Kori Ellis
05-14-2005, 12:05 AM
Buck Harvey: Daniels turns hellish: An ex-Spur who excels
Web Posted: 05/14/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA051405.1C.COL.BKNharvey.270680463.html
SEATTLE — In Gregg Popovich's hell, he's on an island with a thousand reporters. And he's coaching Jerome James.
In this hell, microphones keep reaching out to James, asking him for one more opinion, and Popovich stands helpless nearby.
In this hell, Popovich is also required to wear an Italian suit, drink supermarket wine and watch the Spurs miss 15 free throws.
But if Popovich could never live on earth with James, who says all the wrong things, then there are others, too, who make the list.
Such as Antonio Daniels, who always tried to say the right things.
AD said them in public, usually with a smile, which is why he was wellliked in San Antonio. He was a Spur for four years, winning a ring in 1999, and he earned a place in the community.
He also has a place in San Antonio. He and his wife, Sonia, bought a 12,000-square-foot mansion in the Hill Country last September, and Daniels says — because of the long season — he's spent five nights in it thus far.
There were reasons to think he'd be there fulltime as a Spur. Daniels is athletic, a good shooter, a good finisher and an even better friend of Tim Duncan. Both Duncan and Malik Rose were groomsmen in his wedding.
So what happened in the summer of 2002? Why did the Spurs trade him to Portland for essentially Steve Kerr, when Kerr hadn't worked out in his first stint in San Antonio?
Daniels points to an incident that summer after a summer-league game, when a brief confrontation made the local news. "Right after that happened," Daniel told Seattle reporters, "was when trade talks started."
But there was more, and it shows how consumed Popovich's Spurs are with attitude. Daniels wasn't James, but he also wasn't exactly what the Spurs wanted, either.
One Spurs player used the word "cancer" to describe Daniels then, but that's too harsh. More accurately, Daniels wasn't always pulling the rope the same direction as everyone else.
He didn't take criticism well. He didn't like the pressure of being a point guard. And too often he put a sour tone in the locker room.
The franchise saw more in the future. The Spurs traded for Speedy Claxton to be Tony Parker's fulltime backup, then signed Manu Ginobili to pair with Stephen Jackson. When Daniels' minutes fell, wouldn't his attitude worsen?
So they traded him for Kerr, figuring at least Kerr made the locker room better for everyone. And the deal worked out as they never imagined; when Kerr came off the bench in the playoffs, with the perfect approach and the perfect 3-point stroke, he helped win a title.
But the deal worked out for Daniels, too. He moved from Portland to Seattle, and along the way he says he grew up.
That maturation time is not uncommon. Chauncey Billups was taken third in the 1997 draft, one slot ahead of Daniels, and he also needed a few years and a few teams to find himself.
Daniels credits Ray Allen for helping him ("He shows up 31/2 hours early for games"), and he credits the Spurs. "Almost everything I know about basketball, I learned in San Antonio," Daniels told Seattle reporters last week. "And for that, I can never have any regrets. That place was like the perfect place for me."
He says he gained this perspective like a son who realizes later in life what his parents were talking about. "When I look back, I understand what Pop was trying to do," he said Friday. "He was only trying to help me get better. I took criticism the wrong way sometimes. Now I respond better to coaching."
He responds, in fact, as Popovich would have wanted him to. When Brent Barry went to the Spurs, the Sonics passed over Daniels to start Luke Ridnour at point guard.
Daniels handled it well, partly out of experience. Parker earlier jumped over Daniels.
And after James went live on ESPN Thursday night, announcing how he had no respect for the Spurs, Daniels shook his head. "We don't need to do that," Daniels said.
But Daniels did more in Game 3. Then he acted like the oldest Sonic that he is, scoring 10 of his points in the fourth quarter. His 12-for-12 mark from the free-throw line was also in direct contrast to the Spurs.
And when Daniels tossed in the deciding points?
