The Rockets have the most promise of the Midwest Division. Most of it due to the 7'5 man in the middle. But along with him you have an explosive duo in the backcourt lead by Steve Francis. The league has a few small guys that are able to dominate like Baron and Iverson, but is Francis one of them? Should the Rockets put more of the burden on Yao's shoulders. The West is known for having a number of big men. From the likes of Tim, Karl, and Shaq, to Rasheed, Kevin, and Webber. And no coincidence the past few years the championships that have been won have always had a big man doing damage. Shouldn't this be enough reason to make Yao their man? Or is he still a little wet behind the ears? If not, then when?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 831 Shogun:</div><div class="quote_post">The Rockets have the most promise of the Midwest Division. </div>I thought you just posted that the Nuggets did? Francis is the man. No reason why they both can't be dominant leaders. Yao is still learning the NBA game. Give him a year or two and you will see this guy blossom and take on more of the load.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rudeezy:</div><div class="quote_post">I thought you just posted that the Nuggets did? </div> Both have a lot of promise, but I can see the Rockets reaching higher then the Nuggets because of Yao.
If Rockets want to go anywhere they will need Ming to be the number 1 guy.Francis is not a true point guard and he won't lead the Rockets anywhere.It's all up to Yao Ming for something great to happen in Houston.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting allnet:</div><div class="quote_post">If Rockets want to go anywhere they will need Ming to be the number 1 guy.Francis is not a true point guard and he won't lead the Rockets anywhere.It's all up to Yao Ming for something great to happen in Houston.</div> I'll second that. The more that Frances and Mobley see to shoot it haunts this team. Dump it to Yao every time down the court, then work the inside/outside game. Because this outside/outside game has got them nowhere.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting King James:</div><div class="quote_post">Frances </div> Francis,Mr journalism supervisor. Francis will carry this team alot more than Yao will at the moment.
If the Rockets want to be successful Yao must be the number one option on offense. I mean he is so versatile, and is a defensive nightmare. Francis and Ming will be like Kobe and Shaq were during their title run. Feed Ming the ball and let him go to work in the post. When the defense adjusts you will get a heavy dose of Francis. These two will be unstopable together in a few years. The biggest thing will be getting Francis to recognize that Yao is the man and that without Yao, they will get nowhere. Relying solely on jump shots won't win this team a championship. Having Yao touch the ball every time down the court in a scoring position will.
I agree. I think Yao can be that special big man who can average 25 points, 13 rebounds and 4 blocks in his prime, and be able to dispatch the forwards of the west as if they are nothing. Its like letting a tiger in to play with the wolves, though he's a baby tiger right now. Stevie Franchise will be like Glide to Yao's Dream. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting 831 Shogun:</div><div class="quote_post">Both have a lot of promise, but I can see the Rockets reaching higher then the Nuggets because of Yao.</div> Is that just because Yao is 7'5"? j/k
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting dexter:</div><div class="quote_post">If the Rockets want to be successful Yao must be the number one option on offense. I mean he is so versatile, and is a defensive nightmare. Francis and Ming will be like Kobe and Shaq were during their title run. Feed Ming the ball and let him go to work in the post. When the defense adjusts you will get a heavy dose of Francis. These two will be unstopable together in a few years. The biggest thing will be getting Francis to recognize that Yao is the man and that without Yao, they will get nowhere. Relying solely on jump shots won't win this team a championship. Having Yao touch the ball every time down the court in a scoring position will.</div> Yao has been the number 1 option a few games this year and he hasn't responded well. Clearly, he is better being a secondary option at the time being.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting franchise3:</div><div class="quote_post">Yao has been the number 1 option a few games this year and he hasn't responded well. Clearly, he is better being a secondary option at the time being.</div> That is true however you must also consider the fact that he is getting doubled in the post quite a bit, which is a good thing. When the ball goes through Yao, the Rockets permiter players get open jump shots. I think these are just growing pains right now. The Rockets just need to fight through them and stick with their gameplan(get Yao the ball). I do not see how this team can be successful if Yao is not the number one option.
