San Jac also had Walter Berry and Spoon James. Lots of good players started out there, especially when Ronnie Arrow was the coach. DD
Probably because he was too busy screwing around in practices and going to the super bowl instead of being a team leader and dedicating himself to winning a championship....there is not "I" in team but there are two in StevIe FranchIse.....
Why are you confused? I will not call him a loser but this kid is not a winner. And he is not smart to boot. How can any sane person call you only playoffs team and season your worst? That statement speaks for itself and it goes to the heart of the case against Stevie. It is sad but yet I am so thankful that he is gone. Such a shallow mentality drove me nuts about him. Forget the all the silly talk about passion and how much he loved playing here - we are not the lovable Cubs - we do not support our team because we have a bunch of players who allegedly "play with passion". The business is about winning and business was bad during the Francis era. Even Chucky said as much in a few words. I feel for Orlando fans but that is their problem now...... The irony of this all is that I am was about the happiest fan when we landed him (I still remember driving to Hobby when the news finally broke as confirmed). I followed him throughout his two years as a Terp. I hated Duke for his sake - and I became a Terp fan for his sake 'till this day. But I am not one of those fans who gets carried away recklessly by sentiments. I loved his first two years and viewed him fairly (just I have done to every other player that plays for my team ora at least most o them). I inserted this last paragraph to stress the point that this is not from a fan who never liked him (FWIIW).
Hasn't this been the story of his whole NBA career? As much as I loved watching this guy play, he will never win and honestly after watching BTG I question whether or not he cares if he does. The whole thing about not being able to be himself and joke around at practice really showed why the Rockets only made the playoffs once during his stay.
I liked the Ray Lewis Beyond the Glory better. They should have had more stories about Steve during the NBA Season. What about the superbowl incident? What was his relationship like with Dream and Barkley? They should have shown his crib.. etc
Good post. I mean, I don't hate the guy personally. I'm sure he is a great guy and everything, but I was tired of him here and cheered when he was traded (and not just because we got T-Mac). He is a very talented, but very flawed, player.
I agree for the most part, but at least Stevie was honest: he would rather joke around in practice and play his way than make it to the playoffs and attempt to do what's best for the team (i.e. sacrifice). But as I said, I appreciate his honesty, I hope Orlando allows him to be 'himself' and he's happier there. I really like Stevie the person, and will always wish him the best and even root him on (I have been to every single event he held in Houston to show him support, and he's always cheered on and appreciated by fans here around town, which is more than most players can say about their former teams/fans).
He wasn't working hard. He was simply a show-off guy without a chance to to get a championship ring. Don't get me wrong, he's fun to watch as an individual playing basketball. But the bottomline here is win the ring.
Watched the replay of the Steve Francis BTG tonight. That was an excellent documentary of his life. They were fairly impartial, which allows the viewer to form his own opinions. As a person, you won't find a nicer or better guy than Steve Francis. Still remember the day that I met him in Austin on the Drag. He was really friendly and outgoing, and talked to everyone. I've also heard that he was extra nice to autograph seeking kids before and after games. But, he does have a few shortcomings. He is NOT a team player. He needs to play in a 1-4 offense where the ball's in his hands in order to succeed. He needs the ball off the dribble to score. And that's why he will fail in any successful offense such as the late Lakers triangle or the Spurs Popovich offense.
Agreed. I didn't watch, but if you re-watch some of Steve's rookie and sophomore seasons and keep in mind that they were his first and second seasons, you will be mesmerised. The guy was and is, I suppose, a phenomenal basketball talent. So athletic, so explosive. I can't understand why any Rocket fan would dislike Steve Francis. If you want to dislike him as a basketball or NBA fan, fine, but the guy played his heart out for us and loved the city of Houston. Here's to hoping that he can realize his potential with Dwight Howard...
You'd think that a guy with that background would no what humility is, but no. The fact that he acts like a jack@ss despite all he's gone through really doesn't make me respect him any more than I would anyone else.
