Grizzlies acquire formerly miffed Francis posted by Brad Hurt
Former Rookie of the Year Steve Francis will play for the Grizzlies after all. The catch is that it will be in Memphis instead of Vancouver.
The Houston Rockets sent Francis, who infamously refused to play for the Vancouver Grizzlies after they drafted him in 1999, to Memphis on Wednesday in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick in 2011. The Grizzlies also get a 2009 second-round pick and cash in the deal.
Francis, who hasn’t played a game this season as he recovers from offseason quadriceps surgery, is in the final year of a two-year contract and may end up retiring if he decides his surgically-repaired knee isn’t strong enough for him to play.
Francis had a flashy playing style and can definitely produce, but has the potential to create a chemistry issue. He has averaged 18.1 ppg and 6.0 apg for his career, but he hasn’t done much lately. He only played in 10 games for Houston last season, averaging 5.5 ppg. The last time he played much more than half a season was in 2004-05 with Orlando, when he started 78 games and averaged 21.3 ppg.
While he used to be a great scorer, I think Francis’ best days are behind him. He is a veteran who may bring some offense to the Grizzlies, but he probably won’t be healthy enough to contribute much this season and may not play at all beyond this year. General Manager Chris Wallace was at least looking in the right direction with this deal, especially since he didn’t give much up, but if there isn’t a better scorer out there than Francis, it’s a sad market.
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The Phoenix Suns are vulnerable without their all-star point guard. Imagine who would call out the plays, dish those dazzling assists and score when needed. The absence of Steve Nash was evident but leave it to Shaq and Amare to step it up.
. Let's get this ball rollin' !
. Did you see that crazy, amazing, sick, shot by Brandon Roy against the Houston Rockets with .08 seconds to go for a win ! "The Truth" and nothing but the truth setting the tone saying we are champions by nailing that buzzer beater against the young and fearless Atlanta Hawks. But to have the veteran superstars in the names of "Mr. BIG SHOT" Chauncey Billups and "The Answer" Allen Iverson each being acquired to a playoff team that is in huge need of a change from their same old game like a sitting apple has been the talk of the league and I am very excited for these two superstars to make a huge impact for a run at a championship, but who are you kidding, the west is too deep for even a "big shot" and I'm not sure if there are enough "answers" to stop the three "championship" studs in the likes of pierce, garnett and mr. jesus shuttlesworth and no introduction needed in the name of "The King". But, we still got like 70+ more games to go, so it's going to be a long grind for every player to the top offices in the league. You truly will need the passion, love, and the motivation to fight through this long season and everyone is gunning for the same thing as they hope to have the beautiful banner of a championship to rise above their arena. I look forward to yet another great season, and every player movement possible to change a team's perspective in improving their overall game. 