I'm having a debate with a friend of mine and he is arguing that Francis will leave (perhaps Wizards) after his contract in Houston is over. He loves to disagree with me but he seems to believe that he has a few valid points: 1.) Rudy T. is gone in a couple of years. 2.) Potential lottery team in 2 years. 3.) No strong forward, no small forward (Rice?) and his biggest argument against the Rockets: Moochie Norris! (his ridiculous contract!) Disclaimer- I am simply posting his points. I do not agree with him.
so far, there is no way you can win an argument with a non Rocket's fan about Francis being a flake. He flaked on draft day; he flaked on option signing day; and continues to flake on 3rd person reference to himself (it CONTINUES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). imo, there is 50/50 odds this superstar is leaving for a more sure thing unless others make it easy for him. deal with it! I cannot help you with that argument... as for #3...you did mention Eddie Griffin, right?
A 50/50 chance that he leaves?!?! Hate to disagree with you crispee, but I would put it somewhere between 85/15 in favour of him staying. Mobley signed over here for one reason only and that is Francis. I dont think Steve is selfish enough to leave Mobley. One major reason Moochie was kept is because Francis loves him. Terence Morris was brought in because he is good friends with Steve. Maurice was probably convince by Francis to sign with the Rockets. We have the talent. Why would Francis leave? So we have no legitimate small forward! Not every team in the league has legitimate stars at all five positions. I still believe that if we were completely healthy we would be contending for a top four spot in the West. Steve Cuttino Maurice Griffin are legitimate stars or in Griffins case will be soon. Cato is starting to pick it up slowly. Kenny has been an overachiever this year. Walt is doing better then expected. Stevie knows we have the talent to win right here. Another reason he wont leave is cause of his pride. He should want to win it rite here in Houston. Stevie aint goin nowhere!
85%? Take those blinders off. Steve also said he would stay at Maryland for his Sr year. If we don't reach the playoffs next year he is gone.
Francis will be able to sign a contract after this season I think. I believe he will sign a 3 yr contract with us (ala Duncan) just to see how things develop.
Washington's already preparing to have an obscene amount of cap room in Summer 2003 and they've got some nice developing talent of their own. They are obviously going to make a hard push for Steve and Michael might be able to convince him.
He'll be a restricted FA & we'll have his full Bird rights. We can match any offer that he gets. Unless he demands a trade & we can find a team that'll give us what we want, he'll be here. However, if he just signs a one year contract & becomes an unrestricted FA after that, then forget everything I just said.
I'm with crispee on this one. Steve wants to be in Houston, but if the Rockets don't at the very least, get close to becoming a legitimate playoff contender, he's gone. Why should he stay? Because of Mobley, Moochie, etc?? Give me a break. Steve wants to win more than anything and if it's not happening in Houston, he will go somewhere else and the thing that sucks is that the idiots in Rockets management that are giving out ridiculous contracts to average(at best) players is not helping the situation. Unfortunately for the Rockets, the contracts of Cato, Rice, and Moochie are going to tie the hands of the Rockets financially for years to come. Sure we can give Francis almost whatever amount of money we want, but I doubt money is Francis' driving force. He hates losing and will not stick because of loyalty and I don't blame him. Les' boys have been screwing up badly in recent years and they better figure out a way to mend the situation otherwise The Franchise will be someone elses Franchise.
I think if he's even thinking the slightest bit about leaving Houston, the Rockets don't need him. Players that are going to lead their teams to a championship don't think about leaving to go ride coattails elsewhere, they improve their own games until they're good enough to get it done. Shoot, look at what Hakeem had to work with for a good portion of his career. And Francis has Mobley, Eddie Griffin, Mo Taylor, Kenny Thomas and Moochie on the bench...Hakeem never had that kind of talent, but he always thought he could get it done with whatever players he had around him. If Francis isn't good enough to win with what we've got, he's never going to win. Besides, max players don't sign outright with other teams. If he ever leaves, it will have to be by trade. It's too big a difference in money otherwise (and no matter what anyone says, it's mostly about the money).
