Dex
02-28-2005, 02:47 AM
Recently, the San Antonio Spurs traded Malik Rose to the New York Knicks, a move which has all but created a social upheaval in San Antonio and supposedly disrupted the moralistic fabric of this team. I, like many other Spurs fans, have been a Malik supporter just as long as I have been a Duncan fan, and it's sad to see a player who was certainly a face of this franchise go.
Still, as much heart and soul as Malik put into this team, he was not the face of the team. He was not one of our franchise players. As much as it hurts to lose a good man and a healthy locker room presence, it is nothing compared to the total upheaval several teams (and their fans) have had to face in the past two or three seasons. Think about it:
The Lakers lost Shaquille O'Neal and watched their dynasty leave with him. Dallas let Steve Nash, the engine of the Mavericks high-octane offense, take his gears to Phoenix, who had just recently sent off their own franchise point gaurd to New York. Seattle fans felt the loss of Gary Payton pretty strongly, as did Utah fans about Stockton and Malone. Orlando let go of Tracy McGrady, the only thing that made the Magic a club (albeit not a very good one) for a few years, just so Stevie 'Franchise' could leave the place he admittedly knew as home. With the Kings undergoing their own overhaul, fans in Sacramento have had to deal with losing Chris Webber, Doug Christie, Hedo Turkoglu (a fan favorite), and Vlade Divac; In case you haven't noticed, that's about two-thirds of the lineup that the Kings had when people didn't constantly refer to their closed window. Lamar Odom is in Los Angeles, Antoine Walker took a brief hiatus from Boston, Carlos Boozer is a double agent for the Jazz, Ron Artest has lost his mind, and Vince Carter is suddenly a Net (who, by the way, is having to worry about their own original superstar deserting to Minnesota...since the Timberwolves have, coincidentally, had two other superstars dissapear even though they seem to still be playing.)
Think about the unrest this has caused among fans in these respective cities. Imagine the forums exploding over these trades, these losses, these total crackpot moves by the teams and their front offices. The loss we've sustained is miniscule in comparison to these franchise facelifts. Trades happen in basketball, and good fans are bound to miss good players.
Still, throughout all of this hustle and bustle on the trade front, the Spurs have managed to stabilize this franchise by signing it's three face players to long-term contracts and surrounding them with superb talent. This formula has produced the best record in the league to date, and by the grace of Isiah Thomas' loose trigger finger, the Spurs front office was able to pull off another bargain and kill two birds with one stone on deadline day.
Of course, Pop, Buford, and the Spurs organization will say it was all about the numbers, and they aren't wrong, either. The Malik trade was a perfect trade for the team on paper, and that's what the brass of this organization has to care about: The X's and O's. The trade perfectly satisfied the need for a formidable bigman and relieved a large stress on the cap in the most efficient way possible, although with one large sacrifice. A good heart. A face of the franchise, but not the face. It's a sacrifice that will probably be hard to accept for many Spurs fans, but in the long run it will ultimately benefit the team in both the short and long term aspects. Mohammad solidifies our chances for a championship this season; the contract space will help to bring Luis Scola in to the power forward slot next season.
Malik will always be missed around here for his hustle, his hard work, his commitment and love for the team, HIS team. I can't imagine that Rose will ever feel as comfortable in any other uniform than he was in silver and black, but that won't show on the court. He'll bash and bang wherever he goes, and he will always be the Malik Rose we know and love. He will still be getting the contract money he earned, with a nice trade bonus tacked on. And he will probably come back to San Antonio often to keep up with his restaurants, which will doubtfully leave with him, or during the summers to visit his family, who he claims is already happily resolved to remain Texans.
And, of course, he'll visit once a year with his new teamates to face the Spurs, who will continue to be the same quality franchise despite this recent loss, and he will come with the same hustle and bustle attitude that we all know and love him for. Although the colors he'll be sporting may seem strange and out of place, his face will always be familiar in San Antonio.
Still, as much heart and soul as Malik put into this team, he was not the face of the team. He was not one of our franchise players. As much as it hurts to lose a good man and a healthy locker room presence, it is nothing compared to the total upheaval several teams (and their fans) have had to face in the past two or three seasons. Think about it:
The Lakers lost Shaquille O'Neal and watched their dynasty leave with him. Dallas let Steve Nash, the engine of the Mavericks high-octane offense, take his gears to Phoenix, who had just recently sent off their own franchise point gaurd to New York. Seattle fans felt the loss of Gary Payton pretty strongly, as did Utah fans about Stockton and Malone. Orlando let go of Tracy McGrady, the only thing that made the Magic a club (albeit not a very good one) for a few years, just so Stevie 'Franchise' could leave the place he admittedly knew as home. With the Kings undergoing their own overhaul, fans in Sacramento have had to deal with losing Chris Webber, Doug Christie, Hedo Turkoglu (a fan favorite), and Vlade Divac; In case you haven't noticed, that's about two-thirds of the lineup that the Kings had when people didn't constantly refer to their closed window. Lamar Odom is in Los Angeles, Antoine Walker took a brief hiatus from Boston, Carlos Boozer is a double agent for the Jazz, Ron Artest has lost his mind, and Vince Carter is suddenly a Net (who, by the way, is having to worry about their own original superstar deserting to Minnesota...since the Timberwolves have, coincidentally, had two other superstars dissapear even though they seem to still be playing.)
Think about the unrest this has caused among fans in these respective cities. Imagine the forums exploding over these trades, these losses, these total crackpot moves by the teams and their front offices. The loss we've sustained is miniscule in comparison to these franchise facelifts. Trades happen in basketball, and good fans are bound to miss good players.
Still, throughout all of this hustle and bustle on the trade front, the Spurs have managed to stabilize this franchise by signing it's three face players to long-term contracts and surrounding them with superb talent. This formula has produced the best record in the league to date, and by the grace of Isiah Thomas' loose trigger finger, the Spurs front office was able to pull off another bargain and kill two birds with one stone on deadline day.
Of course, Pop, Buford, and the Spurs organization will say it was all about the numbers, and they aren't wrong, either. The Malik trade was a perfect trade for the team on paper, and that's what the brass of this organization has to care about: The X's and O's. The trade perfectly satisfied the need for a formidable bigman and relieved a large stress on the cap in the most efficient way possible, although with one large sacrifice. A good heart. A face of the franchise, but not the face. It's a sacrifice that will probably be hard to accept for many Spurs fans, but in the long run it will ultimately benefit the team in both the short and long term aspects. Mohammad solidifies our chances for a championship this season; the contract space will help to bring Luis Scola in to the power forward slot next season.
Malik will always be missed around here for his hustle, his hard work, his commitment and love for the team, HIS team. I can't imagine that Rose will ever feel as comfortable in any other uniform than he was in silver and black, but that won't show on the court. He'll bash and bang wherever he goes, and he will always be the Malik Rose we know and love. He will still be getting the contract money he earned, with a nice trade bonus tacked on. And he will probably come back to San Antonio often to keep up with his restaurants, which will doubtfully leave with him, or during the summers to visit his family, who he claims is already happily resolved to remain Texans.
And, of course, he'll visit once a year with his new teamates to face the Spurs, who will continue to be the same quality franchise despite this recent loss, and he will come with the same hustle and bustle attitude that we all know and love him for. Although the colors he'll be sporting may seem strange and out of place, his face will always be familiar in San Antonio.