It's not because his team mates can't shoot. It's because when they get the pass, they hold it there wondering what they should do. If KT gets the ball, you know he's going to wait five seconds and then throw it up somehow.
By any chance, would they learn what to do if they got a few more touches and earlier in the shot clock?
Good point GATER. I think they will only look to shoot if they get the ball in those spots where they feel comfortable.
From what I saw tonite, Francis was passing the Rock around. The Suns defense was focused on him and he seemed looking to pass more then shoot. Many of his missed shots in the second half were on drives. I beleive he didn't even shoot once before midway through the 3rd qtr. Finally, when he was out of the game, the Rockets offense looked ATROCIOUS. After tonite's game, I'm completely convinced that the whole "steve shoots too much/passes too little" junk being passed around here is just that...junk. Francis gets everyone involved, or tries to...he just has a bunch of young teammates who don't know how to play yet. Except for Mo Taylor. Clearly he's the only one who can execute other then Francis and the streaky Mobley.
I can't disagree with the statement about Kenny, he really gets on my nerves sometimes. It maybe because I just haven't really liked him alot or because I would have rathered Ming in the 4th instead of Kenny/MoT at center. But the guy has got to stop putting up so many shots, Glen Rice should have gotten more shots tonight and Hawkeye should have been more involved offensively. Another thing I noticed is that Cuttino had a great game tonight apart from those free throws. Notice his assists, don't hear the hatas saying anything bout that these days.
OK, then please explain something to me. If (vs PHX) all of the Rockets exclusive of Kenny Thomas are shooting 50% from the field, how does Francis only get 5 assists? My take is that Francis's mind set of working over the defender (S1P2) takes time off of the 24 second clock. If he were to pass first and move without the ball, he would still get his shots late in the clock but after everyone else has had a feel of the leather. In other words, if he gives it up early in the clock there will still be enough time for him to get his shots. What I see currently happening is that he wastes so much shot clock setting up the defender, there is no time for anyone else except for shots that are out of position and/or rushed.
Just passing the ball doesnt make you a good point guard. SF did try to pass the ball more during the first half, unfortunately he wasnt ready , so was the rest of the team. We have relied so much on ISO for so long, it is not gonna turn into a team offense overnight.
You guys act like getting assits is the only job that a PG has. If Steve scores, it is just as good as getting an assist.
Actually, I saw some good passing when Yao was in the game... Steve to MoT, to Yao. That was an awesome two pass assist (for MoT). I never seen the Rockets do that. Well, in the 70's they did (Lucas).
In a game, the following occurs - Steve Francis gets 30 points and 5 assists Gary Payton gets 20 points and 10 assists Using your "2 points is 2 points" logic, both players have accounted for 40 points so all is even in your view. But what you keep failing to realize is that how much "touching" the ball improves the level of mental involvement of your teammates. For some reason, you are unable to comprehend how the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts. This only happens when the game becomes team oriented. The Rockets don't pass the ball enough. There is no continuity to their offense. For the most part, there is no offense. They look terrible as a team when the game is on the line. The last second athletic heroic wins are what is lodged in your selective memory. I remember plenty of times they looked horrible as a team. And it is only as a team that they will be successful. Do you play basketball? (Video games don't count). Have you ever been in a game where you never or seldom got a shot. Not even to pass the ball. Pretty boring. Make it, take it to 15...you got 1 shot...a missed shot putback...real gratifying and enjoyable. I am going to challenge you. For a brief time, grasp the possibility that you may be wrong. That the way you are thinking is clouded by some form of hero worship. Be totally honest and absolutely analytical. Watch an NBA game not involving the Rockets where at least one of the teams is a playoff caliber team. In a half court set, watch how many times the ball is passed (how many different players have touched it). Now watch how the Rockets do it. I will tell you this. Hubie Brown will have the Grizzlies learning these concepts and they will grow as a team. A month from now when the Rox and Grizz play, you will be in for a surprise. Think back to reading this.
GATER, The sad part, and I hope I'm wrong... Is that I don't think that Francis has the knowlege (BB IQ) to make those assists (7 or more). Not now. That's the reason he always hovers around 5. I don't think he'll learn until his 7th or 8th year in the league. That's three or more years away...
"Using your "2 points is 2 points" logic, both players have accounted for 40 points so all is even in your view. But what you keep failing to realize is that how much "touching" the ball improves the level of mental involvement of your teammates. For some reason, you are unable to comprehend how the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts. This only happens when the game becomes team oriented. " VERY NICE !!! WELL SAID!!!
Steve was passing the ball tonight, Steve is a great player with an off night. The whole loss can be attributed to not keeping with the hot hand i.e. Rice, MoT and Yao. Not all of it was Steves fault, those guys didn't even get minutes after they got hot, can't pass to them when they aint on the court. Steve is a special player and be lucky we have him. Hopefully it was just a horribly bad game which we barely lost, let's hope we can bounce back and beat the Fakers, ppl start having more faith in your team as an whole.
what are you talking about man? fran-sis pass ALL THE TIME. from his right hand to his left hand. then his left hand will pass back to his right hand for a shot. too bad his left hand doesn't get the deserved-credits for assists.
Well, it should be pointed out that in Payton's 4th year, he averaged 16 pts and 6 apg. Hmmm, how does that compare to 30 and 5??? Of course I doubt Steve will average that for the season, when the offense gels, I expect him to average 25 and 8. It's nice to have this little thing called patience. I'm not going to keep doing this dance everytime we lose a game, especially if it isn't part of a losing streak. By the way, I blame Steve for tonight's loss. Why? Because his shooting was off. He went 5 for 18. Had he hit one or 2 more shots, we would have won this game. Also, Ming needed more minutes, he was on fire. Also, people complain about our guards taking crazy shots, but the wildest guy on the floor in my opinion is KT. How many times per game does he pull the patented "spin move into 2 defenders" where the ball will either get thrown way to hard off the backboard, fall out of his hands, or mysteriously fly 30 feet into the air and into the hands of an opponent?
i completely agree. some of the best movement and passing i saw throughout the entire game came when Yao was on the floor.
The reason Francis' assist totals are low is because he doesnt pass. Geesh. Here are a few interesting stats Ive been keeping on my own the last 3 games. Francis' Assists 16 Francis' Assist Opportunities 35 Francis Total Touches 252 Francis AO per Touch 7.2 Out of 252 touches the last three games, Francis set up his teamates for a score only 35 times! So Francis' teamates poor shooting isnt because they are bad shooters, its because they do not often get the ball from him and are out of sync when they do because of bad positioning!
