Steve never lived up to the hype from day one. Yea...he can play if your just playing a sloppy bball game where it's him bringing it up the court and creating but as soon as you try to put structure to Steve's play...he has trouble. IMO, the worst thing that happened to Steve was he was traded after a full season with JVG...who was making him into a structured, team player that wasn't a one-man show. He's lucky to be 8th or 9th man off the bench now and, I agree, teams would be crazy to sign him for much more than the vet minimum. With all the money he has made playing crappy basketball for most of his career, he should just retire or go whoop up on them CBA boys so he can maybe live up to the great player he was supposed to be in the NBA.
The funny thing is that Morey had this info before drafting Brooks, so they must really not want Francis all that much. DD
part of their plan to not have crippling deals on the books and no questionable characters. Thats why Eddie Winslow was shipped asap when they got Oden.
The 'pending' free agency of Stevie Franchise is one more reason as to why last night's draft was that much more of a head-scratcher. These guys don't know what the hell they're doing and it's been that way for quite some time, and it's all traced back to the owner, who apparently is far too involved for his own good and has a knack for consulting with all the wrong people...mostly ones that will just nod in agreement and fulfill his every wish...
Francis won't be happy unless he's the starter. IMO his best fit is the Clippers. They have no Livingston this season, Cassell began showing his age last season, after that they've got nobody at PG. Plus Cat is there.
The deal is still crippling to them if they buy him out. I guess I just don't understand how Francis became a questionable character, he's been unhappy and complained when in bad situations with bad teams, but it's not like he's in trouble with the law on a regular basis. Francis might of made a few mistakes when he was with the Rockets but for the most part, he was a solid citizen and always played hard. If he could be happy in Portland I think he could be a real asset to such a young team.
Bring him in for the vets minimum....he could be solid off the bench. We have a bunch of crappy ass guards. Never again will we see a night of 0 -5 bench points.
If he is going to opt out then he is going to the Clippers. They don't have any player that demands the ball and they are a pg wet dream with all the finishers that they have.... Kaman/Davis Brand/Thomas Maggette/Thorton Mobley/Ross
