To be fair, I don't personally have a problem with him being upset or not wanting to leave Houston. I think alot of us just have a problem with him being so vocal about it as to sabotage the trade.
No, he's horrible, he's a baby, he's an ass! Of course, if he said he was happy about the trade, the same people would be b****ing that he didn't want to stay here. Francis could save 15 people from a burning building and people would blame him for the fire. I'd never root for anyone against my team, but I'm surprised how many times I've thought about doing it next year just to spite some people.
Of course, the Magic said that's not why the trade hasn't gone down, but that apparently doesn't matter to a lot of people.
I have a question. If Francis and the Rockets, were in the same position T-Mac and the Magic were in, do you think Francis would choose to stay with Houston or ask to be traded to a winner? I think he'd stay in Houston. I can understand why he doesn't want to get traded. It's not just about winning, he's said before he wanted to be a Rocket for life. When Berman called him, he should have just said no comment.
God, if Francis was doing to the Rockets what the T-Mac is doing to the Magic, people would probably post his address on here and organize a lynch mob.
RM95, What is TMac doing to the Magic?? His team flat out pressed him for an answer about resigning with them. He said he wouldn't after next season. They made the decision to trade him so they wouldn't lose him for nothing. Refusing to play for a team when you are a FA is competely and totally different than refusing to play for a team when you are under contract.
I was listening to a couple of draft shows yesterday who seem to think Nelson isn't ready for a starters' role on an NBA club. He is still smallish for a PG at not even 6' despite what his profile says. He also is NOT a good shooter from the perimeter. Most teams still believe he needs a couple years of seasoning. BUT, because he is quick and good at running the break, he could team with Francis in the backcourt on occassion. Nelson is not a threat to Steve at this point in Steve's career. Plus, when he spoke to Weisbrod, it was AFTER the draft, so he knows who they took.
McGrady isn't blackmailing his team. They demanded to know whether he'd re-up a year from now. He said no. So they initiated the auction. He has no moral or contractual obligation to promise to re-up with any other team just so the Magic can get better compensation for him. He'll be a free agent in a year and can go wherever he wants. End of story. As for Francis, none of this would be happening if he had done his job. If he had meshed with Yao, we wouldn't be looking for a guard who could mesh with Yao. If he had become a reliable go-to guy, we wouldn't be looking for a reliable go-to guy. And never mind the turnovers and lousy clock management and poor decisions -- if the guy had simply forged a better relationship with his coach, maybe by putting his team before a trip to the Super Bowl, his job here would have been safer. And of course if he had used the early years of his NBA career to make himself nearly as good as McGrady, we wouldn't be risking our chemistry on a near-even trade. He has no one to blame but himself.
I was re-reading the Orlando Sentinel article from this morning about Steve being OK to go and the following quotes stood out: Jeff Fried, Francis agent, said Friday morning that his client has dropped any objections to coming to Orlando. "Steve was very impressed with the way John has a vision for the team,'' Fried said. "It was a necessary step. I think John really connected with him.'' "We could still go in another direction with this, but I do like what I heard tonight,'' Weisbrod said. "We meshed.'' How appropriate that Steve ends up being the one person able to decipher exactly what Weisbrod's vision is for the Magic. Or that he even has a vision for that matter! Both sides even say that they connected/meshed. These two basketball IQ braindeads may have been meant to be together after all. I suppose we shouldn't care that these two are deluding themselves that they know what they're doing. As long as it gets us TMac let them think what they want.
You said he is a free agent. He's not currently a free agent. How many times have potential free agents been dealt the summer before their free agent year. It's an honest question, one I don't know the answer to. Seems like they've always been dealt around the trading deadline the season before they opt out. But none of that really matters to me. What matters to me is that everything was reversed-Francis demanding a trade when he has at least one more year left, etc., then the vast majority of the same people who are defending T-Mac and blasting Francis in the current situation wouldn't defend Francis. That's what bothers me and why I continue to even post about it...which I should understand is futile. That doesn't even address the fact that the Magic said the fact that the deal isn't done right now has nothing to do with Francis' reaction to it.
RM95-- I agree with you about Francis. People need to realize that Francis is NOT the one messing up the trade- the orlando GM Weisbrod is the one who is currently stalling. Even if Francis has objections, which doesn't look to be the case now, Francis has NO SAY because he is under contract and is not gonna give up 70mil. The Francis hate on this board has reached rediculous levels, and for a player who gave his all to this organization it really is unwarranted. I really hope we get Mcgrady but its gonna be sad if we get him and after one bad game a 100 trade mcgrady trades pop up. Also if Francis is in the East, with a coach who actually knows his players strengths, Francis will suddenly look really good, and houston fans will wonder "why couldnt he have dont that for us??" Whats the point of being a "fan" of a team if these "fans" hate everything about an organization?
He has acted childish...he's acted immature. And just like we talked about the other day, this is not the first time. Is he a horrible person? Of course not. I'm not saying he is. I'm saying he's acted unprofessisonally. Have you read yet how Dotel handled his trade?? And his was an imminent, immediate thing. "Hey...thanks to Houston. I appreciate you guys. I hope you appreciated me. Thanks." That's the way you handle a trade. You're still an NBA player. Still a millionaire. You still signed the contract that guarantees you a place to play in the NBA. I'm not griping at him because he's disappointed. Everyone is entitled to feel disappointed when something doesn't pan out...when they don't want to leave. But you don't make those comments out in public. See how Mobley has handled this? How about Cato, who has just been quiet. That's all we're talking about here...just a difference in how you handle your business. With Francis, it requires the GM calling him up to make him feel better about it...coddling. It's silly. It's embarassing.
this argument holds no water. slap the name "houston" on it, and I'll root for it. i love the rockets, texans and astros. love them. but if i feel they can make an improvement, i'll root for that, too...even if it means giving up a player i like. i'm not a francis fan...i'm not a yao fan...i'm a rocket fan. that's it.
not sure i believe that, frankly. the orlando sentinel was calling this a done deal...who do you think leaked that story? my guess is someone with the magic. this gm with the magic speaks out of both sides of his mouth. he's also the one who called francis yesterday to try to make him feel better about all of this.
