Isiah Thomas is Smarter than You! http://slamonline.com/online/2006/12/isiah-thomas-is-smarter-than-you/
Steve started to loose his shine in Orlando...thats why they traded him to NY for Trevor Ariza (a 2nd round draft pick) and the expiring contract of Penny Hardawy. I would be willing to look at Steve but it would be for the vets minimum.
He lost his shine cause he refused to come into a game when they had already lost. He was suspended for conduct detrimental for the team and then traded. Not cause he couldn't play.
I've watched Steve murder Mike James. It was one on one in the Fonde Summer pro league games. However, Mike James is not as good as people think. Steve my dribble the air out of the rock, however, Mike James will shoot the air out of the rock. Why do we want a veteran who's spot was taken by a rookie.
He skipped basketball to go to the Superbowl when he was with the Rockets and yet we were able deal him to Orlando for TMac. The Magic traded Francis to NY for a bunch of crap just to unload him. Don't kid yourself, he was loosing his shine for what he was or wasn't doing on the court as well as his refusal to come into a game.
That's ok, Franchise has been in the league long enough to have learned his lesson. I am willing to let bygones be bygones. I think a more mature Stevie Franchise would not make those mistakes again. Being in a losing situation with the Knicks, benched, traded away for being stupid will have matured him. I don't fault him for being on a bad Knicks team with bad coaching and management or on an Orlando team with a boneheaded coach and management either. Sometimes players just need a fresh start to breathe new life into their careers. I know Steve was only truly happy when he was with the Rockets.
Really? The owner and Yao Ming are really the only things that are still the same from back then. I don't think its a situation where he burnt his bridges in Houston and can't come back, because Houston is a different team than back then. He essentially is coming back with a clean slate.
Isiah Thomas is an idiot GM, but he's also one of the greatest PG ever. It takes a pg to know a pg. Even with his athleticism in his prime, Francis was known for playing bad D and bad decision making. He and Mobley was not name "Dumb and Dumber" for nothing. I am not totally against him on the Rockets but I wouldn't give a clear edge to him compared to Mike James.
I think getting Francis for cheap would be great...essentially, a low-risk situation for the team. And besides, I don't want to see the Rockets get rid of a PF (even if it is J-Ho) unless they land another first...Sean May maybe? But I digress... I happened to see Francis in DC a few weeks ago in a club. I got his attention and let him know I was from Houston. His eyes lit up, and he began patting his chest with his palm, exclaiming "I LOOOOVE Houston." Me - "Come back and play for us!" Francis - "I wish I could. Hey...I love Houston." Well, perhaps that wasn't verbatim, but the message was there. Why not give a guy another shot to play in the only place in which he was happy, especially if it would be for cheap? The Rockets need guys with heart. Francis hasn't played with any for the past few years, because he left it in Houston.
If this were two years ago, I would have said Mike James. Right now, neither option is very attractive. Mike James was the perfect backup PG for us two years ago. He was probably the best backup PG in the league at the time. He could come in and score points in a hurry with a high percentage, protect the ball, and play pesky defense to boot. He couldn't make plays, but who needs a backup point to make plays? I wanted to keep him and I've always thought that trading him for Alston was a mistake. Stories of him waving off Tmac were way overblown. Then I saw him in Toronto. Rarely have I seen a guy chuck so much in all the wrong situations. Does Bosh have a wide open lane to the hoop? Jack up a three. 3 on 1 fastbreak? Pull up for a midrange. Is the shot clock off for the quarter and you should hold for the last shot? Well the guy's giving you two feet of space, just shoot it! Sure, he put up great stats but his decision making was horrible. And his defense took a serious hit. In Minny it was even worse. He could neither create his own offense like before, nor could he even hit the open shots. I don't even know if I'd take the minny version of Mike James over Alston! At least Alston tries to play D. Everything about James' play last year screamed lazy. Getting that long contract probably played a part. He's terrible now. So now I guess I'd rather have Francis, but that's like taking vomit over poop.
The other possibility is he left it with Cat Mobley... The Magic and Francis were doing OK until Cat got traded.
Look these statements are nothing new about Mike James. We all knew how he played under Van Gundy. His offensive and defensive stats were very similar in Houston as at Minnesota. He was rolling a lot of points up in Toronto because they let him chuck up a bunch of stuff. Under a deliberate offense, Mike James is...well Mike James is very average.
i actually saw stevie franchise at lau berge in louisiana this weekend smoking cigarettes and chillin with some gals. i gave him a little "come back home" shout. he didnt acknowledge it at all.... i assume he was pretty faded. must be nice to know you got 30 mil coming to ya.... he'd be great on our team again.
This is a great point. I'm too lazy to read the whole thread so forgive me if this has been said already. Mike James has not been good for Minny and we would be locked into him for a lot longer than Juwan. Say no to Mike James. Stevie is a shell of himself. Forget him too!
