Just heard it on the 610 update. Steve is back at his home and Houston to rest his knee. It's possible he might have to organize an injury related retirement buyout of his existing contract. that's rough. Same thing happened to Michael Dickerson with his back
http://www.newsday.com/sports/baske...314jan01,0,5470672.story?coll=ny-knicks-print Ailing Francis sees future with Knicks BY KEN BERGER Newsday Staff Correspondent January 1, 2007 LOS ANGELES - Despite a balky right knee that sent him back to the sideline yesterday, Steve Francis said he is "definitely not thinking about" shutting it down for the season and believes he still has a future with the Knicks. "My future's very bright," Francis said before the Knicks played the Clippers. "I just want to be healthy. You can't go out and do what you do if you're not healthy." Asked if his future is "here," Francis quipped, "Where? In L.A.? Yeah, definitely in New York. I definitely feel that. Coach understands what I've been going through. I'm definitely a member of this team." With Mardy Collins returning from his six-game suspension yesterday, Francis went back to the inactive list in hopes that an extended rest will allow his tendinitis to subside. "Never will it ever go away without months and months of rest," Francis said. "But I don't really foresee it hampering my career or anything like that. Hopefully, if I get some rest and get it better, I'll be OK." The original plan was for Francis to rest the knee for a week or two, but he rushed back after Collins and Nate Robinson were suspended in the wake of the Dec. 16 brawl with Denver. "I can't just keep dragging on with an injury that's not helping myself or really helping my team," Francis said. "When I'm on the court, any time I land or anything, it's always hurting. I don't want to get it to a point where I need surgery."
Oh man, so much for those "Francis back in Houston trade" threads. At least he's still young enough to learn to pick up golf
It's a shame he's not going to get another chance after the craphole that is the NY Knicks. Looking back on Francis's career, it's pretty amazing how things changed for him. When he first came to H-town, he was heralded as one of the best young pg's in the league, part of a new-breed of athletic pg's capable of dunkin all over people. I still remember the first time Shandon Anderson (LOL) threw Francis a lob and he slammed it home. I was ecstatic that finally the Rockets had somebody that could compete with the Marbury's of the world, instead of our usual assortment of Matt Maloney's and Brice Drew's and Brent Price's. He averaged something around 18-6-5 a game and we all thought DAMN! As a rookie he's puttin up these numbers... imagine when he actually figures out how to play PG and balance his scoring with his passing. Well sadly that never really happened. And after a while, expectations changed... a lot of people on this board thought he had possible hall of fame potential. He went from Hall of Fame Potential to just a regular all-star to not even that in NY. I feel bad that he lost out on a chance to actually play for a good team (with Yao, etc) and he was banished to Orlando and then to NY. But hell, the fact is he just wasn't strong enough of #1 or #2 option. Either way, he got paid a lot of money so he'll be fine.
The retirement talk may be a stretch but it's easy to see the Knicks buying him out. However, if he has any determination at all, don't be surprised if he pops up on another team next year. Then again, retiring from the NBA and enjoying his pile of money sounds pretty good.
Francis may be like number 3 all time in turnovers. But a lot of that has to do with his aggressive play. He puts it out on the court, plays with passion and heart. He is not the best decision maker, he isnt exactly a winner. But he does all he can which is more than you could say about most pro athletes. That drive that he has will have him in this league for years to come. I bet he reemerges as an impact player in the next 2 years.
Problem is that he never developed a consistant outside shot and was never that good at finishing (he could draw the foul) so you can dare him to shoot from the outside. Also, he had to touch the ball to be effective, they tried him at 2 guard in Orlando and it wasn't too pretty.... If he wants too he can hang on with any team as he could be viable bench/role player if he wishes.
He actually had a more consistent outside shot in the early days (mid 30's from range or so). He wasn't steve nash or anything, in fact he was probably rafer-esque from range, but not Spanoulis level bad. During his last year w/H-town and his years in Orlando however the bottom dropped out and he couldn't even hit in the 30's anymore which really hurt his game.
How did the '00-'01 Rockets win 45 games? Francis, Mo Taylor, Hakeem at the end of the line; what a fun season.
