At least someone in Orlando sees the light... http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...nchi1306jan13,0,7255176.column?coll=orl-magic Wow, that didn't take long. It usually takes two or three years to figure out which team won or lost a trade, but this one barely took a season. The Magic traded Tracy McGrady for nothing. In yet another monumental personnel blunder that came to predictable fruition Thursday with the indefinite suspension of tempestuous point guard Steve Francis, the Magic now have pretty much nothing to show for the controversial trade of one of the game's ultimate superstars. The original trade before last season basically boiled down to this: T-Mac for Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato. Mobley soon was traded by the Magic for head case Doug Christie, who walked out on the team last season. Now Francis is gone, too -- booted from the Magic because he, too, gave up on them by refusing to go back into a game in Seattle on Wednesday night. That leaves Cato -- an underachieving journeyman center who spends more time in the hot tub than he does in the arena. So there you have it: Tracy McGrady for Kelvin Cato. This will go down as the worst trade since Nolan Ryan for Jim Fregosi. Correction: The worst trade since the Lenape Indians dealt Manhattan Island to the Dutch for $24. At least the Dutch threw in a case of whiskey and some trinkets. Welcome back, Brian Hill. You were fired as coach a decade ago because of a bratty superstar point guard who quit on you. Now you're coaching the Magic again with a bratty superstar point guard who quit on you. Sounds sort of like the movie Groundhog Day. And in a couple of weeks, Punxsutawney Phil once again will poke his head out of his hole at RDV, see his shadow and declare six more years of mediocrity. Let's review the past few months, shall we. The Magic waste a first-round lottery draft pick (Fran Vazquez, the No. 11 selection). The Magic sign another free agent with a bad foot (Keyon Dooling). Dooling finally gets into the lineup Wednesday night and within three minutes is ejected (and likely will be suspended) for getting into a fight with Seattle's Ray Allen. Francis quits on the team and then gets kicked off of it. And, oh by the way, Grant Hill's injured again. I don't blame Brian Hill for his team spiraling into oblivion. In fact, I sympathize with him. Remember the famous quote by former University of Florida interim basketball coach Don DeVoe in 1989 after he took over a renegade team left behind by ousted coach Norm Sloan? "I'm a no-nonsense coach," an exasperated DeVoe said, "in a nonsense program." Hill should be commended for trying to restore some order and discipline in a nonsensical Magic locker room that has been adrift for years, but you wonder if any coach can survive in a franchise where serial stupidity has become ingrained. Former General Manager John Weisbrod used to talk about getting players who bought into the "team" concept. Then Weisbrod went and made the paradoxical maneuver of sending McGrady to Houston for Francis. Brilliant move: One guy who didn't want to be in Orlando for another guy who didn't want to be in Orlando. It's a good thing for Magic management that McGrady is nursing a bad back right now and the Rockets are actually worse off than the Magic. Otherwise, Francis's suspension Thursday surely would have been the final straw for a fed-up fan base already among the most apathetic in the league. The shame of it all is that everything was set up for Francis to succeed here. He has a new coach trying to instill some much-needed structure and discipline in his game. And he has a new baby and fiancee to provide some much-needed maturity and stability in his life. If Francis could have elevated the Magic back into the playoffs, he would have owned this town. The team even put a huge banner of Francis on the side of the TD Waterhouse Centre a couple of weeks ago because he was supposed to be one of the key contributors to the resurrection of the franchise. Brian Hill did what had to be done Thursday. Putting his foot down and suspending Francis was a necessary first step. Trading him will be the inevitable next one. Mike Bianchi can be reached at mbianchi@orlandosentinel.com.[END] By the way, there's a poll on whether Steve should be traded or not...right now 83% say trade him...
Wow, i had no idea what francis has been doing in the magic. no wonder i haven't heard much about him this season. Where will he end up next? Back with the cat in LA or better yet, how about a return to houston? i'm sure if we can get the magic to trade tmac, we can pry francis from their hands.
