<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">How does a former NBA All-Star know his career is in its last gasp? He presents himself to former Spurs coach John Lucas to help him rehabilitate body, mind and spirit. Knicks guard Steve Francis is the latest to report to Lucas at Houston's West Side Tennis Club, where he will begin this week trying to get his legs stronger, his shot on track and his spirit renewed. It is his spirit that most needs mending now, every bit as much as his knees. "You know I always can do that," Lucas said, punctuating the assertion with his raspy laugh. "I think Stevie was actually beginning to play better," Lucas added. "A lot of this physical rehab should have been taken care of in the summer. Now we're paying the consequences, but we've got to get it taken care of." Francis has been a bad fit in New York since the Magic traded him last February for talented young guard Trevor Ariza and Penny Hardaway's expiring contract, a deal that ranks somewhere near the top of the long list of horrid trades Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas has made. Francis has missed 12 games this season but has played a bigger role recently after post-brawl suspensions left the Knicks short of players. Mostly, this season has been a wipe-out for the former All-Star. That the Knicks would allow him to leave the team during a road trip to work out with Lucas, instead of with the team's trainers and coaches, speaks volumes. It could be a pre-cursor to buying Francis out of his contract, though the Knicks already bought out Jalen Rose's contract a little more than a month ago. "That's the million dollar question," Lucas said. "Are they going to buy him out? They've got so much money and problems up there, you just have to wait and see. But, hey, if they bought out Larry Brown like that, they'll buy out anybody." Lucas has worked wonders with athletes battling demons worse than aching knees and flagging spirits. He has helped many overcome substance-abuse problems, while simultaneously getting their games in shape. </div> Source
