Francis says he’ll be back next season

Houston Rockets guard Steve Francis will have season-ending surgery to repair a torn quadriceps tendon in his right knee, but he expects to play again next season.

Francis hasn’t played since Dec. 15. He has appeared in only 10 games this season with three starts, averaging 5.5 points and 3.0 assists. The team said Francis will have surgery Feb. 25.

“It’s definitely tough and disheartening,” Francis said Thursday. “Despite the way the season started, I thought I was making progress. But after rehabbing for a while, it still didn’t respond in the manner I wanted it to.”

Trainer Keith Jones estimated that Francis will need about four months to heal before he’s even ready to practice.

Francis, 30, signed a one-year contract with Houston with an option for a second year, returning to the city where he played from 1999 to 2004. He was traded to Orlando in 2004 in a deal that brought Tracy McGrady to the Rockets. After two seasons with the Magic, Francis spent two seasons with New York.

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Boston forward Kevin Garnett is expected to miss his sixth straight game tonight because of an abdominal strain, preventing him from playing his first game in Minnesota since being traded to the Celtics in July

The Timberwolves have asked the NBA for extra time during player introductions before the nationally televised game to announce Garnett to the crowd even if he’s on the inactive list.