This is not a SF bash thread. We cannot win big with SF playing like crap. I mean, he is in a major funk. Is it because that he has the have the ball to be effective? It seems that he is getting worse each game. Any suggestions that how we can turn SF around? Remember that Yao was in a major slump 3 weeks ago. There must be a way turn SF into an effective player with the Rockets. He is a star player.
jvg can bench him more when he screws up, now that we dont have that liability called moochie, anymore. some people think it worked for yao, why not francis?
I think he's gonna have to add some new skills to his game. Over the offseason he needs to work on a reliable floater in the lane. He needs a reliable move that is hard to stop once he penetrates. Tony Parker, for example, is not as athletic as Steve, but he can get to the rim and finish with that teardrop every time. Steve also needs to work on his 3-pointer to help open it up for Yao.
Depends on how you define athletic. Parker cant jump as high but is quicker. Probably one of the quickest players in the NBA.
Steve was a solid 3 point shooter last season. I also don't think that benching SF is a solution. I don't wanna destroy his confidence. Last season he was money on desperate 3s, and this year he has yet to make one.
Its all mental. Steve has the skills, there is no question about that. Sure he can improve ina lot of areas like passing and D, but fundamentally he is a great player. JVG hasnt found the right approach to getting more out of SF yet like he has with Yao and Cato. The only option I can think of is to bench him for a while. Obviously he will still be a starter, just let him cool off and realise what he is getting paid to do.
I've said it before, Steve has definitely lost a lot of what made him a "special" player due to the combination of injuries the years ago and having to retool his game the past 2 seasons. I don't think Steve has the confidence that he had in the past and is playing not to lose. The question now is this, a) is Yao good enough so that we can trade Francis to both give him a new team(chance) and give us hopefully something good in return or b) can we some how let Steve play his natural role in this offense ? (some people say his game iso, I say that's only have true, Steve needs the ball to be effective, he definitely modeled his game in a more shooting guard way). I think a) is just not quite true yet, Yao is fairly inconsistent as far as an permanent threat and I don't think we will get fair value back should we trade Francis. So we got to see if we can some how get his confidence back. I say we should do two things, first is try to put Yao and Steve in the game at seperate time as much as possible, so that both can be the no 1. option every now and then. Secondly swith it up and run the offense through both Yao and Steve alternating. Remember when Barkley was with us? Both him and Hakeem liked to post up on the left block and really the offense can only be ran through one of them. So Hakeem ofcourse was mostly the focal point when he's on the floor while Barkley was the support (weakside rebounder) and when Hakeem sits, Barkley would be the no 1. option. However, if Barkley shows that he is the better offensive option for the team in that game, he would be the focal point of the offense for most of the night. This not only allowed both players with suffencient opportunity to be ran through them but also allowed both players to not be extremely fatigued (especially at that age) near the end of the games. I think something like this would be good for the Rox. We should start the game getting Yao involved with the big man offense, then when Yao sits, keep Francis in the game and run a guard oriented offense. When Yao comes back, take Francis out and bring in Mark Jackson and go back to the big men offense. The roles in the second half should decided on what the defense gives you and the performance of the two players in the first half. I think this will not only get Steve a little more confident in his own game but also allow Yao to be a little less fatigued in the end of games.
I was just talking to a friend today about this at lunch today. Francis hasn't found his role on this team yet. I have a lot of faith in JVG. He either has a plan, or will figure it out. My guess is that the coach started with the biggest problems first. Steve is/will be the last project. Steve is a big part of this team.
Stevie is not only a project, but a head case literally. I am not making fun of his condition, and don't intend to. The truth is he make really stupid bball plays. Stevie night in night out beat his defender off the dribble, yet he rarely finishes around the basket these days. It's a good thing he gets bailout calls alot. What I don't understand is why doesn't stevie work on his in between game like a runner in the lane, or a pull up jumper. Stevie is one of the most difficult players to figure out.
In the last month or so, Steve would have a good game then followed by a string of bad games. This is definitely something I want to get out of a max player, the starting PG for the west conference,
He is lost out there, he has to learn to play without the ball in his hands. He needs to learn how to score off the pass instead of the dribble. If he can't we are in trouble. DD
SF has been terrible the last couple of games. He sure did ruin my B-Day hope of the Rockets winning.
Steve Francis must be challenged by JVG and/or his Team -mates. This low grade Basketball just isnt good enough from a player who is about to start on the Western Conference All Stars. I like the idea of Yao and Steve not being on the floor at the same time. During Steves time he should be told to run the show and make us a winner. This will mean a reduction in playing time for both him and Yao Ming, but an increase for Mark Jackson who would play during Yao Mings time.The Francis periods would give Steve more confidence and should no be as restrictive as JVG has it now. After a couple of weeks Steve will be back up again and back ontop of the Pedestal.Jvg and the Fans should try and be more supportive of Steve, lets help him get through this downswing!
I don't like to bash SF3 here, but I would like to point out that ROX' PG and SG have been off for a long time. These two guys (SF3 and CAT) look not calm. They can play one or two big games, but they cannot play big games consistently. When I hear TMAC express his hope that he would like to play with YAO, I really hope YAO and TMAC could become teammates someday. If ROX could get Lopez from JAZZ or A. Miller from Denver as PG. ROX may be much better.
If we can get Tmac and A.Miller to play alongside Yao, you can begin to order rings for the next 6 years. In Miller, you have the traditional PG that can run the show, and TMac and Yao take turn open the inside for each other. Cat is a streaky outside shooter, and SF's outside game is totally off right now. I see the opponents packing it inside daring out guards to beat them from now on.
I heard that if Grant Hill doesn't come back next year, Tmac wants out. I would trade SF+filler(or cash or pick) for Tmac.
Maybe Steve Francis is in the Rasheed Wallace mode? He's probably afraid of being traded (with all the trade rumors going on) so he's taking a lot of pressure to play well but have not done so. And people criticize him not passing enough and so that also change the way he play and effect his game as well. It's true i think Francis is not a true PG. Mark Jackson IS a true PG. Francis isn't looking to pass the ball as his first option at all, unless he's being doubled. He play like a SG mentality than a PG. It's not just Francis, this team does not have enough good passers. From Mobley to JJim to Taylor to Cato, they are not good passers, that's why this team rank at the bottom in assist in the NBA. Luckily they brought in Mark Jackson, he's their best passer no doubt about it.
