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

"We're not nearly as far down the line with this as some people have perceived. We're still open-minded," Magic General Manager John Weisbrod said Friday. "As long as we know what our options are, there is no rush, no pressure. If we don't formally resolve the Tracy situation until Aug. 10, it won't adversely affect our team-building."


It seems this guy is enjoying his 10 minutes of fame. But in the long run this stunt is going to hurt him I would guess. Other GMs are going to jerk him around in the future to get back at him.

 

Yea, it seems with all the info that is coming in today that the deal is all but done. The article says Indiana is waiting also, but I feel that Francis will fly down there to Orlando, say how he likes the city and organization and then the two teams finalize the trade over the weekend. It would then be announced by the two teams Mon. or Tues. The only way at this point that I see Indiana in it is if Francis goes down there and changes his mind again and says he is not playing there afterall.

 

Ok posting the article as requested...


Posted on June 26, 2004 by Tim Povtak on Orlando Sentinel site.

Magic don't plan to rush into T-Mac trade

Houston and Indiana are eager to complete a deal, but no move is expected this weekend.


The Houston Rockets and Indiana Pacers are waiting not so patiently now, but the Orlando Magic don't seem to care.

It's their timetable.

Still basking in the glow of making Dwight Howard the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft, the Magic showed no signs Friday of finalizing any trade involving star guard Tracy McGrady.

Although a tentative agreement was reached with the Houston Rockets, McGrady will remain in limbo at least through this weekend.

"We're not nearly as far down the line with this as some people have perceived. We're still open-minded," Magic General Manager John Weisbrod said Friday. "As long as we know what our options are, there is no rush, no pressure. If we don't formally resolve the Tracy situation until Aug. 10, it won't adversely affect our team-building."

Rockets owner Les Alexander on Thursday night expressed some frustration with the speed of the trade talks, hoping to have it resolved quickly. The tentative deal involves McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines going to Houston in exchange for Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato.

"We'd like to get it done," Alexander told reporters in Houston. "I think we're going to get it done. But who knows, it's not up to me."

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird told reporters in Indianapolis that his team has continued its pursuit of McGrady but said he believed the Rockets remain the front-runner.

"We're still in discussions, and obviously McGrady is high on our list," Bird told the Indianapolis Star. "It's according to what happens in Houston. If something breaks down there, we won't wait all summer, but we'll listen."

McGrady has asked the Magic to trade him. He can opt out of his contract and become a free agent after next season.

The Rockets and Pacers were noticeably quiet on draft night -- keeping their rosters intact, particularly players involved in any proposed deal for McGrady.

Weisbrod spoke with Francis -- the key piece in the Rockets' trade proposal for McGrady -- early Friday. He spoke glowingly of him later in the day. Although Francis led the league in technical fouls this season, Weisbrod said the toughness of the Houston point guard would fit well with the team he envisions in Orlando.

"He's my kind of guy because of the way he plays and the way that he is," Weisbrod said. "We're speaking the same language. He's stubborn, competitive. He wants to win."

One topic of their 20-minute phone conversation Friday was last season when Francis belted much-larger Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns, who was celebrating excessively after dunking over Houston center Yao Ming.

"The night he hit Stoudemire was probably the night I decided he's a guy I could get used to," Weisbrod said. "I don't know him very well yet, but he's a guy we've identified as someone who could help us."

Jeff Fried, Francis' agent, expressed optimism that the common ground found Friday between Weisbrod and Francis was a positive step toward completing a deal with Houston.

 

Francis will be missed...who's going to step up to Amare this season after he dunks on Yao?

 

Hopefully TMac by dunking on Amare on the other end. I prefer this kind of reponse.

 

This guy better pull his head out of his ass and get this thing done. Not only does it piss off other teams who have to deal with you, but it pisses off the players, their agents and fans.

That posturing is, no doubt, his way of staying in the spotlight as long as possible. As a former business development guy, he understands the importance of publicity, but there is a time and a place for everything. This is not the time to dick around.

From all reports and the comments of everyone involved, this thing gets finalized this weekend. And, thank freakin' GOD!

 

Herein lies the problem.

The fact that Weisbrod claims to be under "no pressure" suggests that we're caving in too much in terms of flexibility, time, and players with this deal. Good negotiations starts will understanding the pressure points of the opposing party and I guarantee you, there has and remains lots of internal pressure with respect to moving McGrady. Although many teams will want him, Orlando's expectations are so high that they are liable to disappoint their own fans and franchise prospects if teams would simply take a harder stance on dealing with them. The Rox are stupid for keeping this offer out there as long as it has been out there. We should be talking to Seattle and Indiana instead.

angrySAGE

 

Just when we think this guy can't say anything more stupid than he already has..... What I don't get is who does he think actually buys what he's saying?

Yeah, you moron, just go ahead and wait till Aug 10 to figure out how you're going to fill out your roster from what's left of free agents,etc. Oh and good luck getting GM's to work with you again after you finally trade TMac.

 

You are right in the sense that Rocets should put pressure on this guy but he does have what we really want. Magic have one of the top players in league we are trying to get. Seattle and Indiana do not. les knows this and that's why he and Rockets are showing lots of patient with Weisbrod. But looking at Les's interviews you get a sense of frustration. Key here is patience. Everyone and Rockets know Weisbrod is being an ass, but just try to be patient. Pacers are one team that are watching this very closely and hoping that Rockets lose their patience.

 

Exactly.

Who does this guy think he is???? David Stern???

That Feigen article drawing the analogy of T-Mac to that "tease of a pretty girl" is apropos except the teasing is coming from the fat toad of a girl by the initials J.W.

theSAGE

 

I give the trade my stamp of approval.

It is going to be fun to run you guys into the ground with even less depth.

PS. You go get your freaking T Macs, we got Andre Emmett!!

WHO'S YOUR DADDY!!!

 

hahaha right man.... Memphis and the rest of our division are so done. It's gonna be all Rockets this year and the next decade.

 

i think we will have dept.

Pg: probably fisher/lue
sg: tmac/pike probalby pick somone else up to
center: Yao/ ?
sf: JJ/boki/ag
pf:Howard/Spoon/Mo

not bad dept. JVG will fix it.

 

you realize once this trade happens us memebers at clutchfans will be so drained from all the madness we will say woo yay and just not post much about it... seriously we have said everything its gonna be great we just will be releived its done. and this is one loooong thread

 

I think I'll sleep for a week and then weep for the next two and a half months waiting for the start of training camp.

 

Has anyone talked about the impact of reece gaines and howard on our team?

 

Yeah, haha. I'm always itching for the next season to start once each season ends. I'm always so pumped and have the highest expectations. This summer will be the hardest one ever.

 

Has anyone talked about the dept and toughness that were losing with Francis and Mobley leaving.

 

You're joking, right?

Go check the other 60 pages.

 

curious about something:

has there ever been a trade stranded in limbo as long as this one?

trade talks can sometimes take forever, but you usually dont hear about the whole process in the media like this. as far as sorting out players and salaries, the trade was pretty much set on monday yet it keeps dragging on and on and on... (and i have a hard time believing sf3's comments had anything to do with the delay considering weisenheimer's remark about steve's loyalty)

why isnt the media roasting this guy???

also, anyone care to speculate why we have not heard anything from mcgrady? confident about ending up in houston? happy as long as he ends up with one of 3 teams?

this all seems so surreal. this is how it feels trying to interpret a really f*cked up dream...