Share your favorite thoughts and memories since Cuttino has ended his career and Steve's career is done too. <!-- LIFE IMAGE 2850765 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawImage(2850765);</script><!-- LIFE IMAGE 1889390 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawImage(1889390);</script> <!-- LIFE IMAGE 1834282 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawImage(1834282);</script><!-- LIFE IMAGE 3466894 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawImage(3466894);</script> <!-- LIFE IMAGE 1650193 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawImage(1650193);</script> <!-- LIFE IMAGE 3441126 --><script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.life.com/embed/index/js"></script><script type="text/javascript">LIFEembedDrawImage(3441126);</script>
Here's a game that I remember Paper: Houston Chronicle Date: SUN 11/09/2003 Section: Sports Page: 1 Edition: 3 STAR Different Routs / Francis, Mobley get job done for Rockets / Guards fill void in 96-86 win over Magic By JONATHAN FEIGEN Staff The Rockets were supposed to have outgrown such nights. But Saturday offered a reminded that some were not really all that bad. For years, with no inside game upon which they could rely, the Rockets went as far as their backcourt could carry them. Whatever else they might have lacked, they had that. But they thought to have grown into so much more. Then Saturday, they were back to Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley, with just enough help to hold off the struggling Magic 96-86 before a Toyota Center sellout of 18,148. With Yao Ming so off target that even the elbow he directed at Juwan Howard came up short and two power forwards suspended, the Rockets turned back to their guards. Francis had a season-high 31 points with six assists and seven rebounds. Mobley not only made nine of 14 shots for his 21 points, but he harassed Magic guard Tracy McGrady into a 5-of-21 shooting disaster. Yao struggled so greatly, making four of his first 15 shots, that when he was stopped by a hard Howard foul, he lifted a threatening elbow in the direction of Howard's chin for a technical foul. Tyronn Lue hit that free throw and Yao hit one to keep the Rockets lead at seven with 2:50 left. A Francis free throw and jumper pushed the lead to double digits, and let the Rockets hold off the Magic through the last two minutes. Yao's struggles became so severe that by the end of the third quarter when he went for a two handed slam that seemed filled with frustration, he clanged that, too. By then, Yao had made just four of 15 shots and was just 1-of-5 in the third quarter. The Rockets had repeatedly taken their lead back to 10 points but seemed determined to keep the game close. Jim Jackson threw away an inbounds pass that Lue took for a layup and later fouled McGrady on a 3, turning into a four-point shot. But while Francis continued to roll along after an 18-point first half, Mobley also heated up. Each scored 10 points in the quarter. If nothing else, they could always count on that. The Rockets pursuit of the latest rout of the Magic got a good start. Francis carried them through the first quarter and by the second quarter, the Rockets moved the ball sharply to build a 14-point lead with 8 1/2 minutes left before halftime. The Rockets scored the first 10 points of the second quarter and by the time they had taken their largest lead, Scott Padgett had nailed three straight jumpers and Bostjan Nachbar sank a trey. The suspensions of Eddie Griffin and Maurice Taylor had not only not depleted the Rockets scoring of the bench, the Rockets had seemed suddenly deeper. Then they missed four consecutive free throws (including one taken over because of a lane violation) and then collapsed for three minutes. They began making defensive mistakes they had not before. They stopped passing for open shots. They gave up second shots. The Magic rushed through a 13-1 run to within two before Mobley nailed a pair of treys and Francis hit one to settle things down. The Rockets rebuilt their lead to nine points, but never regained control. When Mobley gave the Magic a gift to end the half, fouling Lue 30 feet from the basket with four seconds left, Orlando ended the half within five. But Francis began the second half with a pair of free throws, and the Magic were never closer.
They loved the city of Houston & the Rockets as a team. They played w/ heart and soul. Sure they might not have always made the right decisions but no one could ever question their passion to win. Even tell this day you can see them cheering for a team that traded them away. They are true Rockets & Houstonians at heart!
