Duncan almost went to Orlando

[kamikazi_player]

Duncan Turned Down Orlando, Keeping the Spurs on Title Course


SAN ANTONIO, June 10 -- It's easily forgotten now, but the San Antonio Spurs almost certainly wouldn't have a shot at their fourth championship if Tim Duncan had signed as a free agent with the Orlando Magic during the summer of 2000.
Not long after the Spurs beat the Knicks in the 1999 NBA Finals to win their first title, Duncan was heavily courted by the Magic, which was pursuing Duncan and Grant Hill at the same time.

http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/largerPhoto/images/enlarge_tab.gif (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:void%28popitup%28%27http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/business/2007-06-11/index.html?imgId=PH2007061100023&imgUrl=/photo/2007/06/11/PH2007061100023.html%27,650,850%29%29)
http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2007/06/11/PH2007061100021.jpg (http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:void%28popitup%28%27http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/postphotos/orb/business/2007-06-11/index.html?imgId=PH2007061100023&imgUrl=/photo/2007/06/11/PH2007061100023.html%27,650,850%29%29)Cavs Coach Mike Brown wants the team's family to enjoy the Finals. (By Lisa Blumenfeld -- Getty Images)

Duncan said he seriously considered signing with Orlando, which offered a six-year, $67.5 million deal, but cited his close relationship with former Spurs center David Robinson and his comfort level with Coach Gregg Popovich as reasons why he stayed with the Spurs.
"Life would have been a lot different," Duncan said before scoring 23 points in a 103-92 victory in Game 2 Sunday. "It was probably a lot closer of a decision than people even think or even know, but it's worked out the right way to say the least."
Events also worked out for the Spurs earlier this season when Popovich elected not to alter the team's chemistry after a mini-slump that included losses in seven out of 14 games.
At the time, some wondered whether the Spurs were athletic enough to compete with Western Conference favorites Phoenix and Dallas and there was speculation that San Antonio needed to make a move, such as acquiring Clippers swingman Corey Maggette, in order to keep pace.
"I think some guys were nervous, absolutely," Duncan said of the mood in the locker room. "We needed [Popovich] to come in there and say . . . that there weren't going to be any changes. That's the news we got and I think it helped. It pulled guys together."
Family Atmosphere

With two days between Games 1 and 2, Cleveland Coach Mike Brown invited family members of the coaching staff and players to San Antonio. Brown felt it was important for his team to be in comfortable surroundings considering that only veteran guard Eric Snow has Finals experience.
"I truly believe that we should cherish the experience of being here, but not just by ourselves," Brown said. "Our families are big supporters of ours throughout the season and they deserve to be here."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/10/AR2007061001393.html (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/10/AR2007061001393.htmlI)
I (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/10/AR2007061001393.htmlI) know this is old, but it was a good read. I think we should all be grateful that Tim Duncan went to the Spurs instead of Orlando. Who knows if the spurs woulda won any titles after 1999.

[ducks]

oh wait
he did not
what a dumbass article

why not publish the article spurs front office was going to let david robinson walk

[ducks]

yeah had he gone
who knows the spurs could have won the draft again and have another franchise player instead

[duncan228]

know this is old, but it was a good read. I think we should all be grateful that Tim Duncan went to the Spurs instead of Orlando. Who knows if the spurs woulda won any titles after 1999.

I've always been gateful he stayed with the Spurs. It just seems like the right fit for him.

Duncan probably would have been a winner anywhere he ended up, whether it was Boston in '97 or Orlando in 2000. But I think there's a lot to be said for his relationships with Robinson and Pop. I don't know if he would have had the incredible career he's had without both of them.

In the end it worked out for the best. There are 4 Trophies to prove it. :)

[Bruno]

I'm grateful towards Robinson who came back from Hawaii to convince Tim to re-sign.
I'm not grateful towards Duncan. This story just showed that he wasn't really committed of staying a Spur.

[duncan228]

I'm not grateful towards Duncan. This story just showed that he wasn't really committed of staying a Spur.

I don't blame him for seeing what was out there, it was the first opportunity he had to do so. He was still young, had a long career in front of him. I think it was just good sense to see where that career could play out best.

He's obviously been committed to the Spurs since then, he's never looked at anything else.

[exstatic]

He made the right choice, and was smart about it at the same time. He felt that SA had a chance to re-tool, but put them on notice by only extending for 3 years. Manu had already been drafted in '99 (along with Giricek) and Tony was drafted the next summer.

