ESPN Insider - A long-shot possibility is Francis returning to Houston

ummm you cant compare stats like that!!!!!!!
thats like saying hmmm okay i'll trade you wesley and howard and head for Kobe Bryant since Wesley, hoWard and head add up to Kobe Point total between the 3 of them. now how many spots do 4 players take up and how many minutes does it take for them to score all those points. One good player is definately better than 2 or 3 medicore players since the later is more easily replaceable. You definately want quality not quantity since its much more efficient to get the same scoring with just one player taking up one position. Now im not saying Francis is the answer. He's a talented palyer no doubt but i dont know if he still has it in him to acutally flow and fit with a team to make it a winning team

 

Negative. That would mean Wes goes to the bench. Have u seen Wes lately? Over .500 shooting from the field and 3's. Good Defense. and we're winning.

 

Orlando is looking for CAP room. They insisted we take Howard's contract in the TMAC trade. You think they would want that K back?

 

He wouldn't play the point.

Yao/Deke/Cato?
JHO/Cato?
TMac/Hayes/Bowen
SF/JB
Alston/Lucas?

Certainly worth a conversation.

 

Stevie could be our Rip.

 

Stevie doesn't play the defense nor is he as disciplined as Rip. They're not really even close to being the same player...Rip is a much better catch and shoot player.

Bottom line is Steve really doesn't fit with this team. Not a great defender (as a SG anyway), and not a particularly good shooter. The only reason anyone in Houston would want him is because of the attachment to him from years past...but he just doesn't make sense with our current team.

 

I love SF and really be happy if he can come back to Rockets. I still remember yao vs shaq I, he scored 41 and we win over shaq and kobe.
But, Tmac and JVG, I don't know. Yao, no problem.

 

anderson/wesley/swift for francis works, and you could throw picks and scrubs from either side to make it fair.

but I don't think it'll happen. anderson/swift +2006 first rounder for lewis seems more plausable.

 

I feel so bad for Steve.

Once he got traded to the Magic, his value just went down the tubes. It was a great trade for us but really sad for SF3. And now? He's just a journeyman, chop-shop, trade-bait, ready for a move kind of player. Is his career as a starter close to coming to an end?

Sady, I think so.

theSAGE

 

There is an emotional attachment involved, but Steve really doesn't fit. Sad but true.

I'm certain everyone agrees that Mobley would be almost perfect for the 2. Sadly it's Steve that is available.

Who could have foreseen this?

I love that Rashard proposal. But it seems like Rashard is destined to be a dream unfulfilled. First it was the draft, and then not trading Griffin for him... I guess it just isn't meant to be.

 

With Francis at 2 and Cato at 4, the opposing SG and PF will each be averaging 40ppg.

It makes absolutely no sense for Francis to be coming back here. His game would be a terrible fit for our team, and we're doing well enough without any potential distractions.

 

that's because he didn't show up most of the regular season.. and the other Rockets did..

probably because JVG saw what Rudy didn't.. that Steve was shooting so many last play clutch threes.. because Steve was dribbling out the clock until he had no choice
but, to put up a prayer..

 

I'm really curious his writer's jusification for this speculation. Besides the fact that he played here previously... anyone want to dig up the post trade quotes having more or less bad things to say about JVG?

I wonder how often players will break the rules and secretly call another team to say "hey, make a move for me!" That's the only scenario I can think of making this trade speculation plausible. Francis himself would have to express interest, him being the less level headed party. Think he still has a soft spot for H-town and just wants back in a familiar winning situation? Hey, Moochie matured during his second tenure here. At what point does a player realize he needs to grow up and swallow some pride if he wants to accomplish the things he set out to do in his career. Illegal as hell sure, but why, why, why? Why would someone write something like this? It's not like a writer would know anything about this even if it were the case.

I'm not sure if it'd be a good thing, a bad thing or what but it's got us all thinking. God, I love the trade deadline speculation.

Oh and any posters who post about 3 max contracts or only one ball on the team need to add something fresh to the discussion. Those facts are blatently obvious, you're just regurgitating. Reading this whole thread got really really repetitive.

 

Best wishes to Francis, that is, on another team!

 

I can't believe some people here want to bring Steve Francis back. If the Rockets are going to take on a 3rd max contract, they have alot more needs to fill than to bring in an undersized, poor defender who can't shoot or pass.

With Rafer looking like the second coming of late (not to mention the 4 years we already invested into the experiment), it's safe to say Steve wouldn't be a point guard here. So you want to pay $13 million for a shooting guard who will be abused as bad as Wesley in the post, can't hit a spot up jumpshot, needs the ball to score, can't pass and makes horrible decisions? Right.

This is just a case of a writer throwing something out there and hoping it gets a reaction. Say what you want about Van Gundy, but all of his personnel moves, even if they don't pan out, have made sense.

 

Stevie has never been able to move well without the ball
in his hands throughout his career, other than to go up for an alley-oop.

And his jump shot has to come through by rhythm, dribbling. Not, stop and pop.

If any former Rocket of the dribbling era could be our Rip, on this current Rocket cast and scheme, it would be Cat.

 

Reading through this thread, I am glad that none of us fans are GMs in the league...nothing but emotional pleas to bring back a former player who clearly can't and won't fit into the team's philosophy/structure; it's not even about him making max money or anything like that, it just doesn't make basketball sense, it's not a rational approach to building a team. We have certain voids/needs on this team, and Francis doesn't fulfill any of them, and on top of that would put us in a salary cap nightmare scenario.

I love Stevie as much as the next guy, but come on guys, get real!

Exactly, if it were Cat I would be rooting for it to happen and it would be plausible, but Stevie? Can't see how there is or could be any shred of truth to this made-up rumor by that writer.

Some journalists are just stupid, I guess they run out of things to do...

 

I never said it was a good idea, just kind of doing the "what if"

 

just watching Cat dribble the ball until it gets out of bounds in the rox vs clips the other night was very hard to take even if we were winning and he was on the other team..

i don't think i can take watching steve do the samething again here..

that said, if steve can change why not..

 

he would need a new nickname if he returns. stevie franchise no more.