Francis no longer Rockets' No. 1 option
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, February 6
If Jeff Van Gundy says it's hot, then Steve Francis is, most likely, going to argue it's cold.
"It's never going to be over as far as an endpoint," Francis said in the Houston Chronicle of their latest argument concerning his Super Bowl Sunday disappearance. "He's going to coach the way he wants to coach, and I'm going to play the way I want to play. There's always going to be conflict. It's not like we're going to be best friends. There are going to be days when he thinks I should have done this better, and there are going to be days when I think he should have done things better. We both understand that."
Or maybe it's Van Gundy saying it's cold and Francis opting for hot.
Steve Francis
Point Guard
Houston Rockets
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
FT%
47
16.7
5.6
5.9
.396
.756
"I would agree with that -- not that he'll play the way he wants to play -- but I agree with everything else," Van Gundy said.
But there is at least one thing they will agree on.
Steve "The Franchise" Francis is no longer the centerpiece of the Houston Rocket Franchise even if his teammates don't understand that yet.
"The best player on the team and the coach are going to always have their spats, regardless of what team you're on," Rockets forward Maurice Taylor said. "That's why they are the best player, they can have spats with the head coach."
Because if Francis really were the best player on the team, then why would he be allowed to shoot 14.8 times per game this season when he shot 16.2 times per game last year and 17.6 times the year before that.
As a result, his numbers have dropped off considerably across the board.
2002-03 Season: 21 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.5 bpg, 43% from field, 35% from 3, 80% free throw
2003-04 Season: 16.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 39% from field, 29% from 3, 75% free throw
Of course, Van Gundy will tell you this is by design. He wants 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming to be the focal point of the offense. After all, Yao has shot 51 percent from the field over his brief career while Francis is at 43 percent. Van Gundy wants Francis to play a controlled game that sees Yao as the first option.
Francis, of course, wants an up-and-down game with plenty of fast breaks and 3-point shots.
So far, the change is philosophy is mixed.
Yao Ming
Center
Houston Rockets
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
FT%
48
16.1
9.1
1.4
.532
.769
So far this season, Yao has gone from scoring 13.5 points per game last year to 16.1 this year as the Rockets moved to a 27-21 record while scoring 87.2 points per game and shooting 43.4 percent from the field.
Last year, they were at 26-22 at this point of the season and finished averaging 93.8 points per game while shooting 44 percent from the field.
Last year, Yao shot the ball 9.8 times per game. This year, he's shooting the ball 11.2 times per game.
But regardless of these statistical results, Francis knows as well as Van Gundy that this trend will continue. This year, next year, the year after that, Francis' role is changing.
In 15 games in November, Francis took 241 shots. In 15 games in December, he shot 225 times. In 15 games in January, he shot 207 times.
"It's out of my mind," Francis said. "As far as prolonging it, I could care less. I don't have any bad feelings against him. I've still got to play for him, God knows how long. I have no problem with coach at all."
And, depending on how you look at it, Van Gundy said hot . . . Or cold.
"I don't look at it as a conflict between me and Steve," Van Gundy said. "Because you could have erased his name and put anybody else's name in there and it would have been the same course of action. Steve and I are fine. Like I said, I enjoy him. I'm sure there are things at times that we'll disagree on, just like I'll disagree with any player on."
Jackson running out of patience?
Lakers coach Phil Jackson seems to bending and bending and bending backwards for Kobe Bryant and you have to wonder if he's getting any closer to a breaking point.
Bryant was supposed to join the team Thursday night in Philadelphia for its game against the Sixers. He wasn't going to play, but Jackson expected him to be with his teammates. But one hour before tip off, the Lakers had no idea of his whereabouts, leaving Jackson to wonder if:
A) He was still suffering from the stomach flu.
B) His stitched finger was hurting too much to fly.
C) He didn't want to hear his hometown crowd boo him again.
D) He slipped again on a box in his garage while attending to urgent family matters during the Super Bowl.
E) His shooting guard had decided to test the free-agent market even sooner than expected.
or, the traditional favorite . . .
F) Weather.
"We understand. This has not been an easy week," Jackson said.
Bending . . .
"Those things we have to understand," Jackson said.
Bending . . .
"I haven't heard anything," Jackson said 60 minutes before tip off. "I don't know if it's weather or something's come up that delayed him. But he was supposed to be here between four and five."
Bending . . .
"It's good for him, to be with us here," Jackson said. "Be with us in this situation, join his teammates, see how we're playing, be first-hand in what we're going through right now, as far as the way we're playing the game."
The Lakers ended up getting blown out by the Sixers, 96-73, making only 28 of 82 shots while their defense allowed Philadelphia to shoot 49 percent from the field after shooting only 43 percent on the season as Bryant's agent finally contacted the team to tell it Kobe would, instead, meet the Lakers in Orlando on Sunday.
