Photo. Gary LandEvery day we’re taking one active NBA star with at least arguable Hall of Fame credentials and breaking down his chances of getting into the Springfield, Mass., hoops mecca. We’re looking at not just past accomplishments, but also how a player’s career realistically projects for the future. For a full explanation of the process, click here. Today’s candidate: Steve Francis.
STEVE FRANCIS (9th year, Rockets/Knicks/Magic)
18.4 pts, 6.1 asts, 5.6 rebs, 1.5 stls per game
Why: Only four players in NBA history have averaged at least 15 points, 5 boards and 5 assists in each of their first five seasons — Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Grant Hill and Steve Francis. In his prime (which lasted a good six and a half years), Francis was a three-time All-Star, co-Rookie of the Year, and despite a reputation with many as a mere gunner, he finished in the league’s Top 10 in assists and steals a few times apiece.
Why not: Steve’s drop-off from “Franchise” to fringe player was swift and jarring. After he left Orlando for New York midway through the ‘05-06 season, Francis soon found it hard to find playing time, let alone All-Star votes. Even in his prime, Francis only made playoff appearance (not making it past the first round), and while he put up impressive stats in the major categories, he was also a regular on the League’s Top 5 list for turnovers.
Our call: OUT
The H.O.F. Watch archive
11/14 - Ben Wallace
11/13 - Sam Cassell
11/12 - LeBron James
11/9 - Tim Duncan
11/8 - Steve Nash
11/7 - Yao Ming
11/6 - Gilbert Arenas
11/5 - Robert Horry
11/2 - Kobe Bryant
11/1 - Grant Hill
10/31 - Dirk Nowitzki
10/30 - Tony Parker
10/29 - Elton Brand
10/26 - Carmelo Anthony
10/25 - Vince Carter
10/24 - Penny Hardaway
10/23 - Alonzo Mourning
10/22 - Allen Iverson
10/19 - Dwyane Wade
10/18 - Chauncey Billups
10/17 - Stephon Marbury
10/16 - Jason Kidd
10/15 - Shawn Marion
10/12 - Ray Allen
10/11 - Chris Bosh
10/10 - Chris Webber
10/9 - Paul Pierce
10/5 - Jermaine O’Neal
10/4 - Gary Payton
10/3 - Tracy McGrady
Related posts:
November 15th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Captain America says:
I do not like this player. Webster’s has his pic next to the word selfish.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Gee says:
No sorry I like him a lot. It’s really not a lot of discussion on this one. No he will not make it in. Didn’t he burn Toronto???
Ut oh let the flood gates open lol!
November 15th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
Myrie in NY says:
Stevie was nice. But not going to the Hall. His game was a combo of Andre Miller and Baron Davis. Other than Jason Kidd, he was the best rebounding point guard for about 5/6 yrs. And very exciting.
But dude ain’t going to the Hall.
And for Gee….I think it was the Vancou Grizz he burned as a rook.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Duke says:
yea, no. Next please.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:25 pm
Kobeef says:
This suggestion is an insult to the Hall of Fame.
The only possibile logic here is that he could be considered one of the most selfish players to ever play in the NBA.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Coldchain says:
His prime was longer than Grant Hill’s and Penny’s. And in his prime, Stevie was NICE. I’m not insulted by this.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:28 pm
Jas says:
He might go into the Hall of Fame for making people look stupid on the court. He was definitely one of the most exciting players the league has ever seen. It’s too bad he’s devolved into a 3rd-string point guard due to injuries.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Myrie in NY says:
Why didnt he sign with the Clips when they were courting him? They had no point guards (Livingston is finished and Cassell is older than my great-great-great grand daddy). Steve would have started with Cat Mobley (his boy) and took the vacant shots left by Elton. I thought his signing with Houston was a bad move for him.
He has time to resurrect his career but not the opportunity. Still not making it into the HOF.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Tom Toronto says:
Hell to the NO. Good point by Coldchain about his prime being a bit longer than Grant Hill’s original run, but the glaring difference between the two is character. Grant Hill is a total class act from what I’ve heard, an ambassador for the game, Stevie Franchise is a chucker and a douche bag. Talented baller, but he’ll only get in to the Hall by paying admission.
November 15th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Gee says:
Dang it was the Grizz. Wasn’t they in Canada though at the time? Don’t that count???
November 15th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
Celts Fan says:
A combo of Andre Miller and Baron Davis? are you kidding me? More like a combo of Earl Boykins and Joe Forte. This guy was a turnover machine who was EXTREMELY over-rated becuase he was an amazing dunker and by the same type of people that just look at Marbury, see the #s, and assume he’s amazing w/out actually watching a game. Anyone that actually watched him play in a real game knew he was a joke and turnover machine.
