Would Francis be "bashed" so much if he were a "real" superstar? Do you think fans just like to be negative about poor Steve? That they just make up ugly things to say about him. Poor baby, he is so mistreated.
I have come to the conclusion if Steve Francis is staying with us then we must recognise that he is a quality player that doesn't come along too often. He has the potential to be a great player at any position he chooses. He needs coaching and diciplin and our new Head Coach and new Assistants will demand suttle changes in his game. I still think that,if he is still on the roster, Steve Francis is best at the Point Guard position, for the NBA he is built just right but maybe not for the Shooting Guard. I think all of our last season roster will have to undergo these suttle changes if they still remain on the roster for 03/04. These suttle changes are mostly mental in nature. Each player must be confident and trusting of each other, focusing on winning as a team with each player fulfilling their role as a team player. Each roster member will have to throw themselves wholeheartedly into the direction demanded by the coaches with no personal agenda surfacing. All us fans should get behind the Owner,Coaches and Players and give them a chance to make someting great of our Rockets no matter who they may be. They will need to know that we support their efforts and cherish the result.
Here is a result that I would cherish, that Francis gets his head together and stops dribbling the face off the ball, stops making stupid passes, starts making good passes, stops going one on five, gives up the idea that you are awarded points for style, stops the critical turnovers, starts to play defense, etc. etc. Name a "superstar" that plays as badly as he does. His stats look good, but when you watch him up close night after night, based on the last four years, IMO he is no superstar. I will be the first to take note of a change if and when it occurs.
Yeah, a completely new system should help him. He'll get more open looks and will be able to slash to the basket more. Instead of him being the initiater, he could be the finisher (along with Yao).
a real rocket fan would never post this stupidass poll. You are a disgrace to all rocket fan fans. This whole forum is a little bit dumber for having even clicked on your thread.
Steve Francis's big problem is he doesnt realize he has a problem. kinda like some of the fans in this thread who measure his performance by how many all star appearances he has and how high his scoring average is.
His main problem is that he doesn't have any fans left in Houston... The one thing that stands out about him is that he's good at a lot of things, but not great at any one thing...kind of a "jack of all trades" guy. Of course, he's HAD to be that kind of a guy, since the Rockets have basically zero backup help in the guard department. We've seen it plenty of times...During the first half of a game, he'll be setting up his teammates perfectly and running the offense flawlessly (Don't even think that he hasn't done this...anybody that assumes he's completely clueless at running an offense is just hating for hatin's sake...) Then, during the second half, he'll go into "scoring mode". The main fault in this is that this doesn't work all the time. When he's hitting his shots in "scoring mode", he's praised as a versatile, multitalented guy, but when he's not hitting his shots, people call him greedy. He has a hard time going back into "floor leader" mode again. I can't count the number of times he's only finished with one or two more assists than his first half total. He also has trouble deciding which mode to go into during late game situations. He tries to do too much sometimes. Now, why is this? Doesn't trust his teammates? Please...anybody that passes the ball to Moochie Norris in a late game situation would probably trust their taxes with Enron's accountants. I ask you all one question, though...If you were annointed the savoir of a basketball franchise during your rookie season, wouldn't you want to try and do everything also?
All of the guards on this team have the same major flaw. Clock management. They all start the offense to late, and since they all have the same problem, I blame coaching.
This is very true. I just like to add a few things: 1) Steve wants to be the main man in scoring. Steve would go for a stretch playing the perfect PG setting up everyone and all a sudden he'd decide he wants to score and starts going 1 on 1. He is very unlike J. Kidd who would be happy with 12, 14 assists and no point. Steve wants to be a 20+ pt man even at the expense of less assists. It is not as simple as just moving the scoring from someone else to Steve. When Steve has that mind set, the defense gears toward stopping him and make it hard for him to score. At the same time, it destroys the fluidity of the offense, his team mates become stagnant to the point if they do get the ball back, they are no longer in the groove to hit the shots. 2) Steve does not trust his team mates (sometimes) While it is true that his team mates missed lots of open shots when he gave them the ball, part of the problem was caused by Steve (and Cat) like I mentioned above. If Steve stops passing the ball it will only worsen the problem, not help. The core concept of basketball is "to get the ball to the open man". In the long run, I would contend even Mooch can score with no one on him better than Steve with 2 crowding him . It also will help Steve if he passes 'cause the opp. won't gear to stop him as much.
As much as I love Rudy as a player, coach, and person, I am anxious to see how the coaching change affects Francis. I believe we will soon know if he is as clueless as he sometimes appears OR if his game suffered from the lack of proper instruction and direction. Maybe discipline and structure will have a huge impact on Francis and the other players. If not, then we are really in trouble.
Steve knows he has a problem, that is why he seeks out Oscar Robertson and others to discuss playing PG in the NBA. Steve is desperate for someone to TEACH him the game, he is a sponge. He has been getting by on athleticism his whole life, and is just now scratching the surface of understanding the game. He needs a coach who can teach him how to play within himself and to make the game easier for him. Larry Brown is that coach. DD
I don't bash Steve. But I do search for ways that his game could be improved. I think that Steve needs to fully grasp the concept of what a PG does. He's doing better than in the past, but he's still not where he needs to be. as a PG, he should live and learn: 1) he's got to manage the clock 2) he's got to decide on, call, and execute plays 3) he's got to create opportunities for the other players 4) he's got to know where and when to give the ball and to feed the right player 5) he's got to help on double teams and full-court-presses 6) he's got to guide the team when they're struggling 7) he's got to know the right time to take shots (and he must make them) Those are all in addition to standard playing abilities (consistent scoring, few turnovers, strong defense). Some here are saying he needs to pass more. It's not enough just to pass the ball. He needs to feed the apprpriate player(s) at the right time. Passing it to Ming at the post and just hoping he'll be able to beat the dbl-team isn't the answer. -- droxford
Very true. Too bad, Steve-only's fans can not see this! Steve is an exceptional athlete that can do many things well but those things you listed are his deficiencies and they offset his talents at times.
The migraine situation of 2002 was a window into the soul of Steve Francis. He missed a third of the season due to headaches. I don't doubt for a moment that they were real and debilitating, but it was characteristic of Francis, and the organizational drift of the Rockets, that neither addressed the issue pro-actively. Bottom line: Steve Francis isn't a leader. No big deal, neither was Clyde Drexler. It just means that Francis requires strong leadership if he is to prosper and achieve his full potential. Without leadership, Francis will become an itinerant scoring machine, drifting from team to team like Dominique Wilkins, racking up impressive individual stats, but never tasting the glory of victory.
Steve's biggest problem is his health. He better eat right and stay healthy. Don't get hurt. And improve his shooting.
