The guy still turns the ball over as much as he ever did. His FG% in each of the last 6 years wouldn't have even qualified in the top 200 shooters in the NBA last year. His 3pt% is pathetic also. He hasn't hit his career average in 3 years, & his career average (.343) would've been tied for 146th in the NBA last year. He still can't play defense &, for a player that has throughout his career depended upon his athleticism to carry him, he'll be turning 31 years old next season. When (& I suspect it's already happened) his legs lose their spring, he'll be more useless than he was when he was here the first time around. He was a flash in the pan that never got it. End of story.
You are essentially correct, but brace yourself, your comments are blood in the water for many Stevie fans. The attacks begin..ten...nine...eight...
Maybe its because Steve was probably the last Rocket we had that played with so much heart and passion for the team. Seriously, if T-Mac or Yao played with the same heart and passion as Steve did when he was here, we'd be out of the first round. People seem to forget that he was here during our rebuilding mode in which we only logged TWO losing seasons while he was here. Look at the rosters, It's not like he was surrounded by great talent. Even after Houston, he's been stuck on bad teams. He put up 19/6/6 for the Rockets, those numbers are very rare. At the time, I believe only KG and Kobe averaged those numbers. He also isn't as bad as a defender as you say. Check the other Francis thread, somebody posted stats that listed Steve Francis in the Top 10 defensive PGs(2005). Oh yeah, he damn near averaged a triple double in the playoffs and came very close to knocking off that famed Lakers team with teammates like Mark Jackson, Charlie Ward, Clearnce Whetherspoon and Kelvin Cato. Look at what he did with Yao Ming. Those two got so close that Cuttino was starting to get jealous. He made Yao feel just like every other person in the locker room and made his transition to America easier. I know folks will never forget Stevie ready to throw down against Amare for dunking on Yao. With Juwan gone, and Sura set to retire, we need a player that will stand up for his teammates, rally the bench and play with as much heart and passion as they can. Yes, Steve made bad decisions with the ball and over dribbled, but you can't deny the fact that he played his hardest every game that he suited for us. Migraines and all........
If the roster was tweaked a bit, I could see Francis as the Stackhouse of this team. If he matured from his first stint here, it could actually be a huge gain for very little $. Talent for cheap is right up Moneyballs alley, not sure their is a chemistry stat that could be used for the equation though.
Dude, all that heart and passion crap you're talking about....it didn't make this franchise any better. That heart and passion crap doesn't get you wins. I have said from the beginning when Francis came to this team that he was a freaking ballhog and would not make this team any better. The Rockets finally realized their mistake and now are on the right path in establishing a team around Yao and T-Mac. Why would we need another combo guard who loves to ballhog and dribble dribble dribble as if he's the stud on this team? He isn't. Francis, go to the Clippers and make sweet love to your life partner, Mobley.
To answer the question of the thread starter: Most people here didn't actually see SF play as a Knick. They saw highlights of when he hit a game winning shot or two and saw his box scores. Watching a few full games last season revealed he's the same immature, bone-headed bad decision-maker he always was. The flashes of brilliance still happen, but you still get mad at him for doing things his own way instead of following coaching. Eddie Curry won't miss him one bit and neither will any of his former Knicks teammates. I don't blame SF for cratering under Larry Brown, but Coach Zeke offered him some chances and gave up on him too. Stubbornness, being too self-centered about his own game while on the floor, either being too immature or too dumb to realize his limitations and not developing a killer jumpshot from mid-range are SF's downfall. He could have been a lot more than he was and has nobody to blame but himself.
Bring back Stevie! He's better than our PGs that we have right now, Mike James and Rafer ALston... Mike James has a tendency to ball hog himself and Rafer has a tendency to jack up threes... Bring back Steve Francis he still can give you over 10 points and 5 assists and 5 rebs Not bad at all.... Steve will play Team ball he knows its not his team and its Yao's and Tmac... He's not dumb at all... BRING BACK STEVIE!
If Stevie would sign for well under the MLE, then go for it. But que sera sera. If it was meant to happen, then it will. If not, then whatever.
And you're telling me this Franchise is better now than before? Last time I checked, we got knocked out the first round. Same result when Francis took us to the playoffs with a much worst team. Sure we have a better future but we had Francis during our rebuilding years, what the hell did you expect? Oh and trust me, heart and passion goes a long way and can win games. We had 3 winning seasons while he was here and you say he didn't make the team any better? Please go back and CHECK THE ROSTERS. The best players he played with was Hakeem(end of his career) a Young Yao and Mobley. What did you expect during the Franchise Era? The Rockets Front Office was just as bad as the team.
I'm all for the idea of getting a better point guard than our Rafer/James combo. I just don't think Stevie is the guy we should go for. None of us liked him when he was here and I guarantee we would be the same if he comes back. I think some of us are high on him right now because our PG's aren't that great. Yes it's true that Rafer makes Steve look like Jordan in many ways, but that doesn't mean we have to settle for him. Of course he would look good compared to Rafer. Like someone said, Steve's body is older and I highly doubt he'll be that much more mature as some of us imagined. I think Steve is the kind of player that needs the rock 50% of the time to be as effective as he is and we already have those players like Yao and Tmac. Steve sounds enticing sometimes, but it's not gonna work.
While, I guess everyone on this board watched TMac and Yao, but the result? Half of them want to trade TMac and half want to trade Yao. Knicks is a wrack. I won't hold anything happened in New York against SF3. Eddie Curry sure won't miss SF3, hell, he does not seem to miss the Knicks team either. Since two months vacation is not long enough to convince him to join Knicks big man camp to improve himself. SF3 has his weakness, but you can't deny his strength either -- he is one of hte best rebounding PG in the league; he can penetrate inside the paint than any guard on the Rockets roster. Yes, he plays with fire and heart and it matters. To anyone who watched him play, I just want your honest opinion on this observation -- in JVG's first season, SF3 made a great effort to defer to Yao (who at the time, is not even close to today's dominance in the post), -- at the expense of changing his playing style and sacrificing his own production! Yes, that's the Steve Francis I remembered, not from highlight clips, but from his contribution to our own Rocket team.
the love fest??? you cant deny the fact that he had heart and wanted to win every night. sure he dribbled off his foot a lot, but he wont do that with mac and yao in the offense...
If only we had one of above par pg's in the league then we wouldn't be arguing this. If only SF were asking for anywhere close to MLE it would be none issue. The reality is we have argubaly the worst starting pg in the whole league and SF is asking for 1M next year. That is why there is this SF "love fest".
Hehe. Some of you guys need to run out & get you some stick'um, because you need to get a better grip on reality. By the way, where can I get some of what you're smoking? It's got to be some good stuff. Francis is a waste of talent & has always been.
He shot 38% from three last year. Rafer shot 36% with the wide open looks he was getting. Steve doesn't have to be fantastic. He just needs to be better than Rafer. I don't think anyone can argue that he isn't.
