I have seen enough Francis bashing here as well. Francis is not the best point guard in this league. He is not perfect for Yao. But, hey, do you really think that you can just trade Francis for someone who is a better point guard and the perfect fit for Yao? Any one in their right mind would consider the answer obvious: NOT A CHANCE. Francis is adapting to the new system better and better. He will become part of the combo between himself and Yao. Francis' athletism and the ability to play both guard position is very valuable to compliment Yao. The only better fit at the guard position for Yao would be Kobe. But there is no chance tyou can get Kobe. The YOF/SF haters have not seen what they would face if the Rox had an Iverson to play with Yao. Only when the Rox replaced Francis with another player these people would find out how valuable Francis is to this team.
Basically agree with your point. But, there is no need fo you to label everyone who has different opinion from yours as a YOF/SF hater, which only means you are a hater yourself.
How do you know Francis isn't hitting his peak rather than improving? What if, in the playoffs, he shoots 39% from the field, 29% from 3-pt land, passes it barely 6 times and turns it over 3 times. You still wouldn't be willing to give up, after giving him 82 games to adapt?
I do not know if Frnacis has peaked. But I do know that Francis is one of the better guards in this league. There are only probably a handful of guards that seem to be better. If Francis is committed to working with yao and building a better team, he is a keeper. Besides it is obvious that you cannot get anyone better for Francis. Francis has never been to the playoff yet. What he will do in his first appearance in a playoff game is interesting. But I am certain that he will not be the kind of player you are projecting.
The more Yao gets defensive attention in the paint, the more the Rockets need a Kenny Smith-type point guard and less the slash/create type point guard. That's why the Rockets were content with Matt Maloney at the point guard when Hakeem and Barkley were here. Especially with the zone defense allowing defenses to just jam the paint area, the team needs a zone buster at point guard.
All I'm saying is... I don't see how we'd be worse off with Iverson. Iverson is a stud! And he's never played with a good center before. There's a chance playing with Yao would make AI better. But I guess there's a slight chance he'd feud with JVG and that his ego will be too big for the team. But I think deep down inside he just wants to win man.
Why do we have to get another Guard in return? I'd prefer to have our other star anywhere but the PG position quite frankly. I'm pretty sure we can get good value back for Steve Francis. For example, Luke Ridnour and Rashard Lewis for Steve Francis. Maybe Francis for Ray Allen. Maybe Francis for Iverson - if the PG is shooting 39%, he might as well attract more fans. T-Mac may nag the hell out of the Magic, then we can offer them Mobley and Francis for T-Mac and Lue. It might even be better to get a few complimentary players and a pick than one star player. Tyson Chandler, Eddie Robinson and Jamaal Crawford? I have no clue how Francis will go from here on, but I do know that this is not a slump - he just doesn't fit the system well. He needs to improve his outside and midrange shooting. He will have some nights when more shots will go in, but on most nights, he's not the best player to place around Yao.
I concur. Iverson adores Yao, T-Mac worships Yao. I have enough wet dreams of either one in Rockets uniform.
Francis is a rare talent for his athleticsm and rebounding ability. But I don't believe he is the right player for a championship team with Yao. On the other hand, Yao is the ONLY type of player of his talent in the NBA right now, 7-6, 315 pound, and with skills. Current Rockets core team is built around Francis. With Yao emerging as the true franchise player, Rockets need to purge the roster in the summer and build a complete team around Yao, if they want to be a serious contender in the next year or two. The earlier the pain, the sooner Rockets can see the rings.
Jamaal Crawford?...and oh yeah by the way Kenny Smith use to get owned by opposing guards. I remember him and Maxwell getting outplayed in the finals, but lucky for us we had the Dream.
Yeah, they do, ...................................... in your wet dreams. I did not mean to open a can of worms. I just wanted to say that some people would only rethink their positions when they actually lost the bet ...
I am sure that SF is the above-the-average players. But, as long as his existance doesn't help the team than other possible options, we need to trade him for sure. Everything is for team. We could spend 3 years to watch if a player (like Yao) is valuable, but there is no way to spend 6 year betting on a veteran player. So if he can't make it this season, they he has to go!
Let the rational speak, not emotion. There is no substance in your argument, except that I love SF. Fix what is not work, not wait until it's working.
No, I did not mean that. I just point out that what you think is not working may not be the case, and, when you brought your "fix" in to replace what you think is not working, you would find it out that your "fix" is not better than what you think is not working.
this thread has no substance whatsoever you don't know what you can have either until u gain it use evidence, watch the tapes, compare salaries and histories marginally there is something better than francis for this team
Thanks for the critics. But where is your "substance"? Here is an example of it: Iverson now talks about how good coach Brown was for him and the team. He admitted that he did not know what he had in terms of Brown's coaching. The fact is that he was the reason Brown had to leave the 76'ers.
Matter worse...After Phoenix game, Steve will be judged not only how well he plays offense/defense, but how good he handle full-court-press defense. I am sure we will see more on that. I like Steve, but I think we need a real point guard. Hope he can play at another position.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE HIGHLY PAID COACHES AND CONSULTANTS TO DECIDE ON THIS MATTER, NOT JUST TAKING AN ADVICE FROM A BBS FAN.
I firmly agree with you, Bobliu (aside from that final "certainty"). Francis is here right now. His place in the future of this team is absolutely on him. I'd say the exact same thing for Cat. The growth and development in their games over the next few weeks will determine the future of the Rox. It's a truly beautiful thing to watch them play sometimes. Then they have a way of of truly p;ss;ng you off. (It's like a girl you're in love with who just does some really stupid sh;t sometimes ... You'll give her some time to fit more with what you want in a relationship or you'll eventually move on) At their best, the Rox have a squad that could challenge anybody for the league championship in a 7 game series. However, and as great as Yao is becoming, this team's success also falls heavily on how well Steve and Cat work within this team. I actually hope our guys continue to get better. I suppose you have to accept the steps backwards along the way in order to appreciate the the journey to the top.
