FanHouse Steve Francis

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.

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

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.

At last count, there were five of them on the roster: Mike James, Rafer Alston, John Lucas, Steve Francis, and Aaron Brooks. Plus there's Luther Head, capable of manning the point, and Bob Sura, still under contract. What's even more astonishing--James, Francis and Brooks were all brought in this summer. Common sense said that someone had to go, most like Alston after his brushes with the law.

But according to the Rockets themselves, there's no problem whatsoever. For one thing, it's still training camp, and there's no such thing as real minutes yet. More importantly, though, is that in Rick Adelman's offense this might not be a problem. From The Houston Chronicle:

For much of the practice time, Adelman has had two point guards playing together. Even if someone is designated the point guard, the duties of both guards in the halfcourt sets are usually interchangeable. In the open floor, either could receive an outlet pass and direct the offense.

Rafer took it one step further:

"I think our offense, as long as you're making hard cuts and good picks, anybody can handle the ball, anybody can come off scoring

Houston has one of the league's best big men and is thinking title. They're not going to trot out some four-guard experiment, nor are these the guard to do that with. But as James points out, all these guys are good, and good player are good players. Why not make talent work for you instead of looking for excuses to run it out of town?

Previously on FanHouse
On Rick Adelman's Task

When the Suns traded away the rights to Nate Robinson on draft night, it immediately looked like a mistake. The team badly needed a back-up for Steve Nash, Leandro Barbosa had yet to emerge, and Robinson had up-tempo bench player written all over him.

Three years later, no one's saying the Suns messed up. Robinson, while talented, is best-known for his role in the MSG brawl and his questionable 2006 Dunk Contest crown. However, it's possible that one of Isiah's offseason moves could make a difference for Robinson:

His dynamic physical skills - incredible athleticism, a textbook jump shot - have never been questioned. The concern about Robinson has always involved the mental side. Not just when to pass, when to shoot and how to get through a screen, but how to control himself and how to focus and how to take his game preparation seriously.

The absence of Steve Francis might help. Robinson often was Francis' sidekick last season and he allowed himself to get caught up in antics before games and on the bench during games.

There's also talk of his maturity in the summer league, and as a caveat, his ability to spew the right thing at the drop of a hat. Still, with Stephon Marbury supposedly gone in two years, this is Robinson's chance to show he's a real part of the Knicks' future.

Steve Francis has spurned the Clippers, Heat and Mavericks to return to his original team, the Grizzlies err, the first team he ever played for, the Rockets. From the Houston Chronicle:

"I just hung up with Daryl (Morey, the Rockets general manager)," [Francis' agent Jeff] Fried said. "He is dealing with facilitating the contract.

"It's a combination of a variety of factors including the fit with the team, a comfortableness with the organization and a familiarity with the surroundings. He has a home in Houston. In so many ways, it has remained his home, despite some interim stops, Orlando and New York.

"For Steve, it's coming home."

A lot of people (including myself) figured Francis was a shoe-in to sign with the Clippers, where he would be reunited with man-friend Cuttino Mobley. But as FanHouse reader cdrive pointed out, Francis has a pretty good friendship with Yao Ming, as well, which may have been a factor.

Either way, he now becomes the fifth point guard on the roster, joining Mike James, Rafer Alston, John Lucas and rookie Aaron Brooks. Needless to say, don't be surprised if the Rockets aren't done dealing, as they could certainly stand to thin out some of that bloated backcourt depth.

Can Steve Francis return from being a complete afterthought to an impact player (albeit one in a supporting role)? Apparently no less than four teams think he can. Francis' agent told the Sun-Sentinel yesterday that his client is currently deciding between the Heat, Clippers, Rockets and Mavericks. And, after banking $30 million in a buyout from the Blazers, money doesn't figure to be the deciding factor for where he ends up.

With that in mind, let's take a look at each situation and make a guess where he ends up:

Heat: He'd have a chance to team up with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal, ostensibly to make one more push for the title before O'Neal is completely grounded. With Wade expected to be injured through training camp and potentially into the year, Francis would see quality minutes from the get-go.

On the flip-side, once Wade returns, he'd be a distant third-option in the offense at best. Wade and O'Neal dominate the ball like crazy, and it was just a couple of years ago that we saw Antoine Walker plummet from semi-star to complete has-been in their shadow.

Clippers: Two words: Cuttino Mobley. Francis and Mobley are notorious for their affection for each other, and it would be a snickering sports fan's dream for the duo to be reunited. Plus, the Clippers could use the backcourt insurance, given Shaun Livingston's injury and Sam Cassell's age.

As if the Miami Heat's offseason hasn't been disappointing enough, fans of the team are realizing today that the start of the regular season isn't going to look too hot, either, not with Dwyane Wade, rehabilitating from surgery on his left shoulder and left knee, saying that he'll likely be sidelined into mid-November (via TrueHoop):

"My doctors don't want me to rush," Wade said ... "They make sure I come back when I am ready to come back. We are taking it slowly. Of course, I am rehabbing hard. It's tough to rehab the whole left side of your body at one time." ...

"I'm kind of glad [about] the pace that I'm going," Wade said. "Next year, I want to make sure I'm as healthy as possible, to play the most games that I can play without going in and out of the lineup. I would rather take it slow now, and really hit it toward the end."

Missing the first couple of weeks doesn't sound too bad at first, but that's before you consider that he'll likely still need at least a few more weeks to go through his "training camp" period and get completely back into game shape. Plus, there's the the undeniable possibility likelihood that by the time Wade is back to his old self, Shaquille O'Neal will have already suffered his annual early-season injury, meaning the Heat might not be at full-strength until after the All-Star break.

Newly sympathetic figure Steve Francis can now begin his rebirth as Portland released Franchise the very first moment they could: 12:01 a.m. this morning, according to Newsday's Ken Berger.

Berger couches the Zach Randolph trade which sent Stevie out of New York in fairly sensible terms:

So essentially, the Knicks traded Channing Frye for Randolph and let Paul Allen, the Blazers' billionaire owner, take care of Francis, who will get a chance to revive his career in a more favorable situation.

Everyone (but Dan Dickau) wins.

Previously on FanHouse:
In Defense of Steve Francis
Clippers Looking to Reunite Steve Francis With Cuttino Mobley