Houston's biggest problem is that they average an atrocious 17 turnovers per game. Ironically it is the Rockets' two best players, Steve Francis and Yao Ming that are the most turnover prone. Among guards who are thier teams primary ball-handler Francis averages less turnovers than only Allen Iverson, Paul Pierce and Gilbert Arenas. While among players 6-10 or taller Yao averages more turnovers than everyone except for Tim Duncan and Shaq, both of whom get far more touches than Yao. The only other points of contention with this team are its below average FG% .426 and poor assist totals, 17.3 per game(only Miami averages less). The FG% is not a problem however because the Rockets shoot a very good 3pt% and play outstanding team defense, holding opponents to an astounding .391 shooting percentage as a team. The assist numbers are a concern because if one looks at the combined records of the NBA's top 5 assist teams (Sacremento, Lakers, New Jersey, Memphis and Minnesota) they might notice an impressive 71-39 tally good for a 64.5 winning percentage. However assists per game should go up some if turnovers per game go down as 4 of the top 5 assist teams in the league are also in top ten in fewest turnovers. New Jersey, who ranks 13th overall in fewest turnovers is the only team of the 5 with a losing record. While I am generally hesitant to rely on numbers, in Houston's case they seem to point VERY strongly towards turnover woes being the barrier between a 2nd round exit and legitimate championship run for Houston. All of the other key elements seem to in place- Explosive scoring punch from inside and out, good rebounding (Rockets average 3 more rebounds per game than thier opponents), two legitimate stars, good coaching and outstanding team defense. high turnover counts are often a result of poor ball movement. Given that Yao and Francis are both very good passers that seems odd. So I would have to point my finger at poor movement away from the ball. Perhaps the rest of the team needs to be more involved in the offense. If they are getting more shots perhaps it will inspire them to be more active on offense. I know many believe that Yao is already getting the short-end of the stick when it comes to shots but history has shown that star players' numbers do not suffer when their teammates begin to produce more. Garnett's numbers have not dropped since adding Cassel, Olowakandi, and Spreewell to his team. Mcgrady is still putting up huge numbers even after adding Gordon Giricek, Drew Gooden and Juwan Howard (and losing only Mike Miller). Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'neal are still putting up some serious numbers even after adding two all-star players and future hall-of-famers to a team that runs the triangle offense. An offense built to not even need a star player. So if I could whisper in Jeff Van Gundy's ear I'd be telling him to integrate a little bit more motion into the offense and encourage player to make a decision and shoot, penetrate or pass the ball when they get a touch (i.e. less dribbling). Anyone who stood around dribbling the basketball would find themselves on the bench until they figured it out. My perscription for Houston- More motion, more ball movement and less dribbling will lead to less turnovers, more assists and a championship run. *phew* that took longer than I planned. -rocko220
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Rocko220:</div><div class="quote_post"> So if I could whisper in Jeff Van Gundy's ear I'd be telling him to integrate a little bit more motion into the offense and encourage player to make a decision and shoot, penetrate or pass the ball when they get a touch (i.e. less dribbling). Anyone who stood around dribbling the basketball would find themselves on the bench until they figured it out. My perscription for Houston- More motion, more ball movement and less dribbling will lead to less turnovers, more assists and a championship run. </div> Brilliant post Rocko. I agree with you completely. It seems that once Yao gets the ball in the post, the whole offense stops and waits for Yao to do something, whether it be a shot, power move, kick-out or what have you. Instead of waiting for Yao to do something, the Rockets should move around some more. As soon as the ball is entered into Yao, the person who entered the ball to him should go screen away. Hell, they could even run a double staggard screen on the opposite elbow for a shooter. There is always the possibility of the backside man cutting backdoor and getting a wide open lay up. The possibilities are endliess when you move without the basketball. Movement is the greatest way to confuse a defense. By just standing around, the defense doesn;t have to work. I agree with Rocko that more movement without the basketball will lead to more scoring as well as few turnovers.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Franchise73187:</div><div class="quote_post">The (15-10) are doing great this season but the only reasonis cause of their #1 scorer #3.</div> Actually stats wise, Cuttino Mobley is having a better year than Stevie Francis.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 831 Shogun:</div><div class="quote_post">The Rockets have the most promise of the Midwest Division. Most of it due to the 7'5 man in the middle. But along with him you have an explosive duo in the backcourt lead by Steve Francis. The league has a few small guys that are able to dominate like Baron and Iverson, but is Francis one of them? Should the Rockets put more of the burden on Yao's shoulders. The West is known for having a number of big men. From the likes of Tim, Karl, and Shaq, to Rasheed, Kevin, and Webber. And no coincidence the past few years the championships that have been won have always had a big man doing damage. Shouldn't this be enough reason to make Yao their man? Or is he still a little wet behind the ears? If not, then when?</div> It should be Francis, Yao is struggling the past few gamesonly averaging around 6 boards and 12 points a game. A decrease for Yao
Steve is the leader, without question-however, this team's success will ultimately be decided by Yao's play, and his desire to get more aggressive and start to dominate on a nightly basis.
