12-28-2010 10:06 BJT
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Former NBA star Steve Francis joined the CBA's Beijing Ducks two weeks ago. But he is yet to show his big league skills in China. Beijing's coach says Francis' performance on and off the court has dramatically reduced the team's confidence in him.
Beijing held its regular practice on Monday, but Steve Francis failed to show up. According to the team's coach, Francis abruptly left the venue on his own during a game between Beijing and Jiangsu and went home Sunday night, which shocked the other players.
Min Lulei, Beijing Coach, said, "We all have done our best to help him restore his skills and adapt to the rotation. He is a very experienced NBA player. I truly appreciate the opportunity to work with him. But frankly speaking, I think he's not quite ready."
The coach says Francis needs more time to reach his top form, in order to win his minutes on the court. But the former Houston Rockets' star seems to disagree. And it's also rumored that the Ducks will release Francis if they have to.
Min said, "We haven't decided yet. I really don't want to see it happen. If it really happens, we must find another to fill the spot."
Francis joined the Beijing Ducks on December 14th, wearing the No. 3 jersey.
The next day, he came off the bench and played in the final minutes for Beijing, for the first time.
In the game against Shandong, Francis seemed to appear out of shape. He only contributed two rebounds during his time on the court.
The former NBA star finally got on the scoreboard with a layup against reigning champion Guangdong, but they proved to be his only points of the match.
Francis wrapped up his fourth game with a missed three against Fujian. After playing a total of only 11 minutes, Francis is now facing a potentially abrupt termination of his contract.
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