Steve Francis

For the English footballer, see Steve Francis (footballer)

Steve D'Shawn Francis (born February 21 1977, in Silver Spring, Maryland,^[1] U.S.) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the NBA. Nicknamed "The Franchise"^[2] and self-described as "Steve-O", with his on-court and off-court antics generating considerable controversy throughout his career. He is known for his crossover dribble, driving ability, and flashy dunks.

University of Maryland

Francis transferred to University of Maryland in 1998 for his junior season after two highly regarded seasons at junior colleges in Texas and Maryland. The addition of Francis helped propel the Terrapins to a #5 preseason ranking. Francis made an instant impact as Maryland's starting shooting guard, scoring 17 points in the season opener against Western Carolina. Francis and the Terps gained national attention with impressive showings in the Puerto Rico Shootout and a 62-60 win over #5 Stanford in the BB&T Classic. The Terps climbed to a #2 national ranking by early December. The Terrapins finished second in the ACC in the 98-99 season with a 13-3 record, losing only to Duke (twice) and Wake Forest. They were defeated by UNC in the semifinals of the ACC tournament. Francis was named to the All-ACC first team and the All ACC Tournament team. The Terrapins were a number 2 seed in the NCAA tournament but were defeated by St. John's in the Sweet 16. Under Francis' leadership, Maryland finished with a school record-setting 28 wins and only 6 losses and were ranked #5 in the final Associated Press poll. Francis finished the season averaging 17 points per game, 4.5 assists per game, and 2.8 steals per game. He was a consensus second-team All-American and was named a finalist for the Wooden and Naismith Player of the Year Awards. Although he stated he was "99% sure" he would return to Maryland for his senior season, he opted to enter the NBA draft. On February 17, 2002, Francis' #23 jersey was honored (not retired) by Maryland in a ceremony preceding the game against the #1 ranked Duke Blue Devils. Francis sat on the team's bench during the game and cheered as the Terrapins upset the Blue Devils 87-73.

NBA Career

Houston Rockets (1999-2004)

He was the 2nd overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft by the Vancouver Grizzlies out of the University of Maryland. He famously cried after being chosen by Vancouver, swearing the Chicago Bulls would regret selecting Elton Brand first overall instead. He also publicly announced that he did not want to play for the Grizzlies, citing the distance from his Maryland home, taxes, endorsements, and God's will. Francis was heavily criticized for his antics, especially in Vancouver. [1]

He was subsequently traded to the Houston Rockets that summer in a three-team, 11-player deal that brought Michael Dickerson, Othella Harrington, Antoine Carr, Brent Price, plus first- and second-round picks to the Grizzlies. He and Brand shared Rookie of the Year honors. In his rookie year he was the runner up to Vince Carter in the 2000 Slam Dunk Contest. But in Steve's third year, 2001-02, he was affected by an inner ear disorder called Menieres disease, which gave him daily migraine headaches. The disorder, along with a foot injury, forced Francis to miss 25 games. In Houston, he formed an electric backcourt tandem with Cuttino Mobley, and later had Yao Ming in the pivot. Francis was an All-Star in 2002, 2003, and 2004, and valued for his explosiveness to the basket, but was also criticized for his perceived selfishness and labeled a liability on defense When Rudy Tomjanovich stepped down in 2003, Jeff Van Gundy became the replacement coach. Jeff Van Gundy's coaching style did not fit Steve's style of play, even though he made the all star game in the 2003-04 season, his stats declined from 21.0 PPG 6.2 APG 6.2 RPG to 16.6 PPG 5.5 RPG 6.2 APG. The Houston Rockets made the playoffs that year in 2003-04, Steve Francis's only playoff appearance. But they ran into the powerful Los Angeles Lakers and, despite a powerful and clutch performance from Francis, lost that series 4 games to 1. As his relationship with coach Van Gundy deteriorated it was apparent that the Rockets franchise wanted to go in a different direction. Ultimately, coach Jeff Van Gundy sought to make Yao the focus of the Rockets' offensive attack. However, rather than focusing the offense on Yao, the Rockets traded Francis and others for Tracy McGrady.

Orlando Magic (2004-2006)

On June 29, 2004, Francis was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato in a seven-player deal that sent Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard, Tyronn Lue, and Reece Gaines to Houston. At first, Francis was unhappy with the trade, but adapted to his new environment. Francis flourished in the "run n' gun" offense of interim head coach Chris Jent. After posting a career-low 16.6 points per game the previous year with the Rockets, Francis averaged 21.3 PPG 7.0 APG 5.8 RPG in his first season with the Magic. The Magic started out the year fast in the 2004-05 season, with Francis providing great play, getting a couple of game-winning layups early in the year. They slumped late and missed the playoffs, but it seemed the Magic were heading in a positive direction. On February 5, 2006, there were rumors that he could be traded to the Denver Nuggets for Earl Watson but they were later dismissed and GM Otis Smith publicly announced that he would not trade Francis. However, rumors persisted that Francis would be traded to the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Seattle SuperSonics, or even back to his former team, the Houston Rockets.

New York and Portland (2006-2007)

On 22 February, one day before the NBA's trade deadline, Steve Francis was traded to the New York Knicks for small forward Trevor Ariza and the expiring contract of shooting guard Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. Prior to the trade, the Denver Nuggets reportedly offered both Watson and Kenyon Martin for Francis, but the deal never took place. He made his Madison Square Garden debut on Friday, February 24th when the New York Knicks faced the New Jersey Nets, and scored 16 points in a 94-90 loss for the Knicks. He wore jersey #1 with the Knicks as his usual #3 was already assigned to Stephon Marbury.^[2] Francis has endured a recurring injury, tendinitis in his right knee, and as a result began the 2006-07 season averaging only 11.3 ppg, as opposed to his career 18.4 ppg. He returned on February 10, 2007 vs the Utah Jazz. Tendinitis in his right knee has his career in jeopardy. On March 10th, Francis hit a game-winning 3 pointer at the buzzer against the Washington Wizards, ending one of his best games as a Knick in front of his hometown. On 2007 draft night, June 28, the Knicks traded Francis plus Channing Frye to the Portland Trail Blazers for Zach Randolph, Dan Dickau, and Fred Jones.^[3] On July 10, the Trail Blazers bought out the remaining two years of Francis's contract for a reported $30 million, making him an unrestricted free agent.^[4]

Return to Houston (2007—)

On July 20, Francis signed a two-year $6 million contract with the Houston Rockets. Although the Miami Heat offered the most money.^[4], Francis chose the Rockets over Miami, Dallas, and the L.A. Clippers. His return to Houston has not gone as planned, as he failed to make Rick Adelman's rotation coming out of the preseason. However, his role has expanded of late, leading many to hope that Francis will become a key contributor as the season goes on.

Trivia

• Francis's home is in the Galveston Bay Estates Complex in Galveston, Texas; the home was featured on the show MTV Cribs and the short-lived show A Day in the Life. On the MTV Cribs Priciest Pads Countdown, his home was listed at #22.
• The Francis Home is a playable area in the Midway Sports title NBA Ballers.
• Francis attended San Jacinto College as a freshman, and Allegany Community College as a sophomore before transferring to the University of Maryland in his junior year.
• Francis is mentioned in Houston-based rapper Z-Ro song "Help Me please" off of Z-Ro's 9th solo Album Let the Truth Be Told. Saying: "Seem like soon as I'm findin happiness the joy's gone Kickin it with Steve Francis, Mike Tyson and Roy Jones."

Notes

External links

• NBA.com profile
• Steve Francis Youtube Tribute Channel