ESPN: How NBA players seldom know when they've played their last game

[Chinook]

This actually seems like a solid piece. But just wanted to quote this part (http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17681576/how-nba-players-seldom-know-retire):


Some players warrant a courtesy second look because of their championship pedigree. Yet it doesn't take much time for them to be exposed if they've stayed out of the game too long.

"We had a player who had been good for us who wanted to come back midseason," says San Antonio general manager R.C. Buford. "He came in and did a 15-minute workout with us. It was tough to watch. We told him, 'Man, you don't want to do this to yourself. We won't let you do this to yourself.'"


Buford declined to identify the player. "I don't want to embarrass him," he says.

Who do you guys think it is? It's not Bonner, as he was on the team. Maybe Dice? Or Blair? Guess it could be Jack as well, but I feel like that bridge is burned.

[Amuseddaysleeper]

This actually seems like a solid piece. But just wanted to quote this part (http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17681576/how-nba-players-seldom-know-retire):



Who do you guys think it is? It's not Bonner, as he was on the team. Maybe Dice? Or Blair? Guess it could be Jack as well, but I feel like that bridge is burned.

Dice and Blair are good choices, maybe it was TJ Ford? I know his back injury was brutal.

[K...]

ower forward Carlos Boozer didn't play in the NBA last season but contacted the Spurs last spring and told them he wanted back in. Buford suggested he play in San Antonio's June minicamp, but Boozer declined. "Then he was going to come for a piece of our summer league, but then he said, 'Nah, I'm not going to do that, either,'" Buford says. "So we moved on. How can we evaluate him if he's not playing?" Boozer ended up signing with the Guangdong Tigers in China on July 30.

There's that too.

[Spursfanfromafar]

McDyess..?

[look_at_g_shred]

Well it says championship pedigree so maybe it was McDyess.

[Chinook]

Well it says championship pedigree so maybe it was McDyess.

Eh, both Dice and Blair have the same championship experience. Jack at least won one ring. The issue is that if this player won a ring with SA, then there's a huge gap. Would probably be someone on the 07 roster. Oberto, maybe?

[SAGirl]

I thought Blair but I don't go way back... and this could be about anyone in the past 10 seasons for example.

As an aside reminds me of how out of place Lorbek looked in summer league. He's probably recovered from his set of injuries and trained bc he wanted to get his career back, but he has been out of the game too long and looked out of shape and super slow and not slowmo slow, slow like he couldn't breath or react in time. No one who saw him would have thought he had been a European star 3 seasons ago.

[Chinook]

I thought Blair but I don't go way back... and this could be about anyone in the past 10 seasons for example.

As an aside reminds me of how out of place Lorbek looked in summer league. He's probably recovered from his set of injuries and trained bc he wanted to get his career back, but he has been out of the game too long and looked out of shape and super slow and not slowmo slow, slow like he couldn't breath or react in time. No one who saw him would have thought he had been a European star 3 seasons ago.

Yeah. Lorbek is probably what it looked like. Could see them telling Erazem that he's done.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Might see that out of Zheenobeelee this year... sad but true...

[MaNu4Tres]

I told Blair game 5 or 7 (cant remember) of the Mavs series in 14' that he'd be out of the league in 3 years after his cheap shot on Splitter. He looked at me like I was crazy. ( I was only 2 beers in at the time too.)

[FromWayDowntown]

Yeah, my guess is that guy was either Bruce Bowen or Robert Horry. Spurs could have used either by midseason 2009 and neither had been playing in the league, which seems to be a likely reason that an older guy would look done in a 15 minute workout.

[dabom]

I told Blair game 5 or 7 (cant remember) of the Mavs series in 14' that he'd be out of the league in 3 years after his cheap shot on Splitter. He looked at me like I was crazy. ( I was only 2 beers in at the time too.)

:lol

[Chinook]

Yeah, my guess is that guy was either Bruce Bowen or Robert Horry. Spurs could have used either by midseason 2009 and neither had been playing in the league, which seems to be a likely reason that an older guy would look done in a 15 minute workout.

Didn't Pop tell Horry he was done after the 08 season? Could be Bowen, but I feel like in both of those cases, the team already thought both guys were done, which is why they hadn't been on the roster. Feel like the comeback attempt would've been by a player who left the team while he could still play and who believed he had previously retired on "his terms". Or just Blair.