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I grew up in Silver Spring, MD near Francis and we're almost the exact same age. When I moved to Houston in '02, I started following the Rockets because of him. The first Rockets jersey I bought was a Francis jersey.
first post, 4:53 PM: Pictures of Steve and Cuttino. second post, 4:54 PM: Article from '03 Look! It's a game vs Orlando. How random was that?
This is probably what I remember most : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5320088/ Orlando's Tracy McGrady is heading to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Steve Francis. ---------------------------------------------- Francis, McGrady trade official Rockets acquire T-Mac, Magic gets guard in megadeal updated 2:24 p.m. CT, Wed., June 30, 2004 HOUSTON - Tracy McGrady is leaving his hometown team for Houston in a blockbuster trade that sends Steve Francis to the Orlando Magic and gives the Rockets one of the NBA’s most intriguing duos. The deal, which had been in the works for nearly two weeks, also sent forward Juwan Howard and guards Tyronn Lue and Reece Gaines to the Rockets. The Magic will acquire guard Cuttino Mobley and forward Kelvin Cato. “I just knew it was going to take time,” McGrady told ESPN Tuesday night. “I’m happy and it’s time to move on.” The trade was finalized after Francis’ meeting with Magic general manager John Weisbrod and other team officials in Orlando on Tuesday. McGrady, a two-time NBA scoring champion, now joins 7-foot-5 Yao Ming to form a combination that potentially could be as dominant as the Los Angeles Lakers’ three-time title twosome of Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant. “I sure hope so,” McGrady said in the ESPN interview. “I can’t predict the future, but it definitely would be nice. The ultimate goal is to win a championship for the Houston Rockets.” And with the Lakers splintering apart since coming up short in the NBA Finals, Houston immediately looks like a serious championship contender in the Western Conference next season. McGrady signed with the Magic in 2000, thinking he and Grant Hill could push an up-and-coming squad over the top. But Hill’s bad left ankle limited him to 37 games in four seasons, and McGrady’s load grew heavier with each passing year. Tired of carrying a mediocre franchise, McGrady vowed to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract that was to go into effect at the end of next season. But Orlando did not want him to leave without the team receiving compensation — like O’Neal did eight years ago. McGrady, 25, becomes the fourth defending scoring champion in NBA history to be dealt away, and the first since the Buffalo Braves sent Bob McAdoo to the New York Knicks in 1976. Francis, a three-time All-Star, averaged 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.2 assists last season to join Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and Hill as the only players in league history to average at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists in each of their first five years. Francis, Mobley and Yao led the Rockets to the playoffs last season for the first time in five years. Houston lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. But Francis, who flourished in an up-tempo offense for the previous four years, was put on the summer trading block after posting the worst offensive numbers of his career in new coach Jeff Van Gundy’s slower-paced scheme. When the deal was first discussed last week, Francis balked at joining the rebuilding Magic. But Francis’ agent, Jeff Fried, said a talk between the point guard and Weisbrod after Thursday’s draft helped alleviate some of the All-Star guard’s concerns about joining the Magic. Fried said Weisbrod convinced Francis that the Magic could improve quickly with the additions of No. 1 draft pick Dwight Howard, a 6-foot-11 high school star from Atlanta, and point guard Jameer Nelson, the point guard from St. Joseph’s who won virtually every college player of the year award last season. Francis was also impressed that the Magic wanted to make him the centerpiece of the rebuilding franchise. “I think that he certainly believes in what John is trying to build,” Fried told The Associated Press Tuesday. The Magic “could well have gotten almost any player in the league for Tracy McGrady. Steve felt pretty pleased with their reasons for talking to him and what his role might be in the rebuilding process.” Mobley, one of Francis’ best friends, comes to Orlando after averaging 17.1 points and four rebounds a game in six seasons with the Rockets. A second-round pick by Houston in 1998, Mobley has become one of the league’s most underrated players. Cato, a 6-11 power forward, averaged 6.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in five years with the Rockets. “Some days you are going to be some place. Some days you can be moved tomorrow,” Cato told Houston television station KRIV. “You take it for what it’s worth.” Howard, a 10-year veteran, has averaged 17.8 points and 7.4 rebounds with Washington, Dallas, Denver and Orlando. Last season, he was second on the Magic in scoring (17.0 points per game) and first in rebounding (7.0). Lue averaged career highs of 10.5 points and 4.2 assists with Orlando last season, his first as a full-time starter. The 6-foot guard played on two championship teams with the Lakers in 2000 and 2001. Gaines, the 15th overall pick of the 2003 NBA draft, saw little time as a rookie with the Magic. He averaged only 1.8 points in 9.6 minutes for the league’s worst team. “I think they did a tremendous job on this trade,” McGrady said. “I think both teams are going to benefit.”
