"Strict parent, spoiled child feud in Houston" (Francis/JVG article)

Just messing with ya!

We are talking about basketball...not "world peace" or anything *important* like that.

 

well is it against the yankees?



of course, SM is part of the WPOSFIHWOF club.





the "wouldn't piss on steve francis if he were on fire" club. i think i have to give the presidency to SM for longevity but sup123 is quickly rising through the ranks and solid has always been "solid" in his hating of steve. it's quite a nice war we have going on.

though unfortunately i must join up with my rival SM every once in a while when cuttino gets bashed. how many people are like me and like both guards? one? two?


and SamFisher might be a little mad that he's not part of the group to make it a quartet.

 

Juugie likes both guards and hates Yao Ming, does that count?

 

Macbeth came out of the closet? Link us to the thread, please!

 

now . . if he underacheives then goes to playoffs
and reach his potential . . .then that is a different story
[SEE: mythical 8 seed to the finals VAN GUNDY]

Rocket River

 

OUT? I thought that was the thread where MacBeth went back INTO the closet...

 

According to insider Rocket observers as related by 610 afternoon crew, some folks are beginning to chime in on the same theme with Steve. The fear is that he likes the spotlight a little more than the team championship/winning idea and that Steve is not overly concerned about winning a title, more concerned with his personal stake and being in the spotlight. I know if goes against convention because there is no bigger spotlight that the NBA finals.

We really will never know what is in his heart and head, but actions seem to be relevant here....look at the history:

-He refuses to accept his drafting by Vancouver on Draft night and demands a trade in so many words (though I was happy)
-He bails out of the team last week and apparently has missed several significant events in the Rockets organization over the past couple years.
-He spats with the Coach in the media continuously.
-He seemed put out by the new system change that JVG brought.
-He has not grown that much as player from year one.

I think Stevie is a top 10 athlete in this league, but 5 years in and where are we? We are still struggling to make the playoffs and seem to be so inconsistent still. Something has to give some where in the organization.

This spat with JVG is not over. JVG and Stevie basically agreed that they think the other is full of it. In fact, Stevie has so much as said that he does not like JVG--claiming he did not have to get along with the coach to believe in the system and win. We know this is the Bobby Knight theory of coaching and can work, but is it consistent?

So based on all that has happened...the question is: Despite Stevie being a great, NBA athlete, is it possible to win a Championship when your franchise player (Steve) does not get along with the coach?

 

See, it works! (Is that you, Steve?)

 

I would concede all your points but these, particularly the 1st.

I am not defending Steve...I have come to think that he will never be a leader, possibly never be a real star, and it hurts to admit defeat in this area, as I have defended him for so long in certain respects.

But to be fair, until this incident Steve had not had any real spats with the coach, and had, in fact, toed the party line in the press.

And as far as your second point, that's speculative. It might have seemed that way to some, to others it seemed that he was really trying to adapt but having physical difficulties in so doing.

 

Look guys, honestly, I am just trying to keep it balanced on here.

This is the last thing I will say about this article. If Super Bowl Gate really was a sign of bigger problems, wouldn't Steve be playing exactly as he has the last four seasons. Wouldn't his stats be the same.

I think we can all agree that Steve plays better defense and he passes the ball more when crossing the midcourt line. Those are two things that had to be improved immediately and they have been.

To imply that Francis stats prove he's not in tune with JVG would be implying that he misses shots on purpose and he throws the ball away on purpose. If he was selfish, he would be putting up the exact same numbers he has been. Instead, he's struggling.

All that the field goal struggles and turnover struggles prove is that Steve doesn't when to pass or shoot. And that's a sign of a player going through changes, not defying his coach.

 

Steve is a max-player and he doesn't know when to pass or when to shoot?

If Steve or anyone else directly reporting to Steve reads this...here goes:

If you're open and within 23 feet from the basket - shoot it
If someone else has a better shot from the floor - pass it

Whatever you do, don't hold the ball for 4-5 seconds letting the defense dig in.

 

Pgabriel, thanks for being a good sport.

 

Early on, Steve alluded to JVG system as something he would accept because he is the coach. I am careful not to always read between the lines because these are edited comments from the media. However, if I were towing the company line, it would have been better said, "it's a different system, but we believe in JVG and the system and will make it work." He did say this eventually, but he had to be dragged by the ear to say this. As the leader of the team, you have to appear above this fray and lead by example. so, you and I are both bummed that he is not the leader we had hoped--though a very very very good player.

As far as spats goes, you are correct. There has been only one spat in the media, but JVG admitted in a recent article and the media is reporting that there have been other incidents this year, though not as blattant and publicly broadcasted.

So, where to go from here. Winning will cure all and making into the second round will be the prize this year IMHO. I hope we can do it with Steve because change is good, but we have had enough for now.....

 

As much as the Steve Francis/JVG soap opera pisses me off and as disapointed as I am that Steve has not shown leadership ability, I still think we have to stick with our team. I was reading an article in ESPN magazine about the gap in tallent between the east and west and one of the things that really stood out was the stability in coaching and core players on the winning teams. The teams that are competing in the playoffs in the west every season and have legitimate shots at a championship every season have stable coaches and stable core players. There was a stat in the article about something like 14 out of 15 coaching positions in the east changed over the last 15 months. Thats crazy. Instability does not breed champions in the NBA.

Do I like Hinrich? Yes. Would I like to see what he could do for the Rockets? Yes. Do I think we should gut our team after half a season that we have done pretty well in? No. Francis is frustrating, but only because he is so extemely tallented and we expect so much. JVG and Francis need to work this out because if JVG can get Francis to understand and master his system then he can start giving Steve back his freeedom to create and dominate.

These are growing pains that we must live through to become a big boy in the west. This off season we are going to do the fine tuning we need to make this all work. I hate being patient but no realistic trade is going to win a championship this season and trading a maxed BYC NBA allstar after only half a season with a hard a$$ed new coach is just plain stupid.

 

you mean it wasnt the thread where MacJag was talking about going in and out?...but I seem to remember he wasnt referring to a closet...

 

Oh, please. Well, I;d say that all your calls on me are equally accurate...