I never thought i would feel this way but i think i hate francis more than Karla!

Nothing hypocritical about calling Francis a baby. He has been one from the moment he was drafted. He has been uncoachable, pretty much the reason Rudy T got fired. Then he continued the "I play how I want to play. He can coach how he wants to coach" act under Van Gundy--the most public spat being the whole Superbowl thing. Now he is getting shipped out of Dodge. You know JVG is supporting this move all the way. I am a big Francis fan. I will follow his career wherever he lands. But lets get real. He is a petulant little jerk prone to knee-jerk reactions. He had a contract to be coached and play ball to the best of his ability. He didn't do that. Now it is time to move him on. For McGrady, lotto picks or whatever. His career as a Rocket is over. We all know it ended Superbowl night.

 

Actually, T Mac's leverage is a lot less than you guys think. In fact, it about the same as Francis' leverage. T Mac can say he will only resign with Houston but in reality if he is not traded to Houston, how will his threat hold up? Even if he was traded to a team that he doesn't want to resign with he has to weigh the what ifs of another back injury. He also has to consider what team will actually have the cap room to sign him next year. Will he actually leave $20+ million dollars on the table? I doubt it. I doubt anyone in the NBA thinks he will either.

I wonder how Orlando Magic fans feel about T Macs generosity in tanking the season and trying to torpedo his trade value by limiting the teams he will resign with...I bet they feel he is just a little more whiney.

 

But if he doesn't sign an extension or give some overtures that he will....who in their right mind would give up all that the Magic are asking for in return to simply get T-Mac for a season and a CHANCE to resign him next season.

i don't see it. as a rocket fan, if the rockets gave up the value in francis, mobley and cato with no assurance from T-Mac that he's a rocket for a while...i'd be pissed. you can't afford to give up that much talent and get one year in return. so the deal never gets made to begin with. that's why mcgrady holds the cards.

 

Stop acting like Stevie was interviewed only by Berman. He has said more things in the last three or four days that were not covered or brought up in that interview. He also leaked other information through his agents as well.

 

Valid points MemphisX.

But attempt to answer this question for me - if you were a GM trying to get T-MAC would take that risk? How many GMs do you think will take that risk?

 

McGrady was so frustrated by his situation in Orlando that he was willing to take less money to be on a better team. Orlando's inept front office fielded teams so weak that McGrady was pushed to the breaking point. He even considered retirement. Orlando thinks/seems to know he would leave $20 million on the table. (Otherwise, they wouldn't be trading him.) Why shouldn't anyone else? McGrady has a lot of leverage, far more than Francis--who would have to leave ~$75+ million on the table to pose a real threat. But I believe there are teams willing to acquire McGrady on a one year rental to try to sell him on their team. Those teams probably wouldn't be that willing to give up the farm just to take that risk, though. (Think Phoenix.)

 

I can't believe you guys. How is 14mil/year relevant to the situation. He PREFERS to earn his 14 mil in Houston, rather than in Orlando. He is not allowed to? He makes 14 mil a year, all of a sudden he doesn't allow to have feelings? If you make 60K USD a year, and shipped out by your company to a place you don't like. Then you opened your mouth and said you like the old place better, can a person from country side of a third world country, who makes only 50 cents a day, tell you to shut up, and give a brilliant comparison by claiming that if he can get your 60K, the company can screw him as hard as they want?

SF's comments are not so smart, and doesn't help his cause, but it's even more wrong to claim that he doesn't have right to express his feelings. It's his mistakes, and it's his future, we, as important as we think we are, don't have reason enough to trash him like that. Talking about true color, is that our true color, as "fans"? We praise him as the hero when he's with us, and we make him as public enemy no. 1 when we dump him, and he doesn't like to be dumped? It's your choice to act like that. But personally, I would NOT want to get close with anyone acting like that.

 

Yeah, I agree with those aguing to give Stevie a break here.

What's he supposed to say? "Yeah, get me out of Houston now." Imagine the threads people would start *then*. He can't win with our fans at this point unless he just keeps his mouth shut for the rest of eternity.

I'll say this: if T-Mac plays with the intensity, hustle, and grit of Stevie, we'll be very lucky fans. Steve has played through a lot of little injuries, and the major headache issue, and I hope T-Mac does the same.

 

nobody, nobody, nobody is saying he doesn't have a right to make whatever dumb comment he wants to make. nobody is saying that. hell, we have the right to make all kinds of lame ass stupid comments.

but we also have the right to criticize him for it. to say it seems childish. to say it's unprofessional.

by the way...in case you haven't noticed, francis hasn't been "the hero" for quite some time among many Rocket fans.

 

how about saying nothing?

or how about handling it like mobley did..."hey...i'm sad...i'm disappointed..." but not saying, "im not going to orlando unless shaq is there."

 

I noticed, and he's never my hero. I am not criticizing people who criticized him, I am criticizing people who cursed him and hated him for his comments. His comments were childish, no doubt about it. But to assume he has to accept the trade gracefully is childish too. There are people always say the right things, that doesn't mean they are good people; there are also people not so smart, running their mouths faster than their brains, but that doesn't mean they are bad people either. He's a knee-jerk, yeah, for what? not helping out his girl to dump him? Now, that's childish, unprofessional, and ignorant.

 

professionaly. we assume professionalism. we shouldn't. but we do. we saw it from cat in this deal, so far. haven't heard from cato at all.

professionalism. it's a good thing. and when you're unprofessional and rockets fans perceive it's costing them a guy like mcgrady, then you expect to get basted by rockets fans.

if this were the first instance of francis acting this way, i wouldn't be piling on. but it's not.

 

Can a gal ever get out of inappropriate girlfriend analogy?

SF is gone, GONE regardless of the outcome of the Tmac trade.

Personally I prefer someone who can act graciously after a breakup.

 

It's not a gal, it's egal, which means something like "whatever". He is in fact gone, and when we dump someone, we care less about how they feel. The reason we want them to handle it gracefully, is because we want to feel better about ourselves. See, I didn't hurt her, she's mature and can handle it well. But we have to admit, there are people who can not handle it professionally, and gracefully, just like Steve. And I honestly don't think that's too wrong, just a pity.

 

It's funny how people hate Francis so bad but T-Mac is doing the exact same things as Steve. YOU are hating on a guy who doesn't want to play for a loser organization, but you are praising T-Mac for not wanting to play for that same ****ty organization. Why aren't u calling T-mac a crybaby, quitter?

 

please read the posts that precede yours, particularly the early ones in this thread, which point out the distinction.

 

Maybe he simply disagrees with the distinction.

 

Sacremento did it for Chris Webber. I would take the risk because winning changes everything. Do you really think T Mac is going to leave a winning situation and $20 million on the table?

Can anyone name a player in their prime who turned down a max contract to go play for far less?