I think its awesome

[I. Hustle]

how we are the last team to get a number one pick. I mean, the way other teams fans say stuff like "Well if our team drafted David" or "If our team drafted Tim. How scary would it be if other teams had number one picks since 1997?

Also glad that those other teams respected us enough to pick someone other than Tony and Manu in their draft year's.

[Kidd K]

Well to be honest, we were lucky to get Duncan. Pop did intentionally tank to try and get Duncan, and it paid off.

If we didn't get Duncan we still would've figured something out and probably won a title anyway, but I don't see how we could've won 4 without Duncan.

Still, I get your point. Every team in NBA history gets multiple high draft picks. The Spurs have only had THREE high picks in the last what, 25 years? Many teams get high picks year after year, and don't do anything with the great players they draft. No reason to keep harping on who we drafted two years out of the last 25 when the other 248 top 10 picks went to the rest of the NBA in that time.

[Obstructed_View]

Given Pop's long long track record of not risking injury to players that are banged up, I'm less and less on the church of Timmytanking as time goes on.

[I. Hustle]

I'm just sayin, there have been 14 drafts since Tim which means 14 number one picks. Sure Pop is a great coach because of Tim but how many other opportunities have there been for other teams and they haven't been able to do it.

[tesseractive]

I'm just sayin, there have been 14 drafts since Tim which means 14 number one picks. Sure Pop is a great coach because of Tim but how many other opportunities have there been for other teams and they haven't been able to do it.

The argument is that the Spurs had already built a perennial playoff team around David, so Tim was not only (1) Exceptional far beyond a typical #1 pick, but (2) had the bizarre good fortune to land on a team that was already good.

#1 picks on other years like Andrew Bogut, Joe Smith, and Elton Brand weren't nearly at the same talent level. Other exceptional #1 picks like LeBron and Dwight Howard landed on crappy teams instead of on contenders. So Pop ended up with the dream scenario for becoming a dynasty team.

That's the argument anyway. Of course, it fails to explain how our weak draft position landed us guys like Ginobili, TP, or George Hill, or the front office's smart evaluations in picking up missing pieces like Bowen, Horry (a lot of people thought he was done after '03), Brent, Neal, Diaw, Green, etc. There have been misfires too (see: RJ), but the overall average has been strikingly high.