On Francis/Mobley, Eric Gordon
The comparison has me feeling all sorts of nostalgic right now as Steve and Cuttino were the first young players on this team that I watched from start to finish from the beginning of their careers. The upside for Porter Jr. and Green is much higher for various reasons, but none simpler than the fact that both members of the current (future???) duo are at least 6’5 (or 6’6 depending on whether your preference is measurements with shoes), whereas the early aughts stars were 6’3 and 6’4, respectively. What we’re expecting after Thursday night would be a physically imposing backcourt in a sport where the ability to get off one’s shot is a highly preferred trait.
Francis was the #2 overall pick, of course, but Mobley was a second-rounder who worked his way up to relevance through hard work and perseverance. I’m sure Charles Barkley did not think Cuttino would quickly become the starter at point guard for his team the first time he saw the rookie in training camp. (There’s no way Barkley was pleased that the Rockets entered the ‘99 playoffs with a rookie backcourt in Mobley and Michael Dickerson during what was essentially the last real shot he had to win a title.)
The great irony of that pairing was that while Francis came in with all of the fanfare and upside, Mobley actually ended up being the superior player. Let me amend that: if you were starting a team and wanted one player to help you get to 40 wins, you’d choose Francis. But if you were just picking pieces to help you win a title, Mobley would be the choice hands down. He worked himself into an incredible complementary piece under Jeff Van Gundy, becoming a plus defender and spot up shooter while still being able to put the ball on the floor and create for himself when called upon. What capped Cat’s ceiling was that he was undersized. Even then, there’s a reason Carrol Dawson pursued Mobley in free agency even after the team had Tracy McGrady.
Francis, on the other hand, was spectacular to watch, but his warts became glaringly evident as early as his third year. He wasn’t a point guard and had never learned how to properly play the position. (Who can forget his inability to break a basic press in the backcourt?) Yet he needed the ball in his hands and couldn’t play off-ball. Add it all up and you had a player with whom your team’s ceiling was capped if he played a large role.
I mean, really. I know he had a rough year back in 2020 and is still owed a ton of money, but why is Gordon talked about like an afterthought as if he’s some sort of negative asset? This is a guy that could step into the rotation for any playoff team and start at either guard spot or come off the bench, play off-ball, create when called upon, and most importantly, play lockdown defense on players ranging from star point guards to even larger post players. And he always raises his level of play in the postseason.
When I think about it, Gordon’s original deal from 2016 was actually one of the best free agent signings in team history. I know that’s easy to forget given that the extension was controversial and arguably has had mixed returns. But the original deal paid all expected dividends, first allowing the team to retool around James Harden with shooting with Gordon later becoming a vital cog on a switch-everything contender. He’s fit into every role asked of him since first being acquired and has really been the only source of stability next to Harden during this last era.
It’s ironic that Gordon is the sole holdover from the 2018 given that I thought he was the most likely Rocket to be traded last summer. Sometimes I forget he’s still on the team.