Cuttino Mobley (left) and Shandon Anderson need to help Francis score points.

Most people agree that Steve Francis is a special ballplayer, and considering how well the Rockets did last season, it's reasonable to think this team can make it to the next step. But does Francis have enough help around him?

In discussing the Rockets and our Summer Spotlight, we posed this question: Can Francis do what Allen Iverson did for the Sixers and carry the Rockets into the playoffs and beyond in future years? Here are your answers.

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Steve Francis (plus Cuttino Mobley) cannot elevate the Rockets into playoff contention. It is not a reflection on his (their) ability, but rather, a reflection on his current supporting cast. Scoring points in games are exciting, but games are won on defense and rebounding (18th overall!!). Remember Allen Iverson's first two seasons in Philly?? Numerous 40-plus points nights, but he did not not even win over 50 games. And that is with DC and Stackhouse. Fast forward to when Theo Ratliff, Lynch and Snow came on board. See the difference??

With the current cast, Houston needs guys like Bo Outlaw in the SF position to bring some ruggedness to collect rebounds and play defense. It would probably help to match up Maurice Taylor against guys who play defense and rebound balls to embarrass him a little.

James Cheng
Melbourne, Australia

Steve Francis has the ability to duplicate what Allen Iverson has done in Philadelphia, but the Rockets must entrust Francis with primary ball handling duties in the fourth quarter and not defer to Cuttino Mobley and his game of isolation. Against the quality teams, this tactic is just too easy to defend. If Mobley and sometimes Francis continue to play isolation basketball in the fourth quarter instead of penetrate and kick, then they will not have a marked improvement comparable to Allen Iverson. They often have the lead after three quarters and then play the last quarter totally opposite (isolation) of how they acquired the lead in the first place. The potential is there, it just depends on Mobley accepting that he is not always the man in the clutch.
David
Glen Aubrey, NY

As sad as it was to see Hakeem go (I was in the stands for every UH game he played) it will improve the Rockets. If they don't win more games this season as I predict they will, the team will continue to get better for years. Steve Francis is still fine tuning his game and Cuttino Mobley provides a second man willing to take, and make, game-winning shots. Mo Taylor can stand to improve his inside game but provides a good scoring touch from mid-range. And unless Eddie Griffin turns out to be a major bust this team will be just as competitive as last year. The keys as I see it is how Kelvin Cato will perform with increased minutes, who will back him up, and if Shandon Anderson will be content to be a defensive role player. I believe that another good free agent acquisition is necessary, probably next summer, to elevate this team to a contender.

Terrance Truxillo
Austin, Texas

Steve Francis leads his team in almost every category. This guy is a real deal. He averages about 20 points a game, but he takes a lot less shots than Allen Iverson. Francis averages over 6 assists a game to Iverson's 4. That's exactly what Rudy T wants him to do and he did an excellent job as a point guard. Only in his third season, he has already proven to everyone that he could be a good leader of his team. With the departure of Hakeem, Francis is going to take more shots than last year and he will average more points. Look out.

Hieu Nguyen
San Jose, Calif.

Steve Francis might be the best NBA point guard this year. Getting Eddie Griffin in the draft was a steal, and no one can give him more guidance and discipline than Rudy T. As a lifelong Rockets fan, I was sad to see Hakeem go, but 8 or 9 million bucks a year for a 38-year-old center is ridiculous. The Rockets will definitely re-sign Maurice Taylor, and they will still have 7 or 8 million to spend on a free agent, and if it's Marc Jackson, then you can pencil Stevie Franchise and his Rockets into the playoffs not only this year, but for the next 8 to 9 years. With Francis, Mobley, Jackson and Griffin all being under 25, and adding a few more complementary players, Francis is more than capable of taking his team to the Finals. He already has a more talented group around him than the Answer did last year.

Vijay Gautam
Powder Springs, Ga.

First up, don't compare Steve Francis to Allen Iverson. It's an insult to Iverson. Francis has a really nice game, but Iverson is, deservingly, the MVP. With a better scoring touch and greater leadership, Francis WILL lead Houston to the playoffs, but that's about it. He can't do it by himself now or in the next foreseeable few years unless Houston adds another go-to guy, preferably a power forward or center to relieve Francis once in a while.

Kevin
San Jose, Calif.

He can do it and more! With Hakeem not complaining about getting more touches, Francis can be more involved in scoring. Francis felt obligated to always think about Hakeem when he was a Rocket because he had a great amount of respect for the Dream, even if Hakeem wasn't playing so well that night. Now Francis can concentrate solely on winning the game and not just keeping the legend happy. The Rockets are a much better team with Stevie scoring and creating than him just lobbing the ball down to the post-up man.

Stuart Stratton
Houston, Texas

Steve Francis is certainly capable of performing like or even surpassing Allen Iverson. But on the other hand he can not take this team to great lengths, like the MVP did with Philly, because he doesn't have a legitimate center on his side. I am very optimistic that the Rockets are going to make the playoffs next season as the No. 8 seed. Do I see the Rockets as legitimate title contenders simply because they have Steve Francis? Frankly, NO. Even the league's MVP had to have the help of Mutombo. As long as we hear that famous "Houston, we have a problem!" phrase every time the Rockets face somebody from the Pacific Division, Francis will not hold the championship trophy.

Aleksandar Djordjevic
Hamilton, Ontario

I think that Francis can take the Rockets to the playoffs and I think it will happen this season. But can he do what Iverson did? I don't think so. Iverson has one of the biggest hearts in the league and that along with talent was unstoppable. Not to say that Francis doesn't have determination, but watching him play he just doesn't look like he wants it that bad.

Peter
Sunnyvale, Calif.

There is no question that Steve Francis can do for the Rockets what Allen Iverson did for Philly. First of all, Francis is more multi-dimensional than Iverson. In addition to getting more assists and rebounds, Francis shoots a higher percentage from the floor, from the line, and from downtown. And he's not all about numbers. Like Iverson, he plays with freakish intensity and makes his teammates better. As far as carrying the Rockets into the playoffs for years to come, nothing is certain (especially in the West). The real question is whether the Rockets can do for Francis what Philly did for Iverson. Pat Croce, Larry Brown and co. built a perfect complementary squad to surround Iverson's singular talents. A good example of that is them having the stones to pull the trigger on the Mutombo deal. A lot of GM's wouldn't have done that. Will the Rockets do the same? As it stands right now, I don't think their frontcourt is up to the task. However, with a few savvy roster moves, and patience with their young players, Francis and Houston's future is looking good.

David Berlin
San Diego, Calif.