You know, I appreciate Steve and the great memories he has given to this game and this sport. He is very athletic. He has great intensity and great heart. However, there is no way to know who said what to whom. Francis will make his statements and make himself sound like a virgin that could do no wrong and was taken advantage of. And perhaps, after the trade, Van Gundy will make his normal listless media statements that he hopes Steve is happy and finds success where he now finds himself. But one argument that I find funny are the ones that Steve's agent made about Steve finally getting a taste of the playoffs and wanting to continue that trend. COME ON! Steve will be going to the Eastern Conference. He will have Mobley and Cato and a rising star in Howard and possibly the re-emergence of Hill. You cannot tell me that Orlando's new outlook squad will not be able to win the mandatory 36 games it takes to make the playoffs in the East. C'mon Boston made the freaking playoffs. I do no think Steve has anything to worry about in Orlando. While thay are in the East, he will enjoy several years of Eastern Playoff Experience. And I will even go out on a limb that if he is traded and stays in Orlando, and the East, that his overall performance statistics will be better than we have seen from him thus far. Good Luck Steve.
How will he improve his game dramatically? He's never been considered an underacheiver. He's always been a gamer, willing to play hard. He still won't be comfortable leading the break, seeing the court, making accurate passes. The only things Steve can do is work on his defensive intensity and maybe his jumpshot. At this stage of his NBA life, it's doubtful he will be that much better in either category. My personal belief is Steve has played a ton of minutes in his career and the physical strain will soon take its toll. Once he loses his hops, he will still be an effective player but nearly as dangerous.
Francis' comments are baffling..... is he truely that naive?. The NBA has operated this way for decades (wheeling and dealing of players) and it has only gotten worse in the last few years. I have not heard any crying from Mobley and Cato about this deal. 99% of players get traded or play somewhere else during their careers. It sucks from a fans point of view (no continuity) but what can you do?
Wasn't really saying he will, was addressing his comments and deferring to his superior knowledge of how much untapped potential to improve he has. Besides, there are different ways to play hard.
the thing is . . in those instances it is Steve's word V Jeff's word JEFF said they did not have breakfast JEFF said steve called from the parking lot so we don't KNOW anything Rocket River Rocket River
He has a lot of pride. He's going to say things that will make him and the Orlando fans feel better about this deal. Steve is very cognizant about his image. Throughout his career, he has tried to do and say the right things. Sometimes, his immaturity gets him in trouble but he has never rebelled against the "system". On the court, he has tried to adapt but his years of playing the same way makes the task almost impossible. If he's the focal point in Orlando, he will be succesful because he's fantastic scoring off the dribble. And unlike the Yao situation, no one expects Steve to defer to Dwight Howard for at least a couple of years. He can just play his game. The bottom line is everything Francis says should be expected - and they aren't necessarily bad for anyone. It makes it easier for the Rockets to trade him; the Orlando management can save face and avoid a PR disaster; and the Orlando fans will like the "determination" and leadership" - it gives them hope the team is doing the right thing. However, the trade will change how well he plays; if he believes it will, he's delusional.
Don't necessarily disagree, though classier players would have probably taken another route, but the same can be said for JVG's alleged comments to Steve, no? Is it expected that a coach will accurately inform every player involved in a possible trade discussion about it's progress? I agree that Steve always seemed to give the physical effort during games. Mental effort might be seen otherwise. And I agree that he will probably put up better numbers in a system focused on his ability to socre as an individual. I just have severe doubts he will ever be the focus of a serious contender, or be able to successfully make the transition to a complementary player on a team foucused on someone else. I will miss Steve. I hope he does well in Florida. I will probably watch some Magic games for the sake of nostalgia. But I am happy that the serious question of how to conform his individual talents into a winning team's system while keeping him somewhat happy is now someone else's headache.
Ooooooooooo, we're scared Steve. I guess he's planning on turning the ball over 7.4 times per game. This guy sure is amazing. I gave him the benefit of the doubt when he pulled that draft day manuever to get traded from Vancouver, then gave him the benefit of the doubt when he made the comments about him playing the way he wants to play and JVG coaching the way he wants to coach, again gave him the benefit of the doubt after the Super Bowl fiasco and all of the comments he made after JVG and the rest of mankind moved on. Some guys just don't know when to shut up. Steve is clearly one of those guys. Orlando would be wise to demand a muzzle in the deal.
This is why the trade is outstanding for us. Steve is a good one-on-one player but not good enough where he can carry the team or make his teammates better. TMac is a much more dynamic player and because he's so smooth and natural, the offense won't stall for long stretches. JVG can teach the defense and McGrady has a lot of natural ability (height and quickness) to make improvements.
I will miss Steve. I hope he does well in Florida. I will probably watch some Magic games for the sake of nostalgia. But I am happy that the serious question of how to conform his individual talents into a winning team's system while keeping him somewhat happy is now someone else's headache. [/B][/QUOTE] Totally agree
from Riet: Er, can we who-will-be-happy-when-the-trade-is-done have like a 30 minute vigil here once it's official? It would be nice to reconcile with our brothers and mourn that which simply didn't work? We all have emotionally bled for this guy and for this franchise And we have three posts in this thread with people agreeing with the post that people-who-know-Steve's-gotta go have no class. Jeff, Clutch, MacBeth (et al), I doth feel peeved. People here still think Dream's legacy was tarnished when he left. Hmm... Stevie's got a lot of work to do.