Of course, this was after he was originally supposed to meet the team in Cleveland on Wednesday.
Darko running in place
This isn't the idea of progress No. 2 pick Darko Milicic had in mind when he decided to join the NBA.
"(I will ask) what is the idea, what is the schedule they have for me?" Milicic said in the Detroit News. "They don't think I will start to play this year? I want to know that. I didn't think I was going to have big minutes, but I don't care. I just want a few minutes. I just want to do something good. I want to show what I can do. Right now, I don't have any minutes and I can't do anything."
Darko Milicic
Forward-Center
Detroit Pistons
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
FT%
15
0.9
0.7
0.2
.333
.286
When the season started, on Oct. 31, Milicic knew he wasn't going to start the game. He knew he wasn't going to play significant minutes off the bench. But he had no idea he was going to play only one minute, taking no shots and scoring no points.
He also had no idea that he would play a total of 16 minutes in November, 11 minutes in December and 20 minutes in January. So far in February, he hasn't played a single minute. In fact, he hasn't played since Jan. 16 when he logged nine minutes and no points.
Ten games later, he was looking for an explanation and couldn't have liked it when it came.
"There is no confusion between me and Darko. In fact, we talk all the time," head coach Larry Brown said. "He came in after lifting weights after practice and said to Dave (assistant coach Dave Hanners), 'What do I need to do to get better?', which I was really happy to hear him say because that to me is like a first-year college freshman asking how he can play more. He knows he needs to get better. I'd be worried if he didn't want to play. He's getting better, but he's not ready yet. Joe (Dumars) and I talked about this -- we don't think he's going to play."
But even so, he's handling it as best as can be expected.
"He's not frustrated, he's just competitive and wants to play," his agent, Marc Cornstein, said. "He's not satisfied with being the 12th man."
Even as he watches No. 1 pick LeBron James and No. 3 pick Carmelo Anthony log heavy minutes. So far this season, Milicic has played a total of 48 while James is at 1,848 and Anthony at 1,788.
"They're playing good," Milicic said. "Carmelo's playing good. But right now, I just care about me, because I am not playing. I am trying to do something good . . . Coaches say, 'You're young, wait. Be patient.' I am never going to tell them (coaches) that I am ready (to play). If they cannot see, I am not going to tell them. They know better than me."
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Friday, February 6
If Jeff Van Gundy says it's hot, then Steve Francis is, most likely, going to argue it's cold.
"It's never going to be over as far as an endpoint," Francis said in the Houston Chronicle of their latest argument concerning his Super Bowl Sunday disappearance. "He's going to coach the way he wants to coach, and I'm going to play the way I want to play. There's always going to be conflict. It's not like we're going to be best friends. There are going to be days when he thinks I should have done this better, and there are going to be days when I think he should have done things better. We both understand that."
Or maybe it's Van Gundy saying it's cold and Francis opting for hot.
Steve Francis
Point Guard
Houston Rockets
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
FT%
47
16.7
5.6
5.9
.396
.756
"I would agree with that -- not that he'll play the way he wants to play -- but I agree with everything else," Van Gundy said.
But there is at least one thing they will agree on.
Steve "The Franchise" Francis is no longer the centerpiece of the Houston Rocket Franchise even if his teammates don't understand that yet.
"The best player on the team and the coach are going to always have their spats, regardless of what team you're on," Rockets forward Maurice Taylor said. "That's why they are the best player, they can have spats with the head coach."
Because if Francis really were the best player on the team, then why would he be allowed to shoot 14.8 times per game this season when he shot 16.2 times per game last year and 17.6 times the year before that.
As a result, his numbers have dropped off considerably across the board.
2002-03 Season: 21 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 6.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 0.5 bpg, 43% from field, 35% from 3, 80% free throw
2003-04 Season: 16.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.9 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 39% from field, 29% from 3, 75% free throw
Of course, Van Gundy will tell you this is by design. He wants 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming to be the focal point of the offense. After all, Yao has shot 51 percent from the field over his brief career while Francis is at 43 percent. Van Gundy wants Francis to play a controlled game that sees Yao as the first option.
Francis, of course, wants an up-and-down game with plenty of fast breaks and 3-point shots.
So far, the change is philosophy is mixed.
Yao Ming
Center
Houston Rockets
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
FT%
48
16.1
9.1
1.4
.532
.769
So far this season, Yao has gone from scoring 13.5 points per game last year to 16.1 this year as the Rockets moved to a 27-21 record while scoring 87.2 points per game and shooting 43.4 percent from the field.
Last year, they were at 26-22 at this point of the season and finished averaging 93.8 points per game while shooting 44 percent from the field.
Last year, Yao shot the ball 9.8 times per game. This year, he's shooting the ball 11.2 times per game.
