If you guys dont want Francis back dont worry cuz most likely he aint comin back but he does look nice on paper with the rest of the team I think and as for he had his shot, No way what he had was one year with respectable team members for once and we made it to playoffs and that was his worst year and as he gets older he gets smarted for the game and he would help H-town alot but nah lets just keep our great pg in Rafer and maybe Sura will be back. We just cannot be picking our pg we have to take what we can and if by some way Francis ended up here that would be great for the team not bad great.
Sorry to bump this thread (I can't start new ones yet), but... FOX 26 did a short segment on Francis last night as well. He says he's determined to use this offseason to restore himself back to his all-star player status. He's working out trying to get stronger and he's really practicing a lot. He said that all the drama last year both at Orlando and in New York really distracted him and threw him off his game. He was playing at Fonde with a bunch of guys of guys I didn't recognize and John Lucas III. Good for him. I hope he really does resurrect his allstar career like he plans to. He's a good, hardworking man and I can't help feeling that he didn't deserve a lot of the grace-to-grass humiliation he has suffered recently. Now let the ridiculous trade suggestions resume.
Once Francis loses his athleticism he will be out of the league, he is not good enough to get by on brains ala Stockton. DD
The first time Morey took a look at Francis' efficiency numbers, his laptop would likely burst into flames, so I doubt that we'll be re-acquiring Mr. Francis.
Thanks for posting. It is good to hear don't let the hatred around here get to you . . . Francis did well and I'm happy he found his heart again He went to orlando . .where he was . . doing ok the team was rolling fine. .the the GM says. . HEY . .let's just mess with team chemisty .. get rid of Mobley and insert. . well nothing [i.e. doug CRY-stie] - the wheels came off that season Asked to defer to a high schooler and a rookie . .. then traded to cancer alley [Knicks] I think this next season Francis will do well . . . I really think he will surprise a bunch of people Rocket River that is if he can pry the ball out of Me-bury's hands
Next year Francis will be great again and I still cant see why he gets hated on, he is nothing but one of the best or atleast was and cmon low basketball iq come on, the guy had but the cat to work with and I want to see anybody do better except nash maybe he could have made team little better in that time but from there nobody would have handled it like he did, with hard work every night even if he knew the Rockets would not win but he believed he could make em win and thats the way he played with passion for this team that I havent seen from anyone since he left.
I agree 100%. Steve played his heart out for this team. He always gave 100%. He loved the city and he loved the team and he supported YAO. So, I don't get all the hate either.
Thanks for seeing it the way I do. I understand why Francis gets hated on but people take it to a whole nother level that Steve does not deserve, He was a great and loyal player here in Htown and yeah he had his bad games and things that didnt make him perfect but so do all players, I believe he is better and smarter now and is still one of the best pg out there. If the Rockets were facing Dallas Terry I want a strong passionate guy that will not quit on his team and will go all out to let us win I want Francis. If it were Wade I want Frnacis, If it was Nash I want Francis, why? because he too is one of the best and justt had a bad year, its happend before and bounced back better than ever and it will happen again.
I would like to see Stevie the former franchise at a good price. As has been mentioned before, if the Knicks would paySteve to play for us, I would love it. I would even throw in $5 million a year.
I would like to see Stevie the former franchise at a good price. As has been mentioned before, if the Knicks would paySteve to play for us, I would love it. I would even throw in $5 million a year, if I was the Rocks.
If you can steal Steve from Zeke, you've got to do that. If anyone on this board wanted Mike James back, they'd have to want Steve too. Sure, Steve is much more expensive, but he's younger, bigger, and stronger than Mike. For those who think Steve's game wouldn't fit in here with TMac and Yao, how is his game that much different from Mike's game? The truth is that we STILL need somebody to take the scoring load off of TMac. You can't have TMac playing 40+ minutes a night. And if Tracy did go down for a month or two, we'd be sunk without another scorer, just like last season. Steve and Yao could carry this team to the playoffs even without TMac. Finally, Steve would play like a tiger if he got to come back here. Orlando was a mess with their @$$hole GM and New York has been even worse. You put Steve on a contending team, he'll straighten up and fly right.
