Steve draws a HUGE amount of attention on offense and although he might only have 7-9 assists, he is like Yao in that he gets more quasi-assists by taking defenders away from your other players and that gives people like JJ the opportunity to shine like he did last night. No one can deny the amount of attention SF deserves when he has the ball. That is the difference b/w SF and a regular 7 assist point guard
I like SF3 and thinks that he sucks up his ego and put the team in from of his personal stats. He and the team are deferring more and more to Yao and was truly looking for Yao as the first option. Sure the Rockets are a bad passing team but they are trying to improve in that aspect of the game. SF3's main problem is with the zone defense. He is just not a great spot up shooter and it was clear during his college days in Maryland. If the opponents played one-on-one, SF looked like a superstar; if the opponents played zone, he would routinely shoots 5-17 for about 30% from the field. Last night it was obvious that Yao worked well with JJ and Cat, but SF3 was not able to knock down wide open 3s. Players like Ray Allen, Captain Kirk, and even Berry would have had a field day with that many open looks from the outside. BTW, I like the way that the team used Yao to set up the O last night. I can easily imagine that Yao averages 5 assists if he were playing in the system like the Kings.
Although I root deeply for Yao, sometimes it's really unfair to dish Steve like that. He played hard last night and hit a crucial three to force the overtime. Otherwise Yao won't have a chance to get his 8 points in the triple overtime. As others point out, it takes time for Steve to adjust the new system, just like Yao adjusted NBA last season. Remember Yao's alley-oop pass in the All Star game.
Dakota its good to be back on the same page! I do think though we should down play the obvious and give Steve every chance to get back on track. If he continues to loose interest he might loose value for the offseason Trade.
Gotta remember that even though SF is not shooting well, his abilities to get into the lane a create for himself and others is key to this team. That threat alone keeps defenses honest, to a learge extent. SF has the ability to make plays like the one to JJ last night at the end of the 1st (2nd?) regulation that very few players can make. I think SF is improving in ways that are difficult to measure, but we can see it in our overall play and win/loss record. If we do trade him, we better get someone the caliber of Ray Allen, because this is a guy that will have to do a little of everything, and do it well.
Even in Overtime Steve was still refusing Yao Ming the ball when he was set up and flashing.Yao Ming was lucky to score the 8 points as the Guards dont make enough effort to get him involved. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU SEEN YAO MING PASS THE BALL OUT and then get repositioned but never get the ball back, like a center is supposed to get.
steve is an athlete and a hustler! what about all the rebounds he got in the OT's? I thought those were clutch! where are you going to find a 6'3: PG/SG who can board like francsis? I think we should give him more time to adjust...him and yao are just starting to develop some chemistry...
To compete with the big boys in the Western Conference, the Rockets cannot afford to have players who do not fit in the system. Look at Peja, Bibby, Brad Miller, Webber, and Vlade. All those guys play their system to almost maximum efficiency. Look at the Mavericks with Nash, Finley, and Dirk. Those players play very well within their offenses due to their skillsets being similar. Look at how Jerry West has constructed the Grizzlies. Each player he has added to the roster strengthens the team. Does Steve Francis fit in the inside-out half-court offense of the Rockets? He definitely doesn't, and he takes up 20% of the payroll and 25% of the NBA salary cap. What that means is the Rockets are currently allocating a huge amount of financial resources to a player who does not possess the abilities to play well within the current system.
This sure does remind me of a similar situation they had in L.A. 5-6 seasons ago. I'm not saying Steve=Kobe and Yao=Shaq because they aren't equal, but I am saying that sometimes 2 completely opposite players can bring out the best in one another. Look, the deadline has passed and no one is going anywhere for now. So in the meantime, let's support the Rockets, this is the team for the remainder of the season, let's go from there.
If I am the Rockets I try everything I can to try to get Ray Allen for Francis in the offseason. Ray Allen is the perfect compliment to Yao Ming. Allen has decent size at 6'5" and is a dead eye shooter that can stretch defenses to help Yao get room in the post. Additionally Allen plays well off the ball and is a good passer/system player. Allen is a MUCH better fit in this offense with Yao. Allen is an all star so you would be getting good value for Francis in return.
Right, but last year they were a horrendous fit. Earlier this year, they were a bad fit. At this point, although they have nights were they still seem to be a bad fit, they also have an equal number of many nights where they are an *extraordinary* fit. Hopefully, they'll be able to start showing some consistency before the end of this season. For someone who's been a streetball player all his life, Francis has made remarkable progress towards become a playmaker. Of course, he's still Francis and has his all-too-visible lapses. But once he's just a little more comfortable in his new role, he should be able to regain his shooting touch. And when he does, he's not going to suddenly lose his new passing skills. Also, let's not forget what a stud he is as a clutch shooter when his shooting touch is there. Look, Yao is only 23 years old. We should have a lot of time with this kid. I say we stand pat this summer regarding Steve, unless we get an offer for him that's simply too amazing to pass up. If Steve shows little progress next year, we can deal him then.
I think Ray Allen and Brent Barry on the perimeter with Jim Jackson could possibly propel the Rockets into the #3 seed next year.
Mobley and Yao work fine?i don't think so.when the ball kicked out,cat is a good spot-up shooter,but he can't fake drive, he just too slow,physically and mentally.take a look at m.finley's game,he's the perfect kind of player.he seldom plays iso or dribble,doesn't demand the ball that often,then executes decisively and wisely after receiving the pass.since nash leaving dallas this offseason,can we trade sf for finley?
I like Ray Allen or Vince Carter for Francis. Good jump shooters who can pass. I don't think we can trade Francis for a star forward. We're going to have to pick up adequate journeymen for that. Of course, Hinrich and Chandler or such would be awesome, too.
I said in another place that: Start Steve, Cat, Cato, JJ and MO and make Yao to lead the second unit. The starting 5 is strong enough to be a 50% club, we would now have the best bench in the league. Just a suggestion to work with what we have: 1. it is clear Steve and Yao can't have good game consistently, on the court together 2. Steve was doing great without Yao 3. Yao can play well with the rest 4. When they are on together, move steve to 2 and Yao to 1