It took a while but I thought they turned the corner when they finally made the playoffs and played real basketball instead of iso-ball. And got real uniforms. If they remained on the team I'da had no problem at all rooting for their continued success, warts and all. Always the what-ifs and stuff but it'da been interesting in an alternate universe if Morey and Adelman ran the team then instead of CD and JVG/Rudy. Not much on-court stuff that stands out in retrospect. I'll remember them in the All Star festivities the most.
I remember that too. Also, its amazing how Cuttino risked his life for playing the Rockets. <object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wXSFNKUX6fU&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wXSFNKUX6fU&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>
I most remember Francis' consecutive tough layups down the stretch against the Lakers for our only win in the '04 playoffs.
One of my favorite moments for Steve was when he was with the Knicks. Came home to DC and made the game winner in front of his grandma and jumped on the scorers table and pounded his chest. The guy had passion until his last two years in the league, he was only picking up a paycheck then. He hasn't officially retired but he's not putting in the work to make it back. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SE33svH2AxE&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SE33svH2AxE&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
This was the highlight of his career, for me <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xboi1sDKVtA&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Xboi1sDKVtA&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Best.Shoe.Commercial.Ever!
ahhh man i had those shoes in high school. I begged my parents to buy them. These two guys loved the Rockets and the city of Houston so much. They played every game like it was their last. They played with heart. They didnt win all the time but whoever plays with some much heart like Cat and Steve gets A+ in my book.
I remember when we landed the #1 pick, and the trade offer was on the table from the Clippers, #7 and Lamar Odom for #1. Steve and Cuttino wanted the Rockets to pull the trigger, since while Yao was the consensus #1 pick, he was still an international player and all. What woulda happened had they done the trade and drafted Amare at #7, one pick before where he actually went at #8. Cato Amare Lamar Mobley Francis Hmmm... Either way, both Steve and Cuttino are appreciated in my book.
Yeah I remeber Cat & Steve wanting to trade the pick for Odom. I also remember Amare going number 8, but I never put 2&2 together. That would have been a good young fast team. Although I would rather have Yao now than Amare, at the time Amare was a better player, or should I say NBA ready. Didn't we have the #9 pick that we were trying to trade to move ahead of Phoenix to draft Amare, but we had to use the pick on Nachbar.<p>How would that team look at the time.<p>Yao<p>Amare<p>J.Jackson<p>Mobley<p>Francis
<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/DWoZ0J3DsmQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/DWoZ0J3DsmQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object> Steve Francis will always be a Rocket.
That was his most successful game in many ways,because it was in the playoffs. He took control of the vital game against Denver in the pre-season which got us into the post-season. I will always remember that and the ill-fated Utah game when he was fouled out by the refs on his way to a possible 50 points. Steve gave his all and tried his best to adjust to the needs of the team without complaining.That was his biggest contribution to the Houston Rockets.If he had been a true PG with a high IQ,he wouldn't have been traded.
