for real. What a chance to get some minutes. 15 minutes off the bench. You gather 6-7 points, 2 dimes and 3 boards and you are golden for the rest of the year. please come back Steve. Don't make me look like a fool for believing in you.
Steve has yet to practice with the team. He's still rehabbing. Just because the team could use him now doesn't help him recover faster.
Stevie, please get better soon and come back asap because we really need you out there. Signed, Your fan forever
How awesome would it be if Steve returned to form, replaced T-Mac in the starting lineup and led the team to the promised land? Not likely to happen, but it's fun to think about.
Has SF3 had any public setbacks other than that cold we all heard about? I don't understand how he was "definitely going to practice" a month ago, but now has still not practiced. I assume the "cold" is better. Not that I expect much out of the guy, but it'd be great knowing he was there if the situation ever arose, and last night makes that situation look much more possible.
Like A.I said..Practice??? Practice???? we talkin bout Practice??? not a game but Practice.. I want him 2 practice but knowing steve i have a feeling he isnt going to and theres going to be another excuse. My guess if i was a betting man its going to be he had a setback and couldnt go . Mark it down you heard it from me
It's amazing how much people discuss this guy when he's got little to no chance of contributing to any NBA team ever again. I grew up in Silver Spring at the same time as Francis and watched him play when he was a Terp. I even became a fan of the Rockets when I moved from D.C. to Houston in 2002 partially because he was on the team. (I used to be a Bullets fan back in the day but turned to college basketball for most of the 90s.) At the same time, I don't hold on to the past and can see that he is obviously done. Anything is possible but it's pointless to talk this much about things that are extremely unlikely. It would take months for him to fully heal, practice and get back in game shape. Even if that all goes perfectly, you can't underestimate the impact of not playing basketball for so long. He is done for this season and there is no chance the Rockets resign him. Let's all move on. Francis' NBA career was over 2 years ago.
Jon..Good job with the blog but i guess the main question everyone wants to know including myself is did Steve Francis actually show up and practice or is he still rehabbing? (He went through some of the practice, not all. I can't say he was unable to complete the practice. It might have been more just working his way into even the practice rotation. -- Jonathan) Posted by: Jay at November 18, 2008 03:34 PM
Remember that "Five Minutes with Steve Francis" article on Rockets.com a little before training camp. Francis talked about returning and when he'd be ready to play, numbers were thrown out, suggested timelines but ultimately he said and I quote: It's been a process and I made a schedule for myself so I don't try to rush myself to get back because that's what hurt me last time. Another good quote to give everyone an idea of what the hold up is : I don't want to go out there if I'm not 100% and possibly re-injure myself. Last season he thought he could play through pain, he managed for a few games and was successful in the Phoenix game, the Denver blowout (which he sparked), but it caught up to him. The knee issue that he put on the backburner and tried to ignore since in NY came and bit him in the butt. He's being smarter about it now. Why would you want Francis out there if he isn't playing up to his normal level. He wants to be out there pain-free, with nothing holding him back. He's being reasonable. He'll be back when he's ready just like Battier.
Steve has been injured for the better part of 2 season dating back to the Knicks days. Can he come back to play? Can he be NBA effective ... and I mean 12th man level at least! How much athleticism will he come back with? Can he even mesh with this group? Is he still on his Island of ISO play? Even if he were able to recover from his injury, there are so many questions regarding Steve. For the people who harp on T-Mac, remember what it cost us! We got the better part of that deal.
I've made that same point a number of times. However, there is at least one legitimate argument against it. We haven't accomplished anything significant yet with McGrady and had we kept Francis, we likely would have done a lot worse in recent seasons and, in turn, had better draft picks. In other words, by keeping Francis and sucking more, right now we could have players like Brandon Roy, Kevin Durant and Jerryd Bayless. Who knows? Maybe we could have even landed CP3.
Why is it so wrong for fans to believe in Francis? I don't know if you understand the impact Steve had on the city. He was all we had after Dream and before Yao. Played his butt off every game. Sure he didn't make the greatest decisions, but he gave it his all night it and night out. Even until now, I don't think we have seen another Rocket (since he was drafted) play with as much heart, passion and love for the Rockets and the City of Houston itself. He wore those tacky pinstripes proudly. Seriously, can you really blame fans for wanting one of their favorite players to make a comeback? You can say he is done all you want but until he is officially retired, waived, traded, ect., he isn't done yet. When that time comes, the fans will know. Until then, it does not hurt for fans to be positive about one of our players. They want to see him healthy. They want to see if he still has enough fire to fight for a rotation spot. If there is one Rocket that loves this city and organization more than anyone else, it is Stevie Franchise.
Yes, he was playing injured last year and single handedly won that Phoenix game for us. Absolutely, Steve Francis on one leg is better than Luther Head on two. Not as much as he had back in the day, but enough to where he'll make you think about those days every once in a while. Definitely, Steve is committed to winning and he's willing to do whatever it takes to achieve team success. Ron Artest said not to count him out either. See above You got more questions? We should be concerned with how much athleticism Mr. $20 million a year has left not Mr. $2 million a year who took less money to come here and play when he was offered more from other teams. BrooksBall is a hater. Look at his moniker and you can see where his loyalties lie. He's the same guy who said the Rockets weren't going to make the playoffs last year. A healthy Steve Francis is an upgrade over four or five players currently on the roster.
Call me a hater all you want, I've probably been a fan of Steve Francis fan as long, or longer, than anybody in this forum. I grew up in Silver Spring and watched him since he was a Terp. I heard about him in the local news before he was a Terp. That is more than 95% of people here can say. I read about him in the newspaper when he was in high school. How many people can make that claim? I became a Rockets fan in 2002 in large part because of Francis. Given all those facts, I can still see things clearly. Francis is done. Keep dreaming and call me a hater all you want, I'm just looking at the facts. There is a small chance he recovers then starts practicing then gets his game back and adjusted to the team then either Rafer or Brooks gets hurt then he gets a chance to play with a month or so left in the season... The bottom line is the chances are so slim that it is amazing people are talking this much about it. If we need PG help, there will be better options than whatever Francis will be able to bring if he amazingly is even in condition to play at any point this season. People keep highlighting one play against the Suns but seem to overlook the awful turnovers and obvious rust in his game that was much more prevalent than one game-winning layup. All that was before more surgery and another 12 months away from the game. As far as the BrooksBall username, I simply joined ClutchFans at the time I was watching Brooks' first summer league. I thought he was an exciting young prospect and that was all there was to it. If I had to pick a favorite player on the current team, it would probably be Artest or McGrady but I'm a Rockets fan above all else. I want what is best for this team and Francis is not one of those things even if he does recover. He's washed up. Here are some clips of him when you probably didn't even know he was alive, including some clips when he was playing at Allegany (a school friends of mine went to) before he became a Terp (another school several of my friends went to, including one of my ex's): <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BOuv17jT00M&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BOuv17jT00M&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Francis was a local legend in parts of MD, before people in Houston knew anything about him. I was a Terps fan well before Francis and well after Francis left. From Len Bias to Blake, Dixon, Baxter and Wilcox and a national championship. I went to Lefty Driesell's basketball camp when I was about 10 years old, the summer after Bias died. Look those names up since you probably don't know most of them. Here is one of Lefty's most famous sayings: "The harder you work, the luckier you get." I left camp with a plaque engraved with that quote. T-Mac should think about the meaning of those words.