[FromWayDowntown]

Didn't Pop tell Horry he was done after the 08 season? Could be Bowen, but I feel like in both of those cases, the team already thought both guys were done, which is why they hadn't been on the roster. Feel like the comeback attempt would've been by a player who left the team while he could still play and who believed he had previously retired on "his terms". Or just Blair.

Bowen had been traded to Milwaukee to get Jefferson, but he never played in MIL. I don't know that the Spurs thought he was completely done -- in the 2008 playoffs, Bowen changed the series with NO by shifting over to Stojakovic and erasing him over the last 5 games and in the 2008 West Finals, only Duncan and Parker played more minutes for the Spurs than Bowen did. I've long believed that Bowen was dealt at that point not because the Spurs thought he was done, but because they thought RJ would consume virtually all of the SF minutes.

For whatever reason, that anecdote made me most immediately think of Bowen. I'd concede that Horry is a longer shot as the answer, though the obviousness of a decline was probably more pronounced by that point with Horry than with Bowen.

[SPURt]

Didn't Oberto try a comeback a few years ago?

[Spurtacular]

If you're a sh** 36 year-old guard like Steve Blake, you've long outlived your usefulness, anyways. Hard to believe sh** like that was ever taking a spot while Jimmer's talents went wasted.

[Spurtacular]

I told Blair game 5 or 7 (cant remember) of the Mavs series in 14' that he'd be out of the league in 3 years after his cheap shot on Splitter. He looked at me like I was crazy. ( I was only 2 beers in at the time too.)

A lot of these players don't get that their drama is a tax that detracts from their worth.

[phxspurfan]

I also thought Horry

[RD2191]

Tony Parker perhaps?

[GSH]

My first two thoughts were Bruce or Sean.

[Hoops Czar]

This actually seems like a solid piece. But just wanted to quote this part (http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17681576/how-nba-players-seldom-know-retire):



Who do you guys think it is? It's not Bonner, as he was on the team. Maybe Dice? Or Blair? Guess it could be Jack as well, but I feel like that bridge is burned.

Probably Bowen, maybe Finley. Horry is another possibility but IIRC, the Spurs wanted him back and he chose to stay retired.

[tonight...you]

David West, tbh.

[tbdog]

This actually seems like a solid piece. But just wanted to quote this part (http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/17681576/how-nba-players-seldom-know-retire):



Who do you guys think it is? It's not Bonner, as he was on the team. Maybe Dice? Or Blair? Guess it could be Jack as well, but I feel like that bridge is burned.

Karl Malone or Robert Horry(?) is my guess. I know Malone wanted to come and play midseason for the spurs. He ended up retiring. I seldom remember Horry doing the same thing. We know Horry has championship pedigree, you could say Malone has championship pedigree intentions.

[tonight...you]

Karl Malone or Robert Horry(?) is my guess. I know Malone wanted to come and play midseason for the spurs. He ended up retiring. I seldom remember Horry doing the same thing. We know Horry has championship pedigree, you could say Malone has championship pedigree intentions.
Remember: Buford was referring to a player that had done well for them before. I think Malone is not who he was talking about.

[Kawhitstorm]

Didn't Finley attempt a comeback mid-season in '12-'13 before T-Mac was signed: http://www.espn.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/8664213/michael-finley-former-nba-all-star-attempting-comeback-player-sources-say


Sources: Michael Finley eyes playing

Nov 23, 2012

http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=//i/columnists/stein_marc_m.jpg&w=80&h=80&scale=cropMarc SteinESPN Senior Writer

[tbdog]

Finley was out of the rotation and requested a trade. I think the Spurs knew he was done and wouldn't have worked him out.

PS thanks for the correction, tonight...you

So the consensus is Horry, maybe Dyse.

[Maddog]

Didn't Finley attempt a comeback mid-season in '12-'13 before T-Mac was signed: http://www.espn.com/dallas/nba/story/_/id/8664213/michael-finley-former-nba-all-star-attempting-comeback-player-sources-say

That was my first thought

[baseline bum]

Bowen had been traded to Milwaukee to get Jefferson, but he never played in MIL. I don't know that the Spurs thought he was completely done -- in the 2008 playoffs, Bowen changed the series with NO by shifting over to Stojakovic and erasing him over the last 5 games and in the 2008 West Finals, only Duncan and Parker played more minutes for the Spurs than Bowen did. I've long believed that Bowen was dealt at that point not because the Spurs thought he was done, but because they thought RJ would consume virtually all of the SF minutes.

For whatever reason, that anecdote made me most immediately think of Bowen. I'd concede that Horry is a longer shot as the answer, though the obviousness of a decline was probably more pronounced by that point with Horry than with Bowen.

