duncan228
03-08-2010, 05:08 PM
A broken hand, and Finley's bruised ego (http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/buckharvey/2010/03/michael-finley-was-in-a.html)
By Buck Harvey
CLEVELAND -- Michael Finley wore a suit Sunday night on the Boston bench, and he might wear a uniform Tuesday in Milwaukee.
His fellow Chicagoan, Doc Rivers, might want to reward him with minutes, too.
But everything Finley wanted is back with his old team. When Tony Parker broke his shooting hand, Finley would have had opportunities to warm up his.
For that, Finley can blame timing.
And ego.
Naturally, Finley would prefer not to see it this way. Asked by the Boston media what went wrong in San Antonio, he said:
"This all happened within a week, a week or two span. It was something that started as something little and I think it just erupted. I think both sides, myself and the Spurs organization, there was a mutual split. I have no hard feelings with them, it was just something they were willing to do, and I was man enough to be ready to make that move."
He got the timeline right. He went to Gregg Popovich after the All-Star break, when he got a string of DNPs. For Finley, this was a new experience. He was not accustomed to sitting an entire game.
It could have "started as something little," and it could have "erupted," too. Finley is a prideful man, and Popovich is a direct one.
But the Spurs weren't looking to release Finley. It was mutual only because the Spurs agreed to his wishes.
As for Finley being "man enough to be ready to make that move:" His manliness might have been the problem.
After all, his desire to switch teams never made much sense, and he admitted as much in Boston. "Unfortunately, for me, I couldn't finish something that I had in San Antonio because the role was something that I really didn't agree with," Finley told the media there. "But here, hopefully the situation will be different, but you never know, it may be the same. But I'm happy with my situation now and I'm definitely going to make the most of it."
So the situation might be the same -- but Finley says he is happy now?
It's one thing to lose your time on the floor with those you have played with for years. It's another to be the newcomer who isn't expected to play much.
It might be easier, too, to watch Ray Allen in your spot instead of Keith Bogans. And maybe there was a career concern as well. The Spurs were not likely going to bring back Finley next year; this way, maybe he finds a niche within Rivers' roster.
Still, all of Finley's reasons were scrambled just a week after he and the Spurs agreed to part. Parker's injury changes a lot of roles, and it's likely it would have changed Finley's had he stayed.
Proof: When Parker missed a game at the end of February in Houston because of food poisoning, who started in his place?
Finley.
__________
For those looking for Finley to wear No. 4 in green, look again. "Well, all the good numbers were taken," he kidded. "I was going to go for 33 (Larry Bird), that was gone, 32 (Kevin McHale) was gone, so I decided on 40. I couldn't get 4, I was two weeks too late to get my No. 4 with Nate Robinson coming over, so I just added an imaginary zero to it and made it 40."
*********************
The Boston piece the Finley quote comes from.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4975025
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4142644&postcount=108
By Buck Harvey
CLEVELAND -- Michael Finley wore a suit Sunday night on the Boston bench, and he might wear a uniform Tuesday in Milwaukee.
His fellow Chicagoan, Doc Rivers, might want to reward him with minutes, too.
But everything Finley wanted is back with his old team. When Tony Parker broke his shooting hand, Finley would have had opportunities to warm up his.
For that, Finley can blame timing.
And ego.
Naturally, Finley would prefer not to see it this way. Asked by the Boston media what went wrong in San Antonio, he said:
"This all happened within a week, a week or two span. It was something that started as something little and I think it just erupted. I think both sides, myself and the Spurs organization, there was a mutual split. I have no hard feelings with them, it was just something they were willing to do, and I was man enough to be ready to make that move."
He got the timeline right. He went to Gregg Popovich after the All-Star break, when he got a string of DNPs. For Finley, this was a new experience. He was not accustomed to sitting an entire game.
It could have "started as something little," and it could have "erupted," too. Finley is a prideful man, and Popovich is a direct one.
But the Spurs weren't looking to release Finley. It was mutual only because the Spurs agreed to his wishes.
As for Finley being "man enough to be ready to make that move:" His manliness might have been the problem.
After all, his desire to switch teams never made much sense, and he admitted as much in Boston. "Unfortunately, for me, I couldn't finish something that I had in San Antonio because the role was something that I really didn't agree with," Finley told the media there. "But here, hopefully the situation will be different, but you never know, it may be the same. But I'm happy with my situation now and I'm definitely going to make the most of it."
So the situation might be the same -- but Finley says he is happy now?
It's one thing to lose your time on the floor with those you have played with for years. It's another to be the newcomer who isn't expected to play much.
It might be easier, too, to watch Ray Allen in your spot instead of Keith Bogans. And maybe there was a career concern as well. The Spurs were not likely going to bring back Finley next year; this way, maybe he finds a niche within Rivers' roster.
Still, all of Finley's reasons were scrambled just a week after he and the Spurs agreed to part. Parker's injury changes a lot of roles, and it's likely it would have changed Finley's had he stayed.
Proof: When Parker missed a game at the end of February in Houston because of food poisoning, who started in his place?
Finley.
__________
For those looking for Finley to wear No. 4 in green, look again. "Well, all the good numbers were taken," he kidded. "I was going to go for 33 (Larry Bird), that was gone, 32 (Kevin McHale) was gone, so I decided on 40. I couldn't get 4, I was two weeks too late to get my No. 4 with Nate Robinson coming over, so I just added an imaginary zero to it and made it 40."
*********************
The Boston piece the Finley quote comes from.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4975025
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4142644&postcount=108