It's amazing that the mainstream media can consider the recent trade between the Houston Rockets Steve Francis and the Orlando Magics Tracy Mcgrady as a "swap of superstars." That has to be one of the most ignorant statements written, after all these are two different players in all aspects. Tracy Mcgrady is a selfish player who happens to have skills to back up his lack of hustle, in contrast to Steve Francis who has hustles and fights for his team every game.
The only way that Tracy McGrady and Steve Francis can be considered equals in the first place is that those are the guys the teams were "marketing" as their main attractions as to selling tickets and keeping the seat full(at least before Yao Ming was drafted a 7"5" Chinese player who now is part of the Rockets. Francis was still seen as their excitement on the court). If you look at that trade as a marketing deal then it can be seen as an even trade.
Tracy McGrady playing against the Washington Wizar...
of the Houston Rockets, being guarded by of the Wa...
Tracy McGrady of the New York KnicksEach team gets the other guy's poster boy.
But, it was not a trade of superstars. It was a trade of one certified superstar, Steve Francis, who stands statistically to be better than Kobe Bryant (a well known hero in the sport), for a glorified role player who shoots way too much and hates to pass the ball. For example, the ex-Houston Rockets Steve Francis who was traded to the Orlando Magics has traits that separate him from Tracy Mcgrady as well as Kobe Bryant. Some of these traits being his constant fight on the court, throwing his body risking himself to injury the whole forty-eight minutes of the game, never showing any sign of quitting until the buzzard goes off.
McGrady's "NBA age," this is a shorter way of saying...