<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Steve Francis is being strongly sought by the desperate New York Knicks, who want to pair him in the backcourt with Stephon Marbury in a bid to save their season.</div><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Two sources involved in the Francis trade discussions told ESPN.com on Tuesday that New York is actively pursuing Francis, who is being shopped full throttle by the Orlando Magic . The Denver Nuggets remain in the hunt for Francis, but they are not the leading option as they were a few days ago. The Minnesota Timberwolves also were trying to stay in the mix, looking for a third team to take on players Orlando is not interested in. New York was believed to be offering Penny Hardaway, Jamal Crawford and at least one other player, likely Trevor Ariza, David Lee or Nate Robinson, in a deal in which the Knicks would also take back center Kelvin Cato, whose $8.64 million salary comes off the cap at the end of the season. Cato would have to be included along with Francis ($13.7 million) to provide a match for the salaries of Hardaway ($15.75 million), Crawford ($6.5 million) and the third player, be it Robinson ($1.2 million), Lee (860,000) and/or Ariza $640,000).</div>http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/391...r_francis_hard/O man this would be amazing....I would get to see Franchise back in town and him and Starbury together would be an interesting match. For the knicks tho, its not really anything thats gonna salvage a season, but it would bring back some energy and excitement that has been lost over hte last few months because of poor play. On the magic side, all i wanna see is Francis out of there, that organization is a joke and i hope they dump yet another star. Dwight will be a beast but knowing the way that management is run who have already lost-Shaq, Tmac, Penny, Ben Wallace, and Chauncy Billups(i think) he could get traded for like a 2nd round draft pick and a no name. I know im just venting but ive been very upset w/ the magic ever since the Mobley trade, and wish nothing well of what is left there outside of the players like Grant Hill, Jameer Nelson, DeShawn Stevenson, Dwight Howard, Pat Garrity, Tony Battie, Kelvin Cato, and Hedo Turkoglu to be exact.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BCB @ Feb 14 2006, 11:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Wow, sometimes I think Knick fans deserve what they get...this is just another example.... </div>Sorry but Im not sure what you mean..
Update:No link but I have a extended source (not a like major one just a guy) who lives in Orlando and they were reporting the deal done and that it would happen before the All-Star break. And I also have a VERY REAL source saying that if JCraw plays tonight, he will be traded. If he sits out, then the trade will not happen. And trust me, those who know me know I dont BS, this source is very FOR REAL. Not a link type source, but just a VERY CLOSE source to JCraw. Believe me. And JCraw is starting. Now this may not be certain, but just wanted to tell you guys what I was told.
Wow...And Knicks fans will eat this all up and get excited....and then wonder why they bothered doing this over the next 4 years when he's being payed $16 million. You see this is the Knicks problem, they keep recycling bad contracts and trade for players other teams don't want for a reason. Steve Francis won't change the Knicks...doing things like this only prolong this never ending Knicks disaster. Nothing will be done until Knick fans stop going to games and protest this organization. But they won't because they keep supporting these headline moves that end up being terrible...
I don't know what all the excitement is about Francis possibly coming to the Knicks. He is another PG who is really a SG, turns the ball over WAY too much and isn't that great of a shooter. In other words, he'll fit into this team very well but won't make a huge impact. Trust me BCB, there are some realistic Knicks fans in this world, and I am one of them.
What the hell with this trade do? Their both combo guards and Francis is having the worst year of his career. This trade can only F up NY even worse than they are now.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (WELCOMEtotheJUNGLE @ Feb 16 2006, 01:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>What the hell with this trade do? Their both combo guards and Francis is having the worst year of his career. This trade can only F up NY even worse than they are now.</div>and that would be the reason why Isiah is doing this. He loves making this team worse and worse. He knows this deal can't help NY, it just gives him another big name on this team. Just read though that this deal isn't looking as good as it did before:<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Francis To N.Y. UnlikelyNorth Jersey - 02/16 - 7:21 AM EST (AP Photo)A Steve Francis-Stephon Marbury backcourt? Don't hold your breath. Francis and all his behavioral baggage, plus the $48.7 million he's due the three seasons after this one, may not be in Orlando by the NBA trade deadline a week from today.Yet, although the Knicks and Magic have talked, league sources indicated Wednesday it's more likely he'll end up elsewhere. That's because there's a theory throughout the league that Knicks president Isiah Thomas is generating talk about such big-ticket players to divert attention from his free-falling team.Thomas didn't speak to reporters Wednesday and didn't watch the Knicks snap their 10-game losing streak from his usual spot in the center-court tunnel. But with the NBA's trade deadline a week from today and his team flirting with the league's worst record, there's no doubt he's working the phones.</div>Francis to the Knicks looking unlikely
Good, Knicks fan should be happy. I could in no way see how stevie and stephon could co-exist in the same locker room.
