great...means absolutely nothing to me in the analysis of this deal, though. an impending free agent dealing with his team on his future there...and a guy with a long term max dollars contract saying he doesn't want to play for a team he may be traded to. apples....oranges.
i can tell you that this current crop does not approach the regular season with the same intensity that that 92/3 squad did. i am absolutely saying that.
Fried, the same guy who said Francis missed the team flight because of "family matters" in the infamous SuperBowl incident.
This is bull****. Bull****. <5 minutes later> I'd like to apologize for my post. I was very emotional 5 minutes ago, but I'm gonna come out and represent the BBS well with my next post.
This a great explaination, but I think there's a nuance here that you left out that is really important. T-Mac has a player option for 05-06. His rookie GM tells him via the newspaper to make his mind up this year, so he can be traded. The Magic forced T-Mac's hand on this, and did it in public. The Magic's front office are the ones that are the jerks here. They should have known that by doing that in public they'd prove that they're weak and unprofessional, and they'd lose what little leverage they had. That allows any Star (Francis) in this league that is rumored to be involved in a trade for T-Mac to make a stink in the press, because they know that the Magic front office has no balls. If CD were in Orlando, we wouldn't have heard that T-Mac was on the table until he was already traded.
Well, they didn't have League Pass back then and I was living in Maryland so I can't really compare their regular season efforts - I can only judge the playoffs. And in the playoffs this year, Francis played with as much HEART (not brains, not control) as any player from those championship teams. And I'm fond of that. That's all I'm saying.
To all the people that are saying that we are using a double standard when both T-Mac and Francis don't want to play in Orlando, you're completely right. And we support T-Mac because he is a superstar and he's going to come play for us. Steve is the devil because he may be busting this trade up. This is life. Steve is screwing me over as a Rocket fan. So I'm going to bash him. That's all there is to it. I don't care if T-Mac is forcing his way out of Houston, as a Rocket fan that is good, and what Steve is doing is evil. And the people in the camp that says T-Mac and Steve are in slightly different situations also have a point. T-Mac has an opt out. T-Mac has leverage. Steve has nothing. He doesn't have a no trade clause. He doesn't have a trade kicker (which prevents a lot of trades from happening). He doesn't have an opt out. Basically T-Mac is exercising his negotiated leverage to get the best deal for himself, whereas Steve is whining in order to get what he wants because he has NO LEVERAGE. STEVE IS WRITING CHECKS THAT HIS MOUTH CAN'T CASH. And it might bust up this deal and it pisses me off.
And what difference is that? Once more the issue is NOT that McGrady has contract leverage and SF has none (he's stuck playing there if traded and he knows it). Their contracts are not at issue here - it's the desires and wishes of both players. The point that I and others have raised is that BOTH players simply don't want to be in Orlando. Period. Now if you feel differently then by all means please explain how the fact that McGrady has more contract leverage than does Francis somehow negate the fact that BOTH players simply don't want to PLAY for Orlando?
Hillboy, I get the feeling that you are just being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn. McGrady's contract has everything to do with this because thats why this trade is happening. He is going to opt out of his contract! McGrady is HELPING the Magic by telling them ahead of time so they can get something for him. Francis is HINDERING the Magic and Rockets by telling tell he doesn't want to play for Orlando. This can not even possibly be disputed.
exactly..your desires and wishes are ultimately irrelevant once you've signed the long-term contract. if the magic choose to pull the trigger, it doesn't mean jack crap that francis doesn't want to be there.
If Steve wanted to have a say in where he goes, he should have added a no-trade clause to his contract. These clauses usually come at a price that Steve was not willing to pay at the time - so he shouldn't complain about it. He chose more money over having a choice in his destination/home. He signed a contract that said he'd play anywhere for X dollars. Be a man Steve and keep your word.
