FanHouse SteveFrancis

Pacman Jones, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, inked a new deal after the free agent period opened. The only downside of said new deal is that it's with Spike TV, and it will involve Pacman "playing" football on Pros vs. Joes.

It's been almost a decade since the Vancouver Grizzlies picked an unhappy Steve Francis No. 2 overall. The Franchise earned himself a quick trade to Houston, where he eventually served as a centerpiece in the trade to get Tracy McGrady. He's played in Orlando and New York, earned a paycheck in Portland, and done little to nothing as a cheap back-up to the back-ups in his second Houston go-round.

And now, lo! the Grizzlies have acquired Francis in a trade with Houston that has nothing to do with basketball.

Houston had two goals in exiling Francis: get under the luxury tax level and open up a roster spot. Missions accomplished. But with that open spot, the Rockets may hire Dikembe Mutombo which would put the team right at tax level. There's also no guarantee Mutombo will choose Houston over Boston and San Antonio, which means the Rockets could be using the spot on a D-League call-up or someone else's cast-off.

The Grizzlies had an incentive: the team gets its 2009 pick (sent south in the Darrell Arthur trade) back. After this and the Javaris Crittenton trade, Memphis now has its full complement of draft picks. It may seem like a shrug and a whatever, but it does help logistically to have a normal set of assets and not a bizarre list of conditional picks and whatnot.

Oh, and forget what I said about Francis getting into a Grizzlies jersey. Something tells me Stevie Franchise will remain injured to rest of this year.

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Jazz at Rockets game tonight.

1. Bueller? Rafer?: So much for the speed of Aaron Brooks. Brooks' size was insufficient to deny Deron Williams and his passing lanes, and Bobby Jackson looked like he might as well have been wearing clogs against Williams. Rafer Alstonis not supposed to play tonight, and that could mean more T-R-O-U-B-L-E for the boys in red. The big problem is that with Steve Francis long ago put on the shelf, and Rafer still doubtful, the Rockets have no one with the skills necessary to guard Deron. They jump directly from inept guards to tall forwards. So they are limited in what they can do. And with the way the Jazz are spacing the floor, a trap is just too risky. The Rockets can't stop Deron, they can only hope to contain him.

2. Will The AK Firing Continue?: The big question on everyone's mind in this series is if Andrei Kirilenko will continue the kind of shooting that he displayed on Saturday night, scoring 21 points on 50% shooting. He torched the Rockets with everything from the outside games to the post and mid range jumpers. And all of this while holding Tracy McGrady to 20 points on 7 of 21 from the field. It's probably too much to ask for this every night from Kirilenko, but even if he only performs like this twice more, that could likely be the difference.

Last time we checked in on the contagious nature of Chinese endorsement deals among domestic teammates of Yao Ming, it was third-string point guard Steve Francis getting paid. Chinese sneaker/apparel company Anta has a new face on the roster though, as reported by the Houston Business Journal: Rockets coach Rick Adelman.

Adelman, former head coach of the Sacramento Kings, has signed on as a consultant to Chinese athletic apparel manufacturer Anta Sports Products Ltd., while guard Bonzi Wells has become the third Houston player to sign an endorsement deal with Anta, joining teammates Steve Francis and Luis Scola on the Anta team. ... Adelman will work with Chinese basketball players and coaching personnel at a basketball camp to be held at Toyota Center next summer.

Not to cast aspersions/envy on the new dollars for R.A. or Bonzi, but is this not a bit absurd? I mean, is Yi Jianlian about to pull a shoe deal for Dan Gadzuric or Larry Krystowiak? I recognize Bonzi, Adelman and Francis, through prior success, are somewhat more marketable than your average sixth man, head coach, and 11th banana. And of course, Yao's gravity is not to be understated. But does Anta plan to see any return on investment at all here? Maybe I'm clueless about the overseas shoe market; will seeing top prospects from Hainan flock to the 'Anta ABCD Camp' make Beijing's youth drop their Nikes and grab the Air Zoom Adelmans? I don't see it.

Houston is on the verge of imploding because of this sloppy 11-11 start, complete with two straight losses to get there. Columnists are ripping Tracy McGrady for ruining their championship predictions by spraining his ankle, Yao Ming is grousing about his team turning soft-minded and soft-muscled overnight.

Everyone's looking for answers. If they're looking to Rick Adelman? They're looking the wrong place. I mean, if you're a Adelman connoisseur, this quote doesn't exactly surprise you:

"This team has to evaluate itself," Adelman said. "We have really been up and down. The only way we're going to turn it around is within ourselves, that's from the coaches to the players. Everybody has to evaluate what they can do better, not looking at other people, 'what can you do better?' And stay together as a group."

At this point, Stephon Marbury's became a bad caricature of an aging score-first point. That's why it's so odd that Steve Francis, who once followed in Marbury's footsteps, has become a model citizen in Houston.

