Steve Francis returns to Houston

by Marcel Mutoni
Will Steve Francis go back to Houston? Yes he will.

“I think he sees this as a rebirth, as a restart of his career,” Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said.

“Steve has a sense we’re real close. We think he can be a big part of getting us there. I always thought it was a long shot. Credit to Steve, he chose what he thought was the best chance to win over options that were better financially.”

-According to this article, new Sonic coach P.J. Carlesimo didn’t have a serious girlfriend until he was almost 50 years old. That, friends, is a long time to be in the game.

Until then, “a long-term relationship for me was dating for a long time with zero regularity,” Carlesimo said.

Ask him if ever had a fiancée before Carolyn, and he’ll say: “Far from it.”

(Thugs get lonely, too.)

-Marco Bellinelli dreams big.

“I would like to take this team to the play-offs and the title,” Bellinelli said in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. “We have a very strong team, last year Golden State eliminated one of the favorites, Dallas.”

(Uh, good luck with that, Marco.)

-Speaking of Golden State, the Warriors are hurting Mickael Pietrus’s feelings.

“I’m just a little disappointed that the Golden State Warriors haven’t seriously discussed keeping me in Oakland while other teams” are interested, Pietrus said.

“They’ve been talking to my agent … but the thing is, they haven’t discussed if they want me, if I’m a part of the future. I like coach Don Nelson, I like Chris Mullin, but right now, their decision seems to be holding me back.”

-Just how tall is Amir Johnson exactly?

-And finally for today: Oslo sounds like a hell of a city to visit. Can you say ideal vacation spot?