But regardless of these statistical results, Francis knows as well as Van Gundy that this trend will continue. This year, next year, the year after that, Francis' role is changing.
In 15 games in November, Francis took 241 shots. In 15 games in December, he shot 225 times. In 15 games in January, he shot 207 times.
"It's out of my mind," Francis said. "As far as prolonging it, I could care less. I don't have any bad feelings against him. I've still got to play for him, God knows how long. I have no problem with coach at all."
And, depending on how you look at it, Van Gundy said hot . . . Or cold.
"I don't look at it as a conflict between me and Steve," Van Gundy said. "Because you could have erased his name and put anybody else's name in there and it would have been the same course of action. Steve and I are fine. Like I said, I enjoy him. I'm sure there are things at times that we'll disagree on, just like I'll disagree with any player on."
Jackson running out of patience?
Lakers coach Phil Jackson seems to bending and bending and bending backwards for Kobe Bryant and you have to wonder if he's getting any closer to a breaking point.
Bryant was supposed to join the team Thursday night in Philadelphia for its game against the Sixers. He wasn't going to play, but Jackson expected him to be with his teammates. But one hour before tip off, the Lakers had no idea of his whereabouts, leaving Jackson to wonder if:
A) He was still suffering from the stomach flu.
B) His stitched finger was hurting too much to fly.
C) He didn't want to hear his hometown crowd boo him again.
D) He slipped again on a box in his garage while attending to urgent family matters during the Super Bowl.
E) His shooting guard had decided to test the free-agent market even sooner than expected.
or, the traditional favorite . . .
F) Weather.
"We understand. This has not been an easy week," Jackson said.
Bending . . .
"Those things we have to understand," Jackson said.
Bending . . .
"I haven't heard anything," Jackson said 60 minutes before tip off. "I don't know if it's weather or something's come up that delayed him. But he was supposed to be here between four and five."
Bending . . .
"It's good for him, to be with us here," Jackson said. "Be with us in this situation, join his teammates, see how we're playing, be first-hand in what we're going through right now, as far as the way we're playing the game."
The Lakers ended up getting blown out by the Sixers, 96-73, making only 28 of 82 shots while their defense allowed Philadelphia to shoot 49 percent from the field after shooting only 43 percent on the season as Bryant's agent finally contacted the team to tell it Kobe would, instead, meet the Lakers in Orlando on Sunday.
Of course, this was after he was originally supposed to meet the team in Cleveland on Wednesday.
Darko running in place
This isn't the idea of progress No. 2 pick Darko Milicic had in mind when he decided to join the NBA.
"(I will ask) what is the idea, what is the schedule they have for me?" Milicic said in the Detroit News. "They don't think I will start to play this year? I want to know that. I didn't think I was going to have big minutes, but I don't care. I just want a few minutes. I just want to do something good. I want to show what I can do. Right now, I don't have any minutes and I can't do anything."
Darko Milicic
Forward-Center
Detroit Pistons
Profile
2003-2004 SEASON STATISTICS
GM
PPG
RPG
APG
FG%
FT%
15
0.9
0.7
0.2
.333
.286
When the season started, on Oct. 31, Milicic knew he wasn't going to start the game. He knew he wasn't going to play significant minutes off the bench. But he had no idea he was going to play only one minute, taking no shots and scoring no points.
He also had no idea that he would play a total of 16 minutes in November, 11 minutes in December and 20 minutes in January. So far in February, he hasn't played a single minute. In fact, he hasn't played since Jan. 16 when he logged nine minutes and no points.
Ten games later, he was looking for an explanation and couldn't have liked it when it came.
"There is no confusion between me and Darko. In fact, we talk all the time," head coach Larry Brown said. "He came in after lifting weights after practice and said to Dave (assistant coach Dave Hanners), 'What do I need to do to get better?', which I was really happy to hear him say because that to me is like a first-year college freshman asking how he can play more. He knows he needs to get better. I'd be worried if he didn't want to play. He's getting better, but he's not ready yet. Joe (Dumars) and I talked about this -- we don't think he's going to play."
But even so, he's handling it as best as can be expected.
"He's not frustrated, he's just competitive and wants to play," his agent, Marc Cornstein, said. "He's not satisfied with being the 12th man."
Even as he watches No. 1 pick LeBron James and No. 3 pick Carmelo Anthony log heavy minutes. So far this season, Milicic has played a total of 48 while James is at 1,848 and Anthony at 1,788.
"They're playing good," Milicic said. "Carmelo's playing good. But right now, I just care about me, because I am not playing. I am trying to do something good . . . Coaches say, 'You're young, wait. Be patient.' I am never going to tell them (coaches) that I am ready (to play). If they cannot see, I am not going to tell them. They know better than me."
