actually, based on his comments in interviews (especially the romey one-epic, fresh, rack me) i think he believes he is on their level. i said it when we got him and ill say it again. steve-o is a horrible fit for this team, which requires smart passing and the ability to move w/out the ball - neither of those are his strenghts.
I really did not understand why Stevie was not playing more with T-Mac last night. When T-Mac was in the game he was the one handling the ball, not Rafer. T-Mac runs the offense better than any of our PG's. Also, I am a huge Steve Francis fan (I grew up in Maryland). But it seems that he is a little gimpy out there. It seems as if his knee is still bothering him, especially on the defensive end where he cannot decided when and where to cut. I just hope everything is fine with his health, because he is obviously needed on this team. He just has a knack for taking it to the rim.
In the fourth quarter of last night's game you saw his best sequence of plays was with him and James (and then Brooks) on the floor. Running the pick and roll with the post person breaking the triangle to set the pick and playing the two man game with either Francis or the point. He got penetration each time on that and either got fouled and then scored on that nice reverse. What I'm getting at is that at a certain point in the game Adelman is going to use this, preferably against the opposing subs. He's gonna let Francis and James dominate the ball and try to score on penetration and drive and dishing. Which will play to both of their strengths. On another note, I thought defensively he showed good hustle and determination. The bottom line is someone is going to get injured, and Francis is going to play major minutes at some point in the season. I think he'll be up for it.
probably not behind brooks, but i wouldn't be surprised if brooks got ahead of him later in the season. he's defintely behind Head though and i don't think that will change.
Stevie's got the licesne to go BONKERS! He gets to be the Leandra Barbosa of our system! Besides, Rafer will likely be packaged in some kind of deal that will be better for the other team; rather than benifit us
I watch all the rocket games. Head is way ahead of Steve and has gotten praised consistently by the coach. Brooks is not ahead of him now, but is more valuable to the team in the future. Steve will make the team and get his minutes, but he will either get hurt or play himself out of the rotation. I don't hate the guy, but his game isn't what it once was and he doesn't fit RA's system. He holds the ball too long and always has. Too many people are living in the past when Steve was a good player in a system where he could successfully dominate (hog) the ball. It would be a travesty if we gave up Head, Brooks, or Snyder for nothing to hold on to a player who doesn't fit.
Steve Francis will fit in great, and I think he will start as the season goes on if not at the beginning. I think he is a much better player than both MJ and Rafer Alston.
I think Francis is great for those times when the offense grows stale and we need a spark. He can be used to take advantage of weak benches or to provide a boost in the second half. Unfortunately, he seems filled with negative energy right now, especially since he is no longer the star. If he can get over himself, I'm sure he'll be a great fit for the new Rockets.
I wanted Franchise to be successful and start for the Rockets. He will eventually get this offense but not now. For now Head and Alston are ahead of Francis and James. Even Brooks because he's coming in with a clean slate. Alston is an instinctive streetballer who knows where to find the open man. Head already came from a high post offense with cutters from Illinois. James likes to shoot the 3 ball and takes open shots when he can get them. He thrived in the Euro-high post game at Toronto. Francis has never seen this offense before and it'll take time for him to get acclimated. I don't see him starting the season but I see him getting more minutes as the season goes on and yes with injuries. Francis will probably have to be happy this year playing the role that Ginobili plays for the Spurs. Which isn;t a bad thing for a player.
Something to think about. Clearly Francis is a better basketball player than alston. But who is a better player for this team. The answer is clearly Alston. Francis is a good player , but would never work as a starter. The point guard for this team needs to be a distributor and a leader (alstons strengths) and not a scorer or someone who needs the ball to make things happen(Francis/ James).
I think this is one of the biggest misconceptions on RA's offense. If you remember back in the Kings days, Mike Bibby was not your prototypical point guard. In fact, he's more of a scoring PG like Francis. RA will start his 5 best players, whoever they might be.
Yeah that was kind of ugly last night, the way he was struggling out there to move. Maybe it was just from getting rolled-up on, but seeing as how this team is not hurting for talent, and how many guards we have anyway, I won't be surprised to see Francis get VERY little playing time to start the season. The Rockets can afford to let SF rest his knees and ankles until he is 100% healthy, by which time someone else will probably be dinged up and he will start to see more action. This should give him more time to absorb the offense too, without the pressure of having to try to perform in games on gimpy legs too. I just hope he gets healthy, otherwise the guy is going to get a case of year-long splinter-butt.
