Why would they then trade a Future No. 1 for JNelson and then have Stevie too...I don't get it...I also don't get our pick...
1. If you're saying we'd still be bashing Francis if the situations were reversed and he was the upcoming FA, I think you're wrong. True, there are Francis haters no matter what, but I think most of us are defending the principle under which TMac is stating his intentions and would do so even for Francis. 2.The Magic say Steve's reaction had nothing to do with the holdup of the trade.....and you believe it? Why? Do you believe it because Weisbrod has issued statements completely contradicting himself these last two weeks? What is it about Weisbrod that makes you have so much trust in his statements?
Of course, trade Dotel to the Pirates after a playoff season and after he played for a rebuilding team for four years, then the reaction may not be the same. Francis wouldn't have been upset if we traded him to the Kings. Mobley and Cato aren't stars like Francis is. I doubt anyone really cares what they think and they know they don't have the leverage of a superstar so what's the point? BTW, I'm done. I believe that many of you are just hiding behind McGrady's impending free agency as a reason that you can defend him and blast Steve when the underlying theme is many of you, but not all, hate Steve Francis. It's useless to even argue. As I can see that others who understand and respect Steve have found it futile, I will too now. I just hope this is over soon.
Way to take that out of context and totally ignore the first paragraph in my post. Come on RM95........... That may be. Orlando is making the decision to trade him this summer. They wanted a long term committment from McGrady so they could make their plans for next season. And to be honest, they are smart for doing it now, because with mcGrady's alleged back problems, who knows what may happen next fall??? RM95. You don't see a difference between a player saying he will not play for a specific team when he is a FA, and a player saying he will not play for a specific team when he is under contract?? Then why did Weisbrod have a 20 min conversation with Steve last night to talk about his "vision" for the team?? Sounds like hes trying to sell Steve on playing there. No?
i never got the impression that nelson would be a starter in his first season. not at the PG position.
how about trading him after playing second fiddle to wagner and is now in a closer's role...on a team he loved playing for in a city he loved living in. we will never have a direct comparison...so you can discount those all you want. the bottom line is these guys all handled these situations with a degree of dignity. steve didn't. defend it all you want...say it's apples and oranges...but mobley says, "hell yeah, i'm disappointed...it hurts...it's like a cheating girlfriend...but that's business..that's what i signed up for." RM -- my problem isn't that he's disappointed. i get that. even mobley said he was disappointed my problem was when he said, 'I'M NOT GOING TO ORLANDO UNLESS SHAQ IS GOING THERE TOO." unprofessional...spin that all you like...but it is at the very least unprofessional.
well - I think it s little of both - the Orlando GM is an idiot who is afriad to make the deal - so he leaked the trade to get better offers... only (and this is for you too Mr. Bird) there were no better offeres because no team wants to trade too much value if T-Mac won't re-sign with them that being said - apparently "Francis' people" - who should have kept their mouths shut too - put it out their that he didn't want to go... so a shakey GM hears this ands feaks out - halts the trade until after the draft. Maybe getting Jameer and Howard will give him is confidence back so we can get back to business
Wanting to make players happy isn't the same as coddling. All of the good employers I've worked for have frequently asked the employees as individuals and as a whole group if they are happy, what changes can be made to make the work environment better. Employees and Employers frequently talk about what direction they see the company and themselves going. It's often even covered in initial interviews. I don't see how this is any different than that. I would be more concerned if the palyer or management didn't discuss what each wanted, and the vision for the future. What was different was Francis' intitial way of handling his disappointment. But I've noticed a pattern with Steve. He doesn't like something, is very emotional about it, and then later begins acting more rational and eventually pours his heart into the thing. The same was true with Yao, only then Francis didn't rush out to make any statements about it. For 4-5 days Francis was a brat, that ended, and it's another of the occasional blips that come up on the radar screen. In the end and in the whole scheme of things I don't think it was that big of a deal.