I really loved having Steve Francis on our team. I loved his gym-rat approach to the game, his hops, his passion, his love for the game and our town. BUT, once Yao came to the team, he really didn't fit. 1 Yao and Stevie didn't fit. This was Stevie's team before Yao, and everyone fit Stevie. But, once Yao came on board, their basketball IQ's didn't match, nor did their play. Yao played with intelligence, and he was our long term future, so the team had to change. Stevie's game depends on his athleticism and ability to create. Even though Yao and he were best buddies and loyal to a fault, their play didn't match. Yao has a much better understanding of the game, and needed other players who could play with similar intelligence. At the time, most of the players we had didn't "get it." Mobely, Cato, Griffin and Taylor all had games based on athleticism, not brains. 2 Steve never was taught the PG position. Steve moved from team to team before he came to HOU. He never was in one place long enough to get trained as a PG. He was just this amazing athlete who could get the job done on talent alone. When you added this to his passion for the game, he had some great results, but never what would have taken us to a championship. He would dribble half of the time clock away before ever getting it into Yao, trying to create opportunity. We needed a pass first PG who could quickly get it into Yao for the inside-out game to become contender. That's why when the opportunity came up to get McGrady, we unloaded Steve quickly, as well as Mobely, Cato, Griffin and Taylor. We needed someone who could direct the team, and get everyone involved. Remember the talk that Oscar Robertson had with him, about only getting his points after he got every teammate involved? Stevie just didn't get it. He was not a floor general, nor understood the strategy involved. I doubt he'd take the time now to get that training. Of course, if he doesn't, when his athleticism dies, so will his game, since he's not a like a Stockton who could continue to play using his smarts. So, as much as I'd love to see him back, and that he would be a more valuable player than who we would trade for him, under this scenario, we would be going backward in building a team for championship contention.
Steve is not a good +/- guy. That along with the "baggage" of bringing him back, I'd propose that there is less than a 1% chance of his return. Not that I don't like him, I do, it's just that he is the "anti-what-we're-doing-now" kind of a thing.
Sherlock I agree with you on some and totally disagree on other. When Yao came to houston its true they were not a great match or duo but Yao was not a guy you could give the ball to all the time cuz he was too young and fresh on the Nba scene, Yao was not great if not even good, he did not know the language and was having a hard time with his new way of life, basketball was difrent in the U.S and he was nowhere near good as today so in that instant that Yao came it was noy Yao's team it was still Francis's team and as the best player he knew what he had to do and take care of the scoring load in order for this team to win, I am glad you named some of the players of that time, Mobley,Taylor,Griffin. Look at what poor Steve had to work with its not like he could get these guys the ball and then worry bout himself scoring cuz that way Houston would not have chance to win. When Steve and Yao made it to Playoffs Yao was only starting to be good to great player and he got traded not even giving him the chance to prove himself. Today Yao is the best center and among the best players in the nba and T-Mac is well we all know how great T-Mac is and the team has some some solid players now and the Rockets need to add a big pieace to this championchip team and who better than Francis to come back and finally get a chance to make this team champs. A real chance.
I would do it only if the trade was essentially Howard and dead weight. The way I see it, if the Rockets were willing to put in 31 year old 6'2 Mike James at shooting guard next to rafer, then why not Francis who is a little taller and a little younger? James is a better shooter, but Francis is a better rebounder (which we will sorely need this year) and probably would shoot a little better in an offense where he is not the first or second option. The only question is if Francis would be able to accept this new role at this stage in his career. Furthermore, Francis only has two years left on his contract, whereas we would have signed James to at least 3. The trade would work if we sent howard, bowen, head and sura. The only piece that I would hate to lose there is Head, but with Francis Head becomes redundant. Yes, we would be thin at power forward, but we would still have the full MLE and 5 million TE to help out. Alston/Francis/JL3 and maybe Spanoulis Francis/Snyder/McGrady McGrady/Battier Battier/Player signed with MLE/Hayes Yao/ Mutumbo that doesn't look that bad.
You are right on my friend. He's over paid, and why do you even waste time to type all those nonsese? I don't get it. The fact that his bone-headed plays was still fresh in my memory makes it even harder for me to see Francis back to H-Town
