From ESPN "11. Why is it better for Houston if they get swept by the Lakers?

I'm checking in. I agree with HoustonHoopa in the sense that TRUE points are a thing of past, and I believe that Francis can be a good one at the combo style of PG's. He can model his game after Dwyane Wade, who can score and dish at will. I believe that Francis can improve his game without improving his numbers.

 

When you have a monster like Yao (who's going to be dominant for more years than Steve), you'd have to have a true point guard. I never "fail to acknowledge Steve's quickness, athleticism, scoring ability at a position that is hard to find scorers, ability to breakdown a defense, heart and effort, etc..."

Sure he's quick, athletic and can break down defenses. But the thing is, he'll spend countless seconds of dribbling to do so. Now this may seem great if he can put up a shot but what happens when Shaq suddenly decided to stop being lazy and help out and man the paint after Steve broke the opposing guard's ankle? He'll put up a crazy shot or pass it to a teammate with 2 seconds left.

Sure he can score and he's hard to find a scorer in that position. But still, you can't have a shoot-first PG when you have Yao. It is hard to find a true PG who can do everything that's why you have to settle with the next best thing, a PG who can create opportunities for the whole team and not just for himself.

As I've said, he simply failed to recognize that Shaq is being lazy as usual and failed to give Yao better looks at the basket. He failed to recognize that Malone couldn't keep up with Mo when he's facing the basket. He failed to recognize that Jackson was more often than not free.

Someone also pointed out that Kidd is also making turnovers but no one else seems to notice. But the fact of the matter is, you'll have turnovers if you're handling the ball. But, those are forced turnovers. It did't come from a fancy pass that went wrong. It didn't come from an errant pass because Kidd didn't have anywhere else to go when he tried to force a shot. Francis' turnovers were something that could've been avoided. He just chose not to.

Think about the team's future. Do you seriously think that you'll go places with Yao and Steve manning the point?

Besides, you're all saying that Steve can free himself up from the defender. Why don't he give the ball to Yao at the post and free himself up to set himself up for an easy two? That's simple basketball. It's not flashy, but effective.

 

The thread I've created has created a lot of publicity..can I get some eprops