Cato for TMac. No thanks. I don't want Francis back. He's an immense talent and I enjoyed watching him play his heart out while he was here. But at this point he is proven to be a head case and a perenial loser. Steve probably needs to be the 2nd or 3rd option to be effective but "The Franchise" probably wouldn't buy into that role until he is >33 years old.
Would the Magic take expiring contracts and our lottery pick if we can then move Steve to a team that wants him and has a player/players we want in return? Sorry; can't help myself. Unfortunately any offers for Steve right now will be on the low-ball side anyway. His value can't be too much lower. And that contract is gonna be a killer soon......a killer contract for a headcase.
I agree and its really sad to hear about Francis. Francis when he played for the Rox worked his @ss off and other than that Superbowl incident always wanted to play so this seems really weird that he would want to sit out of a game. I've said this before about the trade that as a T-Mac for Francis deal we got the better end of the deal. The problem is that we also lost some valuable young talent too. As much as people complain about Cato in the second half of last season he was here he was starting to really contribute on rebounding, blocking out, D and even as a passer. He never will be an offensive talent but he's got the makings of a Ben Wallace type player.
I saw the Francis suspension last night...Crazy...Hell, t-mac is down, francis is a head case, mobley's on a good team and cato, well, he's cato...
Then why can't Magic just deal with the other team directly? I'm sure any other team can offer more to the Magic than us...
Now, if we can figure out how to pry Cato off their hands when he becomes a free agent, it will have come full circle... I don't know what to say about Orlando, but name me one other team that has let so many top talents in the league walk away for literally nothing; the only team that comes even close is Toronto (McGrady, Vince). First it was the most dominant player of his generation (Shaq), then it was losing Hardaway to injuries, then the hometown kid Tracy McGrady leaves town only to have nearly all the players he's traded for end up either leaving or being traded away or be ineffective, and now Francis wanting to get out. All I can say is: the Shaqurse continues... Oh, and on a sidenote, Bianchi's article cracked me up, so many funny references there, a good read. Still, I must say I feel for Orlando fans, having to go through this non-stop drama and heartbreak ever since the summer of 1996, just unbelievable, I would hate to be in their shoes right now...
I was never the biggest Stevie fan because of his immaturity/turnovers but it's always a shame to see someone wasting undeniable talent...you never know with guys like that whether one day they'll grow up and 'get it' or just keep spiraling 'til they're outta the league/forgotten Makes you wonder (and feel free to answer) if his career ended today what Steve Francis would most be remembered for: whining his way outta Vancouver, being one of the few 25-5-5 guys, never living up to the hype, his r-ship w/Cuttino?
The Warriors and the Clippers have to be close. They've been drafting talent and letting it walk for nothing for decades.
I'd go with the mid-90's Warriors on that one. During the 90's that team had Chris Webber, Latrell Sprewell, Tim Hardaway, and Mitch Richmond in their primes and was an up and coming playoff team that just disintegrated and became one of the worst teams in the league by 1998.
Thats a hilarious article. Good read. I honestly wouldn't mind seeing Stevie come back, but someone mentioned picking up a 3rd max contract? No way is that feasible. Steve's great and extremely athletic, but uh...he wouldn't get along with JVG. Not to mention there's no one else on the rockets EXCEPT Yao (and maybe ryan bowen...) who he might actually know. Oh and Mooch. He'd pretty much be coming to a brand new team. Now that bobby sura story posted on the other page. that'd be funny if francis came back and had to fight sura for his number back. Stevie would own up on Sura.
And actually, not to rub salt in a wound, but the Indians, had they invested (instead of smoked away) the money, would now have like 80 billion dollars or so; so that deal wasn't actually that bad of a deal for the Indians. McGrady for Francis, Cato and Mobley was truly a bad deal. Go CD!!!
Please... you are assuming that the Indians ever were in a position to invest. And they weren't. There was also the matter of this: http://www.law.umich.edu/CentersAndPrograms/olin/papers/Fall 2001/banner.PDF
Well This is the same Mike Bianchi who today on 740 the team screamed out that Yao was the most overrated player in the league, and that TMacs isnt any different then he ever was...1st round playoffs and sitting out games due to bad back.
