Rockets Leading Steve Francis Stakes

[koopa]

lol @ gig saying stacked with 3 all stars, they got two, and that's it, francis will never be the player he was back in the days, he's washed up, but the good thing is, he thinks he's still the and i don't see how him going to the rockets helps them, now they got a shooting guard in a point guards body that has an ego and needs to shoot the ball to be effective

then they got tmac who is pretty bad ass and doesn't need to shoot to be effective but the dude is never healthy

then you got yao who while has improved greatly doesn't scare anyone really, he's not a beast rebounder or shot blocker so he has to be scoring to be effective

then you got scola who can't even average 5 rebounds in europe so he's worthless on defense and is only effective if scoring

then you got bonzi who needs to score to be effective, and then mike james thinks he's a starter, and shane is the only one that doesn't need the ball to be effective

i don't see this team coming together very good because there isn't enough basketballs to go around to keep everyone happy and effective, and they aren't better then the top three teams which are mavs, spurs, suns, and i don't think they are better then the jazz, and right now i don't really see how they'll be better then the nuggets, so i don't see them being any higher then the 6th seed next year

looks like the rockets are stuck being the third best team in texas for many years to come

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

but but but but the Spurs re-signed Bonner and Vaughn



Rockets are going to be DAMN good next season

[jag]

but but but but the Spurs re-signed Bonner and Vaughn



Rockets are going to be DAMN good next season

After your thread about Duncan leaving the spurs, you should never post again, you fail at life, and posting on spurstalk.

[kingmalaki]

Great signing for us. Last year our major problems were a suck ass PF, a PG who couldn't shoot and no scoring off the bench. We traded for a PG that can shoot (James) and we got some scoring off the bench now (Francis & Alston). Francis should be fine in that role.

We still have a suck ass PF unless Scola is the real deal. But I do like our improvements so far, especially since all we have lost is Juwon Howard.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Done deal now:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2942354

Steve Francis is going home.

Steve Francis

Francis

After three years of struggles in Orlando and New York, the former All-Star guard will return to the place of his greatest glory, the Houston Rockets.

Francis was in Houston on Thursday to sign a two-year contract worth roughly $6 million with the Rockets. The club will announce the signing at a newsconference on Friday.

"It's great opportunity, I'm definitely excited," Francis told Houston's Fox 26 Sports. "This is a pretty astonishing moment right now. I am still caught up in the hype."

The 30-year-old Francis was recently bought out of the remaining two years, $34 million of his previous contract by the Portland Trail Blazers. He received nearly $31 million in the deal.

With money being no factor, Francis chose the Rockets over Miami, Dallas and the Clippers. The Heat are believed to have offered him more money.

According to a person close to Francis, he chose Houston largely because of his familiarity with the organization and the city. He has kept a home there since joining the club in 1999, and it was the site of his best years in the NBA.

As a high-flying point guard for the Rockets, Francis made three All-Star games and was regarded as one of the top players in the league. Francis' career began to decline when he clashed with coach Jeff Van Gundy, who had replaced Francis favorite Rudy Tomjanovich, in 2003.

Rocket Returning
Houston Rockets
Some of Steve Francis's best days in the NBA came as a member of the Rockets from 1999-2004. He played the last three seasons with Orlando and New York, but didn't put up the stats he did during his Houston days.

With Houston

With Orlando/NY
PPG 19.3 16.4
RPG 6.1 5.5
APG 6.4 4.7
All-Star games 3 0
Though Van Gundy helped Francis get to the playoffs for the first and only time in his career, his deliberate style of offense rubbed Francis the wrong way, and his scoring average dropped from 21 points per game to 16.6.

Francis was traded to Orlando for Tracy McGrady the following year. But while McGrady was outstanding in Houston, Francis failed to regain his form and was eventually dealt to New York to team with Stephon Marbury in the backcourt.

That experiment failed as well, as Francis ended up in a reserve role behind Jamal Crawford while struggling with minor knee injuries. Finally, the Knicks traded Francis to Portland in a draft-night trade that sent Zach Randolph to New York.

The Blazers had agreed to buy out Francis as a condition of the trade.

Francis returns to Houston in a much different role. The top option during his five-year stint with the club, he will be no more than the third option behind McGrady and Yao Ming. Francis spoke with both players as well as new Rockets coach Rick Adelman before deciding to accept Houston's offer.

Chris Broussard covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine.