Frustrated Francis
Just before Steve Francis exited after a six-turnover, three-assist, 11-point night Monday, a group of fans behind the Knicks' basket chanted "OV-er-RA-ted" as he attempted two free throws.
Francis didn't say if he heard them, but expressed frustration about another lost performance since his arrival from Orlando, which has gone 14-11 since it traded him to the Knicks, who are 7-17 since the deal.
"For me to perform at my maximum level, I have to be accustomed to the system where I know it like the back of my hand," he said after Monday's 101-82 loss to Indiana. "And then I have to have the minutes to go out there and perform. Neither one of those things have happened."
Francis is averaging less than 28 minutes per game as a Knick, more than 10 below his career average, and frequently sitting out fourth quarters. That correlates, he believes, with his 2.5 turnovers, 3.4 assists and 11.2 points per game.
Thus, he says of the eight weeks he will spend with the Knicks this season, "Throw it out." He reiterated his desire to return to the team next season, despite a five-guard glut. But he also said he wants the minutes he isn't getting now if he does return.
"I'm not sure how many minutes I'm going to play any given night," he said. "Until I have that stability, that's why you see the up and down play."
Crawford honored
So much has changed for the Knicks since opening night in Boston, almost all of it bad. That same night, Jamal Crawford was surprised when he learned from reporters and not from coach Larry Brown that he'd lost his starting job.
Since then, unlike his team, things have gotten only better for him, and Monday, he was recognized as the NBA's Eastern Conference Player of the Week, the first Knick to get any kind of league honor this season since Channing Frye was named the East's rookie of the month in November.
"I've definitely come a long way [since opening night]," said Crawford, who had two game-winning shots last week to beat Cleveland and Indiana.
"As time went by, I adjusted. I saw what Coach had planned, to come off the bench, and when he explained it to me like that, I totally understood."
