McGrady To Houston Thread (Update: Francis will visit Orlando)

you know, this is off topic sort of, but the suspense is makin me crazy.....newayz, im gonna miss cato....that man could finish an alleyoop with sucha great percentage =) and although this is irrelevant, i began my posting career here based on the theory of a possible sexual link with cuttino/steve.....who here really isnt gonna miss saying ' yea stevies sure gonna get it tonite' after steve made a clutch shot and we saw cuttino embracing him? i sure will.

 

I just heard the Dan Patrick interview and it does have me a bit worried. Even Feigen said he doesn't think Orlando has any other deals in place to move Francis once they get him. He still thinks there is a possibility it could all fall apart.

As they said, if they are moving T-Mac because he doesn't want to be there, then why trade him for another player that doesn't want to be there?

 

He seemed pissed. He even brought up the Super Bowl.

 

because TMac can walk next yr....Francis cant......Tmac can call the shots, Francis has no say....thats the difference

 

i don't know what to think, either. that last sentence certainly makes sense...but we have multiple sources saying "done deal" pending some bit players sneaking through the expansion draft.

clearly the orlando sentinel writer did not WANT francis or "his friends" as he sarcastically referred to them. sooooo...i wonder if that's colored his view of a pending reality.

 

I think Feigen was just being nice and didn't want to call him an idiot.

 

Because one of the those players can opt out and walk, and the other can't.

Francis has said he would play and sitting out isn't a consideration. Just that Orlando isn't where he'd like to be. Maybe he gets re-routed to Toronto for Vince Carter, or to Dallas, or Portland. Too early to tell.

Evan

 

i did get that impression, too.

 

DAMN that just scared me...

 

Man, that Orlando reporter came off as a punk on the Dan Patrick show. He hates the deal. He's says he thinks it's all a way to drive up Tracy's trade value for the other teams interested.

He says that Steve makes no sense for Orlando and brought up the fact that Steve skipped practice to go to the Superbowl. (I don't remember, but wasn't it a flight that he missed, and not practice?) He kept talking as if Steve was worthless, and what made me mad was that Feigen didn't defend Steve, he could've at least said something.

 

Local Charlotte newspaper guy was just on ESPNews said that he asked Bickerstaff bout Reece Gaines this morning and Bickerstaff "laughed" at the idea of picking him and thought that there was no way such a bluff would work with the Orlando Magic.

 

Well, here's the update in the Chronicle as of 12:45pm:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/2639975

In an exchange of one of the NBA's top point guards for perhaps its most dynamic scorer, the Rockets were close Monday to sending Steve Francis to the Orlando Magic for two-time scoring champion Tracy McGrady.

No longer "The Franchise," a clearly disappointed Francis braced himself to no longer be the Rockets' point guard after his agent, Jeff Fried, told him Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson had said the trade was close to complete.

The deal would also send forward Kelvin Cato and guard Cuttino Mobley to the Magic and bring the Rockets forward Juwan Howard, point guard Tyronn Lue and a player exposed in tonight's expansion draft, likely guard Reece Gaines, the Magic's first-round pick last season.

"I spoke to Carroll, and it was not a done deal," Fried said. "It's close. It's subject to a few contingencies."

The Magic are looking to trade McGrady, 25, because the guard has made it clear he does not want to be in Orlando. Francis, through Fried, has also made it clear he does not want to be in Orlando, potentially setting up a last consideration for the Magic before sealing the deal.

Fried said some maneuvering involving today's expansion draft was necessary to make the deal work. Bernie Bickerstaff, general manager of the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, said he has talked to Magic general manager John Weisbrod about a role in facilitating the trade, likely agreeing to another deal in which he would agree not to take Gaines.

 

There is obviously things that can't be talked about in the media, but I think that JVG can't see himself working with stevie anymore. It's too bad for stevie. He really turned up his game in the playoffs--i guess he learned huis lesson the hard way. If he had played like that more often, then he might have enjoyed home court in the playoffs.

 

thanks, nwo....

that would indicate that the magic are just as willing to get rid of mcgrady as we are to get him....that they're working hard to make sure the bobcats don't get in the way.

 

Because T-Mac can opt out after next season and Francis cannot?

 

Yeah the Charlotte beat writer flat out said that Bickerstaff is NOT going to take Reece Gaines in the E-Draft. Let's keep our fingers crossed that they make an annoucement tonight after the draft.

 

So when is the Bobcat's draft? Tonight? like 7pm or something?

Man, it's sad to see SF going but I would love to have TMAC. Poor guy finally made it to the playoffs and now he is going to a team heading nowhere. Although with Cat and SF I believe the Magic will make the playoffs next season since the majority of the East is weak.

Well, it's almost becoming time for the TMAC only fans and Yao only fans to have fits.

 

Orlando forums just started mentioning a local TV station (channel 13 - not sure which city) stating that Orlando has voided the trade.

Do not know if they are full of it or not? GOD, please let this happen or not! The suspense is killing me!!!!

 

WHAT, no wayy....
Probably som mad orlando fan...

 

There is a channel 13 in Orlando.