Before I start I want to make it clear that this is NOT a thread to bash Stevie, but while watching the game, it was obvious the offense ran much better when Mark Jackson was on the floor. I'm not saying that we now need to bench Francis or put him on the block, but has it finally come time to move him to the two and find a true point guard, someone who thinks pass first and second and then shoot?. Who that is, I have no idea, but I think that Jackson can fill that role for 20 minutes a night the rest of the season. The offense, especially the pick and roll with Yao, looked amazing with a true point guard in the game, just imagine having that for 30 minutes a game and see if Francis can become an AI type player off the ball.
Jackson put on a good 16 minutes on the floor and dish 3 assist with 2 pts on the board. He has good vision of the floor than having Mooch and Wilks. I would 'nt mind having Francis slide on the 2 spot and let Jackson put on the show.
Well I mean we were fine without a true point guard tonight... Although I must say... there was a stretch when Yao was like 8 in a row and steve took this turnaround fadeway from 19... I think what they should do is tweak the rotations so that when Yao rests, definitely have steve out there so there's someone that can score. but when steve rests definitely have Yao out there so the offense doesn't go to ****, and put jackson in there.
Yes, this is not about Stevie. This is about the team playing best on offense with a legit passer. I'm not talking about this combo guard stuff at point guard. I'm talking about a guy who has been a passer in high school and college. This team has talent. Mo Taylor is beginning to look like a badass. He needs to get the ball when and where he wants it. If Yao is to be a factor, he needs to get the ball too. Even JJ is shooting well. The whole team will play more smoothly on offense with a legit passer.
The Rockets were already going to the playoffs before Mark Jackson arrived, so that says Francis is doing a pretty good job!
i would like steve to move to the 2 to, but im kind of afraid he will turn into an iverson type player. Iverson is good an all but he jacks up to many shoots and shoots at a low precent. Im not bashing just stating the facts and my opinion.
I knew it, you just hate gaurds. Dude, Iverson is MVP caliber year in year out. If steve could do what he does, we could seriously do some damage. Imagine the Rockets in the Playoffs against say the Spurs. The whole Defense is geared to gaurd Yao, and Steve comes in and throws 50 points. Wouldnt that be a little nice shocker
didnt you read my last sentence. Im not bashing just stating the facts and my opinion. i did not nowhere say i hate the guards.
The difference is that he doesn't make the decisions. That's key. If he is the point guard, he can force his own shots. He can't do it in the 2 guard spot since the PG just won't give it to him if he isn't in a position to score.
Stevie's style doesn't mesh well with Yao because he doesn't have an in-between game. He's strength is finishing at the Rim. With Yao hogging the paint and attracting double teams, there isn't enough room for him to operate. Stevie needs the floor spread and let him iso to be effective. I actually think Mobs is better at 2 than Stevie because Mobs has a better pull up game than Stevie. Eventually Rockets will realize Stevie and Yao are not a good fit and Stevie can be much more effective on another team than the Rockets. Hope Stevie can be traded for a pg and couple of other players.
MJ is a great back up. He's better than Wilks at handling the team and running the offense. He won't be a starter because he's not capable of playing that many minutes night in and night out. Previously when Steve went to the bench our offense evaporated. Now that won't have to happen, because we have MJ. Jackson can also play some with Steve sliding over to the 2. He's a great addition but not a threat to Steve's job as starting pg. Also there is defense to think of. With Steve's improved defense this year he's definitely a better option than MJ in that category. After seeing MJ in tonight's game, I think our biggest weakness off the bench, the pg position, just got a boost in the arm.
from a offensive flow standpoint, there is NO QUESTION in my mind that a pass first PG like "action" jackson does a superior job than francis. we have a good enough team where we dont need to do anything amazing to win games. as long as our PG plays smart, limit tos, solid d, runs the offense and scores when the opportunity arises, we will be in good shape. at this juncture, stevie still tries to hit the grand slam too often when we only need a simple pass.
We looked really good w/ Jackson at PG and Stevie at SG. Stevie looks more comfortable on the court when he is SG.
Jackson is top 3 pg of all time. It was a great pickup and there is a role for him. I like him. Having said that I have to commend SF for his improved play, and making the effort. Given his progress, I expect him to grow more as a pg and Jackson can only help with that. It is all good and our offensive efficiency was improving before MJ and will only continue with MJ on board. Finally Mark may be the one that allows us to find Pike, with his timely and accurate passes. When Pike does come back some teams are going to pay for that slump.
Mark Jackson is the man! Well at least in this game. I hope he can play that way and more throughout the season. He had 3 assists today. He should've had more if you count the ones wherein the player he passed to was fouled. OT: Just noticed this today. When did Nba.com change Yao's pic? Well glad they did.Yao's new pic in his player profile kicks ass!
I honestly feel that the more M.Jax plays and plays well, it will only help Stevie's game. You know he was watching from the bench how M.Jax's ball distribution improved the fluidity of the offense. When I was watching the game, I knew some posters here (not you!) would rejoice and call for Stevie to be immediately jettisoned. But I think that M.Jax will have a positive influence on Stevie's development. We no longer need to theorize what Houston's offense would look like with a pass-first PG. We have an actual model, and Stevie does too. And a word of caution: I remember when M.Jax got traded back to the Knicks a few years ago... his first game was at the Garden against Phoenix and he energized the crowd with his passing and floor generalship. But he never sustained that energy. Let's see how M.Jax pans out for the next 10 games or so.
Why does it seem to follow that mention of bringing in a true point guard is a knock on Steve? IMHO Ñ the reason Steve's numbers (scoring) are not so great this season is that he's trying to BECOME a true point guard. It's not that he can't make that transition, but it's a waste to have him play the point when he seems more naturally suited for the 2. Bringing in a good point could free him up do do what he does best. It's ironic that one of the reasons given for not wanting to go to Vancouver was that Bibby was already at the point, and he didn't want to play the 2.
We do need a true PG and I hope Steve is the bait to get a one. The problem is if the PG is very good, why trade him for Steve? And I don't think Steve will make a good SG. But to not totally bash Steve - he is the best AND1 player in the NBA.
Didn't hurt how MJ looked that he had Yao and MoT on the floor and on fire..... SF could have been the same in that position. It is good to see him perform. The price is right too. But the jury is still out....
