of his career, but that's a good trend. Consistency should not only be seen in terms of a series of games but also over a number of years. BTW, Bibby does not have a max contract.
I second that. Its great that the Rox are on a roll now but this Rox team has also been known to go into a 3 or 4 game funk too.
I don't think anyone should be traded based one bad season. Take Bibby for example. He has demonstrated that he is a great outside shooter in the past. If he was to just go into a season-long slump, does it mean he should be traded? The answer is no because his old shooting self is a perfect fit for the offense the Kings run. Let's say that Steve returns to his old self which is predominantly a drive and slash/get fouls. Does that old self fit in well with Yao in the low post? I ask this because Yao in the low post is going to be how the Rockets eventually win a championship. When Yao is in the high post, he becomes a much lesser offensive player. He effectively becomes Michael Doleac. How does Steve's old self ultimately fit into the inside-out offense which is focused around Yao? Steve is now actually making his layups in transition and dribble drives that he used to miss during the REALLY BAD slump he went into in the middle of the season. However, his 3 point shot is non-existent. The 3 point shot has always been a primary weapon in the inside-out offense. It's been like that with the Rockets' championship teams, Lakers with Shaq, and the Spurs. The fear of the 3 point shot is what creates spacing in the low post for the center/power forward to score his points.
Kenny Smith was a role player in the championship years. His 3 point percentage in 1993-1994 was around 41%. It was 43% in 1994-1995. Mario Elie was hitting 40% from 3 point range in 1994-1995. Horry hit 38% from 3 point range. Clyde was hitting 36% from 3 point range. Even Chilly Pete (Pete Chilcutt) was hitting 40% from 3 point range. A lot of very good 3 point shooters are necessary in order to maximize the efficiency of an inside-out offense. Can the Rockets win without maximizing the inside-out offense? They can, but it would be like inventing the wheel.
Yeah Steve is definitely buying into the system and playing with extreme hustle and heart. But I think one of the main things that has helped him play better is that now he is back to driving to the basket full-speed instead of settling for the jumpshot.
I really want see how the steve and the rest of the rockets play when they are mostly on the road at the end of the season, then we will see how much this team has really improved.
