Steve's contract has nothing to do with Yao's. Rookie wage scales are slotted automatically in the first round. So, Steve and Yao's contracts do not affect one another.
So did he get the max or was he willing to take less money? I'd give him much props if he took less than the max to benefit the team in the future.
I READ ALL ABOUT MING'S PERFORMANCE ON FRIDAY, AND BET KUBLI $10 FRANCIS WOULD SIGN BY WED. AND LOW AND BEHOLD HE SIGNS ON MON. APPARENTLY FRANCIS WAS JUST AS IMPRESSED W/ MING'S PERFORMANCE AS WE WERE.
Steve's signing makes TroyBarros a very impressive 0-3. He said we would trade the pick.....WRONG! He said we wouldn't draft Ming.......EHHHHHH! He said if we did draft Ming, Steve wouldn't sign his extension and would sign with NY of Chi......AHHHAHHH! What does our contestant win for this perfectly wrong cold streak? The permanent position of "Dumb Ass", and one "get your head removed out of your ass, free!" card. Congratulations you freaking moron.
All of the major components of this team are signed for the next four years, at least, right? Francis, Mobley, Ming, Griffin, Taylor, and to a lesser extent Cato. The team will still be relatively young in four years, but will that be enough time to get us a championship? I say that we should have it within that time frame.
Was TroyBaros banned? I kinda wish he'd show up to write something ign'ant so we can all pile on him and give us some good fodder for the BBS, even though Steve's extension and Yao's game have finally added some grist for the mill. Guess Troy's gonna lay low until the 2003 draft (TroyBaros: "This was our worst draft ever! Rudy should be fired!" Anyone Else: "Uh, we had no draft pick this year, genius.")
Hate to break it to you but Yao had nothing to do with it. I posted this the other day: Franics is fine with Yao and has been for a while now. Money was also not the issue. The numbers were the same weeks ago as they are today most likely. There were other issues at work here, but I don't know what. I can guess that it had to do with how he would be promoted by the team and how the team would build itself from this point forward, but that is just my guess.
Come on, Jeff. Let us have our fun. It's just the timing of the whole thing. I would think Steve and his agent would have wanted to make sure he won't be forgotten as we learn the Yao Two-Step. Not that anyone could ignore Steve Francis and how important he is to The Family; but I hope the marketing department and the coaching staff don't ignore the first child ("he can take care of himself, he's big now") for sake of the second ("we've got to teach him to walk, to talk, he has to be made to feel safe...")
http://msn.espn.go.com/nba/news/2002/0826/1422853.html Monday, August 26 Report: Rockets reach deal with Francis -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press HOUSTON -- The Houston Rockets have reached a deal with star point guard Steve Francis on a six-year contract extension, a Houston television station reported Monday. KRIV, citing unidentified sources, said the deal could be worth between $80 million and $90 million, though the exact figure can't be set until the NBA salary cap is established for next year. Rockets spokesman Nelson Luis declined comment but the club scheduled a news conference later Monday to announce what it said was the signing of a major player. Francis was an NBA All-Star for the first time in his career last season. He's heading into the final year of his current contract, but an extension would keep Francis under contract through the 2008-2009 season. Francis averaged 22 points, seven assists and seven rebounds last season despite occasionally disabling migraine headaches. Doctors recently diagnosed the cause as a fluid buildup in his inner ear
Maybe this thread would be a good one for all the Steve haters to post their apologies one by one. I don't consider haters those that rag on Steve's defense because that's a given that it needs to improve. I mean the people who said Steve wasn't a leader, was selfish, hated Yao Ming, wouldn't go to the Mayo clinic, wouldn't sign the extension, etc. Steve's behavior has repeatedly shown those claims to be off target. I just want to see some people admit they were wrong for trashing the poor guy... Maybe 'poor' was the wrong adjective to use, but the point is still the same.