I think Tim would have struggled to turn Orlando into a title contender alone, and that's what he would have had to do with GHill on the shelf for 2-3 seasons.

[Dex]

9 Years Late Forum :D

[kamikazi_player]

He made the right choice, and was smart about it at the same time. He felt that SA had a chance to re-tool, but put them on notice by only extending for 3 years. Manu had already been drafted in '99 (along with Giricek) and Tony was drafted the next summer.

I think Tim would have struggled to turn Orlando into a title contender alone, and that's what he would have had to do with GHill on the shelf for 2-3 seasons.
Well, they did have T-mac as well. But I think it woulda been tough for Tim Duncan and T-Mac if they were on the same team, to make teammates like Pat Garrity or Mike Miller a contributor back then.

[Bruno]

I don't blame him for seeing what was out there, it was the first opportunity he had to do so.

I don't blame him too but I just don't see a reason to be grateful towards Tim in this story.

I was grateful when he decides to take a pay cut for his last contract extension.

[ploto]

He's obviously been committed to the Spurs since then, he's never looked at anything else.

If the Spurs start losing, Tim will.

[BUMP]

I'm grateful towards Robinson who came back from Hawaii to convince Tim to re-sign.
I'm not grateful towards Duncan. This story just showed that he wasn't really committed of staying a Spur.

:lolwhat?

[duncan228]

If the Spurs start losing, Tim will.

I think he'll retire a Spur before he'd play anywhere else. I don't see him doing what Shaq did to try to grab another one.

[SenorSpur]

i've always been gateful he stayed with the spurs. It just seems like the right fit for him.

Duncan probably would have been a winner anywhere he ended up, whether it was boston in '97 or orlando in 2000. But i think there's a lot to be said for his relationships with robinson and pop. I don't know if he would have had the incredible career he's had without both of them.

In the end it worked out for the best. There are 4 trophies to prove it. :)

+1

[exstatic]

Well, they did have T-mac as well. But I think it woulda been tough for Tim Duncan and T-Mac if they were on the same team, to make teammates like Pat Garrity or Mike Miller a contributor back then.

They signed TMac with the money Tim turned down. Hill had already signed, so it would have either been Hill/TMac or Hill/Duncan.

[rascal]

He made the right choice, and was smart about it at the same time. He felt that SA had a chance to re-tool, but put them on notice by only extending for 3 years. Manu had already been drafted in '99 (along with Giricek) and Tony was drafted the next summer.

I think Tim would have struggled to turn Orlando into a title contender alone, and that's what he would have had to do with GHill on the shelf for 2-3 seasons.

Duncan would have won anywhere he went. He and Shaq have been the best big men over the last decade and the top big men win titles over that long a span of years.

[baseline bum]

I'm grateful towards Robinson who came back from Hawaii to convince Tim to re-sign.


:tu



I'm not grateful towards Duncan. This story just showed that he wasn't really committed of staying a Spur.

He wasn't committed? Looking at the situation objectively, there wasn't a lot of reason to stick around with an aging core. In 2000, AJ = DONE. Elliott? DONE. Elie? DONE. Robinson? In the twilight of his career. I think they still Charles Smith's contract on the books, precluding them from being able to make big upgrades in free agency that summer. He's on a team starting Chucky Brown and then Jerome Kersey.

Meanwhile Orlando is offering the chance to form a duo every bit as good as Shaq/Kobe with Tim and Grant Hill (people seriously forget how amazing a player he was) and a coach (who is also a personal friend) who took an NBDL team to .500, just barely missing the playoffs. He'd be back on the East Coast and back to being the media darling he was at Wake, and he'd have an almost guaranteed trip to the Finals for most of the decade. To this day I'm still amazed Tim stayed, when the only thing he had to keep him here was his relationship with Pop and David, and making good on his promise he made after game 5 of the 99 Finals that he would stay if the team could secure a new arena. If Tim didn't love being on the Spurs, then there was absolutely no logical reason for him to have stayed.

[ducks]

Duncan would have won anywhere he went. He and Shaq have been the best big men over the last decade and the top big men win titles over that long a span of years.

NOT without help

[baseline bum]

He made the right choice, and was smart about it at the same time. He felt that SA had a chance to re-tool, but put them on notice by only extending for 3 years. Manu had already been drafted in '99 (along with Giricek) and Tony was drafted the next summer.

