Dickey_Simpkins, 1. Steve wanted to play the ONE. 2. Steve wanted to play close to home 3. Steve did not want to pay the higher taxes in Canada. ------------------ President of the Charles Barkley fan club...Oh he retired? When?
To answer your 1rst question, the Grizzlies got Ike Austin, Abdul-Rauf this season, and a few years before that Grant Long.. Toronto got Mark Jackson this past season..ever heard of these guys? I'm not sure where you were going with that. Look..the bottom line is that a team picked who they thought was the most talented player in the draft. I don't care if Francis said he wanted to play in Hawaii, the Grizz were right in picking him as the number 2 pick. What it comes down to is a player who wasn't professional enough to accept the team that drafted him. Bibby on draft day for example was pretty shocked to see the Clips pick Kandi 1rst, as the Grizz took Bibby with their second pick. Sure Bibby was a little cold to the idea of playing for the Grizz, but once he realized that his dream of playing in the NBA finally came true, he didn't pout and demand a trade like some pouty kid (cough..cough) but he stuck it through playing pretty darn well for the Grizz. Francis should've taken a lesson from Bibby. ------------------ Go Grizz!
Austin? Rauf? Long? Now excuse me! That´s what you call marquee free-agent signings? Half these guys weren´t even free agents in the first place! And they are role players at best! And role players of questionable value! Geez. I wonder how Dickey would feel if we land Reef. What do you have to say for yourself? In a couple of seasons Vancouver won´t even HAVE a nba team anymore. Management is just about to blow up the team for picks and player on the last year of their contracts since it can´t afford to lose money anymore, as you guys could care less about the team! You think it´s bad now? Wait til Reef is gone! Wait til Bibby is gone! Heck, even Big Country blew up for 31 points last night! What about Othella my fella? He hates that city´s guts so much that his play has fallen WAY way down! He used to be all heart over here because he played for people who CARE. And i take personal pleasure at seeing Francis talking smack back to a city that welcomes him with flying tomatoes. You wanna whine about it? Sure, it´s your right. But at least be civilized about it. This is not ancient Rome. ------------------ "I have posted so much that what I say must be true"
You're right, Dickey. Francis should like all the same things as Bibby. After all, shouldn't everyone be forced to like playing in Vancouver? I definetely feel that the world would be a better place if no one had a choice as to where they play. And as for you saying that Steve's comments about playing in Vancouver were ignorant because the conditions are much the same as Seattle or Portland... well, Seattle or Portland were not cities that had the potential to sign him, were they? If that were the case, who knows, Steve might have made similar comments about those cities. And everyone says, "Hey, Steve was lying about wanting to play closer to home, because Houston is still far away from DC." You know what? Steve didn't have a choice where Vancouver traded him! So how is this comment "thrown out the window." If he had been drafted by Washington, he most likely would have been content. (And he would be beating Michael Jordan one on one consistently by now ) And you know what? Time heals all wounds. Geez, freaking everyone loved John Elway by the time he retired. ------------------ "Of course, everything looks bad if you remember it!" Homer Simpson [This message has been edited by RunninRaven (edited January 13, 2001).]
Austin wasn't a free agent signing, you got him in a trade with Washington. Jordan trades Austin because he said: "Austin is only good for 5 fouls." Mark Jackson? An on his last leg Mark Jackson? And a question for you Dickey_Simpkins, you say Vancouver is right for picking Francis #2, that is why your franchise is in the state it's in now. Why on earth would you want a player that didn't want to play there and try and FORCE him to play there? Common sense says "Hmmmm he doesn't want to play there, lets draft Baron Davis" or something. Why draft a player who doesn't want to be there? It makes zero sense. You can cry and pout about Francis but the people you should be ticked off at is your front office who decided that, in a draft loaded with talent, they would take the one player who did not want to play for them. ------------------ "I have a scale at home and it only goes up so far, I love that scale!" - Charles Barkley TNT Studios [This message has been edited by RocksMillenium (edited January 13, 2001).]
Okay haven..I'll take your request..The arguments which aelliot and Jeff made, I admit are strong points. Francis exercised the options which were in front of him. In turn, Vancouver had every right to pick him. I side with the team's needs rather than the needs, more correctly, the wants of an individual player. The main problem I have here is the way Francis handled himself and in turn, negatively affecting the Vancouver franchise. I think immmaturity is the best way to describe Francis' behavior on draft day and later on when he dissed Vancouver in the media. Vancouver is a relatively new market, and attracting free agents isn't an easy thing to do, especially with the record the way it is. Also, when SI took a poll of 10 NBA teams and Vancouver was labelled the city with the most 'stupidest' fans, that only made the negative perception of Vancouver even greater. I guess we in Vancouver have such a loathing towards Francis not only because he immaturely rejected the city, but also how that made Vancouver look even more unattractive to players around the league. Francis got his wish..but Vancouver suffered in the process..we can't let that disappear. ------------------ Go Grizz! [This message has been edited by Dickey_Simpkins (edited January 14, 2001).] [This message has been edited by Dickey_Simpkins (edited January 14, 2001).]
Dickey: You still haven't countered the arguments of aelliott or Jeff, both of which probably presented the best arguments against you. Anybody can pick and choose selected ideas to rebutt and sound reasonable... but if that's all you can do, you haven't made your case. I expectantly await your reply . Specifically in reply: 1. That's a pretty pathetic list of free agents. Besides, merely KEEPING someone doesn't really count... those contracts are often arranged to reward return players. Lets see the marquee player that CHOSE to GO to Vancouver AWAY from another city. 2a. Bibby didn't whine about playing for Vancouver. So what? As I said, differences in temperment are understandable. Perhaps Bibby doesn't mind Vancouver, but would HATE Philly. It's all a matter of perspective. 2b. This doesn't diminish Francis' specific justifications. I think that various members of the board have made a compelling case for some freedom of choice. Location DOES matter. Nobody wants to be made miserably by working in a city they despise. Sure, playing basketball is a fun job... but it doesn't differ in material aspects from any other high paying job that travels a great deal. As I said earlier, if lawyers were drafted, I sure as heck would throw a fit if I were sent to Iowa, etc. Different strokes for different folks . You like Vancouver... so do I. Not everyone does. Francis was a bit childish for pouting, but that's not such a big deal. He had just been very disappointed, and was upset. So what? Get over it. ------------------ Shandon Anderson rocks. The lottery sucks. Playoffs 2001. [This message has been edited by haven (edited January 13, 2001).]
The Grizz even had a player that would fitt them well available(Odom). But they still decided they had to draft the guy that didnt want to be there. But like i said before, i dont think the Grizz came out too badly. A 18 point shooting guard and a 14 point 8 rebound power forward fits their team GREAT. Now if they could get a real center and a bench, they could actually be pretty good. ------------------ President of the Charles Barkley fan club...Oh he retired? When?
Ike Austin ? Grant Long ? Mahmoud ? Mark Jackson ? Gee, I stand corrected. Vancouver is an NBA player's haven. ------------------ "We don't have any plans. We just plan to win." Mack Brown
Hey.. I was just answering the question. Besides, this is not related to my original point. You Houston fans are funny..failing to admit that Francis still has a maturity problem when he was drafted by the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies are lucky. None of the players here have the NBA player wannabe bad boy image like Iverson or Francis. Sure these guys can play, but their attitude is in need of a readjustment. ------------------ Go Grizz!
