Steve Francis Traded to Memphis

No doubt you already heard about it while I was on vacation last week, but Steve Francis (1998-1999) has been traded from the Houston Rockets to the team that originally drafted him in 1999, the Memphis Grizzlies. From the Houston Chronicle:

The Rockets traded Francis to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday in a deal that was little more than a salary dump to create space under the luxury-cap threshold. After having surgery to repair a torn quadriceps tendon in his right knee on Feb. 26, Francis never was able to get back into shape and crack the Rockets' rotation. He has not appeared in a game this season. [..]

The Rockets trimmed $2.634 million off their payroll with the trade.

Francis is returning to the Grizzlies franchise that originally made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 1999 draft when the team was located in Vancouver. When he said he would not play in Canada, the Rockets obtained him in a three-way deal that also involved the Orlando Magic.

Steve Blake is Really Good

By way of a post on the Terrapin Nation blog, be sure to read this column in the Portland Oregonian about how Steve Blake (1999-2003) is a really good professional basketball player, and a lot of people are starting to realize it:

I think among outsiders or casual fans, Blake is probably the least valued, and most overlooked, starter on the Blazers.

I know as a reporter, I often unconsciously overlook Blake in stories because he is ... well, boring. I find myself usually writing about a lob pass from Sergio Rodriguez to Rudy Fernandez, or a big block from Joel Przybilla, or of course, the late-game heroics of [Brandon] Roy. But there Blake is every night, putting up his solid numbers while never doing anything crazy or out of character -- just doing his job like a professional. This season, he is averaging a career-high 11.4 points while also adding 4.2 assists. He is shooting a career-best 43.3 percent on three-pointers.

Bambale Osby Highlights

From a game back in October, Bambale Osby (2006-08) scored 18 points in a big win for his Romanian team, U Mobitelco Cluj. The video quality isn't good enough to see players' names on jerseys, but you will recognize Boom by his hair:

Nik Caner-Medley Goes Back to Spain

Nik Caner-Medley (2002-06) has signed with a new team (translation) in Spain: Cajasol Sevilla of the ACB (Spain's top pro league). The translation is bad, but as The Hoop blog helps to explain, Nik's Italian league team, Capo di Orlando, was relegated to Italy's second division (Lega2) as punishment for falsifying documentation. When the team was sent to the lower division in October, Nik became a free agent.

Caner-Medley joined the team (translation) on Thursday and is ready to try to help Cajasol turn things around. Nik previously played in the ACB last year, for Kalise Gran Canaria.

Lonny Baxter Highlights

Can't get enough of watching Lonny Baxter (1998-2002) hit the 2 foot jumper or shoot free throws? Then this is the video for you! Watch the highlights from Baxter's huge night as his team, Panionios ON Telecoms (Greece), beat Efes Pilsen (Turkey) in a Euroleague game from last month.