Today is the day. If its not official today my guess is its off. And with all this publicity about it being stalled - I think its more likely than not the Magic go in another direction. .... I would not have believed we could get anything near a TMAC for Francis at the start of last season .... it seems that instinct may be right :/ ....
Sports Radio 610- John and Lance pretty much see the deal dead this morning- a. Francis complaining/ his agents telling Orlando no b. Phoenix adding Amare Stoudemour c. Maybe Indiana upping their offer to include Artest They think Steve has to be moved somewhere. This looks bad. Steps backward for the Rockets
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Absolute killer if the deal is dead. Now we have to trade Francis and Mobley to other teams for far less value. So long dynasty, hello lottery.
I'm telling ya'... the Rox shoulda just went and looked for a good PF, and a back-up PG... But no.... CD and VG had to have cake and eat it too.
As someone said before, Steve's unwillingness to play or Orlando creates so many problems. 1) It severely limits the # of teams that we can trade him to, considering a) He is now on record as saying that he wants to play for a playoff contender and b) A good # of playoff contenders aren't looking to replace their current PG. All said and done, there are probably only 5-7 teams that we could deal with. 2) It severely limits what we could get for Steve, because other teams will have the knowledge that it will be hard for the Rockets to re-wrap Steve in a Rockets uniform and ask Houston to support him. Because Im a Rockets fan, I would support Steve if he stays here, but I will have lost alot of respect for him.
It is just their opinions, not fact. Francis is not telling Orlando anything, he just said he did not feel good about playing in Orlando where they are rebuilding If the Suns added Amare with Marion, why would TMAC want to go there. I thought that he did not want to be on a team that was rebuilding. Why would he sign an extension there. Just more BS from the dreaded media types who think they know more than anybody else. The Pacers said they have not talked with Orlando for over 3 days. Why would Orlando trade TMac to a conference rival? Logic suggests that this is all media BS filler since the deal cannot happen until July 1st anyways.
Could you really see Francis or Mobley staying here after this fiasco? I think they would be hurt too much. As for Cato, I don't think he really cares one way or the other.
I could definitely see Mobley and probably even Cato staying here. Especially after hearing Cat's interview last night. There would be an akward period, but Cat's not the type to cause problems Steve on the other hand ...................if this deal fell through, I would be suprised if Steve didn't request a trade and I am sure the Rockets would try to oblige him. The fans were already on Steve's back the last few years, this episode could really make him staying here almost impossible from a marketing standpoint for the Rockets. "You're fired" "You can't fire me because I quit" heh
Let's assume for a minute that a proposed deal between the Magic and, let's say the Wizards was made public. Do any of you really believe that McGrady would be quiet about it? The reason he hasn't said anything regarding the trade is because he's happy with the trade. If he didn't like where he was potentially being sent, he'd make it known.
I agree. This HAS to go down today or it wont at all. The longer it takes, the muddier the waters get with other teams and proposals. You would think the Magic would want to get his resolved BEFORE their important draft! I really dont like how Orlando Management is doing this. We have a deal in place and they are looking around. Bad Business. What's worse is so much of this has been leaked publicly that it really is killing both franchises and the players involved. Especially us! Bottom line....is if this deal does not go down, in my opinion this is one of the worst moments in Franchise history. We are just too close to this happening and being set for years down the road. This will set back the franchise for YEARS and YEARS!
Posted by percicles in another thread: ESPN did an update at 3:37 am Eastern, and they say the deal is finalized. Refutes NYtimes report by saying crybaby has no leverage. Deal must be finalized july 1st. If I were the Orlando I would send crybaby to Atlanta for a pick or Utah, Millwauke. That'd teach him. linkl is here http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1825839
I doubt that Phoenix would add Amare. They probably would get desperate and add back in Joe Johnson though! Marion/Johnson/#7 pick is a pretty good deal. And while Indiana was reported to pull Artest back from any deals perhaps THEY are getting desperate too and putting Artest back into all deals. The more desperate they get the more they will add in. And if they see the Rockets deal starting to crack (as it appears) they will go for the jugular. The longer we get strung along here with a deal on the table the worse it is for us. In fact it appears as though Orlando is USING us to get a better deal. They say a deal is in place and then other teams see this and try to throw the entire boat at Orlando to make them change their mind. Clearly it is TERRIBLE business practice by Orlando considering how close we are to a deal but their GM doesnt care. He is a hockey guy. I am sure he doesnt care if he burns bridges or not. I am sure he doesnt care if he is setting a bad precident etc. He is only looking at RIGHT NOW. Call me a sucker if you will....but at this point if I am the Rockets I would try to sweeten the deal if that's what it takes. If that means Nachbar and a future #1 pick I do it! We have come TOO FAR for this deal to not happen. The damages of it not getting it done are to hideous to think about!
Crash, I read that report as well. Let's hope Jim Gray is right. They say the deal is done pending some "contingencies". Hopefully those are formalities and not something too drastic. Heck one of the contingencies could be finding a 3rd team for Francis. That is not a small contingency. And I hate the fact we may have to wait until July 1st! Can't we get something locked on paper on this? We leave this deal wide open to break down for 7 days! That just isnt right. We need something in writing to make this office visa-vi July 1st. I really wish we knew which reports to believe. Do we believe what Jim Gray says in this article? And do we believe what Marc Stein on SportsCenter said last night (which is similar to what Gray said). OR do we believe what the Florida Today article and NY Times articles are saying in that Orlando has cold feet, is pulling back and is mulling other offers? WHAT IS THE TRUTH?
First: Who believes anything in the New York Times? Second: At least Steve Francis WANTS to remain a Rocket. (That's a plus, although I'd much prefer the trade.) Third: What behind the scenes offers are the Rockets now receiving?
I got an email from my wife. She said that ESPN's Andy Katz was on ESPN Radio's Mike & Mike show this morning and that Katz said that "the deal IS done and that teams around the league are treating it that way." It is worth noting that last night on SportsCenter Marc Stein said that the deal was "almost" done and that teams around the league were treating it that way. Tough to tell if Katz is just passing on Steins info OR if Katz has UPDATED info. Just wanted to pass it on.
Orlando is worried because this is not a good deal for them and comes with a built-in public relations nightmare: they trade a guy who doesn't want to play for them for a guy who doesn't want to play for them. Try selling THAT to your seasson ticket base! As for SF making friends, why should he care? After all, from his perspective, his "friends" are trying to dump him on a last place team anyway. That's why T-Mac wants out as well.
