Nobody but nobody likes the SF deal but I'm with Van Gundy on this, the Knicks gave up nothing to get an all star PG. Stevie is a warrior and the NY fans love warriors, I think this deal works for the Knicks. http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/story/394007p-334060c.html Jeff Van Gundy called the Knicks' trade for Steve Francis yesterday a "steal of a trade." "To get him for a guy that's injured and other guy who is inactive is a great trade," Van Gundy said. "I think it will go well for Steve in New York." Van Gundy, the former Knicks coach, has been accused of everything from ruining Francis' game to eventually running him out of Houston two summers ago. But Francis made the playoffs for the one time in his career playing under Van Gundy. The Rockets contend the only reason they traded Francis was because the club was able to get Tracy McGrady. The Knicks acquired Francis from the Orlando Magic yesterday for Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza. The knock on Francis is that he can thrive only in a freewheeling system, which is an offense Van Gundy, Brian Hill and Larry Brown don't run. Francis and Van Gundy had their share of run-ins; Francis complained that Van Gundy was too controlling after the coach suspended him for missing a flight to Phoenix in order to remain in Houston to attend the Super Bowl. But Van Gundy maintains that he enjoyed coaching Francis and that their relationship was often over-analyzed. "Getting along is a nebulous term," Van Gundy said when asked about his relationship with Francis. "I found his enthusiasm and his passion very good. I think Steve gets a bad rap. In fact, he may now be under-rated. "He's a very good rebounder for a guard. He gets to the basket which gets the other team in foul trouble. His one problem early in his career is that he over-dribbles. But I don't think that's a problem now." Van Gundy believes that Francis is an upgrade at shooting guard for the Knicks and that Francis and Stephon Marbury can work together in the backcourt. "A lot of teams are playing two point guards," he said. "Look how good the Hornets when they play Chris Paul and Speedy Claxton together. I'm surprised more teams didn't go after Steve when you consider what the Knicks gave up."
its all easy to say now that he is not your problem or maybe he is happy cuz he knows that he'll be able to get steve back somehow from ny
JVG and Francis finally have something in common! Now that he's a Knick I think we can get Francis next year!
JVG has never said anything disparaging about Stevie to his credit; can't say the same about Stevie's comments and occasional jabs at JVG. I respect JVG for that...
since money doesn't matter and they already are last in the eastern conference, all they can do is improve.
steve francis will always be one of my favorite players and i really enjoyed his seasons here so i wish him well in new york. he played extremely hard night in and night out, he just unfortunately isn't a great decision maker. however on pure talent he's as gifted as anyone in the nba, and as jvg said he might actually be underrated now.
Sitting nine games out of the 8th spot, there is little chance the Knicks make the playoffs. Isiah is just trying to make the first round pick he has to give to Chicago for the Curry trade lower so that he does not look so bad.
chemistry wise, it is IMO Rose is probably the most well rounded of the bunch, but ultimately, you have 3 ball hawks, a center, who needs touches to be effective and a rookie PF.
Sadly, SF is a lot like Iverson. They are both undersized, great players, but neither is the kind of person you can build a championship team around, as they have to have the ball too much. both of them are going to have to get older and realize that they will have to give up part of their game to get anywhere. Sadly, some people never do. Glad to see SF in NY though. That should open a new window of endorsement deals for him, provided his agent is paying attention.
The great thing about openly praising a team/player like that is you make it look worse when it comes apart.... Evan
If that is a fact then why didn't JVG go after Steve? Is it because the Rockets and JVG feel that he is way, way over paid?
Why do some of you use the phrase "great player" and Francis in the same sentence or pargraph? Francis is merely a "great athlete" - he does not have the smarts to be a great player. Francis' best years came with the comfort Mobley brought to the court for him. He does not have that now and with that he will continue to be who he is (a mediocre player) until he gets his desired reunion with his Mobley. It will be interesting how he fits into LB's system. P.S. Not our problem anymore - so it is more fun to watch from afar.
