Worried about Francis Leaving for DC?

FRANCIS will be a ROCKET 4 LIFE!!
And when the Rockets move to Baltimore, it's not going to matter anyways. He'll get the best of both worlds. Rockets in his hometown!


p.s. I hope they don't move!

 

i read in the chron that he expects a recruitment call from Jordan in the future and thats all he's gonna say about it. other then the fact hes a houston rocket now so he loves houston! so anything can happen years from now who knows..

 

I really doubt Jordan will stay involved in that inept franchise for that long. Further, I just don't see him being much of a coach or GM, I think he will be driven crazy by being invested in something he doesn't have much control over. Bill Russell and Magic certainly couldn't make such a transition, though West has been great and the jury is still out on Bird. Personally, I just wouldn't expect MJ miracles off the court.

 

All the Rockets need to do in order to keep Francis is point at Hakeem. Hakeem is the man in this city. The city idolizes him. The Rockets have shown great loyalty to him.

Steve can be like that, too.

Loyalty and fan worship should be enough to keep him here, as long as the Rockets become perrenial contenders again.

 

Didn't Russell win a few championships after Red left? Magic wasn't too savvy about anything that didn't involve playing basketball. Jordan on the other hand should be a very good evaluator of talent and what not. All of his business decisions are sound and his image is simply impeccable. I'm a little apprehensive about Stevie jetting after another 4 years. He may say that he loves Houston now, but things can change quickly. Damon Stoudamire said he loved Toronto and how he was going to be the building block for a future Raptor championship. But that attitude changed very quickly.

 

I'd be surprised to see Francis leave if this team begins to fulfill its potential. Why would he want to go through a rebuilding process all over again, with no guarantee of success. Look what happened to Marbury. Although he wanted to move closer to home, I bet that guy's kicking himself for dumping a playoff contender for a perennial cellar dwellar with not as much as a future as the Nets used to have.

 

I just pray that the stuff Francis was saying about building a River Oaks mansion and playing in Houston forever is true. That guy is going to be a megastar and Houston needs to lock him up forever.

 

aelliot is correct. After the 4th year of Francis Rookie Contract, the Rockets can match ANY other teams offer, and retain him. This was introduced by the NBA to promote retention of draftees.

Unless Francis makes it very clear to the Rockets he wants to leave, he should be here to stay.

 

where is francis from? what makes yo uthink he loves maryland so much. ya he played 1 year in maryland but he also played at san jacinto

 

hey did'nt francis say that he wanted to buy a house here in houston. you dont buy a house in houston because you like the view, he will be here for life... just because another egotistic former player turned manager is in the league does'nt mean everyone is gonna flock to him.

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johnny "red" kerr:i'm glad the bulls did'nt draft steve francis.

dan roan: why!!!!!

johnny red kerr:because he would forever be compared to michael jordan.

 

Rocket Fan,

Francis' hometown is Takoma Park, MD --- a whopping 2 miles from College Park. He grew up a die hard Maryland fan and all his friends are in the area.

Guys, I wouldn't trust anything Francis says to the media --- I think he says things sometimes to just throw the media off.

For example all through his year at Maryland he told the media that he was going to be back for his senior year and he was positive about that.

 

I have a question for all you wanna be GMs.
How does Jordan turn the Wizards around, with Strickland, Richmond, Howard and Austin all under performing and the first 3 having contracts that so large they are nearly untradeable???????????

 

rocket rich was right:

the rockets will be in baltimore by the time Francis' contract comes up... he'll be at home... the Rockets are set, even if Houston "I don't understand who is in the position of power", Texas isn't.

don't forget NASA also has a facility in Maryland... what great marketing.

 

Is anybody worried about Steve Francis Leaving in 3 years. I'd say it's almost a given if Jordan remains with the Washington Wizards until that time. I know it's a long way off, but if it's going to happen, we may want to consider trading him to Washington. I know you'all don't want to hear it, but it's something we'd better consider. Here is why...

1) Francis loves Maryland. We all know that.
2) Francis idolizes Jordan
3) The Wizards will be good in 3 years because of a)Jordan recruitment and b)very high draft picks.
4) MCI Center is a real nice arena.
5) Washington DC has lots to offer.
6) Strickland will be outta there.
7) FRancis has never been one to stick around for too long.

I would not be suprised if Jordan is planning on getting Francis. I really do think it was a small part of his decision. Our only hope is that the Rockets can put together a quality team in that third year and make a deep playoff run. Steve's going to need a bond that won't break him away from Houston. I really believe that.


Any concerns?

 

Didn't Rudy say that he has a strong bond with the young guys on the team?

A good coach will always have a bond with his players and will give the players a sense of loyalty. I'm concerned but there's a lot of what if's. Three years from now if Francis feels that he's a good fit with the Rockets (I believe the Rockets have to be contenders or have young players who make Steve's game better), and he gets paid, I see no reason why he would want to leave.

The only possible reason would be if Les did not want to pay Francis enough because he does not have a new arena.

[This message has been edited by Smokey (edited January 19, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Smokey (edited January 19, 2000).]

 

PSJ I you make a very good point.I am one who was worried that we'd have Francis through his learning years and then we'd loose him.
That was untill I read a comment were he said he wanted to be like the Dream and play his whole carear in Houston!

I also think that Steve likes the Rockets and Houston and If Rudy had to he'd do EVERYTHING in his powers to keep Steve a Rocket he would.

As for the Wizards they havent been good for a few decades now.I dont see how getting a SG will help them unless he's suiting up.I really think too much is being made of jordan getting a job in he Wizards front office.Look at what he's getting into.
TERRIBLE contracts (Howard especially).
A team with a loosing attitude.
One of the lesser star pulling teams in the NBA (Would anyone take LESS money to go play there?).

I think we'll have Steve Farncis for a LONG time

Christopher


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Your Starting Power Forward for the Clutch City Allstars

 

Now that you say that, it is a real possibility. But francis is signed for 4 years. Throgh 2003. Enough time to bring some awsome performance for us.

Trade francis, no-way! Nobody trades a player of that caliber. You rather lose him to FA than trade him. If Rudy T is still coach, I see him staying put for longer than 4 years.

 

I think that if the opportunity presents itself, Francis would probably play for Washington, unless the Rockets become elite very quickly and bond well.

However, there are so many factors that would prevent Francis from dashing to Washington that I'm not worried about it yet. For instance... the salary cap DOES exist, and Jordan can only hire so many of the elite players that will likely be clamoring to play for him. Francis may not even be MJ's first choice to play PG... perhaps he'd prefer Iverson or Marbury...etc. The Rockets will have Francis' Bird rights... IE... they'll likely be able to pay him MUCH more than Washington.

Perhaps Jordan will be sick of the process by now... I'm not sure that MJ will appreciate a process in which he really has so little control over: he can't get on the court and make his team win. I think that this might frustrate him.

 

Francis aint no Pippen. When the time comes, believe me, the Rocks will show him the money.

Like someone else said, he's a Rock4Life!