Exactly. When Steve signed that deal, he gave up certain rights for financial security. One of those rights, was where he would play should the Rockets decided to trade him. From a 1st amendment standpoint, Steve has every right to voice his opinion. From a professional staindpoint, he has no right because he has a contract and that contract says he plays for the Rockets or whoever they trade him to. The luxury of financial security was something he took in exchange for the right to call his own shots!! McGrady has every right, as a pending FA, to let it be known which team he wants to sign with. Keep in mind that a) Hes not saying that he doesn't want to play for Orlando next year and b) Hes not saying that he doesn't want to play for X team next year. Hes just saying he doesn't want to play for them after he becomes a FA (isn't this what EVERY FA does???). Called this semantics, but the difference is in the details and the details only.
Because when you make a threat when you have leverage it's a forceful, strong, and repectable move of power. And when you have a threat without leverage, you're a whiny spoiled baby. That's the way the world works. People with power get advantages that people without power don't. That's all there is to it. And Steve is screwing up my team. So it affects me personally. Therefore I feel like expressing my displeasure.
On the hot seat John Weisbrod faces the huge challenges of trading away a superstar, selecting the top player in the draft and rebuilding a franchise -- all in his rookie season as general manager. By Brian Schmitz | Sentinel Staff Writer Posted June 23, 2004 The man in charge of reviving the Orlando Magic bops through the door of a Starbucks, his hat spun backward, wearing surfer sunglasses and his gym clothes. John Weisbrod is incognito, and frankly, that's the way he likes it. He'd prefer to be working out -- his obsessive release -- than being interrogated by a reporter on this morning. "I'd rather be anonymous," he says. Too late. Some of the servers at Starbucks have come to know who he is. This is his regular stop each day on the way to tackling the Magic's problems, which, by sheer volume, should require a handful of veteran general managers. One general manager to handle the trading of superstar Tracy McGrady. One to decide which player to select with the No. 1 overall pick in Thursday's NBA draft. One to give the rest of the Magic's roster an extreme makeover. Oh, and, as the franchise's chief operating officer, Weisbrod still has to oversee the business side of RDV Sports. No rookie general manager in modern sports history likely has had so much tossed in his lap, and had just a summer to initiate much of the retooling. Is it too much? "Oh, I don't think so," said Magic owner Rich DeVos, who affectionately refers to Weisbrod as "John Wise." "I like John Wise, and I like his attitude. He has the attitude to win and do it the right way. I believe John Wise will get this done." Weisbrod is like the talent-show contestant juggling rubber balls while trying to keep a hula hoop spinning around his waist. And walking over hot coals in his bare feet at the same time. Weisbrod already has felt the heat since assuming John Gabriel's duties as general manager in March. From his handling of McGrady's situation to his unwavering support of Coach Johnny Davis to his blunt, brutally honest management style, to some of his decisions that appear to be unfolding, Weisbrod certainly has led with his chin. Coming off a league-worst record of 21-61, the Magic are immersed into their most critical offseason. Weisbrod is about to make decisions that he and the franchise must live with for years. "A little daunting" is how Weisbrod describes his job of resurrecting the Magic. The team has virtually no salary-cap space or other avenues to sign more talent. Now their best player, McGrady, doesn't want to wait to rebuild in Orlando and seeks a trade. Weisbrod has to find a way to get some players in return for McGrady, deal some other players and hope the Magic's No. 1 draft pick becomes a star. The enormous responsibility does nothing but excite the Harvard-educated, former NHL player. "I do feel like it's all on me. I enjoy this feeling. I love to compete," said Weisbrod, who at 35, is one of the youngest executives in major professional sports. "I enjoy being in a position to make it or break it. I have confidence in myself and the people around me." The people around Weisbrod the workaholic are worried he may collapse from sleep deprivation. He's so ridiculously intense and impatient that he can't shut down his mind when he does crawl into bed. Weisbrod basically just has napped during the past month, working his cell phone day and night, dealing with agents and league execs and doctors and scouts and coaches and reporters as he tries to get the hang of his new job. He cleared his messages on his cell and turned it off one day, and when he turned it back on a half-hour