[Rockets.Com] Steve Francis picks up the player option for next year

Take those "reports" with a grain of salt. Francis with the team, at an away game:

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Just because he is not on the bench doesn't mean he never traveled with the team. This was before the playoffs started.

 

The usual provocative response...was gonna comment on his playoff non-appearance. Not that it makes it right but if a fairly healthy Bonzi can remove himself from the team to "not be a distraction", Francis who was with the current team only a third of the year and played less than that, and hasnt been in the radar for MONTHS, coulda felt his presense wouldnt have helped anything.

Or, that those Vegas trips with $30 million in buyout money is still too sweet to pass up

 

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all i got to show some highlight during his early days with the rockets

 

He is expiring contract...

 

Can't help but hope that he can be the piece the Rockets desperately need at point guard. The Rockets have a character now. Maybe it will be easier for Steve to integrate into something that's fully formed instead of the disaster that was the Rockets in the early part of the season.

 

Hopefully Adelman will give him a chance this year. It was pretty petty of him to sit him out for his homecoming game.

 

The guy never had a consistent jumper which we need our guards to do. I still question his bball IQ.

I think he's the last guard I can think of to run the Princeton Offense, the images of ISO ball under Rudy T, Stevie and Cat is still in me. I never want to go back to that style of ball.

I would want DM to use his expiring contract as part of a package to get Mike Miller.

 

I know he only played in like three games this year, but did you not catch any of them? He played exactly like we needed him to. Penetrate, go to the rack or dish off to the open man.

Francis and Mobley get entirely too much ire for their isos... they were the only talent we had (Yao was still a baby).

For all the jock riding McGrady gets when he occasionally decides to show up for work, you'd think Steve could get a little love for retooling his game to fit the team and checking his ego in at the door.

 

That is wonderful news. We have so much to look forward to next season. Scola has a year under his belt, Yao is back. Steve is healthy, Landry also with a year of development under his belt. If we just keep the team the way it is and we are healthy. IMO We are the best team in the west. We have an unstoppable center, 2 great power forwards who thrive on hustle.. the real DPOY Shane Battier, T-Mac, Rafer... and our bench which will be loaded.

 

True, he only started playing poorly when he clearly needed surgery....

A healthy Francis is the best guard we've got..........

 

Don't bring other players into this. I like Francis, but if he should've had his surgeory earlier and worked harder in training camp. He got overconfident about his abilities.

If Francis could work his backup. I like to see him as a sixth man or a PG with McGrady. That would be a good combination.

 

Good news!

Expiring contract. Steve's next team: full circle to the Grizzlies. Hello, Mike Miller. No, better---to the Clippers with BJax and Luther in exchange for Maggette. Steve and Cuttino. (cue song: Reunited, and it feels so good/Reunited....)

 

a healthy Francis is the penetrating PG this team needs. I understand needing 3 point shooting, but it gets frustrating seeing the 3 being the only way this team can score when Yao or Tmac aren't doing their thing.

 

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Yeah! Who is he to think he can make an impact on games?

 

He made it to exactly one home game, game 5. Told my brother during the home playoff games that the Rockets' organization owe him the same loyalty. They shouldn't let sentiment get in the way of using him as an expiring. I would be like Bye if I needed to use his contract.

 

Rich Lord from 610 asked Matt Bullard to day about Steve's chances of coming back.
"It's all up to him. I think his quadriceps tendon surgery he had... I had that surgery. And you've got to rehab like a madman to come back from that. Your quad is the strongest muscle in your legs, and you've got to really commit to rehab to get that muscle back to where you can really play NBA basketball. So it's all up to Steve. If he wants to put in the effort and get back, he may be just as good as he ever was coming back next year. But if he's not totally committed to that rehab, he's really going to struggle."

Charles Barkley's career-ending injury was a quadriceps tear, so we'll have to see what happens.

Still, no surprises here. He had the option; he exercised it as he should've. It's good business sense. I don't expect much (if anything) from Stevie next season.

 

Anyone who thinks this is anything but good is either.
1. TMOF
2. ROF
3. Rocket HAter
4. Crazy

MARK MY WORDS . . . SF3 will have a GREAT year next year
[while ya'll hating on SF3 he was playing injured too . .
that is unless . . .injury is only an excuse for *some* *special* players]

Rocket River

 

RR,

I hope you are right, I really do.

DD

 

Expecting Francis back in the rockets lineups is exactly the same situation previously people were expecting Bob Sura to become healthy and play for the rockets again.
I like Francis but he is done! At most he can play 20 games in a season, do the Rockets really need another injury prone player who can contribute when it matters the most? Is best to trade him and he still has some trade value(expiring contract). SAD!

 

Should this be co-signed by the loyalty they gave Cuttino?

Rocket RIver