[SI] Francis eyeing bounce-back year

Actually SF is one of the best rebounding guards I've ever seen. Hope he still has that weapon in his arsenal.

 

rebounding was a strenth for steve I look forward to seeing that back. That was a huge thing sura used to do that rafer didnt do as well. rafer would get rebounds that came to him but francis and sura will literally chase down a rebound or jump in with the trees to grab some.

yeah i honestly think francis will be rejuvenated this year with a lot to prove he is coming back to home, where he belongs. i am looking forward to cheering for him again as a rocket

 

that's what I am worrying about, same old Francis. 16ast and 13 TO for the least 4 games....

 

one positive for sure, Yao, TMac, SF3 will easily give Rocket 20 FTs a game, means more breaks for yao to restore strength in run-and-gun games.
Let's enjoy the new season.

 

I've always loved his rebounding. I've seen him around the basket surrounded by tall timbers of centers and power forwards and Francis leaps in the air and snatches the ball away from them.

We should give him some loud cheers because he seems to show a loyalty to Houston. He should be upset that he was traded, but yet he takes less money to come help us win. I hope he resurrects his career here like Baron Davis.

 

I love Stevie as much as a straight man can love another

 

Which one of you is the straight man?

 

Great read, thanks for posting!

 

I won't be surprised if the PA announcer says 'And at SG, number 3, STEEEEEVEEEE FRAAAAANCHIIIIISSEEEE!!!!!"

 

alright, alright, i know i've doubted Steve since, well i give him my blessings now. God speed Steve.

 

The Franchise is definitely back. We finally got the heart & soul that this team severely lacked. I have no doubts that Steve will have a bonce-back year, similar to Baron Davis. Of course he won't be the same, but that doesn't mean he can be better. Look at T-Mac, he had his best all around season this past year but people will agree that he is not the same T-Mac from Orlando.

 

Okay... (takes a deep breath). Angels, let's get rid of Alston.






Um... Charlie?
Charlie?

 

some of yall remind me of battered wives who keep defending their husband - "he didnt mean to hit me, he's a good husband". there is alot of wishful thinking going on here about what kind of player francis is now, but no proof that anything has really changed.

francis has (almost) always said the right things, but when the season comes around nothing has changed. before every season started there would always be an article in the chronicle about how NOW "the franchise" has turned the corner and NOW he is ready to lead and NOW he is a more mature player. he met with bill gates and michael jordan about leadership - and nothing ever changed. the end result would still be and1 iso ball, poor decision-making and constant turnovers. how many times are some of yall going to allow yourselves to be played?

something he said at the press conference was very telling - i dont remember him ever saying it outright before and it should be an indicator of what his priorities have been and always will be - "i used to just want to get on sports center, but NOW i want to win".

i just dont see him fitting into adlemans offense, which requires passing, moving w/out the ball and smart descision-making - none of which are strengths of steve-o.

talk is cheap and a leapord dont change his spots.

for the money, he is a bargain, but i just dont think he will fit in and the idea that a guy who has been in the league 10 years and only made the playoffs once will be the person who makes us championship contenders is laughable.

 

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again." —President George W. Bush

 

^LOL, so are you saying you don't really like SF3's game?
chill, i'm more pessimistic about the upcoming election. this is all just gravy with the rockets. go rox, go stevie.

 

Don't you think people in Dallas thought the same thing when Stackhouse came on board; I'm sure they love him now though. The excitement is warranted in the sense that we don't need Francis to be "the Franchise" to win, we need him to be Sura. If he brings toughness, rebounding, and penetration at the guard position everything else is gravy. We don't need him to score 20, we don't need him to distribute the ball.

Also, the fact that he is so pleased to be in H-town can't be anything but a positive. No one here is under any delusions of what it means to have him here.

 

Excellent post,this stuff is very true. He will not play if he doesn't learn to change his game a little bit. He needs to learn to stop holding the basketball so darn much,he would do it in new york just last season and when he did this the offense would collapse and the reason for his dumb descision making plays is because he holds the ball looking to go 1 on 4 or 5 and the coach would yell at him to move the ball and then at the last minute he would try to pass the ball which would lead to forced plays and his high volume of turnovers.


In this new system you can't be in hesitation. You can't hold the ball for 5 seconds and then decide to pass the ball when the coach yells move the ball. This system is based on reading the defense,your not coming down calling a set play every posession,this is where the freedom comes into play.The players are given a lot of responsibility at reading the defense and when you hold the ball you allow the defense to overplay the passing angles,Especially the high post where you intiate your offense through.


In this offense if steve is holding the baksetball it is going to be obviuos and he will be sitting down on the bench because a big part of the O is reads and funneling the basketball through the Bigs.Steve will stick out like a sore thumb if he tries to hold the baksetball and do his 1 on 5 thang. His poor descisions will come to light as well if he can't make the quick reads. Steve will be able to use his one on one skills but he has to add team skills to his game in order to get the minutes he feels he deserves. If he or james don't want to blend into the mix,then they will both be on the bench watching a rookie eat up their minutes.

 

That should be in the joke thread!

 

Along with the new attitude, I like the fact that he is working so hard to be in tip-top for the season. I think he realizes that he can't just rely on his explosive athleticism like he did in the past. He's gonna have to play smarter and learn how to defer to Yao and T-Mac. Where he can be really helpful though is attacking a defense that is keying in on either one of those guys. He's gonna force the action, and I think this will force the defense to adjust, come off Yao, or leave a shooter open. Then, Stevie just ahs to make the right decision.

 

therein lies the problem...