OUT I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t let him in to even visit the place…
November 15th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
BustJlaze says:
For some reason, it hurts me to say this…but I gotta give one big OUUUUUUT to this one…
November 15th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Myrie in NY says:
CeltsFan–
Are you kidding me?…Earl boykins and Joe Forte? Are either of those dudes even in the D-League? I’m not a great big fan of Steve Francis; seems you aren’t either. But how can you really shit on a point guard giving you 18pts 6asts and 6 boards a game for their career?
I guess you rather have Rajon Rondo huh?
November 15th, 2007 at 1:01 pm
smity says:
Tom toronto- theres no need to start name calling. He probably wont get into the hall. most definately won’t get into the hall but 5-6 out of nine years as one of the best and most exciting point gaurds in the game is nothing to ignore or take lightly. i remember waiting to see him and baron davis go at it in the all star game in 02. he had some of the sickest handles in the league outside of ai, baron, and jason williams…
dunked on many a cat, viciously…so we’ll remember him for his good years at least. i still think he could make an impact as a starter. but like myrie said earlier he’s without the opportunity. Give him a shot and see what he does. if its nothing then put him back on the bench…(penny got another shot)
who else has comparable numbers though and is not a hof candidate is what i’d be interested in knowing…
November 15th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
smity says:
wow Celts Fan- you sound like Bron or something with your intense hatred for stevie (but bron ususally hates on everyone)…
November 15th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Myrie in NY says:
ATTN ALL–
TomToronto touched on something slighty. And I just want to know everyones stance. He mentioned “character”. Should a players character be part of the admittance process into the HOF?
Grant Hill has excellent character (maybe one of the best of all time), but his on court accomplishments (I dont think) merit the HOF.
Dennis Rodman had very questionable character and is not in the HOF. But no one has a resume like he does. I think Rodman even has the highest (individual player) winning percentage of all time.
Should character get guys in? And should character keep guys out? Thoughts?…
November 15th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
smity says:
Character should probably have something to do with keeping guys in or out but in i think that it should only apply in on the court circumstances. Dirty players on exhibit poor character on the court and in basketball related endeavors should not be given as much consideration as others. Rodman was an excellent teamate (like Grant Hill) and always handeled his b.i. on the court (like Grant Hill). Only difference is he liked tattoos (grant didnt), he liked carmen elektra, madonna and other freaks (grant liked and likes tamia), he likes rainbow colored hair (grant has always like a fade of some sort- from high top to bald-) If you trying to fight the referee after the game (hey, rasheed) (and even though he’s one of my favorite players that was crazy) then you should be penalized for it in the long run (and unfortunately he will be). If you throwing some cat out of a bar window (what up charles) it shouldnt have an effect on your basketball legacy…etc. etc.
November 15th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Tom Toronto says:
Character always has to play a part in putting someone in the Hall. It should just be another factor to consider, not the only factor. Rodman really needs to be in the HOF, despite off court insanity and kicking a photographer (remember that one?) his work on the hardwood cannot be denied. For guys like Grant Hill, Ray Allen, and even Zo with his kidney-recovery story, personal character can turn sub-HOF stat lines into inductees. Not saying Ray ray or Zo don’t get in on stats, just an example.
Basically it’s gotta be case by case. The inductees have to represent the league as it’s greatest examples, and who the person is will definitely count alongside how they play the game.
November 15th, 2007 at 3:10 pm
CHI-C says:
Seriously, C’mon
November 15th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
CHI-C says:
Tommorow is friday which can only mean one thing at DIME MAG.,the H.O.F. watch will feature a shoe-in player(Shaq or K.G.)
November 15th, 2007 at 3:33 pm
dre in o town says:
Stevie Francis?Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha . . . are you guys (Dime) serious???
November 15th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Russ says:
Out.
Just like many of the others, he simply hasn’t done enough, for long enough to warrant it. 6 years is just not enough unless 2 or 3 of them are in the ‘outrageous’ category. I think you have to put up above average numbers for atleast a decade, unless as I mentioned you just really and truly did some special to separate yourself for atleast 2 or 3 years. Left your stamp on the game type of things.
Highly entertaining, and a beast in the summer leagues….but that’s about it.
If people can scoff at averaging 20ppg for close to a decade like they have at some other un-named players, then only doing it for 3 is all that less impressive, especially when you have the rep(rightfully so in the case IMO) as a gunner. In addition to the teams he has been on not being terribly successful.
