What the Rockets can learn from the Mavs.......

You can't teach talent.

 

Damn, you sounded just like a p.o.'d owner there kidrock!

Have a little patience dude. This season is over, and Rudy and co are just trying to use the rest of it to grow the team as much as possible.

Our biggest problems are hardly at the 1 and 2 spots. They are:

1. Solving Steve's migraines.
2. Getting somebody or something decent at the three.
3. Keeping Cato motivated.
4. Adding a piece or two this offseason - and finding a place for KT or MoT on another team (and gettting true value back)

And for the rest of you Steve as SG fanatics:

What is the motivation for moving an all-star point guard to the SG so he can defend and be defended by even taller players? Allan Iverson is an anomaly - the exception that proves the rule.

Moving Steve to the two produces an upgrade of 10-20% over Mobley on offense - and a downgrade of 10% or more on defense. Meanwhile, we create a much bigger hole at PG.

Moochie produces good numbers at PG from time to time, but he isn't the threat that Steve is - so the defense focuses on our SG. That is why we lose when Steve isn't playing. One very good player can be shut down by opposing teams rather easily.

That's why despite the similar numbers produced by Mooch and Steve, Mooch is at least a 40% downgrade from Steve as PG.
20% upgrade + 40% downgrade = 20% downgrade + unhappy Steve. That's not an equation I like very much.

Upgrade the 3 instead - it's much easier.

 

Well put, Gutter.

Drewdog, admittedly switched to the Seattle game, so he missed it when the team stepped it up on defense.

If people don't have the patience to watch for the improvement, they aren't going to see it. It's that simple. Over the past couple of weeks our passing has been better.

The team tried to push the ball a little more last night than normal too, and when it wasn't there moochie had the presence of mind to not force anything and get a TO. Then when the defense finally kicked in, they managed to hold it, even when they took the lead, which is usually when the team stops playing D.

They may be little things, but they are improvements.

 

not to change the topic or anything, since we have threads already devoted to this, but I think these issues with Steve's game heightens the need for a point-forward type player like Miller, Odom. We play three-guard a lot to let Steve play SG, but I doubt Steve wants (or even should) switch to SG full time. Does it matter what he plays? The important thing is we get the right mix of people who complement each other. Having another ball-handler who can set up other teammates including Steve without sacrificing size or defense would help tremendously.

 

Remember when we had Hakeem, Charles, and Pippen and the younger teams would kick our azzes up and down the court? Why? They would run fast breaks, and our guys were so old that they would be too worn out by the 4th quarter to play defense.

Now WE have the young, athletic guys and we don't capitalize. It all starts on defense. Griffin and Cato need to block a shot, and pass it down the court to Steve or Cuttino to start the fast break. Or better yet, train Steve and Cuttino to STEAL the ball to start the fast break.

Defense first, then the fast break. Enough of this half-court crap. We suck at it and take too many stupid shots. Preach DEFENSE Rudy.

 

Full Disclosure: I'm a long-time lurking Mav Fan who has rooted silently for DaDakota to continue the balanced, good fight against bandwagoning and blind cheerleading by Clutchcity BBS'er's. I've disliked Francis from the start, but by lurking Clutch's BBS for more than a year, I've grown to appreciate him lots more by y'all's praise and pronouncements of faith in him. But, faith in y'all's faith is all that keeps me from dismissing Francis as nothing more than a pretty bottle-rocket.

This is the way I see the Rockets:

1) The Rockets are in limbo until Francis' migraine problem is solved for GOOD.

2) Given that Francis' migraine problem is solved, the Rockets are in limbo until the ro$ter is healthy.

3) Given migraine solved and ro$ter healthy, the Rockets are in limbo until: they evaluate the talent they have by watching them finally play together - until they brew some chemistry by playing with line-ups - and until they develop some continuity with the youngsters, fill-ins, and surprises that have joined the team while waiting for numbers 1 and 2 above to be worked out.

The grumbling over Francis' weaknesses and the team's unattactive style are legit, but what can truly be done about either until the pricey end of the squad gets healthy and Francis' illness abates? I join those who think Francis is quick, can jump high, and can carry the team on his back for stretches. But I believe that Francis will never be the heady floor general of Nash or Kidd or Stockton - and thus will mostly be on the losing end to such as these. Pointing out Steve's empty strutting, 'unconceited' 3rd person self-references, and selfishness is too easy. Best illustration of what's wrong between Francis' ears is this brief snapshot from the AS game: Francis dawdles at the top of the key dribbling real fancy and looking cool while Steve Nash is on the wing to his left surveying the court and clapping his hands for Francis to give him the ball 'cause he sees a potential play. I believe it will ALWAYS be like that with Francis' game - Francis is just a tool, not a builder -- see Michael Finley. But my fear is that he'll never understand that as I think Finley does as he watches Dirk and Nash profitably take the reins of the team from him. And until an extension with SF's signature is in RT's hands, then RT will never demand Francis bend to better the team.

