I still remember Yao vs Shaq I, SF scored 41 points quietly. I like him. Ouh, all rockets went to other teams play bad. ????? SF, JJ, Cato, Mo, Just cat is ok.
Let us not get sentimental over this!! We don't need the return of a selfish dribbler on this team. Be realistic! Francis is not a playmaker and isn't big enough to play a Shooting Guard, especially the way the game is developing.
You may not think that our system allows for a player like Stevie but what I saw in Stevie's year under JVG was a much improved player who toned down his offensive game, started giving Yao the ball, and started playing tough defense from the point. Yeah, they had their clashes, the Super Bowl thing and all that, but I think Steve has grown out of all that. I think he's matured to the point where he really wants to win. He's had the snot knocked out of him in Orlando and now New York. So, I think he has changed. As far as him fitting in here on the court with 111, I think there is no question that he would fit in fine. Stevie is a finisher. No, he hasn't been a great catch and shoot player. He's a finisher. You tell me, the defense is doubling Yao and slanted towards Tracy, Battier is standing in the corner and the ball is swung to Francis that he couldn't finish at the rim???? That's nutz man. Rafer's problem is he can't finish at the rim and up until this year his 3 point shooting has been lacking. Rafer has to shoot the 3 ball to be effective. Francis would just have to take it to the rim. He's gonna get lay-ins, very high percentage stuff and And 1s besides. There are several factors about Francis' career that I think we have to keep in perspective that I think actually make him out to be a worse shooter than he really is. 1. I think it was the 2002 season, he was having all those migraine headaches, they finally diagnosed him with Meneires disease. Before that, his shooting seemed to be okay in the previous seasons seeing as he was having to take the majority of the tough shots for our team. We should always remember when looking at shooting statistics that your best player/players, your superstar should be cut some slack on shooting percentages. They have to take the vast majority of the bail out shots when the clock is winding down or at the end of quarters. Steve was an okay shooter before this and was improving. But that season was very difficult for him. Can you imagine playing with migraines? But he did it anyways. He is one tough sonofa. Remember this was pre Ming era. 2. The next year was the beginning of Ming. Steve seemed to recover from the Meneire's condition, at least he was aware of it and how to treat it, and his shooting improved slightly, however, everybody that watched that team could see that we were suffering in the chemistry dept. Him and Cat waving Yao off, that season was crazy and led to Rudy' dismissal. 3. The next season was year 1 of the Van Gundy era. Enough said. All of the perimeter players that played on that team had bad shooting percentages. Van Gundy's system caused a lot of adjustments. Francis', Mobley's, Jim Jackson's, Moochie, Pike, all of their shooting percentages fell. The reason was Van Gundy was making them D up and they didn't have their legs. Of course, that team finally got it together, made the playoffs, and were really just a few plays away from taking out the Lakers. 4. Subsequent to that season he was sent to Orlando and then on to NY. And this is the first year he has really had anything to play for since leaving Houston. Now, he's hurt. Orlando was sheer misery, they weren't going anywhere. So, I'm not making excuses for his shooting. But I am saying his shooting has been unfairly knocked. He is a better shooter than given credit for. He's not Ray Allen. But he's okay if unspectacular from distance. But what stands out in Francis is the ability to finish. He is the best point guard in the league at finishing at the rim. Yeah, that includes AI. AI is good at the rim but very good from midrange with the little pull ups. But nobody takes it to the rack like Francis, not even Marbury. The other thing that stands out about Francis is his heart. He loved playing here and it showed on the floor. He left everything out there and the fans and his teammates fed off his energy. Oh, he may have been too slow to come around to JVG but you cannot ever question his heart. It absolutely killed him leaving here. And the other thing we know about Francis is he can D it up too. We didn't know that until the Van Gundy era but Francis because a very very good defender under Van Gundy. So, while his salary does not fit right now, his game sure would, especially come playoff time, when the intensity goes up about 10 notches. That's when they separate the men from the boys and that's when Francis would dig a little deeper. He's that kind of player. It will be interesting to see what he does when his contract is up. I think that he will have very mediocre numbers in New York, playing next to Starbury. And it wouldn't surprise me at all if he gets moved again for a bigger player or expiring contract down the road. But when his deal up, if he still has something in the tank, he could be a very good pick up for a team like the Rox for the MLE.
well, compared to Rafer, Francis is the king of consistency.. that's for sure.. now I understand what you are talking about though, considering his days as a rocket, he wasn't that consistent, you are right, but heck, if u had to choose between him and Rafer, who is more consistent??
I can't agree with you more. I feel pitty for SF cos Yao treats him like a bro and SF is not in a good situation now. I still can't forget the frustration I got watching Yao fighting positions download only to see SF's shoots not to fall. He would then have to run back for defense, grab rebound... Also his working ethic (superbowl) is still questionable to me.
yes, he toned down his offensive game. and, no, he was not happy about it. remember the b****ing towards the end? remember the b****ing about it once got to orlando? i believe it was something along the lines of "they have their way of playing and if you don't like it, you get traded". not only do we still have the same coach, we still play the same way. in fact, what we were playing then was elementary. what we are doing now is doctoral. as for his maturation, i don't know. by all accounts, he clashed immediately with larry brown. admittedly, he is not the first and brown was a jerk while in NYC. but it still raises a flag for me when i hear rumors of steve b****ing on how he's being used...again. have you forgotten that francis refused to run the ball upcourt? do you not remember jvg doing his best don quixote impersonations, frantically waving the skippin' point guard windmill steve francis upcourt? one of the beauties of rafer is that he gets us into our sets quickly. quick enough to work the ball into yao, repost yao if necessary, find tmac with a good pass, and knock down the open three. could steve do those things? i tend to say no. we'd get into our sets slower, which changes our options. still, to your point about him getting to the rim, as opposed to rafer bangin in 3s (as he has done quite well this year), i'd say that it would not work. defenses would probably give steve the long j. he's never been particularly proficient at it. granted he was playing with migraines. granted he is tough as nails. no doubt. however, those were the isolation years, remember? clear a side, go one on one. having no post player to feed off of, i'm stuck wondering what he's doing gunning up 24 footers in the first place? if it's bail out time, shouldn't he have been relying on his best assets? still, i'll give him a mulligan for that year, because of the meniere's disease. he's a tougher player than most, that's for sure. and the beginning of my dislike towards his game. what kind of bball idiot(s) wave off the one player that can make your game easier??? also, you mention "chemistry". who is the chief determinate of chemistry but your leader? was steve francis not the undisputed leader of the team at that point? from what i know to be true, the team follows the leader. if he is steady, a "rock" so to speak, mature, unselfish, and determined, how do you think the team will be? you're right. imo, it was francis single greatest season in the nba. hands down. oh, please. that was a prime A opportunity to start anew. fresh start with a city that has just opened it's arms up to you. a city that was fed up with mcgrady and was thrilled to get francis. nevermind that he had also just acquire a beast of a rookie in dwight howard. nevermind that he got to keep his homies with him (cato/cat). nevermind that the entire team was adjusted to him. nothing to play for? imagine if steve would've realized his potential in orlando alongside howard. two words: tony parker possibly. however, we already have that from mcgrady. we may also have it in yao. we already have that from bonzi. do we need that from steve, particularly at the risk of blowing up test cohesiveness and chemistry?
rafer. francis has been consistently declining since he left houston. rafer had one bad year (last year).
precisely. i have NO IDEA what makes people think that he has somehow "changed". if he had changed, he'd still be playing alongside dwight howard!
Francis is a horrible franchise player (very unfortunate nickname). But he can be a very good role player, IF he is willing to do it. I'd take him over Bonzi.