I don’t remember for sure, but I seem to remember his maryland team being stacked, yet underachieving as well.
And that whole episode with him and cuttino was frightening.
November 15th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Illy_Philly6 says:
A poor man’s Dwayne Wade. Nuff said.
November 15th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Big10 says:
Steve’s numbers are good and he had awesome skills in his prime — but the lack of playoff impact is ultimately what will kill his chances. Obviously, not everybody in the Hall has rings, but every player at least had some solid playoff moments, 2 or 3 rounds deep into the playoffs. Stevie doesn’t have that now, and might not ever get it.
By the way, on the topic of “character,” Stevie’s brief episodes were nowhere close to some of the really bad guys in basketball. I actually met Steve in a bar one time and he seemed like a nice guy. I really hope he gets more of a chance to play with the current Rockets team.
November 15th, 2007 at 4:33 pm
Myrie in NY says:
Russ–
My St. John’s team was stacked (Artest, Bootsy Thornton, Erick Barkley, Lavor Postell, Anthony Glover, coach Mike Jarvis) back then and we smacked up Steve Francis’ MD team. Yeah, I was a student on campus back then in ‘99.
Long live St. Johns..!!…
November 15th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
Edwin says:
I am from H-Town & I can honestly say that as a religious Houston Rockets fan, it pains me to have this And1 Tour Hall of Famer back in our team. I am atheist, but yet I thanked the Imaginary Friend for Grown-Ups the day he was shipped to Orlando. Francis will NEVER travel to Springfield (unless it is via a “The Simpsons” episode). Francis is a baller. He is not an NBA Hall of Famer.
November 15th, 2007 at 4:58 pm
Russ says:
Aww yeah, I forgot about Boosty. I’ve always been a Duke fan(yeah go ahead and hate now), but I still remember him giving Duke BUCKETS in the garden. Always liked his game. Must have been a fun time for you.
November 15th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
knoc says:
Im a huge fan of francis. One of the most exciting players to watch back in his allstar days. No doubt still great to watch if he gets some decent pt. His knees are starting to slow him down and keep him more grounded (in terms of hops) but still has the ability to make great plays and huge turnovers. Hes not HoF but still love the way he had other PGs on strings.
November 15th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
DOC says:
He fell off and he wasnt hof material in his prime anyway. Just flashy and nice.
November 15th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Reed Ewing Frazier says:
No but he is in the DC METRO HOF Takoma Park represent!!!
Plus he played for my ACC team(fear the Turtle bammas!!)
November 15th, 2007 at 6:39 pm
MJAX says:
The only HOF this guy deserves to be a part of would be the Rucker Park hall(maybe). He may have produced high numbers at some point of his troubled career, but was he winning? Did he truly make an impact, did he have success? Ricky Pierce, Andrew Toney, Mitch Richmond, Hersey Hawkins could drop buckets, are they HOF? NOPE! This guy is a talented street baller that made it to college and the league, fizzled and blew his break.
November 15th, 2007 at 7:02 pm
bigdre says:
easy call. how about doin one on manu and chauncey? two guys who recently won rings and were key players on their team.
November 15th, 2007 at 7:16 pm
beastmode says:
bigdre,
fuck manu, he sucks
November 15th, 2007 at 7:43 pm
bron42 says:
wow, lol he said celtics fan was like me…i dont kno who should be more offended. me or him..
anyways alot of you are bashing francis for selfish reasons urself.
He didn’t wanna play for a bad team, so what. That really makes him a asshole? last i checked its not like he talked shit about the team or the players or the people. He just didn’t wanna play there. Now if he was in some interview sayin “F mike bibby, i’ma punch shariff in his head” then ok, that would be different. Hilarious but different.
Not to mention the fact, he carried the rockets by himself to the first round and was a BEAST for 6 years. ANY guard in the league, he matched up well and you can’t say he was a gunner cuz like DIME said, he was top 10 in assists. His main flaw was he got out of control alot tryin to do too much.
anyone who thinks he wasn’t nice. look at the 44 he put on the lakers and the game winner in yao vs shaq 1. Look at the dunk he had on jahidi white. Look at how he literally shook troy hudson to pieces. google that shit.
And the only reason he didn’t make it out the first round that one year was cuz they ran into the lakers team that still had shaq and kobe, and all he had was a rookie yao.
So while Francis isn’t in the hall of fame, don’t be fags and overlook like he wasn’t killin in the league for a hot minute. averagin 15 pgg 5 assists and 5 rebounds as a rookie when your 6′2 is tough. But hes out unless he finds a fountain of youth.
