Yeah thats true. When Mo comes you will have 3guys who will get alot of hype and alot of cameras in their faces. I hope they can become a great trio and not three guys looking to be a poster boy.
Hey...just wanted to let you guys know that there is a feature article on Steve Francis in this weeks SI (Don't worry guys...he's not on the cover...no SI jinx just yet). Perhaps somebody will be able to post it online. I can only get the table of contents summary, which says: "A Huge Splash" --Irrepressible point guard Steve Francis has found a home in the NBA, and his confidence is having a ripple effect on the Rockets-- By L. Jon Wertheim Well, it seems as though the media has fully forgiven him for his draft day tirade, and it also looks like the Rockets have a good opportunity to be "media darlings", given their youth, potential, and overall good-nature. The future looks bright... ------------------ --Nick
That was an excellent article written about Francis. It was real personal and conducted right out of sugarland in HIS HOME DURING THE OFFSEASON! It's a must read and all you sensitives of stereotyping will really get akick out of it. Theres one part I found very interesting for the future well-being of our ballclub. Having tasted stability for the first time Francis hopes to remain with the Rockets for the duration of his career."If they offered me(a lifetime contract) tomorrow , "he says, "I'd take it." What the hell are the Rockets brass waiting for? hehe ------------------ [This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited August 17, 2000).]
There is some real good stuff in this article. I'm going to post some parts of it that you might find funny and cool as well. A Blanket of humidity has spread over southeast Texas on this lazy summer afternoon. Not that the oppressive heat(or much of anything else)fazes Steve Francis, the Houston Rockets' star point guard and last season's co-Rookie of the year. He has just completed his daily offf-season workout and is splashing around in the crescent-shaped pool that consumes the bulk of his backyard,affably holding court and, as ever,drawing liitle distinction between what he thinks and what he says. When one of the guests complains about the weather,Francis notes the visitor's pallid skin tones and responds, "Well, it's obvious you don't get outside much." The other guest, whose clipped British accent Francis has been mocking all afternoon, removes his shirt to reveal a pillowy midsection before hopping into the pool. Naturally, Francis is all over him. "Man, how much of that English beer have you been drinking?" he asks. To spend an afternoon poolside with Francis is to be on the business end of a disarming,discursive filibuster. On this day Francis'ruminations range from the cranium size of Washiington Redskins rookie linebacker LaVar Arrington("It's huuuuge!")to the impact of Kentucky Fried Chicken preferences("You're white,so I figured you'd like barbeque more than Original Recipe")to the best flavor of Slurpee at 7-Eleven("Go with lime every time")."he's been like that all his life,talking until he gets on your nerves,"says Terry Francis,26,who lives with his younger brother in the Houston suburb of Sugerland."the problem was, he used to be so small you couldn't hit him. Now he's so big you don't want to try." ------------------
Nah, its this week's one, with Mike Piazza ("The Man") on the cover. Of course, we are now all waiting for the famous SI jinx to stifle the Mets... ------------------ --Nick
Heres some more excerpts from the article: Francis wants to move closer to the Rockets' practice facility in west Houston and the Compaq Center downtown. "Sometimes it takes me an hour to get to work,"he says. "I bought this too soon. I should have looked around longer, but I was overeager."[i/] The house is the only rookie mistake that haunts Francis. Picked second in last year's draft by Vancouver, Francis was demonized for shunning the Grizzlies and effectively extorting a trade to Houston. Once he set foot on the court, his logorrhea quickly earned him the wrath of half the league. In the preseason alone he went jaw-to-jaw with Seattle Supersonics' Gary Payton(hardly a singular feat,granted)who dismissed him as a "punk-ass-rookie-b****". Detroit Pistons guard Jerry Stackhouse opined,"Somewhere down the line, someone's going to wire[Francis's]jaw shut." Karl Malone simply instructed Francis to "shut the f-- up." asked about the encounters, Francis shrugs. "Oh,I'm pretty much always moving my mouth,"he says. If there was any tendency for Francis's head to swell to Arringtonian proportions last season,teamate Charles Barkley squelched it.As part of the usual roookie hazing ritual,Barley assigned Francis chores like carrying veterans' bags and singing solo on the team bus.After a few months of cursing Barkley under his breath, Francis finally confronted the man who was alternately his mentor and tormentor. Why,Francis demanded to know ,did Barkley pick only on him and not the teams other grrenhorn,power forward Kenny Thomas? Barkley thought for a moment and then riposted, "Shut up. And bring me some damn doughnuts."(Having survived pledged year, Francis now gets a weekly call from Barkley,who makes sure the kid is working hard in the offseason.) I love this kid! ------------------ [This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited August 17, 2000).]
