Sports
 

Francis deserves better than being simple trade fodder

Commentary

Richard Whitrock

As anyone who has paid even a small amount of attention to the sports world during the last decade knows, there are certain realities associated with professional sports that the average sports fan must endure.

The common conception is that the teams in every sport have only one goal in mind -- winning the championship trophy. But the misconception is that the trophy is an actual, physical prize that is handed to the winner of a playoff competition. In reality, the trophy represents the largest number of small, green dollar bills.

It is certainly true that all sports teams work tirelessly in pursuit of the true trophy (also known as "the bottom line" and "the almighty dollar"). In some ways, it seems that there is no limit to a sports team's desire to win it -- teams changing cities is not outside the realm of possibility.

Everything takes a backseat to the tactics needed to win this trophy. Winning requires having the biggest names playing for the team, having the gaudiest arenas for the team to play in and having fans with the right names in the seats -- anything to make the headlines. These tactics take precedence over the sport, the fans and sometimes even the players themselves. One big-name, blockbuster player is always potential cannon fodder to another, bigger-name blockbuster. The concept of the team no longer refers to the athletes on the field or floor, but to the executives in charge of using them as pawns.

Nowhere is this sad reality felt more than in Houston. Bayou City fans have "enjoyed" more than their fair share of the professional sports idea of this "championship trophy."

When the Oilers left town, Houston had its first and perhaps most bitter taste of "victory" for that team, and things haven't improved. Take the Rockets, for example.

Not content with the superstar cast of Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Robert Horry and Sam Cassell, Rockets management decided to scrap it for the super-er star cast of Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Charles Barkley -- practically gutting the team in the process.

Then came the Scottie Pippen debacle of 1999; nothing more needs to be said about that.

In the years following 1999, the Rockets' record slumped, despite near-yearly attempts at turning the team into the Suns. After every failed year, the Rockets revamped the roster, and every revamped roster failed as miserably as the last. Team chemistry and continuity are apparently unnecessary to win a trophy.

Then, sadly, comes the present. Houston fans sit on the edge of their seats as yet another blockbuster deal keeps our beloved team in limbo. While the details of a trade for Tracy McGrady are not yet known, there are certain facts about the trade that have already made it a colossal failure.

Steve Francis deserves better. Last year's Rockets team deserves better. The Rockets fans deserve better. The powers that be, however, couldn't care less.

Steve Francis' first and only playoff performance to date was a tribute to the game of basketball. He was absolutely brilliant, and he delivered on every last one of the ridiculous expectations thrown onto him from the moment he stepped on the floor as a rookie for the Rockets.

How does the Rockets organization reward him? By tripping over themselves to gut the roster (yet again) in pursuit of a big-name talent who hasn't been with the Rockets through the lowest lows and earned another chance with this city and this team. Loyalty may as well be a word in a foreign language for all the meaning it holds with the Rockets organization.

The Rockets team of last season made it to the playoffs and proved that they have the potential to succeed in this league. With one or two roster changes (not the entire heart of the team), the Rockets could easily become the best team in the league.

It is unnecessary and insulting to fans for the organization to scrap a proven team with incredible potential simply for the sake of getting a bigger-name player to help the team lose again next season. Scottie Pippen, anyone?
 
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