Some argue that it's unfair to poor-mouth Francis' potential for growth because the squad around him isn't healthy or of quality. I feel sorry for Rocket fans, because Houston mgmt has their hands tied waiting for the various dates, team issues and obstacles to pass, and thus can't truly establish Francis as unqualified for the task he's been given of carrying the team until they publically put him through the paces with a full, healthy squad against top-notch competition-- which probably (who knows?) won't be for a loooong time considering the wait for points 1, 2, and 3 above to resolve themselves. IMO, it would be better for all involved to read the handwriting on the wall and start the changes in Francis' role on the team NOW. But, there are tickets to sell, touchy millionaires' feelings to tiptoe through, inertia to stifle, and contracts to be signed ... so the way it'll probably sadly play out is over an agonizing, interminable-seeming stretch of time for Rocket fans.

Having come with the gloom and doom, I will add that I don't know of anybody in the league who has a better chance at pulling off an Allen Iverson-like role than Steve Francis - but the boy has a lotta painful growin' up to do before he ever gets there. And AI is STILL talking about how painful it was to become what he's become!

And, like Nugzfan and Swopa perhaps might echo, it's impossible to lurk here and not slowly become infected by a touch of Rocket-mania.

 

It's just impossible to discount Francis as a winner/team-player/what have you when you look at the team's win-loss record with him and without him. Is there any team, besides Philadelphia, whose record is more dependant on one player?

 

I posted in the original

and now
in

this one


My sentiments still stay the same. Mavericks are just finally enjoying some time in the sun after an 80 year drought ... The Rockets will be on that level sometime in the future, but instead of pansy white guys manning the team, will have the heart of a hungry hip hop rebellion...

stay humble
stay hungry

 

Great post Franz. I'm also a Mavs fan that roams these boards. From my point of view the Rockets also need to develope some chemistry. Francis & Mobley have good chemistry with each other but they need to develope it with the other members on that team (i.e. Griffen, and Kenny Thomas). Also like Franz I'm not 100% certain that Francis should be running the point. I'm not saying that Francis isn't a very good player because he is. It's very evident by the Rockets record with, and without him that the Rockets need him. I just think that the Rockets would benefit more if he was moved to SG, and capable PG was brought in. I won't compare Francis to Nash because they have two totally different styles. I will say that Francis could be very Iverson-like if a Nash, Kidd, or Andre Miller type PG were brought in to run the point.

As for the current contracts that are strangling the Rockets, you may just have to ride that out. With their contracts you won't get fair value in a trade. You may even have to give up someone such as Mobley (or a top pick) in order to move one of those contracts. Before this is done though they need to see if Mo Taylor will have anything left after that injury. If he does then the Rockets have a very good core of players in ... Francis, Griffen, Mobley, and Taylor. The chemistry will come with time but management needs to find a way to move some of those contracts.

 

I never bad mouth Francis because unlike other people, I think moving him to sg would drop his fg% just like Iverson whom I think they gave up on too fast as the pg. Francis will never be compared to Stocton or Magic, but he is a very good player and can be one at pg. The problem I have is the constant stand still of the offense as the main culprit of defensing Francis.

Rudy like to space the floor which in actuality means taking player out of resonable scoring position to benefit 1 player,Francis. Actually , I think it hurts him more than helps him. Imagine Griffin and Cato double high ft line with Cat on one wing and the 3 on the other. Quick entry pass to either and handoff to Francis. How easy would it be for a team to stop him then with 4 players in their range as oppsed to 1 or 2? I don't really mind the iso's i guess, but at least have 1 up 4 down or 1 up 4 up instead of 3 people far as possible away from the goal as they can possibly get.

I don't care what kind of game Steve has and he has pretty good one most times, he has to work entirely too hard for good looks at the basket because of the scheme we have. The same can be said for Mobley. Why can't Mobley run off some of the double down screens that Person was running off of? Why can't we get our sg those kind of looks instead of ones when he has to create it by himself? Some of the problems that relate to the Rockets offense can be traced back to the system we run. The system we run isn't team oriented rather 1 or 2 player oriented. Francis in a team oriented offense would thrive because when teams have to worry about other players in motion instead of focusing on him would be lethal.