how many shots does stevie average? Well, isnt this what every damn sports outlet says about the franchise.
I pretty much agree with everything you said. But i also think he has more heart than most players in the NBA. I wish more players had his desire to win. He just can't focus clearly for a full 48 minutes on the court which leads to his turnovers. Sadly i see him bouncing around the league because with the salary cap it takes a very rare point guard to be able to lead his team to a title. He's by far one of the most exciting PG's to watch play the game. The problem is he just never really got better than his first 2 seasons in the league. I'll still always root for him. He gave the city all he could, and i couldn't care less if he went to go watch the superbowl when it was in Houston. VanGundy couldn't smear his image in my mind.
To me, both sides of the Francis debate is right. Yes, he is talented and plays hard. And yes, he is stubborn and not very smart. A lot of players are like that. So why do some people hate him and some love him? I think if Francis was a role player and he accepted that, he would be the most popular player on any team. Who doesn't want a role player who can score and rebound, plays hard every night, stands up for his teammates, provides emotional spark, and gives you some sportcenter highlight materials? If he was a role player, his virtues would far exceed his vices. Who cares if a role player has high turnover rate? Who cares if a role player doesn't have good court vision? Who cares if a role player doesn't act very maturely? Who cares if a role player doesn't play superb defense if he is a good scorer? Unfortunately, he is not a role player. He is the Franchise. A franchise player is supposed to be great all around. He is supposed to be the leader, the superstar who carries the team and makes the teammates better. And he is just not quite talented and mature enough to do that. This is why fans get frustrated because he doesn't meet the expectation. The worst part is that he himself doesn't know his limitation and still tries to be the Franchise. And it doesn't help that he is earning franchise player salary.
Steve Francis has a knack for getting the ball in the basket. He can make spectacular moves all over the court. The biggest problem I had with Steve was that he absolutley loved to get the last second shot. Even if the team had a whole 24 second clock. He'd dribble the ball until the end, finally shooting the ball. The problem with this is that they hardly ever went in. They were horrible shot selections. The defense usually collapsed on him. And if the ball went in or not, the outcome of the game was decided there with no other oportunities. Steve wants to be the hero so bad that it affects the team. In the flow of the game, he is awsome. He plays with so much passion that it leaves other players in shame. It is this passion that Weis spoke about after he traded McGrady. If not for this evidence of passion, noway do the Rockets get McGrady. At least not unless, McGrady would have taken a MLE
steve will be traded once nelson is ready to take over as a full time starter. atlanta could offer harrington and childress. i'm not sure who else would make an offer that orlando will be willing to take.
All heart ! Freakish athleticism ! Good guy overall ! Not a superstar.... a very good player, but not a superstar, I think he will struggle as he gets into his 30s and his athletic ability starts to fade. Still, his competitive fire is to be admired. He gave his all, and for that he has earned my respect, but I am glad he is not on the Rockets any more. DD
Other than a healthy Jason Kidd, do you guys think any PG should get the max, which automatically makes them a team leader?
I am still trying to figure out how you managed to squeeze the words "McGrady" and "MLE" in the same sentence. I guess fans can always dream
Nice guy, a good player, lots of heart, but had some streaks of stupidity that blew my mind sometimes. I still dont think he's a point guard. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure I would have paid to see a single game during the pre-Yao Stevie era. I had full access to corporate seats, with free beer, so the ISO crap didn't make me want to kill myself when I was watching the games in person. I didn't watch any games from home....all that standing and dribbling just put me to sleep.
I'm laughing so hard, tears came to my eyes Just to point out that Francis passions got the deal done for McGrady. If not McGrady would have signed with another franchise this offseason. That is unless he'd of taken the MLE to come to Houston
Travis Diener put up some good numbers for Magic in their Summer league comp. http://www.nba.com/magic/news/Get_to_Know_Members_of_the_Mag-146186-800.html The Franchise is headed to Atlanta this season.