...And some more: Yet if Francis's incipient rep was that of the NBA's latest smack talking prodigy,he juked past it much as he would a perimeter defender. His incessant talking,it turns out,is less a mark of an unreconstructed ego-manic than of an irrepressible personality. He admits that he could have handled the Vancouver situation more professionally but raises a fair point when he wonders why team-spurning predecessors such as John Elway and Danny Ferry weren't pilloried half as badly. Whats more,as a Rocket he has stepped out of lines less often than a Rockette,never so much as arriving late for practice. "I can't tell you how much I like him,"says Rudy Tomjanovich,not one given to hyperbole. "He was one of the young guys who help rejuvenate me." "I can't describe how bad I felt,being home while guys like Jason Williams,Gary Payton and Jason Kidd,who I fared great against, were in the playoofs,"says Francis,barely pausing to breathe. "that was all the motivation I needed this summer. I'm ready to be the leader of the Rockets,and I promise not to force things. We're going to be ready to beat the Trail Blazers,the Lakers,the Jazz-all of them." I love this kid! Steve Francis RULES! MO who? ------------------ [This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited August 17, 2000).]
Even the great Jordan was never this confident at such a young age. This kid reminds me of a young Magic Johnson (minus the championships), as he is almost too confident. He does have the potential (dare I say it) to be the greatest Rocket ever. ------------------ --Nick
I'm white, and I prefer the original recipe. Anyone think that if a white person would have made this remark that some people would be pissed? ------------------ "I'll drop kick those f*ckin' dogs if they come anywhere near me." visit www.swirve.com
Notice the quote didn't say anything about what he'd be asking for in terms of money for that lifetime contract. ------------------ Just shut up and post
No, you're just weird. Everybody knows white people like BBQ more than original recipe. I'm offended by your tastes. ------------------ Just shut up and post
Boost, We want more of the article, PLEASE Thanks for posting it by the way ------------------ In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things: 1. Don't tell everything you know.
That the 6'3, 193-pound Francis is a sensational player didn't hurt his image rehabilitation either. Blessed with a43-inch vertical leap and a preposterously quick first step, Francis is on the short list of NBA stars on the make. Despite having rarely played the point at Maryland,he averaged 18.0 points and 6.6 assists last season. He also finished fourth among guards in rebounding(5.3 per game)while pleasing highlights junkies with a compendium of breathtaking dunks. The midseason wall that so many rookies find impenetrable-yes,you Lamar Odom-was no obstacle for Francis,who played his best ball during the final two months. "he's one of the guys for whom the sky is the limit,"says Moochie Norris,Francis's backup. "Even in practice he has a level of creativity and competiveness you hardly ever see.' Francis arrived in Houston content to set up Barkley,Hakeem Olajuwon and Scottie Pippen,three of the 50 greatest players in theNBA history. "When those guys demand the ball,"says Francis,'you give it up,no questions asked." But Pippen was shipped to the Portland Trail Balzers before the season commenced,Barkley suffered a career-ending quadriceps tendon tear,and a hernia and respiratory trouble limited Olajuwon to 44 games. Shattering the assumption that rookie point guards invariably struggle - and those inexperienced as playmakers even more so -Francis not only inherited the team's reins but also snapped them with authority. though they missed the postseason,the revamped Rockets showed great promise in finishing 34-48. When Francis reflects on last season,he is also vexed at the league's arithmetic in the Rookie of the Year voting,in which he wound up tied with Chicago Bulls power forward Elton Brand. A deadlock? Francis doesn't want to get on a rant here,but he's more disdainful of ties than George Karl is. Man,theres no way it was 50-50,"he says. "I think because [Brand] was the number 1 pick,they couldn't let him go down like that." Francis may possess confidence in abundance,but his exuberance is leavened by compassion,a trait rarely ascribed to professional athletes. At a home game last season,a vocalist mangled the national anthem and was razzed by the crowd. Before the poor sap could scamper away,Francis ran up and gave him a consoling hug. "Hey,man,at least you were out there trying," Francis said. There was a also the game, in the home stretch of the Rookie of the Year race, when Francis was a rebound short of a triple double but asked to sit down so Tomjanovich could clear the bench. And there was the day Norris, a CBA vagabond, signed with Houston for the remainder of the season;Francis was so happy for his friend that he couldn't stop grinning. 