After playing a key role in a big win for the first time in a long time, Steve Francis was hilarious in the post-game TV interview last night. Arm draped casually around the interviewer's shoulder, joke at the ready, and clearly in no hurry ... he was like Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard: ready for his closeup. Jason Friedman of the Houston Press reflects on his two good games: "Francis is like that loveable kid in your class with a knack for saying or doing the wrong things at the wrong time. As much as you like the guy, you can't stop wondering what he could accomplish if he just buckled down and applied himself. Sometimes, he gets kicked out of class, after which he always comes back contrite and respectful. But the moment he starts feeling comfortable again, the shenanigans return. So you have to ask yourself: Will this time be any different? The thing is, the Rockets don't need Stevie to be the Franchise of old. They'd happily settle for Manu Ginobili-Lite; someone who can come off the bench, fill-up the stat sheet, and provide a spark with his energy, offense and derring-do. That's exactly what Francis has done the last two games. Both resulted in Rockets wins. So know this: The class is watching you, Stevie. They're also pulling for you. What will you do next?"This seems about right to me. Francis was one-and-done at Maryland my freshman year, and I've always had conflicted feelings about him. He does seem like a very nice and likeable guy, from limited firsthand experience and from various stories I've heard. As a pro he's been rather petulant at times, but that seems more because he wears his heart on his sleeve and is maybe a bit immature than because he's some kind of chronic malcontent.
Aside from the personal level, I both love and hate his game. He's an amazing athlete and can been very fun to watch, but he tends to take bad shots and play selfishly. But he's been a great rebounder and good assist man, and does seem like he wants to get his teammates involved and win. I always wished that he'd be able to channel his talent in a positive, team-friendly way. I can't help but thinking that coaching has failed him a bit, though I'm sure he bears significant responsibility as well. He should really be used as a shooting guard, rather than at point, and maybe a bench role would work best at this point in his career. Iverson has shown us that its hard to build an elite team around an undersized shooting guard with a poor field goal percentage. Steve can't really be The Franchise any more, but maybe that Ginobili-lite role would be a good one.
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