He still want to be No.1 option. http://www.nypost.com/sports/6466.htm Steve Francis isn't looking to challenge Jeff Van Gundy's authority or be perceived as a rebel. He also doesn't want to give the impression he's second-guessing his strategy. Then, again . . . "In the five years I've been with the Rockets I think I've earned being the No. 1 option and I want to keep it that way," he stressed to me couple weeks ago while in New York to participate in The Wheelchair Classic. In other words, Francis plans to protect his nickname Stevie Franchise, which appears to be in direction conflict with Van Gundy's interests and that of the Rockets. Any Knick guard (Chris Childs, for instance) who didn't feed Patrick Ewing intravenously on a regular basis got strongly reprimanded and/or demoted. Van Gundy fussily expects Yao Ming to get the same preferential treatment. "Jeff has made it clear to me he wants the offense to be inside out," Francis said. That explains Ewing's hiring as an assistant; clearly, his mission will be to teach Yao not to pass it back under any circumstances once he receives it. "There's no doubt Yao gave it up too often," Francis agreed. "At the same time, he hasn't proven he's ready to take over a team. Before you can do that you've got to prove you can take care of Shaq and Duncan, etc., on a nightly basis. That's enough of a burden in itself. Given enough time I'm confident he'll be able to dominate the middle." In the meantime, Francis declares, "I'll do anything to win and make any sacrifice to make the playoffs." That is, as long as Van Gundy doesn't lose sight of who deserves to be fondling the leather goods when game-saving decisions need to be made.