'As good as Steve is,he also has such giving characteristics,"says Tomjanovich. "People just like to be around him." Francis says his personality was modeled by the two women who raised him,his mother,Brenda,and his grandmother,Mabel Wilson. Brenda was,as Francis puts it, "my rock," until she died of cancer in 1995. "All the time I hear her voice saying, 'Stevie, just be yourself," says Francis, staring at the tatoo on his right arm of a crucifux sandwiched by the words IN MEMORY and BRENDA. As for Mabel, she still wields so much influence over her grandson that he told his recent guests, "I would offer you a beer,but my grandma doesn't want me to keep alcohol in the house." Never mind that Francis turns 24 in February and Mabel lives 1'300 miles away in Ashton,MD. As for his unshakable joie de vivre, Francis surmises that it's been sustained by the unlikely trajectory of his career. in an era when players with even an ounce of NBA potential hear sweet nothings from agents and college recruiters, Francis was a 5'9" sophomore just trying to make the varsity. He traversed the back roads to the pros, passing through three high schools(two in suburban Washington0, two junior colleges and a year at College Park. This is, in fact, the first offseason of his basketball life in which he's preparing to return to the same team. "I never was pampered," he says. "I was basically unknown until two years ago, so everything's still new and exciting." Having tasted stability for the first time, Francis hopes to remain with the Rockets for the duration of his career. "if they offered me [a lifetime contract]tomorrow,"he says,"I'd take it." Right now though,he's more concerned with finding a new pad. "I still want a pool,but I want an outdoor hot tub too,"he says. "I don't care if the house is on a golf course,but I want a big backyard. And I like palm trees." Then,like a maturing point guard in transition, Francis steadies the tempo and takes a step back. "Listen to me,"he says sheepishly. "As a kid I would have been happy just to have a basement with no plumbing problems. I get to live like this and play basketball as my job. What more could I ask for?" As he floats in his pool and stops to ponder his question, for the first time all day he is engulfed by the sound of silence. Bobbfinn, I hate you! ------------------ [This message has been edited by ROCKETBOOSTER (edited August 17, 2000).]
Thanks Boost, I owe ya one ------------------ In order to be a success in life, you need 2 things: 1. Don't tell everything you know.
...don't get me started Rocketman95... anyway, I'm glad you pointed that out and not me. It just doesn't carry much weight when a "righty" like myself brings up inconsistencies like this. ------------------ stop posting my damn signature
If Francis wants to move closer to the practice facility and the Compaq Center, I bet I have a pretty good idea of where he is going to end up: ROYAL OAKS. It's the new subdivision on Richmond and Kirkwood. Less than a 5 minute drive to the practice facility. Houses START at $300,000 and run up to $3 million. It's located on the new Fred Couples course. I can see this area becoming a Houston athlete neighborhood very soon. Old School ------------------ Just Build It! [This message has been edited by Old School (edited August 18, 2000).]
Just a note... THE SI JINX HAS HIT THE METS!!! Mike Hampton has a broken rib and will be out for quite some time. He broke it while batting - he swung at a pitch and felt a pop. The SI jink LIVES!!! (Don't get me wrong, I like Hampton, so I hope he gets better soon.... But, this is WIERD, isn't it???) ------------------
Hmmm... Slam dunk second place. Notice from the league. Notice from fans. Reebok commercials. Notice from the league. Notice from fans. Rookie of the Year. Notice from the league. Notice from fans. Leading promising young team. Notice from the league. Notice from fans. SI feature. Notice from the league. Notice from fans. Cocky. Trash-talkative. Becoming unstoppable. Notice from the league. Notice from fans. Umm...I don't think Coach Sampson or any Rockfan who hated another rookie of the year in 1984 for the hype, the commercials and all the calls he got on the court even during his rookie season will have a problem with Francis starting to get the same treatment, right? ------------------ I Want To Thank God For Making Me A Rocketfan