later, he had 17 more messages. No wonder Weisbrod starts each day by stepping up to the Starbucks counter for his usual. "The quad," he says. As in a quadruple expresso. Working out the trade The early returns on Weisbrod are in, and he's not winning many fan precincts. Judging from the sports-talk show magpies and e-mails to newspaper know-it-alls, he's already botching the Magic's rebuilding efforts. There is enough public booing to think the Magic still are playing. Fans were upset that the club is trading McGrady, a popular four-time all-star. Most of the Magic's starting lineup, including McGrady, reportedly are being traded to the Houston Rockets for Steve Francis and center Kelvin Cato and guard Cuttino Mobley. Along with McGrady, forward Juwan Howard and point guards Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines are being shipped to Texas. It doesn't appear to be a very good deal for the Magic. Francis is a problem child with a long contract. He and the rest of the Rockets don't appear to fit the Magic's rebuilding plan. Critics have wondered if more experienced general managers would welcome Weisbrod into their card game, feeling perhaps that he could be fleeced. Maybe Weisbrod is not showing all his cards now. "I don't think anybody is going to put anything over on John," Phoenix Suns General Manager Bryan Colangelo said. "I know he comes from a hockey background and doesn't appear to have NBA experience. But I've dealt with John. He knows what he's doing." Maybe Weisbrod is planning to trade the Rockets players to other teams, or maybe he's trying to smoke out a better deal for McGrady. Last week, Weisbrod vowed that, "We will not make a bad deal." Curiously, Weisbrod would not discuss the proposed trade Monday or Tuesday. He's turned away all interview requests. The mime act is unusual for him. A hockey-playing poet But there's a side of him that doesn't care about public perception or media criticism. "I don't worry about public perception. We had 21 wins [last season]," he said. "You can talk and speculate, but nothing matters but results." For those doubting his experience, Weisbrod says he's been involved in drafts, free agency and trades, player development and has negotiated contracts for years as general manager of several minor-league hockey teams, including the defunct Orlando Solar Bears of the International Hockey League. Under his guidance, the Solar Bears won a title and had the highest winning percentage in the IHL. His leadership impressed DeVos, who turned over the business operations of RDV Sports -- which includes the Magic, the RDV Sportsplex health club and other enterprises -- to Weisbrod in 2000. He said DeVos charged him with re-organizing the basketball operations, "giving it some structure and discipline, a sense of purpose. . . . I think people want structure and discipline. You'd be amazed at the organizations who don't have it will have people who just cash their checks." He describes himself as demanding, but fair. "I'm steady as rainfall," he says poetically, not a stretch for the hockey player who used to carry around a book of Walt Whitman poems. "I can't say I'm not demanding. This is going to be a hard job. I'll never ask anybody to work harder than I do." It's the mental gymnastics of the job, the art of making the deal à là Donald Trump, that fascinates him when trade talk heats up. As for his skills as a negotiator, he laughs and says, "I can talk a dog off a meat wagon." Weisbrod believes the Magic can rebound, adding, "What could be better than rising out of the ashes?" Brian Schmitz can be reached a bschmitz@orlandosentinel.com. http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...d23062304jun23,1,3011300.story?coll=orl-magic
He might not, but a huge chunk of his salary goes to his two agents, and they sure as heck have a clue about the guy. It's essentially they're job to know how far they can push each executive. The three main reasons a ballplayer hires an agent is negotiation, politics, and marketing. This situation covers all three of those aspects.
I agree that the most unprofessional people here are the Magic front office. First they demanded TMac to make a commitment one way or another IN PUBLIC. That was really stupid. Now, after MAKING PUBLIC about the deal with Houston, they are saying that they are still listening to offers from other teams. And for those who still don't see a difference between McGrady's action and Francis's: We are not mad at Francis because he didn't want to play in Orlando. That is the ONLY thing he has in common with TMac in this situation. We understand all players want to be with a winner. That's not the problem. The problem is that TMac's voicing out his intended FA decision HELPS Orlando to get something and Francis's voicing out his displeasure SCREWS both Houston and Orlando. This point has been explained very well over and over again by MadMax, Jebus and codell. Yet some people still don't get it.