November 15th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Mike says:
I just don’t get these dudes that drop off the face of the earth when they get slowed down by injuries..
Just like Penny, Francis lost almost all of his game after he got through some injuries and lost his athleticism..
I understand that hops and first step are major components of what makes a great player, but to drop off that much??
What happened to his jump shot, handles, and passing ability? I mean those don’t have nothing to do with athleticism, right?
When MJ lost a step, he was still dominant because of his skills and fundamentals. And I would bet that even when Kobe loses his hops and speed, he’ll still remain to be a good player.
It’s just sad to see Stevie Franchise the way he is right now.. work on your skills man!
November 15th, 2007 at 8:18 pm
bron42 says:
well its not really that, cuz he is still kinda athletic…right now hes just not gettin any time. cuz when he was on teh knicks, he showed flashes that he can still play but he keeps goin to teams with jammed back courts. Plus you forget, if your not athletic its hard to create space, and use your handle cuz you can’t beat anyone. ask jj reddick.
November 16th, 2007 at 2:44 am
K-Dizzle says:
No one made this clown sign with the Rockets; he could have gone to one of 10-15 teams that needed a point guard: Clippers, Lakers, Bobcats, Celtics, Minnesota - whoever. Will always be remembered as selfish from the jump. Just another Marbury: Wants to be top-dog, but never helps his teams improve. One good game against the Lakers? Whoop de-doo! Every point guard in the league tears us up in the playoffs. Shit, Troy Hudson averaged 27 a game on us.
Yeah, I’m from Vancouver and yeah, Steve Princess cost us our beloved Grizzlies, but I ain’t bitter lol.
Gee - You can’t even feel the pain
Canada’s seen two of the biggest bitch-ass prima donnas in the history of the game. Where is Vince right now? Lemme guess: Injured list. Welcome to reality , Jersey.
Point blank on Francis: shoulda shut his mouth and gone to Vancouver and played his real position: two-guard. Dude don’t play point in college but he gets to the league and now you wanna run shit…..ummmm no. Bibby runs the point, Steve the two, Stromile, Shareef and Fat Country stays away from doughnuts and maybe we can compete. Personally, I wanted Lamar Odom, he actually wanted to come to Van-City. I blame that junk front office more than I blame Francis. Dude said he didn’t wanna come, but now his bottom lip is famous. Come on, Steve, you on tv. Pretend you have class then snap behind closed doors. Instead, Francis can’t win with Yao, fucks it up with D-Howard and dissappears in NYC. Hall of Famers do not have such a dramatic fall off in their careers. Playground baller, exciting to watch, insane dunker, nice for half a minute. Career highlight was jammin on Ahmad Rashad on Inside Stuff. Hope he can get it together and finish the career strong….but I doubt it
November 16th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Ian says:
this is the second easiest choice that dime has posted for us. just as sure duncan is in francis is out.
November 16th, 2007 at 10:33 am
seth says:
Is this a joke? His name will never appear on the ballot. I loved the guy at Maryland and his early Rockets run, but seriously he never met his potential.
November 16th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Bron42 says:
Dizzle you complain that francis ruined your grizz? your crap ass fans didnt even support the team anyway and they had to move lol. and its not like you didn’t have any other lottery pics. I mean your team did suck so you could of drafted another high guard the next year. stromile swift? BUST. Big Country? BUST. Michael Dickerson? BUST. Abdul rahim? IFFY. other than francis, who have you all drafted that was any good? You said francis didn’t reach his potential, meanwhile he was 8 times the player mike bibby has been so far lol. Yao got to the playoffs with yao, its not his fault yao can be a bitch at times (just ask tmac)and he was nice with dwight howard to…its the knicks that really ruined his career.
and his 44 against the lakers was regular season. although he did average like 30 on the lakers in the playoffs that year givin derrick fisher the business, but yao got killed by shaq. I mean think about it, you say he didn’t carry his team, name another guy off that rockets team other than yao and mobley…most people can’t cuz they were a bunch of bums but he still got them to the playoffs and put up sick numbers. Yao was just a puss then and is marginally better now, hence tmac is havin the same issues. Francis is OUT but he still had a good 6 years when he was the star.
