Steve Francis

Steve Francis was traded Wednesday from the Orlando Magic to the last-place New York Knicks, who hope that pairing him in the backcourt with Stephon Marbury will help turn around their dismal season. The Knicks sent Penny Hardaway, 34, and Trevor Ariza, 20, to Orlando. Though Marbury and Francis essentially play the same position, the Knicks are confident it will work out. "We just want ballplayers," New York Coach Larry Brown said. "I don't get caught up in positions.

The popular term is "street cred." That is, earning the approval and admiration of the hip-hop generation and all that it entails. Shoe deals. Invitations to Rucker Park every summer. Hanging with popular rap artists. Steve Francis has it. And he earned more Monday night in Los Angeles with a triple-double performance and triple axel-type hang time. It was a great show. Exhilarating to watch. Real street credibility. Even so, Francis just can't win.

The Clippers continued some bad streaks Thursday night and Steve Francis had a lot to do with it. Francis, who chose to rest instead of recording a triple-double, had a career-high 34 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds to lead the Houston Rockets to a 110-95 victory over the Clippers, who lost their sixth consecutive game and their seventh in a row at the Compaq Center, before a crowd of 14,270. The Rockets ended an eight-game losing streak.

Steve Francis got his trade wish, and the Houston Rockets got a young dynamo they hope can help their three aging superstars return to the NBA finals. In an 11-player deal that was the largest in NBA history, Vancouver added some much-needed depth in return for the rights to Francis, picked No. 2 overall in the June draft but adamant in vowing not to play in Canada.

In the NBA it doesn't take too long to go from Franchise to trade bait. Steve Francis has had his disagreements with Coach Jeff Van Gundy during the season, and has heard the criticism from the media and fans. There's some sentiment that for Yao Ming and the Rockets to flourish, erstwhile Stevie Franchise needs to be shipped elsewhere.

Houston Rocket guard Steve Francis was suspended for Monday night's game for missing a flight to Phoenix. He missed the Sunday night flight and was not with the team for its game against the Suns. Rocket spokesman Nelson Luis said the team would have no further comment. Francis' public relations firm issued a statement late Monday saying the guard was absent because of an "urgent personal family matter" and would rejoin his teammates at practice today. Francis leads the Rockets in scoring (16.

Meet Mr. Excitement and Mr. Grace, the best of the Houston Rockets' past and future. Steve Francis has taken over the team with his flash and scoring, but he accepted his role with modesty and looked to the 38-year-old Hakeem Olajuwon as his role model for being a team leader. It's created some thrilling moments for a team struggling to make the playoffs. Going into the weekend, Houston was 3 1/2 games out of the eighth and final spot with 10 games to play.

With the game on the line, the Houston Rockets put the ball in the hands of their Mr. Clutch. Once again, Steve Francis didn't disappoint. Francis forced overtime with a buzzer-beating three-point basket for the second time in less than a week, then came up with a key loose ball to help the Rockets defeat the Heat, 105-100, Monday night at Miami. Francis, who scored 21 points, sent the game into overtime by making a 25-footer to tie the game at 91.

Steve Francis faked right and went left, leaving his defender flat-footed. He dribbled toward the basket where he eluded lunging Los Angeles Lakers forward Robert Horry for a reverse layup that brought a roar from the crowd. "That was Michael Jordanesque," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "He took the offense outside and then went inside against a bigger guy. I thought it was his best finesse move of the season."