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"I've been called everything from a head case to a type of person who is ungrateful, and that's something that's not even related to me as a person. As the people of Houston and all over the United States get to know me, they'll know I'm a real sensitive person, and the things I do come from the heart." – Steve Francis, August 1999
The New York Knicks acquired Steve Francis from the Orlando Magic for Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza Wednesday. On the surface, it appears that the Knicks got a steal.
Francis, 29, is a three-time NBA All-Star and has a career scoring average of 19.3 points/game. He has average 20+ points in three in his first six seasons and gives the Knicks a potent 1-2 punch at the guard position, beside Stephan Marbury. Francis may be weak on defense but his scuting report reads like this: " ... he is known as a liability on defense, but is also known for his explosiveness to the basket. Francis is said to have a 42" vertical leap and handles the ball better than anyone in the NBA."
After a little research, and a lot of head-scratching, it became obvious why Orlando was willing to part with Francis: baggage, lots and lots of baggage. Despite the happy, fluffy numbers on his stat sheet, life with Francis has not been peachy. Just ask the Vancouver Grizzlies, the Houston Rockets and, most recently, the Orlando Magic.
After being traded from the Grizzlies to the Rockets in 1999, the Vancouver Sun wrote this about Francis: "We've got to learn how to stop talking about an ear-wet rookie prone to turnovers and trash talk, a flashy but ultimately shallow NBA dilettante who uses God to shield himself from what was, in its purest form, a selfish, greed-filled decision based on nothing more than an opportunity to make a few million extra someplace where it didn't rain."
And, it wasn't just the media. When Francis said he wanted out of Vancouver, fans also voiced their disdain. In July 1999 the Vancouver Province printed this open letter to Francis from a fan …
Memo To Francis: Goodbye
People in this business are frequently asked what it's like dealing with athletes who make mountains of money.
It isn't always easy but in the case of Steve Francis, there is one consolation. At the end of the day he'll be much richer and perhaps even much happier than you, but he'll still be a stupid, ignorant dork when he wakes up the next morning.
We here in Vancouver can all understand why somebody from Maryland may not wish to be drafted by the Vancouver Grizzlies. It's a long way from home and it's a move to another country, something that can be difficult for anyone let alone an uneducated, provincial doofus like this kid. But buddy, hide it a little better.
There are two ways to look at Francis' performance Wednesday at the National Basketball Association draft. He is either making his displeasure known so as to force a trade by the man posing as the general manager of the Grizzlies, or he was one of the worst-prepared people in the history of the NBA draft. And that is no small feat.
Whomever is responsible for the education of this dolt evidently left off a little early. Did it not dawn on Francis or any of his close family that Vancouver had the No. 2 pick and that Chicago might actually go for a player other than himself? Did it not dawn on him that, given Vancouver did have this pick, he might actually look at a map for the first time in his life to see where this hellhole of a town might actually be located? If this is an example of the composure we can expect from this kid on the basketball court when something doesn't go his way, it looks like Stu Jackson has made a pick that will make Antonio Daniels look good.
Francis, evidently an infrequent visitor to the geography department at the University of Maryland, said of the mandatory Grizzlies hat plunked onto his empty head at the draft when asked: "As soon as I can take it off, I will."
Ouch.
On August 31, 1999, Francis got his wish, a three-team, 11 player swap -- the largest deal in NBA history. The Grizzlies traded the rights to Francis to the Rockets, along with forward Tony Massenburg for forwards Othella Harrington and Antoine Carr and guards Michael Dickerson and Brent Price.
"I feel so relieved and so at peace because I've always thought about playing on a good team," Francis said after receiving news of the deal. "With three Hall of Fame players (Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen, Charles Barkley) on the team, I'm in a position to help myself and not have a lot of pressure on me to come in my first year and do a lot."
After five seasons and three All-Star appearances in Houston, the Rockets had had enough of Francis. He fought with Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy over plays, he was suspended for missing a team flight because he was attending the Super Bowl, he was fined $25,000 after using profanity during a halftime interview at a nationally televised game, he was flat out disruptive.
"People have called me 'The Franchise' throughout my career, but when you have players who are willing to dive on the floor, who are willing to challenge a 6-8 or 6-9 guy ... that means you have somebody that's going to come in and lay it down," said Francis after being dealt to Orlando.
Francis "laid it down" alright. He kicked and screamed in two seasons with the Magic – literally, at one point. In March 2005, Francis was suspended three games by the NBA for kicking a courtside photographer in Seattle. "He threw my legs down, man. That was it," Francis said Friday night. "No. Uh, uh. I don't know what happened."
The 2005-06 season has been a banner year for Francis. He dissed management when they traded his friend and teammate Cuttino Mobley to Sacramento saying, "They messed up something that started so good, man. I don't feel there was a need to break something up just because he was going to be a free agent and you don't want to pay him at the end of the season.
"You don't wait 30 minutes before a game to tell a guy he's traded," Francis said. "The way you handle relationships, for me, is going to change the way that I approach the game, more businesslike than anything."
Then, last month, Francis refused to re-enter a game at Seattle, in which the Magic were getting blown out. Francis was suspended by the Magic for conduct detrimental to the team.
After the incident Orlando assistant general manager Otis Smith told the media, "There was no indication that Steve wants to be anywhere other than Orlando, and we still want Steve here. Steve is still a vital part of our franchise. We need Steve to win basketball games.
"Everybody's career has ups and downs and times when they're not playing well, and Steve is going through a tough time right now," Smith said. "We just can't seem to put our fingers on what is causing it all right now."
Instead of trying to psycho-analyze the head of Steve Francis, they traded him. Welcome to New York ...