November 16th, 2007 at 11:18 am
Youve got to be kidding says:
He had some flash and thats it. This guy had so much potential and wasted it all. He could of gone and maybe made a diff w/ a team this year but this dumbass chose Houston one of the teams with a bench that makes him 11th 12th man. Ricky Davis or Lindsey Hunter have a better chance than this schmuck lol
November 16th, 2007 at 11:54 am
dagwaller says:
Bron, you’re blind. When the Rockets were one and done in the playoffs in 03′04′, Yao had been in the league for all of two seasons. The rest of the team were bums. Francis did exactly what a player named the Franchise SHOULD do - got them to the playoffs. Then they had two “stars” against Shaq and Kobe and the rest of a future championship team.
Fast forward to now. Yao’s better, and T-Mac is better than Francis. And they have guys that even you don’t even think are good (I know, hard to believe that you wouldn’t like a player). And T-Mac doesn’t even play a quarter of the games (you know, cause he’s so tough, unlike Yao somehow?). So it’s really the same team. T-Mac isn’t “having issues”. T-Mac is PART OF THE ISSUE.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
Ben says:
Nahhhhhh. Francis is—was a good player, but look at the Orlando version of Steve Francis. No way!
November 16th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
K-Dizzle says:
Bron - I stand corrected. Francis is worse than I thought. I thought he dropped 44 in the playoffs. Regular season? Even Willie Burton got 53 in the regular season lol
November 16th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Sacto J says:
Hell no…..? Why are we even talking about Steve “I wish I lived up to my hype and my nickname” Francis. He is not a franchise plpayer, and he is not someone you begin building a team around. He balked at signing with the team he was drafted to, and he is, at best, half as good as Iverson. Get real……….
November 17th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Austin Burton says:
@dagwaller — T-Mac only plays a quarter of the games? In his time with Houston, he’s only really had one injury-plagued season, when he played 47 games in ‘05-06. Other than that, he played in 78 games his first year with the team and 71 games last year. You’re acting like he’s Grant Hill or something.
@Sacto J — Francis balked at signing with the team that drafted him … just like John Elway. How come no one ever bashes Elway for what he did?
@Ben — Francis had arguably his best year as a pro with the Magic. 22 ppg, 6 rpg, 7 apg in his first year with the team. He didn’t fall apart until he got to New York.
@K-Dizzle — You know Francis wasn’t the only thing wrong with the Grizzlies.
November 17th, 2007 at 5:35 pm
dagwaller says:
Austin - that’s meant to be read that he doesn’t play in a quarter of their games, as in he DOES play in 75 percent of them. I just checked and he played in 79 percent and change of their games up til this year (he’s about to miss a week). That’s not counting the amount of time that he had to leave the game early, wasn’t 100 percent in the game, etc.
Also, everyone here in Baltimore bashes John Elway for what he did.
Finally, it’s not hard to argue that Francis wasn’t the only thing wrong with that team - it was an EXPANSION TEAM. You know - needs picks in the draft? Would like it if the cheapest way to add players (the draft) wasn’t a huge pain in the ass?
November 18th, 2007 at 5:49 am
Nelson says:
I like SF3 a lot! He’s great with many fans in China, we all wish it’s a great beginning for Rockets today, for his back to battlefield no matter what! Come on, Steve!
November 20th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Sacto J says:
Hey Austin, I’m not that concerned about the fact that he skipped out on the team that drafted him, and personally, being NorCal, I could care less about John “horse face” Elway. My salient points ring true though. Francis has never lived up to all the hype, and has done very little to impress since he left Houston. He should be a first ballot entry into the Hall of Whine for all the crying he does, though.
November 23rd, 2007 at 7:44 am
whogry says:
All the Francis,Davis,Starbury of the Nba needs is a better upbringing and coaching before entering the Nba and becoming multi-millionares.Any normal man becomes more mature as they get older but these guys are the complete opposite.They actually seem to go more childish with each year in the league.The thing is all these “all-stars” were THE man for their respective schools from a young age and were treated as special and granted more leeway in everything.These are the type of players who not only wants to win, he wants to look good while getting the W and he has to be a big part of the Win or else they will just sulk away.
Simply put, not every young human being who has barely got out of their teens, will handle fame and everything that comes with it well.Anyone who has watched Starbury”The self appointed best PG in the world” make a fool himself over the off-season can tell what too much money and fame can do to your brain.I BET Sprewell can confirm that, turning down a 7 mil/year for three years contract.For those who don’t know, he’s reason? Well……He couldn’t feed his family with that deal…….Allrighty then.
Sadly it’s not just the “all-stars”, future HOF’ers like Shaq and Kobe also fall under the same category.They get away with it because of their play.The starbury’s can’t get away with that.However, what they CAN do is just look at the class acts like KG,TD,Manu and Parker and see you can post good numbers,work as a team and also Win .You just have to take a little hit to your ego…Can They?Hell no.