Yardbarker: Steve Francis

Tonight in DC: The Steve Francis Roast hosted by Joe Torry

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:03:00 -0500

You should have some time left to get tickets for this. Sounds like fun!The Steve Francis Roasthosted by Joe TorrySaturday, September 5, 20097-10 p.m.Takoma StationFree Buffet and Ciroc Drink Specials7 p.m.- 8 p.m.Music by : DJ Ben HameenFeaturing:Sam CassellCuttino MobleyWalt WilliamsMalik Roseand many more!Seated VIP: $30General Admission: $20purchase tickets on www.tazevents.com

Phenomenal Swag: 'Got Steve Francis?' gear

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:00:58 -0500

Trey Kerby of The Blowtorch searches high and low across the Internet for NBA-related goods you never knew you needed. You know, phenomenal swag. Email Ball Don't Lie any relevant products you find here. I'm usually pretty up to date on NBA memes. I am well aware of such famous memes as: "Shawn Kemp has a lot of kids," "Ron Artest is insane," and Tyler HansBro. However, through random eBay searches I have uncovered the most confusing meme of all time: "Got Ste...

What Happened To Steve Francis

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:40:19 -0500

From about 2000-2005, Steve Francis was one of the most electrifying players in the NBA. Awesome in the dunk contest. He was Yao Ming's sidekick and good friend. Today? Who knows. On the brink of retirement? I'm not sure. I dont think anybody is. We dont even know if he'll ever get another contract. So what happened? In 2005 he was traded to Orlando for Tracy McGrady. That season, he averaged a still solid 16.2 points per game with Orlando, and was traded the next year again to New York. Right around this time, the wheels started to come off for Francis. His point totals dropped to 10.8 per game. He seemed very unhappy with where he was at in his career, and then injuries struck. His injuries have been kind of seContinue reading "What Happened To Steve Francis"

Steve Francis traded to Grizzlies. Wait, he's still in the NBA?!

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 22:13:57 -0500

Steve Francis will finally join the Grizzlies, over nine years after he refused to play for the Vancouver version of the team. "The Franchise" was traded today by the Houston Rockets to Memphis, along with a second-round pick, in exchange for a conditional 2011 pick from the Grizzlies. Francis ...

The Top 5 NBA Benefactors of Ridiculous Growth Spurts

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 01:59:37 -0500

Basketball is a game of height. You can still become a great player without it, and too much of it can be a detriment, but it helps tremendously to be tall in the NBA. And if you can keep your agility and coordination at a taller height, then there's a real chance you can become a great NBA player. Here are The Top 5 Benefactors of Late Growth Spurts, guys whose destinies were changed from being regular Joes to NBA stars when they grew a ton in high school or college.

A Franchise Not Worth Buying Into

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 05:53:27 -0500

A back up guard losing his job shouldn't even make the Lazy Eye twitch. It has also been less than a full day since we ripped ARod and Kobe. However, Steve Francis has a special place in our heart. See, I was a senior at the University of Maryland the year Franchise "blessed" us with his one year of enrollment. It should have been a better year. I'm sure a number of NBA fans remember Franchise for his fearlessness on the court. He enjoyed going to the rim with reckless abandon. No, he didn't like playing defense, and he was more interested in his stat line than he winning, but he was, for a time, a human highlight reel. Despite all of that, what do most of us remember Francis for . . . pouting draft night because he wasn't picked #1 by Chicago and ended up in Vancouver's clutches. They traded him to Houston and the rest they say is rather mundane history. What a select few Terp fans remember though, was the Tournament that same year. Maryland entered the 1999 NCAAs as a #2 seed with one of the most dynamic players in the country. Against a juggernaut Duke team and a loaded UCONN it wasn't going to be the Terp's year. Nevertheless, we were all stoked. The roadblock that had been the Sweet Sixteen would, at the very least, collapse. Franchise would lead us right past it. Then UMD ran into St. Johns. Or, I guess, they ran over the Terps. During the second half, Francis (surprise, surprise) pouted. He didn't get mad. He didn't yell at teammates. Or, if he did, I either didn't see it or don't remember. Watching that game, in College Park, at Stamp (the student union) was, mildly stated, disappointing. For a University that took a chance on Franchise, even if everyone on campus knew it was only for one year, we felt we deserved better than a half hearted effort. After the team returned word around the campfire was that Francis, during his in game pouting actually told the guys from St. Johns, and potentially his teammates, that he didn't care about the game because he was going to be in the NBA soon. Of course, this isn't the first time, nor the last, nor a particularly earth shattering revelation. However, it perfectly frames the rest of Francis's disappointing career, and particularly the so called "maturity" he found in re-signing with Houston. He wanted to win, to contribute, to put the highlights he so desperately craved in his youth behind him. Well, that's not the case. He is sticking to the standard MO. Say one thing, say all the right things in fact, and when things don't go just the way he wants, he cries to the media, to whoever will listen, and look for another easy way out. Another team perhaps. There were three in high school and college, five stops and four teams in the NBA, and now on the verge of a sixth. Too bad Steve Francis isn't patient enough to actually wait out the season, EARN some minutes, and follow through on at least one commitment. Good luck Steve. I can't say any of us who watched you during your last college game, draft night in '99, or the many other notable moments of your career and think that it's the one thing you've been missing all of these years. I mean, it couldn't be your fault. Right?

Counterpoint: Could Steve Francis be the Rockets' Bob McAdoo or Mark Aguirre?

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 06:57:26 -0500

On the one hand, Steve Francis has never shown much interest in team play. On the other hand, oft-criticized All-Stars Bob McAdoo and Mark Aguirre won multiple titles after accepting lesser roles with new teams. Could Francis do something similar to this?

Free Francis: Blazers Buy-Out Former Knick

Wed, 11 Jul 2007 14:48:38 -0500

Via ESPN.com: "The Washington Post and Newsday reported on Tuesday that Portland will pay more than $30 million of the $33.6 million that the former All-Star guard is due."

Defibrillating the Career of Steve Francis

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:45:19 -0500

It is a shame to see careers that lift off and go the distance in a vertical horizon only to suddenly plummet to the ground in one swift instance. Welcome to the career of Steve Francis. However, a second (or third) chance has finally arrived, will he take it?

Yi Jianlian is a Baby

Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:58:32 -0500

Working in the NBA is a privilege and David Stern should step in to protect the validity of his drafting system.

Caption A T-Shirt That Doesn't Exist

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 04:48:24 -0500

Hilarious. The Basketball Jones is trying to find the best caption for this ridiculously awkward looking photo of Stephon Marbury and Steve Francis. Read the comments. I'm going to go with... 'Not even Photoshop can make us look like good teammates'