SF is a warrior who has always given 110% to the team and shown respect to the Houston fans and the city of Houston. Yet from the posts I see, we can't wait to get rid of him, shame on those who want to dump SF like a leper. If the T-Mac trade is made, I hope it brings us a championship because if the Rockets don't win expect a replay of the T-Mac soap opera. I can see it now, 4 years from now, T-Mac being interviewed by ESPN: Jim Gray: There are rumors that you want to be traded from Houston. Are they true? T-Mac: Yeah they are. Jim Gray: Why do you want a trade. T-Mac: I came to Houston to win and we have only gotten to the playoffs once since I was traded from Orlando. The Rockets signed me to a $100 million dollar deal but I want to win a championship. I don't think I can win a championship here in Houston so I am requesting the team to trade me to a championship contending team that will pay me $150 million. You know the NBA is a business and I'm a business man.
Steve should have seen this coming, how could he be so stupid not to? All the erffort to force the club not to select Yao in the draft but to pick his friends as free agents. All the fake [infront of cameras] friendship towards Yao. All the poor play for most of the season in reaction to JVG and the club demanding that he change his game and defere to Yao. All the times he refused to pass to Yao when he was ready for the ball. All the extra work he forced Yao to go through by not passing and making Yao move to the other side of the court, so many times each game. All the dribbling! All the turnovers! All the bad passes! All the wasted time. all the selfish play, all the poor decissions but he does have heart and is a great athlete. Possibly he thaught he just couldnt, not wouldnt, be traded.
Bizness is Bizness! When I pay a guy 10-12 mil per year, he better not no show on my team, he better show leadership on the court and he better get used to the fact that carrying the team is a responsibility with that type of jack.... get over Francis. The deal makes sense for all, so quit making a drama over this... same with the fans. get over it. I am so tired to hear the little violins being played from Francis, the Fans and everyone else. We are talking about people that live in fantasy world when it comes to business. No one lied, No one deceived here. This is a bizness of winning championships and when it makes more sense to make a deal than stand pat, players have to get used to this at this type of compensation.....the stakes go much higher when you make 10 mil per year.... There I said it!
Yeah, me too. I'll probably watch a few Orlando games to get few laughs. The same things that used to make cry (the turnovers, bone-headed plays, etc.) will now be a great source of laughter for me.
Who knows??? Maybe Steve gets reunited with RudyT on the Lakers down the road. This trade, if it indeed goes through, would represent the final piece of dismantling RudyT's last core squad with the Rockets. It would be symbolic insofar as the changing of the guard. Steve was stupid for not recognizing these changes earlier and thinking that he was ABOVE the franchise. Once JVG was appointed, Steve was too slow in adjusting. While he DID indeed adjust, the amount of resistance he put up wasn't earning him any credibility points with JVG. Remember when Mooch was traded to the Knicks??? That shook up a lot of the complacency that seemed to be settling in with the old Rockets' squad. I mean, the core has been together for what? FIVE YEARS??? That's unheard of in the fickle NBA. Without a little fire under their butts, it was too easy for SF3 and Mobes to get complacent. That said, one good thing about this trade though is that it will also force Yao to step up as "DA MAN." He's now a veteran on this squad, with the second most years on the Rox as MoT. Hopefully, now that SF3 is out of the way, Yao can come of age and stop deferring the ball when he should be DEMANDING it instead. theSAGE
REIT is absolutely correct in saying SF3 is image-conscious In fact, IMHO, SF3 cares MORE about his image than his actual play. It's like that line from "White Men Can't Jump." "You'd rather look good and lose than look bad and win." Passing and distributing just isn't as sexy as scoring and dribbling. SF3 will find a good home in Orlando where he can do all the dribbling he wants. I wouldn't be surprised if his performance with Mobes out East will be reminiscent of the days of old in the early years of their careers in Houston. I personally believe that JVG didn't intentionally lie to SF3. SF3 might have wanted to hear "false assurances" but to say that JVG lied to him would be insinuating conspiracy. Perhaps, this was the problem all along. There was NO GENUINE TRUST between these two characters. The fact that there were no concilatory remarks after the whole Super Bowl incident kinda shows the rebelliousness of SF3. Even though JVG has a strong ego, he's still the coach and leader. SF3 doesn't seem to understand this and seems lagging on the maturity curve. Bottom line: SF3 got too comfortable and clearly his services are not wanted by upper management anymore. theSAGE
He better start demanding the ball. There's no excuses now b/c there's no "senior" players left. Yao IS the senior representative of the Rockets. If Yao doesn't lead, don't count on T-Mac to do it. T-Mac was the same dude on the team that lost 19 straight. Do you honestly think MJ or Kobe would have let their teams lose 19 straight??? T-Mac is a great talent, no doubt about it. But he's not your floor general type leader. Yao has the potential to be a great leader if he would only ASK FOR THE DAMN BALL. theSAGE