He liked to play but he liked to beat to his own drum more than anything else. His ego was much too large for a guy who was and is a loser. Francis was crying about how his stats were going down. It's not coincedental that he went to his only playoff appearance the one time he had to sacrifice himself for the good of the team. I will say he is a great athlete and is physically tough. His mental makeup is pitiful though. I don't miss the guy one bit. He loves himself a bit too much especially when he says that fans came in droves to see him play. When he was here, we averaged 12k fans for much of the time, and was the lowest in the NBA. Francis is too caught up with himself to ever succeed. He likes to polish his own turds and because of that he will never learn lessons that should have been taught to him a long time ago.
I own a Raiders #89 because Ronald's story is ****ing amazing. he's one of my favorite players of all time. and Steve has been through a lot, and even though we traded him I still love the guy. He had a great heart, and you can't fault a guy for giving it his best. I hope he continues to have a successful career. and if anyone wants a collection of about 100 Steve Francis basketball cards let me know.
I think the hate some feel toward Steve Francis isn't really a hate of Francis himself. More a knee-jerk reaction to the fans who would constantly argue with the idea that he would make the kind of mistakes that keep a decent team from being a very good one. Some folks can't help but talk bad about the guy....just like some folks well be apologetic and constantly make excuses for the guy. These two sides will always clash when this subject comes up. Lots of folks just felt that it was time for a change and argued with those who did not. Some thought that his style of play wouldn't take the Rockets to the next level; others tried to lay blame elsewhere. Such a discussion is going to have this kind of backlash. Particularly when it is involving something that many fans put above all else (i.e., the TEAM). I look at it this way. 1. The guy seems like a great person. He, like many NBA players, had a rough life and was able to work his ass off to get through it. He seems like a genuinely nice guy. 2. He played with a lot of emotion, and that's one factor you have to love in a player. He put it all out there in that sense when he stepped on the court. 3. He has yet - and may never really be able to - 'carry' a team. To be the true 'Franchise' that makes the great decisions, often makes the smart plays, and just makes THE TEAM better. While here, he didn't play smart. And that's unfortunate - because you'd like to see such a great guy win. But it seemed as though a lot of folks are unable to admit this. 4. Francis will always get some hate on here, I think, for the sole purpose of poking at the fans who always put him ahead of the team, found it hard to fault him for making his mistakes, and tried to say that Francis really WAS capable of taking us to the next level and thought the trade was a mistake in the beginning. They couldn't see what a lot of other fans could. And let's face it; people love to rub in when someone is wrong. Particularly if they have a hard time admitting it.
Yeah, I saw every home game that season. Pretty good stuff. The weird thing, though, was that Francis wasn't really even the best PG on that team. He was ranked 3rd in the nation (JuCo players) and the Raven's starting PG was ranked #1. Of course, Francis played more than just PG, he was a pretty good scorer even then, but I never would have guessed he would turn out as good as he did from watching him that year.
The same guys who will defend McGrady up and down for admitting quitting and still call him a "winner" will criticize Steve for saying he had a bad season when he made the playoffs. "confusing"
Not as confusing as someone calling the year you averaged career lows in just about everything (including assists) your 'best year'. That's like saying Kevin Willis had his best year when he gravy-trained for a ring with the Spurs. '00-'01 was clearly Francis' best year - the team won the same amount of games as they did in '03-'04, and his numbers were a ton better. '03-'04 Francis looked terrible out there most of the time, like he didn't know where he was. Just because he had enough good players on the team to make the playoffs finally in spite of his poor play doesn't make it his best year.
The only mistake McGrady made was admitting it. After McGrady and Howard, the total minutes played by that ORL roster was as follows (in descending order) Ty Lue, Drew Gooden, Keith Bogans, Gordan Giricek, Andrew De Clerq, DeShawn Stevenson and Rod Strickland. The question is not whether he quit but how in hell he managed an efficiency rating of 23.75 and dished out 5.5 assists per game. Playing with heart is admirable. Playing the game the right way is enviable. And IIRC, Steve mentioned something about "quitting" when Mobley was traded.
