Steve Francis
has been shipped off to Houston where he'll team up with an aging Charles
Barkley and Hakeem, and an increasingly grouchy Scottie Pippen, in one of the
biggest NBA deals in memory. Also shipped, for salary cap purposes, was Makhtar
Ndaiye. There are a number of other players in the deal as well.
Needless to say, Vancouver is likely happy to be rid of this guy. He's dumped
all over a beautiful city with reasonable management and some decent young
talent. They still get a number one draft pick out of it, along with
Michael Dickerson and Othella Harrington, who should contribute.
The good news? Francis and Makhtar now get to try and B.S. Sir Charles, who
is getting increasingly ill-tempered in his doddering years. Both had
better watch their steps and their mouths, or they could end up being tossed
through a plate glass window somewhere, a thought which likely warms at least a
few ACC - and Vancouver - hearts.