[Florida Today] Francis ready to run with Magic

http://www.floridatoday.com/!NEWSROOM/sportstoryS1007FRANCIS.htm

Francis ready to run with Magic

BY JOHN DENTON
FLORIDA TODAY

JACKSONVILLE -- As the rumors were morphing into reality and Steve Francis was about to leave the Houston Rockets for the Orlando Magic via a blockbuster trade, calls came flooding into his cell phone.

And the majority of the messages were not from family or future teammates, but instead NBA veterans familiar with the cold, cruel world of professional sports. Sure, Francis had given the Rockets his all for four seasons and finally gotten them to a playoff level before being blindsided this summer by the trade.

"Welcome to the NBA, baby," joked Minnesota point guard Sam Cassell, one of Francis' closest friends. "You're not officially in the NBA until you've been traded."

Cassell should know. Like Francis, he started his career with the Houston Rockets, but has been traded five times. Nick Van Exel and Antonio McDyess, summer residents of Houston, also phoned Francis to let him know that getting traded wasn't the end of the world. Francis, initially stung by the Rockets turning their backs on him, eventually was able to put his trade to the Magic into perspective.

"I'm not mad at all because the NBA is a game of change," Francis said Wednesday following the Magic's second day of training camp at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville. "Some of the best players ever have been traded. Grant Hill was traded, Shaq (O'Neal) was traded, Oscar Robertson and Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) were traded. In this day and age, it's all about who wants you and I know that the Magic want me here. I'm here to lay it down for the Magic."

Three months after trading Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines for Cuttino Mobley, Kelvin Cato and Francis, the Magic are getting their first looks at their new-look roster. And thus far, Orlando's organizational staff is delighted with the versatility they have seen. Rather than depending so heavily on McGrady, the Magic can lean on Francis for ball-handling, Mobley for shooting and Cato to bang inside.

Arguably, no point guard in the league does as many things with the flair that Francis, 24, does. One instant at Wednesday's practice, Francis beat Jameer Nelson along the baseline, ducked under a block attempt and sprung to the other side of the rim where he dunked the ball, showing just how dynamic he can be. He is in elite company with Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Hill as the only players in NBA history to average at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in their first five seasons in the league.

But the thing the Magic covet most about Francis is how hot his competitive fire burns. Even in training camp, he plays as if wins and losses are at stake, refusing to come out of a drill Wednesday even though he grotesquely jammed his finger while batting a pass away. It is, Pat Garrity and others pointed out, a direct contrast to the past example set by McGrady, who could often skip practice and still pump in 30 points.

General manager John Weisbrod admitted that he first fell in love with Francis' game last season when he saw him slug a prancing Amare Stoudemire following a dunk. Weisbrod said it was then that he knew he wanted Francis on his roster.

"At least we know that when someone turns the scoreboard on he's going to compete like a son-of-a-gun," Weisbrod said.

Francis does, however, have his warts. He led the league in technical fouls and was second in the NBA last season in turnovers, trailing only Boston's Paul Pierce. And his shooting percentages -- 40.3 percent from the floor and 29.2 percent from three-point range-- were career lows.

But that was in Jeff Van Gundy's methodical offense. The first, second and third option, often, was to drop the ball down to 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming. Francis didn't make waves at the time, but clearly it was an uncomfortable environment for him.

"It was a tough year, but we were winning," said Francis, who averaged 16.6 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds last season in Houston. "I just did what it took for us to win and I sacrificed that. I felt that the team's success was bigger than me. It's better to win than me scoring 30 points and losing. It was tough, but at least we were winning."

Another of Cassell's points during their phone call was that Francis would love playing for head coach Johnny Davis. Cassell was with New Jersey when Davis was an assistant there and he loved the direction that he provided. In Orlando, Davis has given Francis the green light to push the ball relentlessly and remain in attack mode.

"Steve was in a position last year where the Houston team was featuring Yao Ming, but Steve was a runner who likes to go and play up tempo," he said. "There was an imbalance there. With Yao being a half-court player, Steve had to wait for him instead of just going. He was having to make the decision of whether he went or held up. When you have that sort of decision it can make you back off what comes natural to you."

"There's not a lot of ambiguity with how we want to play and maybe that will get his turnovers down."

Francis said the trade is old news to him now, "sort of like my 21st birthday." He said he no longer harbors bitterness, and instead has shifted his focus to getting back to the playoffs for a second consecutive year.

"I'd rather win than anything, man," he said. "If we win that overshadows any of that other stuff. A guy can be at the all-star game in February, but if I'm in the playoffs and he's already on vacation down in Cancun, then I win. All-star games and that other stuff are nice, but winning is all that matters."