NAME: Steve Francis. POSITION: Point guard. YEARS IN LEAGUE: 6th season. SCHOOL CROSSING: Francis dropped out of high school after the death of his mother. Later, he became the first player to lead two unbeaten teams into the National Junior College Championship Tournament with San Jacinto (Texas) and Allegany (Maryland). He starred at Maryland one season before leaving for the NBA. CONSTRUCTION ZONE: He needs to keep his emotional spark but tone down the turnovers and technical fouls. He should enjoy the Magic's full-speed-ahead offense. SPEED BUMP AHEAD: Without a center such as Yao Ming behind him, Francis' defense is more important. As Orlando tries to take advantage of its depth, he might not play as much as he likes. FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELTS: He likely will return to being the 20-point-a-game scorer that he was before Coach Jeff Van Gundy tried to smother him in Houston. Francis is excited about being the leader of a team once again, and he is determined to show people how to do it. Watch for a well-balanced game. <div align="center"></div> Full Story: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/bask...-sports-special IMO, this could be one of Steve's best seasons. Last year he struggled under Van Gundy's system, and now he has the chance to start fresh and contribute to a new team. Orlando's tempo is probably the best fit for Francis as well - getting out and running. In a way, Orlando reminds me of the Nets a couple seasons ago (With a healthy Kidd, Martin, and RJ).
Francis, Mobley and Cato will be involved in a lot of high flying alley-oops this season. IMO, the Magic fans will be getting an exclusive treat night in night out. I, for one, have always LOVED the alley-oops that Francis and Cato perfected.
I think this is going to be Stevey's best year or one of the top 3 because he's in his prime he's physically in the best shape he's ever going to be in and he's good. I like the magic a lot but do you guys really think Steve, Mobley and Cato can turn this club around with the help of Howard and Nelson?
Francis is going to have a career year now that he isnt in the shadows of another player.I have high expectations for him,the Magics' sucess really realies on how Franics plays throughout the new season.I expect him to go back in the days where he used to average around, 20 5 and 5.