It sounds like Rob, his weight ballooned right after he retired. I can't imagine it was Bruce, I remember seeing him at the Valero Texas Open in 2010 and he looked like he was still in playing shape.

[baseline bum]

Karl Malone or Robert Horry(?) is my guess. I know Malone wanted to come and play midseason for the spurs. He ended up retiring. I seldom remember Horry doing the same thing. We know Horry has championship pedigree, you could say Malone has championship pedigree intentions.

I can't imagine it was Malone, that guy was an athletic freak.

[apalisoc_9]

It sounds like Rob, his weight ballooned right after he retired. I can't imagine it was Bruce, I remember seeing him at the Valero Texas Open in 2010 and he looked like he was still in playing shape.

A lot of nba guys keep in shape even after their careers..I dont think thats any indication of their actual athletic decline.

But I know Bruce was decent in 08 playoffs when Pop was forced to play him so im leaning towards horry too.

[tmtcsc]

Antonio Daniels or Malik Rose maybe?

[tmtcsc]

Maybe Brent Barry? He still lives in town.

[Hoops Czar]

Maybe Brent Barry? He still lives in town.

Not with Parker on the team, he wouldn't.

[tmtcsc]

Not with Parker on the team, he wouldn't.

Good point.

[gospursgojas]

Prob Manu, but Manu didn't listen and thus we paid him 14 mil.

[SAGirl]

Prob Manu, but Manu didn't listen and thus we paid him 14 mil.

He's probably going to earn it carrying scrubs or didn't you hear that? :lol

[Hoops Czar]

He's probably going to earn it carrying scrubs or didn't you hear that? :lol


Agreed... but, why the blue font?

[DeRozan m8]

I can't believe its finally happened, BONNER IS GONE!!!

What a time to be alive

[SAGirl]

Agreed... but, why the blue font?

Bc I don't think he's in a position to carry anybody, obviously. He will help but if others don't step up their own games, Ginobili is past the age where he will save them. That is just too much to ask at his age. I do hope his shot doesn't desert him. I have heard or read that is the last thing to leave and he still has it.

[ElNono]

I can't believe its finally happened, BONNER IS GONE!!!

What a time to be alive

[DarrinS]

My guess is Rob or Bruce.

[wildbill2u]

First guy I thought of was Jax. He has the ego to think he could come back.

[Blackjack]

Sean made an attempt awhile back when they were thin on the wing. He mentioned it on a telecast.

[goliath]

Sean made an attempt awhile back when they were thin on the wing. He mentioned it on a telecast.

I remember that as well. Was the mid 2000s. That was the 1st person I thought of when i read the article

[Chinook]

Sean made an attempt awhile back when they were thin on the wing. He mentioned it on a telecast.

I hope that means like 15 years ago and not like in 2012.

[Blackjack]

I want to say it was between'02-'04. Definitely thinking early-to-mid '00s.

[DMC]

Could be Rob but Fin also wanted to come back as I recall.

[NameLess Scrub]

Bc I don't think he's in a position to carry anybody, obviously. He will help but if others don't step up their own games, Ginobili is past the age where he will save them. That is just too much to ask at his age. I do hope his shot doesn't desert him. I have heard or read that is the last thing to leave and he still has it.

Idk.. my shot is pretty dependent on the condition of my legs.

I'm a NameLess Scrub though..

[SAGirl]

Idk.. my shot is pretty dependent on the condition of my legs.

I'm a NameLess Scrub though..
It's the last thing to leave Kobe, shot horribly and showed he should have retired sooner than he did. Tim, was still good defensively despite limited mobility bc he maximized everything else he had including knowledge of the game, but his shot abandoned him when his one good knee went south and there are many other examples I am sure. Ginobili had a great individual shooting season last year and if he's keeping his percentages he can help the team for sure. I just think he's past the age where he can rescue others if they are not performing. They will need Mills to shoot well, and Anderson to grow up as a player and take a bigger offensive load.

[NameLess Scrub]

It's the last thing to leave Kobe, shot horribly and showed he should have retired sooner than he did. Tim, was still good defensively despite limited mobility bc he maximized everything else he had including knowledge of the game, but his shot abandoned him when his one good knee went south and there are many other examples I am sure. Ginobili had a great individual shooting season last year and if he's keeping his percentages he can help the team for sure. I just think he's past the age where he can rescue others if they are not performing. They will need Mills to shoot well, and Anderson to grow up as a player and take a bigger offensive load.

I concur.