I think Tim would have struggled to turn Orlando into a title contender alone, and that's what he would have had to do with GHill on the shelf for 2-3 seasons.

With the benefit of hindsight it's easy to say that, but no one figured Hill's injury was going to jeopardize the rest of his career. At that time Grant Hill was better than Kobe Bryant and had a hell of a lot of potential still. If Hill comes back healthy and Duncan walks to Orlando, they own the east for years and probably take out the Lakers at least once in the Finals.

[exstatic]

With the benefit of hindsight it's easy to say that, but no one figured Hill's injury was going to jeopardize the rest of his career. At that time Grant Hill was better than Kobe Bryant and had a hell of a lot of potential still. If Hill comes back healthy and Duncan walks to Orlando, they own the east for years and probably take out the Lakers at least once in the Finals.

It was known that Hill's ankle was fucked up to some extent. He did show up in Orlando on crutches, after all. That might have spooked Tim a bit.

He was a beast, though. His second and third years he almost averaged 20/10 from the SF spot, with a bucket of assists thrown in. He never did figure out that whole 3 point shooting thing, though, even to this day.

[kamikazi_player]

They signed TMac with the money Tim turned down. Hill had already signed, so it would have either been Hill/TMac or Hill/Duncan.
I don't know, I think they coulda afford Tim Duncan as well.
I don't know the cap for the NBA teams were in 2000-2001, but from this website
www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ORL/2001.html (http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ORL/2001.html)
I think they coulda afford T-Mac,Hill, and Duncan, their top two players only made 9 million dollars. and only 4 players made more than 2 million dollars.

[Russ]

:tu



He wasn't committed? Looking at the situation objectively, there wasn't a lot of reason to stick around with an aging core. In 2000, AJ = DONE. Elliott? DONE. Elie? DONE. Robinson? In the twilight of his career.

I remember thinking Duncan was gone. There was a reported meeting between Duncan and Pop after Tim got back from Orlando. Tim was singing the praises of Orlando, explaining how they could sign Tim and Hill and McGrady through some creative offers.

Pop reacted badly according to this report. Pop started going after Tim like a jealous spouse who just found out about cheating. Pop got paranoid and started interrogating Tim about some pre-existing promise to Orlando and threatening Tim to press the issue of tampering with the league. The meeting ended badly with Pop storming out.

I cringed and thought to myself -- Is this any way to get Tim to stay?

But he did. Any one else remember any report of this meeting and, if so, whether it was wholly or partially true?

[elbamba]

I am not so sure Tim would have won in Orlando because Hill destroyed their cap space. TIm would have been the lone show in town and the Magic would not have had the money to bring in real talent around him. Look how bad the magic sucked when Hill was on that team and TMAC was in his prime.

Tim would have taken them to the playoffs and they would have lost to the pistons every year.

However, the Spurs showed that they were committed to winning by the fact that they completely redid the team from year to year, especially after David's retirement. They would bring and let walk players like Jackson, Hedo, Nazi, etc... They signed Manu and Parker to good contracts that allowed the team to continue to fill the roster with key role players like Bruce, Barry and Finley. The Spurs showed they wanted to win, Orlando would not have had the flexibility while Hill destroyed them.

[350slk]

twilight zone???????????????

[TheDarkSide.]

so those "WE LOVE TIM" signs did nothing for him or what did those signs say? Lame!

[Yuixafun]

Farnsworth: Well, Leela, care to give the What-If machine a whirl?

Leela: Maybe later. I-I mean, I don't know what to ask about.

Hermes: Come on, woman! Just pick something.

Fry: Yeah, be more impulsive. Like this.

(He picks up a box of Admiral Crunch, tips the contents on his head and pours milk over it)

Bender: Go, man! Go!

(Fry eats the cereal from his head)

Leela: I can be really impulsive. It just takes me a while.

(Fry chops a banana onto his head)

[Bukefal]

I've always been gateful he stayed with the Spurs. It just seems like the right fit for him.

Duncan probably would have been a winner anywhere he ended up, whether it was Boston in '97 or Orlando in 2000. But I think there's a lot to be said for his relationships with Robinson and Pop. I don't know if he would have had the incredible career he's had without both of them.

