I'm not sure Steve Francis belongs on an NBA court anymore.
I picked on him earlier in the season, and I stand by my assertion. Francis has always been a selfish player and is now reaping the fruits of his labor (or lack thereof). He came back to Houston thinking he should be able to jump right in and be gifted playing time for his past contributions to the franchise. Now that he's getting his opportunities, he's doing nothing with them. Instead of getting himself into solid shape and earning a spot, he's come out looking like an old guy in a game of full-court at the YMCA. He huffed and puffed up the court and many of his 8 shot attempts tonight fell well short of going in, which is usually a sure sign of tired legs. He's shooting a ghastly 33 percent on the season and has only shot above 50 percent in one game. He turned the ball over a game-high five times tonight and looked discombobulated several times on the fast break, helping Devin Harris to tie his career high of 5 steals.
The bottom line is this: playing time is supposed to be earned, and out-of-shape ball hogs have no business on NBA teams. Unless their business is getting whipped around the court.
-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd
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