For a moment, let's all be honest... No one cared that Francis demanded out of Vancouver as long as we got him just like no one cares that McGrady supposedly declared to the Magic back in December that he wanted out as long as we get him. The way Francis has behaved, while typical, has been piss poor. I don't think anyone would argue that fact. However, not only did McGrady tell his team BACK IN DECEMBER that he wanted out, he arguably handcuffed their ability to get value in return for him by letting everyone know he would ONLY sign a long-term deal with Houston. Obviously, that's great for us as Rockets fans, but imagine how pissed you'd be if Yao said he refused to sign an extension and the only team he would be willing to extend his contract for was the Lakers. I'm not saying I don't understand why people are pissed at Francis - I am HUGELY pissed at the guy and, honestly, don't want to see him in a Rocket uni ever again - but let's be honest here. McGrady's maneuvers, while not as blatantly immature as Francis, have not exactly been the most honorable possible and many of us are overlooking that fact because we like the way he plays and want him to be a Rocket. I'm one of those people, but I'm also willing to admit the whole thing is a little on the stinky side.
I'm glad that Francis feels disappointed and saddened at the thought of not finishing what he helped start in Houston because it shows a certain dedication. And he probably feels like, "now I've got to start the rebuilding again in Orlando". But he reacted more like a prima donna than a seasoned pro like Mobley did. Why didn't Steve just say something like Cat publicly? More importantly, why didn't he quietly go about talking to Weisbrod the first day this broke rather than letting it linger for 4 days before acting more professionally?
I'm not arguing that Francis didn't act like a Brat to some degree, but Steve made almost identical quotes to what Dotel did. Francis said that Houston had done so much for him that he couldn't be angry at Houston, and that he just had so much respect for Houston, and thought they could do great things, but they wanted to go in another direction, and he understood that it was a business. I think because Francis has had incidents in the past people are quicker to jump on him for things, and ignore the large picture.
i get all that. truly, i do. but i'm not comparing francis with mcgrady. i'm comparing francis with mobley.
I must have missed the parts where Dotel's agents said he wasn't going to the A's unless Randy Johnson was heading there too.
Oh, I know that. I'm just saying what I think nobody wanted to admit and that is that we've been all too willing to put the blinders on when it is for our BENEFIT, but making arguments to the contrary when it causes us to suffer. That's all.
Steve is emotional, a hothead; his first reaction was honest. But he should have had more faith in himself and Cat and Cato along with Gooden and the #1 pick, whomever that turned out to be. JVG and CD probably indicated to Steve in his exit interview that they weren't looking to trade him, that "this" was our vision of the team's direction and boy-howdy, is he ever an integral part of it. If so, Steve took them at their word. Just a guess.
admittedly. no doubt about it. i've said that a few times here in these very threads. by the way...i understand what you're talking about with changing jobs and managment. but i don't ever recall seeing it to this level in pro sports.
yeah...this is really my point, that apparently i'm not making too well. there seems to be some misunderstanding about what those of us who are bashing francis are bashing him for. i'm not upset that he's disappointed...had he come out and said, "man..this sucks...i don't want to leave" that would be fine. i've got zero problems with that!!! mobley said it, too. no problem with that at all. MY PROBLEM IS WHEN YOU MAKE A COMMENT THAT YOU WON'T GO PLAY FOR THE TEAM YOU'RE TRADED TO UNLESS THEY ALSO ACQUIRE SHAQ. That was not an off-the-cuff statement, either. He said he had been talking to Shaq throughout the day....and then made that comment. That wasn't a heat of the moment comment...that was coming all day. thanks.
The good thing about this, and perhaps this is where we can all have a commond ground, is that SF has recanted and come back and done the right thing. I admire SF for that, as it takes alot of conviction to check your emotions and be professional. He has done that now. The only thing, IMO, is, has the damage been done??? In Orlando management; mind, I think it will be ok. However, what about Orlando fans?? Can Weisbrod repackage SF now and sell him to his fan base???
Agreed, but you surely you can see why people are frustrated when his "emotional reaction" is perceived as the main reason Tracy McGrady is not in a Rockets uniform yet (and may never be). If someone working in an office found out they were getting transferred, and went into work and publicly b****ed about their new bosses and complained about the new office like that, there wouldn't be meetings and trips to visit the new office, and people trying to make them feel better about the situation. They'd be looking for a new job. I think a lot of the frustration comes from good old fashioned "regular people not being able to relate to the professional athlete." aka the "why doesn't he shut the hell up and do his job?" syndrome.
BINGO! Couldn't have said it better. The problem is Steve doesn't see this behavior as a problem because he keeps repeating it under different scenarios. And his representatives aren't much better than he is at public reactions and public statements.