While Marbury freaks out over losing his starting spot, Francis grateful just to get minutes. And while Stephon's luring interns into his truck like a rookie, Francis has put his family life above personal glory. From the Houston Chronicle:

But basketball was not the primary reason Francis returned to Houston ... Even before he finally played for the first time this season Saturday against the Suns, he said he was fine "because every morning I see my son and daughter."

Go ahead, crack the joke about if Cuttino Mobley still lives around H-Town, too. But at the risk of getting serious, it's impressive that Francis has learned to keep his playing time in perspective. No matter what happens with the Rockets, it's clear that his moment in the sun is long past. He's now very wealthy, has a few All-Star appearances to show for it, and now just wants to be around his kids, Shailyn and Steven, and wife Shelby.

That said, Francis isn't dead yet, and still might be of some use to the Rockets. It's nice to know, though, that he'll take to whatever role Rick Adelman cooks up for him.

Previously on FanHouse
Rockets Playing Time Victim #1: Steve Francis
Steve Francis Is Returning to Houston

Houston's influx of point guards has been well-documented. In trying to guess Rick Adelman's rotation in the backcourt, most assumed the new additions would make the cut. Steve Francis, in particular, was expected to get some minutes backing up the point guard and off-guard spots. It's becoming apparent that won't happen, and as reported by the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen., Francis is outside Adelman's rotation.

Francis, 30, said that when he chose to return to the Rockets, where he began his career and made three consecutive All-Star teams, he knew he would be unlikely to play as much as he had early in his career.

"But not to be in the rotation, to me I don't think that's what I'm looking for," he said. "If that's the case, I'd have to do something."

No idea what that something is, though Francis' tone seems to indicate he'd ask to get out of town. He probably would've been better off joining BFF Cuttino Mobley in Los Angeles, especially with Sam Cassell months away from fleeing for more potent pastures. And with the Rockets deciding to cut Bob Sura (expected), John Lucas III (expected) and Jackie Butler (total shock), and needing to resolve one more roster position... we could see Francis gone by Tuesday. If Francis doesn't want to be in Houston, it makes more sense for the Rockets to end that reunion than send another potentially useful body out on the rails.

When Steve Francis signed with the Rockets, he reclaimed his uniform number 3 that he had to switch to 1 when he was with the Knicks. He also was able to live year round in his mansion he bought the first time he was in Houston.

Reportedly, he was offered more money elsewhere but chose the Rockets because they were better positioned to win now. I'm guessing he also wanted to move back into his crib as shown on the above AOL Video.

Previously at FanHouse:
Steve Francis is Big in China
Steve Francis is Returning to Houston

What are the residual benefits to playing for the Rockets? Yao Ming's Chinese fame is apparently contagious. Tracy McGrady's jersey is one of the top three selling jerseys in China and has been for a few years. And now? Steve Francis has a shoe deal with a Chinese sneaker company. Sit back and soak up the ridiculousness from the Houston Chronicle (courtesy CSTB):

Steve Francis spoke of being the first international spokesman for Anta, a Chinese shoe and apparel company. He talked at length about getting to design a signature shoe to fit his tastes and style.

But there was another benefit to his shoe deal, announced officially on Wednesday.

"Financially, it's great," he said. "But also, I'll be pretty much the first American basketball player that endorses this product. I think it's great. That made me really open my eyes, like 'Yeah, these guys are really looking forward to having me as a member of their team.' I just think it's great."

He's the first American basketball player that endorses Atna? Well, I guess that explains it -- they're new at this whole "picking a hot athlete to represent the brand" thing. Francis hasn't been relevant in the NBA in a good two years (and you could argue he hasn't since the first time he played for the Rockets). What, does Google not work in China or something? Oh, wait ...

If you're waiting for a pair of these sneaks to drop stateside, well, you might want to have a seat: Atna doesn't anticipate getting into the American market for a good three years, by which time Francis will have already had time to wear out his welcome, get traded and come back to Houston a third time.

That big point guard morass in Houston has a substantial new ripple: The perceived veteran on his way out -- Rafer Alston -- has knocked Rick Adelman's socks off, says Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Actually, I've followed Adelman for about a decade and I don't remember him fawning over anyone like this before, except maybe Doug Christie.

"He's a smart player," Adelman said. "He picked the offense up as quick as anybody out there. He thinks things through. He not only knows where he's supposed to go, he knows where everybody is supposed to be. And he's very unselfish. He isn't going to force anything. He's been a perfect fit, so far."

So is Alston the leader to be Houston's starter, no matter how evident it was Daryl Morey wanted to ship him out over the summer? Rafer will clearly defend better than Mike James or Steve Francis (and let's leave Aaron Brooks out of this -- Adelman hates rookies). They don't need a ton of offense from the front line PG, just someone to make open shots and get the ball to the playmakers. Alston's always been able to hit the three -- his poor shooting percentage comes from his poor finishing ability around the rim. In Adelman's system, he won't need to get to the rim. He'll need to occasionally run a pick and pop with Yao Ming, wait for Tracy McGrady to kick it out, etc. He's a 'perfect fit' because he can do the things Adelman needs him to do.