Francis is done and has been done for quite some time. Not only is he injured, but he has a very "old body". Its time for him to just go to the house.
Can we bring back Hakeem instead of Francis? If we are signing former Rocket's stars, let's get one with the heart of a champion.
I say we track down Michael Dickerson, wherever the hell he is. Dude's a 15 ppg scorer for his career, and a 40% shooter from three. Don't tell me he couldn't start on this team at SG.
Yea thats a little rough . I still have his autograph from when my brother was locked up w/ him in Harris County several years back. He had his demons but didn't deserve to go down the way he did. I hope he's found the inner peace in heaven he couldn't find while he was here on earth. RIP Eddie.
...doesn't really matter - Tim Grover helps guys get in the best shape possible but he doesn't get in their mind. Steve's problem was always in his mind - poor decision making and narrow floor vision. Steve could get in really good shape as a 32yr old with Grover, but he will probably still be making the same mistakes that held him back in his prime AND he will undoubtedly be lacking the explosiveness at 32 that he had in his early 20s when he was an all-star which was really one of the key parts of his effectiveness(that and his strength). I still think Francis could be a veteran bench player in the league with a lot of work but I don't think he will be a game changer for ANY team at this point even with Grover. ....and as other have said - I wouldn't cite Tmac and Arenas as examples of Grover's work. Neither of those guys have been healthy in a basketball game in a looooonnnggg time.
Its sad to say cause i remember watching that game in the pre season and thinking "man maybe francis is back and we have the trio of yao-tmac-francis we always dreamed about" Then he was relagated to the bench for most of the first month of the season, then he had that good game against the suns when he hit the game winner, and john thompson had an interview with him and i thought "man hes really back!!" now hes gone forever
Steve and Marbury are often pooled into the same category by uneducated basketball fans. Steve was a far superior talent, a far superior teammate, and would die on the floor to win a basketball game...
We all know that Steve was out of shape that 2nd go around, but what I hated about that situation was that Rafer and Mike James sucked the first few games but Adelman gave them a longer leash than he did Francis.<p>Francis only got a chance to play when Rafer got hurt. He played well against Phoenix, then had a couple of decent games(nothing less than what Rafer & James was doing) and a couple of bad games. Soon as Rafer got back Steve was put back on the bench. I feel that wasn't fair. Anybody that knows basketball, knows the more you play the better your timing and play gets. If Adelman let Rafer play while he sucked 14 out of 20 games, that he could atleast gave Steve a good 15-20 games. He wouldn't have done any worse than anyone else playing PG.<p>The Franchise was done but I think Steve Francis could have been a good basketball player if given a legit chance.
Really? Show me how Steve was a far superior talent, since you are purporting to be an "educated basketball fan". He had some of the worst court vision for a point guard that I have ever seen. Also, explain how refusing to help out your younger teammates makes for a "superior teammate". Please, enlighten me. Illuminate the thread with proof of how Steve not being able to spearhead a fastbreak properly is "doing anything to win a game." Marbury was extricated from the Knicks team and out of the league (only to be picked up by the defending nba champions!) for a short time. However, he was never reduced to "contract level"...not a player, but solely a contract that could facilitate transactions. Nor was he (prior to the Knick debacle) paid to go away. Steve? Portland, Houston, Memphis and New York were ALL more than happy to have them away...far away...from their respective teams. Heard any rumors of Steve re-joining the Rox in any capacity? No? That's strange considering his alleged talents and standing as a superior teammate. Its easy to put Francis and Marbury in the same dumpster because both are petulant punks. Both would've benefitted from more college seasoning and maturation. Both have no clue how to properly run an offense. Both are wonderful isolation players. Both had very limited success in multiple situations. Both are ball dominant lead guards without enough game to elevate their teammates' games. Oh yea, and one is currently standing in the NBA unemployment line, and not because of his age. Guess which one, o wise one.... Please, elucidate.