It wasn't Popovich's hell, but it was close.
Web Posted: 05/14/2005 12:00 AM CDT
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA051405.1C.COL.BKNharvey.270680463.html
SEATTLE — In Gregg Popovich's hell, he's on an island with a thousand reporters. And he's coaching Jerome James.
In this hell, microphones keep reaching out to James, asking him for one more opinion, and Popovich stands helpless nearby.
In this hell, Popovich is also required to wear an Italian suit, drink supermarket wine and watch the Spurs miss 15 free throws.
But if Popovich could never live on earth with James, who says all the wrong things, then there are others, too, who make the list.
Such as Antonio Daniels, who always tried to say the right things.
AD said them in public, usually with a smile, which is why he was wellliked in San Antonio. He was a Spur for four years, winning a ring in 1999, and he earned a place in the community.
He also has a place in San Antonio. He and his wife, Sonia, bought a 12,000-square-foot mansion in the Hill Country last September, and Daniels says — because of the long season — he's spent five nights in it thus far.
There were reasons to think he'd be there fulltime as a Spur. Daniels is athletic, a good shooter, a good finisher and an even better friend of Tim Duncan. Both Duncan and Malik Rose were groomsmen in his wedding.
So what happened in the summer of 2002? Why did the Spurs trade him to Portland for essentially Steve Kerr, when Kerr hadn't worked out in his first stint in San Antonio?
Daniels points to an incident that summer after a summer-league game, when a brief confrontation made the local news. "Right after that happened," Daniel told Seattle reporters, "was when trade talks started."
But there was more, and it shows how consumed Popovich's Spurs are with attitude. Daniels wasn't James, but he also wasn't exactly what the Spurs wanted, either.
One Spurs player used the word "cancer" to describe Daniels then, but that's too harsh. More accurately, Daniels wasn't always pulling the rope the same direction as everyone else.
He didn't take criticism well. He didn't like the pressure of being a point guard. And too often he put a sour tone in the locker room.
The franchise saw more in the future. The Spurs traded for Speedy Claxton to be Tony Parker's fulltime backup, then signed Manu Ginobili to pair with Stephen Jackson. When Daniels' minutes fell, wouldn't his attitude worsen?
So they traded him for Kerr, figuring at least Kerr made the locker room better for everyone. And the deal worked out as they never imagined; when Kerr came off the bench in the playoffs, with the perfect approach and the perfect 3-point stroke, he helped win a title.
But the deal worked out for Daniels, too. He moved from Portland to Seattle, and along the way he says he grew up.
That maturation time is not uncommon. Chauncey Billups was taken third in the 1997 draft, one slot ahead of Daniels, and he also needed a few years and a few teams to find himself.
Daniels credits Ray Allen for helping him ("He shows up 31/2 hours early for games"), and he credits the Spurs. "Almost everything I know about basketball, I learned in San Antonio," Daniels told Seattle reporters last week. "And for that, I can never have any regrets. That place was like the perfect place for me."
He says he gained this perspective like a son who realizes later in life what his parents were talking about. "When I look back, I understand what Pop was trying to do," he said Friday. "He was only trying to help me get better. I took criticism the wrong way sometimes. Now I respond better to coaching."
He responds, in fact, as Popovich would have wanted him to. When Brent Barry went to the Spurs, the Sonics passed over Daniels to start Luke Ridnour at point guard.
Daniels handled it well, partly out of experience. Parker earlier jumped over Daniels.
And after James went live on ESPN Thursday night, announcing how he had no respect for the Spurs, Daniels shook his head. "We don't need to do that," Daniels said.
But Daniels did more in Game 3. Then he acted like the oldest Sonic that he is, scoring 10 of his points in the fourth quarter. His 12-for-12 mark from the free-throw line was also in direct contrast to the Spurs.
And when Daniels tossed in the deciding points?
It wasn't Popovich's hell, but it was close.