What was the atmosphere like around here right before the Francis/Mobley/Cato trade?

the trade was pretty publicized before it actually happened when the first rumor was mention it was a bit surprising but everyone was pretty excited McGrady was a top 10 player in the league at the time.


I will say though most everyone felt that we should have kept Mobley in the trade

 

Hairy

 

no one was excited over receiving juwon howard either.

i think the consensus felt that if cat was included for howard then the magic shouldve included their first round pick rookie in the deal (nelson).

 

I was pretty happy when I learned that the ball-stopping Franchise was getting swapped for Tmac, but I was a bit torn on Mobley. He's a good shooter, slasher, and an underrated defender, and I was sad to see him leave.

In hindsight, given the problems Francis (weight), Mobley (heart, the physical one), and Cato (everything) had since, it was a good trade at the time.

 

Man I just realized i've been on this site for 10 years... Man how time flies...

 

LOL did you old poster think Reese Gaines was up and coming? And what about Lue?

 

I'd do that trade over and over again.

Though I do miss me some Mobley. Dude can really play and has always been very underrated.

 

Everyone felt that a two-time scoring champ and an up and coming center were pretty much a can't-miss for a championship or several. I think that we knew that the role-players weren't good enough at the time, but it was something to build on; that is having two very capable offensive players and an excellent defensive coach in VanGundy. Some were even kind of ridiculous enough to suggest that including Mobley was a deal-breaker.

 

Time definitely flies... I have been a member as well for 10 years, and have mainly used it as a way to get inside news about the team. I love this site, and visit everyday. I don't post much at all, but I thought this was an interesting thread. To answer the OP, the atmosphere around here before the Francis and company for TMAC trade was one of frustration, because we could not get over the hump despite having Yao. There were a lot of trade rumors going around before the trade went down, and I remember several times when the Rockets and Magic had played against each other, TMac always complemented Yao's game. I guess when the trade went down it wasnt much of a surprise to everyone here at Clutchfans, because it seems like we know the deal before it actually goes down sometimes. As much as many loved Steve Francis, there was a clickish tendency with the team that centered around Mobley and Francis. At the time, T-Mac was a breath of fresh air because he could do so many things on the court that we needed, and also he was not a selfish player in the sense that he would pass the ball around. I remember being very happy about the acquisition, but its sad what happened. I guess when you have a combination of player egos and management expectations, you will always have problems. Despite the issues of late, I am highly optimistic about the team we have right now. Even when they lose, I feel like they left out on the floor. That's the first time in a very very long time that I can say that a Rockets team plays hard every night.

 

I was lurking back then, I don't really remember how it was.

But I did remember the atmosphere around my television set whenever Francis touched the ball. It wasn't good. I was glad he was traded.. too bad Mobley had to be packaged along with

 

You know it's about the same as this and I have a feeling were gonna get Bosh soon Yeah it's a pipe dream so who wants a puff :grin:

 

Not gonna lie, I took a break from watching bball after the 95 season, but I remember watching again during the francis/mobley/posey years. I was upset to see all those players go, but at the time Tmac was a top 5 player in the league. It was pretty much a no brainer.

 

When the MerGady trade happened I remember hating him so much. I hated him in Orlando. He was real good no doubt, but I hated his cocky personality.

Ironically, I hated the thought of trading a couple of stars for 1 superstar. I was thinking what would happen if Mergady gets injured (didn't know about his glassman situation yet).

Weird how he grew on me after the first season, before the roller coaster ride happened. I didn't like CD much either.

 

By that time even the Rockets radio announcers were making fun of Francis. Over half the board was ready for him to go, anywhere. He did have some rabid supporters though who often and regularily viciously attacked wiser posters such as myself.

 

This place was madness around that time. I remember there was a guy from Orlando posting on the bbs and he kept saying there was no way that the Magic would take the deal from the Rockets. It was pretty funny how everyone piled on him after the deal was finalized. Someone with more energy than I should go back and search for the old thread. It's pretty classic bbs reading.

 

Tmac at the time was like Lebron.

All upside.

No one really knew what he was capable of... but he was without question a top 3 scorer in the league so there was limitless optimism in Houston

If I remember the announcement of the original deal wasn't pre-hyped, but there was huge chatter immediately after it was announced. 1)Tmac was the Lebron/Kobe of that era 2)There was massive loyalty to SF3 so this site was blowing up... I dont think you could even register an account in those days it was so crazy 3)Orlando fans HATED Tmac so again lots of chatter

Around the league many felt that Tmac+Yao+Van Gundy+scrubs was good for at least a number of Conference Championships and maybe even a Chip or more. At the time there was still more skepticism about Yao in the league due to him being Chinese and racism in the media but Tmac was gold and many expected great things...

 

I wasn't on clutchfans back then but I remember watching them on ch. 51.
I kind of thought we had a chance the following season.(flame on :grin: ) Despite Stevie's ballhogging skills things were starting to click, he was starting to pass a lot more often with the trust he built with Yao and Mobley. After playoff experience under their belts they were a young team that could have only gotten better. I'm pretty sure all of their careers would have lasted a lot longer had they stayed together. But Tmac was on his way to MVP stardom who could have passed that up? In hindsight everyone misses Mobley he was our shooter/slasher you could count on. Not going to lie Stevie was my idol lol. I used to ballhog like him back in the day but he didn't really have the passing mentality that he needed but he had heart.

 

Many people were tired of the Francis era and chaotic decision-making he had at times. But others loved Francis because he gave it his all on the court and loved the city. Some people were worried about TMac being injured. Others couldn't wait to get a guy who was regarded on the level of Kobe Bryant at the time.

In other words, pretty much like every transaction, it had its detractors and fans. If you look at some of the threads from back then, you'll see several people who couldn't wait to get rid of Francis and wanted TMac, today can't wait to get rid of TMac. :grin:

 

I predicted that the trade was a bad trade
that did not enhance the Rockets and cost too much.
I figured the rockets were on an upswing and this was a step backwards

This Trade or even non-trade will pay off far more than the failed experiment that was the T-Mac era

Rocket River
Never wanted to the Trade!