Steve Francis Is Alive

No, it is not true that my recent hiatus from blogging was due to the recent slide by my Houston Rockets, who went from first in the West to ninth place in the span of a short week. Well, not all the way true at least.

The good news that may turn out to be great news: The minor injuries to Tracy McGrady and Bonzi Wells finally forced Rick Adelman to let go of his stubborn decision to DNP Steve Francis for 82 games.

Francis played 23 minutes against Phoenix and looked good despite a lot of rust. He got 20 minutes in a blowout W against the Denver Nuggets, who were obviously ready to get out of the building to get ready for the many parties they were scheduled to be hosting/attending. Steve scored 10 points and got 3 assists, but his impact on the game was a lot stronger than the numbers indicated.

Francis' mini-resurgence couldn't come at a better time for the Rockets. The point guard tandem of Rafer Alston/Mike James has been less than solid (read: they've sucked) and the two have proven that they're both suited for limited roles off the bench on good teams, especially Rafer, who should never start for a team with serious championship aspirations. Daryl Morey is going to have to make a decision on one of the two, especially with Steve rounding into shape and rookie Aaron Brooks destined to steal minutes by April. (If you want my opinion, which you're here for, I'd get rid of Skip. I mean James. Skip. James. F it, flip a coin. Seriously, get rid of James.)

And if Steve can grab the starting spot he was brought in for, count it as a major upgrade to the position we've been behind in all season.