That's what I find curious. He'd be the first player in history to retire from tendonitis. Of course, it's common for team's to greatly understate injury reports (sometimes in order to perserve trade value, sometimes to placate the fan base). It's possible that the condition of his knees is far more serious than a case of tendonitis. Evan
I'm surprised tinman didn't go after you. You forgot CUT TINO. Man, I won't be able to forget Hakeem miraculously coming back down the stretch when the blood thinner stuff was supposed to have finished his season.
The Knicks can't trade him, can't waive him. They're just exploiting a situation. At least with a injury related retirement his salary will come off their books after a year. Zeke has been labelling Francis a Larry Brown player. Francis's obvious use to Isaiah is as a scapegoat. I doubt Francis will really retire, agreeing to this he still gets paid, and can go elsewhere where he's wanted. Even Allan Houston is trying to make a comeback.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/sports/basketball/03garden.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print Knicks’ Francis Is Forgotten, but Not Officially Gone By HOWARD BECK SACRAMENTO, Jan. 2 — Steve Francis is gone, whether for days, weeks or months, and it is possible the Knicks will be better for it. For all of his innate talent, Francis has spent an entirely forgettable 11 months in a city that has not embraced him and with a franchise that perhaps did not want him. The Knicks acquired Francis last February in a trade orchestrated to appease Coach Larry Brown, who was battling with point guard Stephon Marbury and looking for alternatives. Nothing has gone well for Francis since then. Brown soured on him soon after his arrival, and Francis played unspectacularly in 24 games, 15 of them as a starter. When Isiah Thomas replaced Brown as the coach in the off-season, he installed Francis as Marbury’s permanent backcourt partner. But the two have never thrived as a tandem. An ankle injury cost Francis three games in November. Knee tendinitis has kept him idle for 10 of the past 13 games. Now Francis has gone from ineffective to invisible. With the team’s blessing, he went home to Houston to work with his own trainers. Thomas says he expects Francis to return. His job, however, will be greatly simplified if Francis does not. The Knicks have a glut of guards, or at least they will after Quentin Richardson (back spasms) and Nate Robinson (suspension) return. Without the pressure to start Francis (in deference to his $15 million salary), Thomas can use Richardson or Jamal Crawford, both natural shooting guards, next to Marbury. Robinson becomes the fourth guard in the rotation, with the rookie Mardy Collins available for spot duty. That is a more manageable and flexible group, with Crawford able to play either guard position and Richardson capable of playing small forward. In the long term, the Knicks would certainly prefer to develop their recent backcourt draft picks, Robinson and Collins. “We definitely have a lot of guards,” said Marbury, who has at times bemoaned the crowded rotation. Although he was once an All-Star, Francis no longer appears capable of carrying a team. The knee injury has taken away his greatest asset — explosiveness with the ball — and he was averaging career lows in points (10.0), assists (4.1), rebounds (3.4) and minutes (26.3). It remains to be seen whether Francis will ever earn a significant role with the Knicks. Unloading him will be even harder. Francis has two years and $33.5 million left on his contract, making him virtually impossible to trade. A contract buyout would also be difficult because of the amount of money involved. The Knicks’ guard rotation has been inconsistent all season, with Crawford having replaced Francis in the starting lineup, and Richardson and Robinson sitting out the past two weeks. “It’s been difficult for me from week to week,” Thomas said, “so I can imagine how it feels on the players. The familiarity that you would want in a group, and players understanding and getting comfortable and starting to get into a rhythm and a role, it changes for us every week because of injuries.” Reinforcements should be on the way soon. Richardson ran full speed for the first time Monday and participated in shooting drills, and he said his back still felt good Tuesday. Richardson said he was hoping to play on this trip, which continued Tuesday night with a game against the Kings and concludes with games in Portland and Seattle.
Anyone watching Denver vs Phil right now? 76ths are beating the shxt out of Nuggets. AI plays like crap in the first game against his ex-team....
Probably shouldn't have played the Vancouver Grizzlies like he did. Now it is not he that doesn't want the city, it is the city that doesn't want him. Karma!