In the end it worked out for the best. There are 4 Trophies to prove it. :)

If Duncan would have left or if he would leave in the future, would you still be a Spurs fan or are you following Duncan and be a fan of the team he is a part of ? Im just interested, this is not a way of bitching or something. :toast

[duncan228]

If Duncan would have left or if he would leave in the future, would you still be a Spurs fan or are you following Duncan and be a fan of the team he is a part of ? Im just interested, this is not a way of bitching or something. :toast

I'm a Spurs fan because of Duncan. If he were to leave I'd follow him. I expect him to retire a Spur which makes me a Spurs fan for life, they'll always be his team.

[Admiral]

Nobody could blame him for seeing what Orlando had to offer. Ultimately, I think Tim made the right decision to stay in San Antonio. :)

[sananspursfan21]

...I'm not grateful towards Duncan. This story just showed that he wasn't really committed of staying a Spur.

okay, so you expect every spurs player to eat sleep and breath spurs? these are grown men with careers and they don't lose sleep over if you're dissappointed in them or if they let fans down. i as well don't blame duncan for seeing what else is out there.

i'm sure he's committed to the spurs now but give him a break, he is his own man and if he saw opportunities elsewhere, i would say by all means, he doesn't owe the fans anything.

[Bruno]

okay, so you expect every spurs player to eat sleep and breath spurs? these are grown men with careers and they don't lose sleep over if you're dissappointed in them or if they let fans down. i as well don't blame duncan for seeing what else is out there.

i'm sure he's committed to the spurs now but give him a break, he is his own man and if he saw opportunities elsewhere, i would say by all means, he doesn't owe the fans anything.

"give him a break" :lol

Stop acting like a drama queen. I didn't say that Duncan has acted like a piece of crap, I've just said that I wasn't grateful.

Breaking news: Duncan isn't perfect and flawless. The whole Orlando saga isn't surely one of the brightest spot of his Spurs' career.

[sananspursfan21]

"give him a break" :lol

Stop acting like a drama queen. I didn't say that Duncan has acted like a piece of crap, I've just said that I wasn't grateful.

Breaking news: Duncan isn't perfect and flawless. The whole Orlando saga isn't surely one of the brightest spot of his Spurs' career.

sorry for being a drama queen

do you know what saga means? looks out of context, but back to the actual subject, so you think that it was a flaw for tim duncan to consider another team? your response to my reply really doesn't make a whole lot of sense and i think for you trying to shoot at me with all this makes you the drama queen. i was just saying that it's ridiculous to expect duncan to live for the spurs

[Bruno]

sorry for being a drama queen

do you know what saga means? looks out of context, but back to the actual subject, so you think that it was a flaw for tim duncan to consider another team? your response to my reply really doesn't make a whole lot of sense and i think for you trying to shoot at me with all this makes you the drama queen. i was just saying that it's ridiculous to expect duncan to live for the spurs

:violin
"Duncan to live for the Spurs".
You are 100% certified drama queen. :tu

[lefty]

I'm bored .............

[Yuixafun]

Damn you all for ignoring my Futurama reference.

[ShoogarBear]

If the Spurs start losing, Tim will.

Then they can get Rasho back.

[TDMVPDPOY]

didnt they offer his family life-time dunkn donuts part of the deal? lol

[spursfan1000]

Great job by Robinson coming back from Hawai to convince Duncan to resign. I really don't blame Duncan for looking at Orlando, he was young. Ever since then I think he is the most commited to his team than any team. Kobe,Wade,Amare,Lebron are all not as commited as Tim Duncan.

[Chillen]

Not that it would have ever been possible, but just thinking of Howard and Duncan on the same team is awesome. Duncan would free up Howard and Howard would free up Duncan, teams wouldn't know wtf to do with that. Their only defense would be to foul one of them and see if they make the free throws.

[Mugshot]

Doc Rivers has said in the past that Tim Duncan was never leaving San Antonio. They pretty much new that from the beginning. Duncan just went along for the ride out of respect for Rivers, Grant Hill, and Lon Babby.

[tdominate21]

Not that it would have ever been possible, but just thinking of Howard and Duncan on the same team is awesome. Duncan would free up Howard and Howard would free up Duncan, teams wouldn't know wtf to do with that. Their only defense would be to foul one of them and see if they make the free throws.


No need to imagine. It happened in 1997. Tim joined his follow Twin Tower, DRob.

RESULT... CHAMPIONSHIPS :downspin:

AAAAHHH... memories:angel