Come on, Jeff. Let us have our fun. It's just the timing of the whole thing. I would think Steve and his agent would have wanted to make sure he won't be forgotten as we learn the Yao Two-Step. Not that anyone could ignore Steve Francis and how important he is to The Family; but I hope the marketing department and the coaching staff don't ignore the first child ("he can take care of himself, he's big now") for sake of the second ("we've got to teach him to walk, to talk, he has to be made to feel safe...") EXCACTLY
Well that's a big sigh of relief. When Steve once said he'd sign a lifetime contract it wasn't looking too good that he hadn't signed yet. Training camp can't get here fast enough.
From Rockets.com... <i>Rockets Sign Steve Francis To Multi-Year Contract Extension Aug. 26, 2002 (HOUSTON) - The Houston Rockets have signed All-Star point guard Steve Francis to a multi-year contract extension, owner and president Leslie Alexander announced today. This past season Francis joined Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Grant Hill as the only players in NBA history to average 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in each of their first three seasons. “Steve is one of the league’s most exciting players to watch and we are thrilled to announce that he will be with us for many years to come,” said Rockets owner and president Leslie Alexander. “We are in the process of building a championship-contending team and Steve will be a vital ingredient in that success. This season, we are asking our fans to ‘Be Part of Something Big’ and Steve will help us deliver on the high expectations we and our fans have for the future.” This past season Francis averaged career highs of 21.6 points and 7.0 rebounds with a team-leading 6.4 assists, standing as the only NBA player to average 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard ranked second on the Rockets in both scoring and rebounding. In 57 games he compiled 14 double-doubles and two triple-doubles, leading Houston in each of these categories for the third-straight season. He hit game-winning shots on Jan. 3 vs. Detroit and on Mar. 10 vs. Utah, tying his career high of 36 points in the victory over the Pistons. On Feb. 10 Francis became the 12th All-Star in franchise history, starting at point guard for the Western Conference in the 2002 NBA All-Star Game. Francis holds career averages of 19.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.54 steals in 214 games with Houston. In franchise history, he ranks fourth with a career scoring average of 19.7 points per game and five career triple-doubles. Among players selected in the 1999 NBA Draft, Francis ranks first in scoring average, second in total points, assists per game and 3-pointers made, third in total assists and steals per game, and fourth in total rebounds and rebounds per game. After a standout junior year at Maryland, Francis began his professional career by sharing 2000 NBA Co-Rookie of the Year honors with Elton Brand. He became the first rookie to lead the Rockets in points, steals and assists, averaging 18.0 points, a career-high 6.6 assists and 1.53 steals in his first season. In his second season, Francis averaged 19.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.5 assists and a career-high 1.76 steals per game, becoming the first Rockets player and the 18th player in NBA history to lead his team in total points, rebounds and assists. He also became the first player in franchise history to reach both 500 rebounds and 500 assists in one season. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. </i>
Evidently there will be a slight change in the marketing campaign. The new billboards will feature the tippy-top of Francis' head (poking up from the bottom of the billboard) with the slogan, "Be part of something small." Mo Taylor is asking for a billboard of his own. I won't divulge the slogan, but let's just say that in the picture, he's floating.
This past season Francis joined Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Grant Hill as the only players in NBA history to average 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in each of their first three seasons. Man, that is elite company. This past season Francis averaged career highs of 21.6 points and 7.0 rebounds with a team-leading 6.4 assists, standing as the only NBA player to average 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. I didn't know he was the only one in the whole league! This guy is so badass! We have Cat and Wink locked up long term, and have Ming for at least the next four years! How sweet it is! We are going to kick ass for years to come! I am so psyched to be a Rockets fan now!
I will make a prediction. Francis was first on the team last year with 14 dbl dbls. This year he will increase that number but still come in second with this lineup.
YES! Steve's going to be a Rocket for a long long time . All you Steve haters better apologize . He made the right decision. I can't wait to see what he says about Ming. The Rockets are heading for greatness.
