. Y’all going to trade me now? Build your own team now! Tools and Resources Used by Real General Managers. Billups and McGrady played together for the Toronto Raptors in '97-'98, after Kenny Anderson refused to report to the Raptors since getting traded away from the Portland Trail Blazers for Damon Stoudamire. Blake Griffin has looked like a shell of himself, failing to prop up a young and inexperienced Pistons team. Get the latest news, stats, videos, highlights and more about guard Michael Jordan on ESPN. The 3rd pick and 9th pick respectively of the 1997 draft, two of the only three all-stars from that draft and clearly two of the top three players all-time behind Tim Duncan, selected that year. All rights reserved. We often hear the phrase “it’s a business” and this about summed it up best, as Francis had just had a home custom-built in Greatwood, which sits in the Houston suburb of Sugarland. The only scenario I would take Billups over T-Mac is when I have to pick a Point Guard. Francis posted averages of 19.2 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 7.6 assists, while shooting 41.2 percent from three during the Rockets 2004 opening round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. During his prime he played exactly how a great PG should: controlling the pace, taking shots when he had to, making his team play, played great D, exploited mismatches when he had to (even in the post) and he also came trough with a ton of important shots. Sources: Damian Lillard to participate in 3-Point Contest at All-Star Game. What they reveal is suggestive, but what they conceal is vital. I’m not leaving, y’all are gonna have to trade me! We'll never pass along your email address to spammers, scammers, or the like. Rockets probably don't trade McGrady for Billups before 08 but they get much more value out of a trade for Billups after 05. Toronto Raptors Career Leaders. I pulled a Donald Trump. The Houston Rockets have played their best basketball since the James Harden trade. In this exercise, the goal is to draft your ultimate NBA team using a limited amount of budget available. The shocking part was that I actually talked to the coach that week. As things are currently set up, franchises have immense control over what players are allowed to do- where they can work, how they work, what they can say, even what they do in their limited spare time. But long before Harden was moved, the Rockets made another significant trade involving their face of the franchise at the time, Steve Francis, who was named the Co-Rookie of the Year and made three consecutive All-Star appearances. Yet as ever, there is a limit to what the league can concede and the grief Karl-Anthony Towns is playing through shows that no player, regardless of their abilities, can stop the machine from mindlessly moving forward. Get the latest NBA news and analysis on the Lakers, Warriors, Celtics, Knicks, Heat, Clippers, Bucks and the rest of the NBA. I had just got a brand new house, my dream house. I was like if you’re going to trade me, let me know. Shaun Patrick Livingston (born September 11, 1985) is an American basketball executive and former player. I use a lot of parentheses when I post (it's a bad habit). Shortly after the series concluded, Francis was shipped away to the Orlando Magic for Tracy McGrady, in a move that Francis didn’t see coming. [Jeff Van Gundy said] No, no, no, no, no. Complete listing of all NBA Players and team rosters. Fans, you can support your Raptors in style with a variety of Toronto Raptors apparel from the NBA Store. Billiups is super overrated to me. Here are three eye-opening statistics that show how they've done it. After getting over the initial shock of getting moved, Francis then shifted his focus to Orlando’s front office. Perhaps now Francis will be able to get a taste of the other side of making a splash trade. For every James Harden in the league, there's many more Andre Drummonds. Billups. Statistics are like bikinis. Player power is still hard-won and selective. View player profile, bio, stats, news and video highlights. Tracy McGrady NBA Salary All NBA Players #0 Tracy McGrady Position:-Born: 05/24/79 Height: 6-8 / 2.03 ... Re-ordering draft classes TV ratings ️ Listen to our podcast He really didn’t know too much about basketball so I was like, yo look. The hypothetical trade scenario as an argument to support McGrady over Billups doesn't make much sense. Tracy Lamar McGrady Jr. (born May 24, 1979) is an American former professional basketball player, best known for his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Location: Toronto, Canada Team Name: Toronto Raptors Seasons: 26; 1995-96 to 2020-21 Record: 967-1052, .479 W-L% Playoff … And I don’t even like Donald Trump. Lillard is third in the league in 3-pointers made (105) while shooting 38% from that range. The COVID inflicted NBA season has been a sloppier, more austere, less predictable and ideal product than the one that we're used to. I’m on vacation, I’m chilling. Somebody said, ‘Yo you’re about to get traded.’ I was like yeah right, I just talked to Jeff. I talked to my pastor and he was like, look man, it’s a business. And they told me the general manager for the Orlando Magic was a hockey guy. Build your custom FanSided Daily email newsletter with news and analysis on Houston Rockets and all your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and more. If you had said circa 2001-2003 that Billups (at that point considered a bust) would end up more highly regarded than Mcgrady (at that point was getting next MJ talk) youd get looked at funny. Hopefully the experience shows the league ways to do things better afterwards than they were done before. It was in 2004, I had just built my house. Your privacy is safe with us. Former Houston Rockets star Steve Francis shares his frustration with the 2004 trade that saw him dealt to the Orlando Magic for Tracy McGrady. Francis went on to play 124 games in Orlando, posting averages of 19.4 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.4 rebounds, before getting moved to the New York Knicks.