"What the hell happened to Steve Francis?"-June 2010 SLAM Magazine article

Cmon man, for all his faults on the court, I don't think you can question his heart for the game. At least not during his first run with Houston. Have yet to see a rocket player since Steve that played with so much heart and passion for the team. He lived and breathed Houston Rockets. Seriously, how many guys would give up the MLE, to take less money to join a team that traded him?

 

Except when Francis was on the team at first, he was gym rat, and worked incredibly hard on his game. I do agree he was his own worst enemy, blind to his faults, and almost delusional at this point.

 

If only he'd been as mentally gifted as he was physically gifted...

 

yeah...he has too much to lose by playing pickup ball.


huh?

 

It was all downhill after the Super Bowl controversy.

.

 

Honestly, I think he's better mentally than we give him credit for.

He was clearly in this for the money...he knew he had the athletic gifts he knew how to play the game and win people over, but now he's made his money and doesn't have to punish his body anymore unless it's for some lucrative contract.

Sounds pretty smart to me...

 

He really did crash and burn. But for all his faults, and that unsuccessful 2nd run at Rox. This is the game I will always remember him for.

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Hope the 2 yr old son got his basketball IQ from Mom.

 

My general sentiments also.

Rudy T babied him too much, JVG exposed him and ran away from him.

 

By most accounts, Steve was a likeable guy and pretty cool with fans.

From a basketball standpoint, he's another guy who got by on physical talent, didn't work hard, and now finds himself out of the game. If he worked hard and listened to his coaches, he could have been great.

 

I don't get his reasoning. He was talking about how he has to provide for his family, etc....dude, you already provided for your family.

He has made plenty of money to live the rest of his life as long as he doesnt blow his money crazy, which sounds like what he is doing by going into all of these businesses.

Now, i can understand doing something to keep busy but focus on one thing. I mean, a clothing line, rap label, barber shop,

 

Loved Francis with the original pajama uni's though. It's a shame he didn't make the most of his career, but it is what it is now. Ahh well.

 

I know this is kind of a close minded thought on Francis' finances, but none of his businesses seem prominent. Those look like bubble businesses that can burst at any instance. record label, boxing, clothing line???

Investing in bad businesses is worse than not investing at all. I mean if those businesses don't make it you lose a lot more money.

If derick coleman can lose 100 mill, anyone can.

 

man i was about to post this until i saw you did.

Why can't guys be smart and in vest in normal conservative stuff.

 

Not just directed at you, as a lot others think this as well. But what makes you so sure he's a gym rat? Ignoring Stevie's last year here, which he tried to defer a bit to Yao and failed miserably, the guy is the is absolute symbol of consistency from his rookie year forward. If anything, he actually regressed since his sophomore year, which was actually his best season.

I don't know about you, but any player who peaks in his 2nd year isn't a hard working gym rat in my book.

 

Simple.
Physical - He lost his athleticism, succumbed to injuries, and never really rehabbed that well over the years.
Mental - He never evolved mentally, like all NBA stars must to adapt to their age. His attitude is still the same. I love the heart he put into the game, it was unmatched by most players, but his cockiness and unwillingness to change cost him.

 

This was a great game and I had high expectations that year(and it clearly never came to be), But he had many great games that showed off his speed and athleticism in his 1st stint here, he clearly lost his explosiveness.

I wish him the best and would love for him to play in the NBA again, but when he lost his athleticism he was not the same player. IMO though, Francis years here smelled like roses, compared to Tracy's. You can never teach heart and hustle.

 

Ive always been a francis fan (disappointed to hear his comments), but there are players on our current team that have just as much heart.

 

Wow. So Steve wasn't kidding when he said he built the Compaq/Toyota Center!

 

Hey hammer! Meet nail. Hit him on the head, please!