Franchise All Round Great or Great Point Guard? Steve Francis (Franchise Player) of the Rox is now at the start of his future Career. The choice may be not his to make but more the need of the Team demanding more Leadership and Maturity. How will he nurture his new Rookies, with friendship or with a cold shoulder? Is personal fame the goal or is fame only reached by leading his Team to Winning Seasons, Playoffs and Championships? These and many more things might be running through the brain of our Leader. How do you think he will be this Season 02/03? From A ROX FAN FOR STEVE FRANCIS AND HIS TEAM MATES.
-Sorry for quoting TRG but this is kind of informative: What's Holding up Steve Francis' Contract? by The Rocket Guy HOOPSWORLD.com Aug 8, 2002, 11:00am "I have been receiving a ton of e-mail asking what the hold up is with Steve Francis and his contact, which prompted me to have a discussion about that subject with Steve "BskBALL" Kyler. Steve is very knowledgeable about the inner working of the NBA, and we are talking about the extreme inner workings when we discuss the status of Steve Francis' contract negotiations. Francis has agreed to the terms of the contract offered by the Rockets, which was basically exactly what he was asking for. The Rockets, in turn, are pleased with the way Steve has approached his injury issues promptly and with vigor. Both sides are happy and the contract will be signed, but there are some other issues, issues that are thought to be of no interest to fans, that continue to hold up the process. Financial Structure This is a surprisingly important issue. Does a player want to be paid twice a month, as is the NBA norm, or do they want to adapt their payment plan to their own specific needs? Shaquille O'Neal, for instance, gets paid on the first day of the season. Lump sum. When he made the move from Florida, a state with no income tax, to California, with one of the most expensive state income taxes in the country, he had to do something to compensate for the millions of dollars he stood to lose to Aunt California. He takes his money on day one, invests it, and makes up the difference on the interest he earns on the money. Depending on what he invests in, he could come out way ahead on this deal simply because he gets the money up front. Steve Francis does not command the same money as O'Neal, and he lives in Texas, where he pays no income tax, but there are still financial advantages to setting your own pay day. The issue for the owner and the team is to determine if they can afford to pay him that much cash all at once, and before a single ticket has been sold. This is just one of the many issues that must be addressed. Publicity The Rockets have committed to making Yao Ming the Rookie of the Year. What this means is that the team will be sending out all kinds of statistical updates and doing plenty of advertising to keep Ming's name on the tip of the media's collective tongue. Where does this leave Steve Francis, who began garnering a fair share of the media's attention last season as the star player of the Houston Rockets? This is something that would have to be addressed. Francis does not want to be swept under the rug just so the Rockets can keep a promise to China, and the Rockets are well aware of this. On the other hand, Francis does want to make sure this team gets into the playoffs, and Ming is the biggest step made to date toward achieving that end. The cost of being the only "star" on the team has been that Francis gets to watch the playoffs on TV. He has to be willing to give up some of the limelight to make room for another potential star who could help this team make the next step. Public Appearances Part of the negotiations for any player is determining how many public appearances will be expected. This is when you hear that Steve Francis will be at Gallery Furniture or the Galleria signing autographs. He is not being paid to do this, nor is he paid for the frequent public service announcements you see him doing on TV for different charitable organizations. The Rockets have to specify how many of these spots they expect to have Francis do. Now, Steve is a great guy and loves to do the off court stuff that endears him tot he hearts of Rockets fans, but there is a limit to how much he is willing to do. The Rockets typically start off with high number of appearances and they work their way down to something the player is willing to do. Not a big deal, but it does take time. These are just a few of the many issues that are involved when it comes time to sign a new contract. Again, the financial terms have been accepted by both sides, now they just have to work out the details that no one hears about. Now you've heard about them."
A Train:- YOU ARE WRONG!!!!!! This is not a bashing post it is trying to remove the bashing and hate shown to Steve Francis, by a more logical consideration of the difficulty of his decisions of his future and for the upcoming season. IMHO
If he has a supporting cast that can score then he will be a much better point guard. If not then he will have to be an all around player to make up for everyone else on the team... If he gets big men that rebound and a better scorer out of his SF then he will actually be able to focus on the PG position more.
I think Steve is already a great all around player and I hope this year he Matures into a true team leader both on the court and in the locker room.
I don't think that can be an excuse much longer: -He HAS a 20 ppg SG. -With Rice and Nachbar, he has guys who by reputation can burn you with open shots. (And Rashard is still a possibility). -Taylor, Griffin, Thomas. Taylor and Thomas have both averaged over 14 ppg, and Griffin's offensive potential with his shot, and turnaround is high. -Ming, can at least be a Gheorge Muresan/Rik Smits on offense, which means he can catch it at 10 feet, and be highly effective.
NIKEstrad - barring injuries this year, Steve should breakout and show everyone that he is the Rockets Franchise player. If he has a healthy squad and he still doesn't perform, then it is all on him.
Francis is a very good all-around player. Average to below average PG. He really needs to slide over to SG, but we have Mobley there already.
