Harvey: Robinson's Slip -- Just That

[duncan228]

Robinson's slip -- just that (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/buckharvey/2009/09/robinsons-slip----just-that.html)
By Buck Harvey

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- David Robinson rattled off a list of names on Friday night. He mentioned, among others, the late Angelo Drossos, and Drossos wasn't involved with the Spurs by the time Robinson suited up.

But among the people Robinson never singled out was sitting prominently in an aisle seat in Symphony Hall, near the front.

Gregg Popovich. Popovich not only coached Robinson to his two titles, he was also there in the beginning as one of Larry Brown's assistants.

So what happened?

Nothing. Robinson would never use such a night to exclude anyone. More than likely, Robinson deviated from his speech and was random in his thoughts.

Someone else wasn't mentioned, after all. Sean Elliott.
___________

But as one coach was forgotten, another coach was literally center stage. And this was just as odd. Brown was one of Robinson's presenters, though the two were never close. If anything, this lack of connection is a reason Brown wanted out of San Antonio.

Robinson did something similar on opening night in 1999, too. The 76ers were in town, with Brown coaching, on the same night the Spurs were given their championship rings. Robinson got his and walked over to Brown for a handshake.
___________

Popovich will have his moment in Springfield, no matter. He, too, will be in the Hall of Fame someday. And given the nature of coaches, and how they are often voted in while still active, he will likely get here before Tim Duncan does.

[Phenomanul]

Yeah... I noticed that yesterday as I was watching his speech... I could imagine this sort of slip up is very common due to time restriction they were given and in no way meant to disrespect the bond Robinson has with Popovich....

[whottt]

David hates Pop...and Elliott.

[FromWayDowntown]

I thought it odder that David failed to mention Sean Elliott, since the two might well be the two Spurs teammates who played the most games together over the course of a career, than that he omitted Popovich.

[gospursgojas]

Its cool...Dave didnt mention me either.

Im not trippin over it

[MarHill]

I wished DRob got more time for his speech. I know he would have mention Pop and Sean.

[cherylsteele]

DRob mentioned off the bat that he was only allotted so much time for his speech, which was about 8 minutes, compare this to MJ who was allowed 24 minutes or so.

Why don't they give inductee equal time, like they do at the Oscars and Grammys?

[whottt]

DRob mentioned off the bat that he was only allotted so much time for his speech, which was about 8 minutes, compare this to MJ who was allowed 24 minutes or so.

Why don't they give inductee equal time, like they do at the Oscars and Grammys?

Spurs don't draw ratings. And for some reason ESPN has always done that to David Robinson. Just like when he scored 71 points...we didn't stop hearing about when Kobe had his big game for a year...greatest ever!

It's been 16 years since David did it, and we just now got to see the game where he did it.


If there was no TV schedule they wouldn't have had the time constraints you were talking about...was ESPN that did that to David.

[SenorSpur]

I looked at the Pop and Elliott omissions as pure oversights on Dave's part. He seemed to be forced to ad-lib because of the time constraints. I would have really liked to have heard his prepared speech. It was also very odd that HE went first. If there was ever a true "second banana" on the inductee group - it was him. Damn HOF event planners.

[tmtcsc]

David hates public speaking. It makes him sweat, throw up and stutter. I'm sure he was just glad not to have fainted up there. He loves Pop and Sean. No worries and those guys would be the first to forgive him.

2 cents.

[bigbendbruisebrother]

David has always been flighty when a mic is in front of him, and this speech was no exception. The man lives family first; he didn't need to spend his time emphasizing that--we all see and know it. I thought the worst part of his speech was when he singled out his oldest kid as his "namesake" and said he hoped he had given him something he would "want to live up to." Now THAT is some pressure. He should've stuck to his notes.

@ whott: Do you really think David Robinson hates anyone? That doesn't seem to be in the man's composition.

[ShoogarBear]

Robinson is pissed at Pop for making him fake injuries during the 96-97 season.

And he's pissed at Sean for not seeing him wide open under the basket against the Blazers on Memorial Day.

[balli]

The omission aside it wasn't a great speech, but neither was Stockton's... and they were both better than Jordan's, if not near as good as Sloan's.

The one thing that I took from D-Rob is what I always take from D-Rob, he's a genuinely nice, authentic, passionate human being who's appreciative of those around him (whether he specifically said it about Pop and Sean or not). So yeah, his hokey brand of enthusiasm and lack of prepared remarks didn't make for a great speech, but they made for a nice moment.

[Shaolin-Style]

Yeah I kinda felt bad for Pop not getting a mention but Drob was just in a hurry and thanking as many people as he could. You know he'd include him, and I'm sure Pop knows that himself.

[Obstructed_View]

Ron Artest got more airtime when he signed with the Lakers.

[Admiral]

David hates public speaking. It makes him sweat, throw up and stutter. I'm sure he was just glad not to have fainted up there. He loves Pop and Sean. No worries and those guys would be the first to forgive him.

2 cents.

David Robinson? :lol He does plenty of public speaking and is very good at it.

[Phenomanul]

The omission aside it wasn't a great speech, but neither was Stockton's... and they were both better than Jordan's, if not near as good as Sloan's.