Freak: While I agree with what you are saying, I must point out that the Olajuwon analogy doesn't work because one fact: Houston is Hakeem's (adopted) home town. Who's to say Francis doesn't want to play in his home town?
Francis will stay, unless panicking fairweather fans drive him away in their paranoia, and attendance doesn't go up... I'm sure he reads this BBS, too, and reads all the crap some people say about the Rockets when they are down. Its got to piss him off. Francis warned Vancouver not to draft him, since he didn't see himself fitting with Bibby. Steve has said he wants to STAY here, as recently as last week, because he says he fits here. Probably the reason everyone else has gotten more money is due to trying to please Francis, anyway ... Just give it time. We still need a center piece, but then we should be finished rebuilding. Steve has got great talent around him. They just have to grow up and grow together ... until then, it'll be a bit of a rollercoaster. Steve knows whats going on with his team as well as anyone, and really believes they can go all the way, before long.
Freak-- The current NBA dynasty, the Lakers, is comprised of two superstars who both did more than "think about leaving", they left. Kobe forced a trade, and Shaq left as a FA....
nevermind me R0ckets03, I cannot possibly be right about "50/50" in real terms. I was using "50/50" in the more abstract fashion as shrugging your shoulders and saying it could go either way...who knows? The point was that no one can really help bigboy win his argument. Another odd random fact is that the Rockets are Francis's 7th team in 8 years. No, really. Two high school teams (maybe 3), 3 college teams, and 2 NBA teams. Hey, don't make too much of that, but it is true. In fairness to Steve, he lost his mother, and his dad really was a true flake, so he has little trusting guidance in his life. Yet, I do think in our fandom world of tabloid critiques, Francis could be enough a flake to say anything and then do something totally different. You know, I haven't heard him once blame a loss on himself, or say anything about how he could have played better, or helped his team better, etc. Does anyone recall one time??? It is always this "we didn't do this," or "everyone needs to play better." Until he blames a loss on himself, describes what he did wrong, or what he could have done better...I'll probably continue thinking he is more of a bball flake than a superstar leader that TheFreak is trying to describe. Anyhow, if you hate me for saying that, don't mind me...it is just a bullsh!t tabloid critique worthy of no more serious thought than calling Mobley and Francis great philanthropists for buying Calvin's kids a van. btw: put me down as someone who doesn't really buy this wanting to go home and play for the Washington Wizards thing, though, unless they have enough money to attract another star (or Kwama explodes onto the scene soon or they get another big lottery pick). Francis won't leave Houston unless he can be matched with a legit big man. That's what will draw him away, if anything, imo.
It's very easy to leave a losing team. If we continue to be a .5oo team or even a team which gets knocked out in the 1st round I expect him to leave. But...if we can become a good team (a legitimate playoff team) I think (as others have mentioned) that we will have some advantages: 1. We can give him as much (or more) money than any other team. 2. He gets to play with some of his buddies (Cat, Walt, T-mo) 3. It's his team to lead. SO basically I'm saying next year is key. If we are a good team I think we have a 75% chance of keeping him. If we are an averagee team next year I would say there is an 85% chance that he'll leave.
None of those guys left because of lack of talent on their teams though. They didn't care who they played with, they just wanted to play in LA. Shaq actually left a better team to go there. He wasn't afraid of not having enough talent to win with...he didn't go to LA to ride coattails.
Kobe never forced a trade, that trade was consummated before draft day - And O'Neal was lowballed by Orlando contract-wise. So unless we're going to trade Francis for Vlade Divac, or lowball Francis, I don't think that applies.
Wow.. couldn't you just see Stevie throwing them oops to Webber? Just kidding.. I heard a lot of that here in the off season when most thought Webber was on his way to Houston. If you guys can make the playoffs next year, I think Francis stays, if not.. he may be gone, if a player like Francis can't see himself gaining any ground to get to a championship, all the friends in the world on a team won't keep him. How ever it works out, I would not want him on the Kings, he is a baller, but he is to stuck on himself, I still think Vancouver should of forced him to stay or let him walk to someplace other than another NBA team.