I'd rather not have him. And funny cause JCraw had his, arguebly, best game of the season in their win against Toronto last night.
Francis To N.Y. Unlikelyhttp://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/391...to_ny_unlikely/ Why do I have to be right all the time?
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (BCB @ Feb 16 2006, 08:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'> Francis To N.Y. Unlikelyhttp://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/391...to_ny_unlikely/ Why do I have to be right all the time?</div>Not so fast. Stephen A. Smith is saying on 1050 ESPN Radio that it is very possible that by 3 today Steve Francis will be a Knick.
And Stephen A. Smith is such a reliable source...You should be happy if this doesnt work, trust me the last thing you want is Marbury and Francis in the back court together..
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (hoopskidd5 @ Feb 22 2006, 01:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>And Stephen A. Smith is such a reliable source...You should be happy if this doesnt work, trust me the last thing you want is Marbury and Francis in the back court together..</div>Smith knows his stuff. He has been right a lot in the past.And its doubtful a Marbury Francis backcourt would work, but obviously LB and IT dont wanna rebuild, so what are you gonna do? You have to try something. And we dont even lose that much. Ariza I care about a little, but Penny is garbage. Just expiring contracts.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (VintageNYK @ Feb 22 2006, 01:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Smith knows his stuff. He has been right a lot in the past.And its doubtful a Marbury Francis backcourt would work, but obviously LB and IT dont wanna rebuild, so what are you gonna do? You have to try something. And we dont even lose that much. Ariza I care about a little, but Penny is garbage. Just expiring contracts.</div>You can probably get alot for that expiring Penny contract though for a team that is looking to get rid of some cap..But yeah I guess theyll just keep trying untill they find someting that works, I personally think they should start over with that team and commit to rebuilding and build around their young players..
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (hoopskidd5 @ Feb 22 2006, 01:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>You can probably get alot for that expiring Penny contract though for a team that is looking to get rid of some cap..But yeah I guess theyll just keep trying untill they find someting that works, I personally think they should start over with that team and commit to rebuilding and build around their young players..</div>Thats what I wanna do, rebuild. Build around Frye and Curry, and have guys like Lee Nate and Ariza support them. Trade away Marbury for some some guys you can develop. Trade for draft picks.Oh well.
I agree, that would definatly be a better course of action for them, I like Ariza, I dont know why he doesnt play more as he bring energy to the game. I would try to deal the Marbury and Richardson type players for young talents and draft picks and build around what you have. Doesnt seem like Thomas wants to do that, though, and his trades continue to make it harder to turn the team around..
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (hoopskidd5 @ Feb 22 2006, 01:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I agree, that would definatly be a better course of action for them, I like Ariza, I dont know why he doesnt play more as he bring energy to the game. I would try to deal the Marbury and Richardson type players for young talents and draft picks and build around what you have. Doesnt seem like Thomas wants to do that, though, and his trades continue to make it harder to turn the team around..</div>Agreed. All we can do is see and HOPE that this works.. :no1:
<span style="font-size:18pt;line-height:100%">Francis Trade Completed</span><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE ("RealGM Wiretap)</div><div class='quotemain'>ESPN - ESPN.com has learned that Steve Francis is headed to New York under a deal agreed to Wednesday by the Knicks and the Orlando Magic . The teams agreed to a trade of Francis for Penny Hardaway and Trevor Ariza, two league sources with knowledge of the deal told ESPN.com. The trade was expected to be announced later Wednesday afternoon after being called in to the league office. In New York, Francis will be paired with Stephon Marbury as the highest-paid backcourt duo in the NBA.</div>