The one thing that I took from D-Rob is what I always take from D-Rob, he's a genuinely nice, authentic, passionate human being who's appreciative of those around him (whether he specifically said it about Pop and Sean or not). So yeah, his hokey brand of enthusiasm and lack of prepared remarks didn't make for a great speech, but they made for a nice moment.


That's just it... he had a prepared speech...

The NBA planners just didn't have enough time for it... because they wanted to give Jordan 3x the amount of facetime...

[all_heart]

David has always been flighty when a mic is in front of him, and this speech was no exception. The man lives family first; he didn't need to spend his time emphasizing that--we all see and know it. I thought the worst part of his speech was when he singled out his oldest kid as his "namesake" and said he hoped he had given him something he would "want to live up to." Now THAT is some pressure. He should've stuck to his notes.

@ whott: Do you really think David Robinson hates anyone? That doesn't seem to be in the man's composition.

Because he is a family man, he used the opportunity to send a message to his son. I thought it was great, so long as his son grows up to a good responsible person he'll be fine in DRobs' eyes.

I think forgetting to mention Pop and Sean are just oversights, I'm sure David is not the type of person who would purposely leave somebody out.

[easjer]

Robinson is pissed at Pop for making him fake injuries during the 96-97 season.

And he's pissed at Sean for not seeing him wide open under the basket against the Blazers on Memorial Day.

Heh.

[tmtcsc]

David Robinson? :lol He does plenty of public speaking and is very good at it.

Riiiighhttt.....his thoughts don't ramble, he doesn't squint his eyes when he's trying to think of the next thing to say. Look, I love the guy but unless he's preaching, he struggles when he speaks to large audiences. Did you notice when he quoted a Bible verse that it was the strongest part of his speech ?

There's nothing wrong with him, its just not his greatest strength. A lot of people in here have a hard time with it too.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

David hates public speaking. It makes him sweat, throw up and stutter. I'm sure he was just glad not to have fainted up there. He loves Pop and Sean. No worries and those guys would be the first to forgive him.

2 cents.


Riiiighhttt.....his thoughts don't ramble, he doesn't squint his eyes when he's trying to think of the next thing to say. Look, I love the guy but unless he's preaching, he struggles when he speaks to large audiences. Did you notice when he quoted a Bible verse that it was the strongest part of his speech ?

There's nothing wrong with him, its just not his greatest strength. A lot of people in here have a hard time with it too.

Ah-ha, and there you have it! David's a fantastic preacher, as we saw in the last minute of his speech when he spoke clearly and with true conviction. He's also probably pretty good with a prepared speech. However, to deliver a good off-the-cuff, ad hoc speech you have to be very practiced at it, and that's clearly not David's strength. I don't think it ruined the moment though, because...


The omission aside it wasn't a great speech, but neither was Stockton's... and they were both better than Jordan's, if not near as good as Sloan's.

The one thing that I took from D-Rob is what I always take from D-Rob, he's a genuinely nice, authentic, passionate human being who's appreciative of those around him (whether he specifically said it about Pop and Sean or not). So yeah, his hokey brand of enthusiasm and lack of prepared remarks didn't make for a great speech, but they made for a nice moment.

I think that sums it up pretty well.

[Taco]

David hates Pop...and Elliott.

And wished Bob Hill was still Coach (FIXED)

:lol

[silverblackfan]

Although he went off the script and missed a few mentions, I thought the speech are very enjoyable and genuine to watch.

[whottt]

Riiiighhttt.....his thoughts don't ramble, he doesn't squint his eyes when he's trying to think of the next thing to say. Look, I love the guy but unless he's preaching, he struggles when he speaks to large audiences. Did you notice when he quoted a Bible verse that it was the strongest part of his speech ?

There's nothing wrong with him, its just not his greatest strength. A lot of people in here have a hard time with it too.

He was named to like 52 NBA All Interview View First Teams, seriously...I think he holds the the record(if there is one.) and he was voted the best interview by reporters a few times.

[ShoogarBear]

He was named to like 52 NBA All Interview View First Teams, seriously...I think he holds the the record(if there is one.) and he was voted the best interview by reporters a few times.

As all DRob experts know, his vocabulary grew 500% between high school and college.

[tmtcsc]

He was named to like 52 NBA All Interview View First Teams, seriously...I think he holds the the record(if there is one.) and he was voted the best interview by reporters a few times.

Whott, I think it had more to with him always willing to face the music in good times and bad. He always stepped up to the plate and answered the media questions.

In any case, I still think I'm not making my point correctly. It's one thing to speak to a few reporters and a totally different one to have an audience of hundreds or thousands and having the spot light on him. Like Oz mentioned, trying to be witty and trying to deliver a written speech are two different things.

I'm so happy for David. He deserves every award he gets. It was great to see him being honored and I'm proud that he's a San Antonian..

[manufan10]

I remember when he almost forgot about Tim Duncan when they had his jersey retirement. :lol

[duncan228]

I remember when he almost forgot about Tim Duncan when they had his jersey retirement. :lol

"This franchise is in great hands."

(Sorry, lousy quality)
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