CubanMustGo
06-12-2007, 10:32 AM
I guess the Spurs' success isn't "boring" to owners & GMs ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/sports/basketball/12nba.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin
Spurs’ Winning Culture Has Other Teams Wanting the Secret
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/06/12/sports/12spurs.1.600.jpg
Many former Spurs cite Coach Gregg Popovich, pointing, as a key to San Antonio’s sustained success.
By HOWARD BECK
Published: June 12, 2007
SAN ANTONIO, June 11 — Tim Duncan’s team is halfway to its fourth championship, and in the distance, one can almost hear the commemorative DVDs being pressed and labeled.
By dominating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first two games of the N.B.A. finals, the San Antonio Spurs, led by Duncan, are again setting the standard for precision, dedication and teamwork. The greatest tribute to the Spurs’ way, however, had already been delivered, through a flurry of news releases from the other corners of the league.
On June 6, the Phoenix Suns named Steve Kerr, a key player on the Spurs’ first two championship teams, their president for basketball operations. The next day, the Seattle SuperSonics hired Sam Presti, the Spurs’ assistant general manager, to be their general manager.
The Cavaliers’ first trip to the finals has been presided over by two former Spurs — General Manager Danny Ferry (formerly San Antonio’s director of basketball operations) and Coach Mike Brown (a former Spurs assistant).
Three months ago, the Portland Trail Blazers named Kevin Pritchard, a former Spurs scout, as their general manager.
The only thing hotter than Tony Parker’s shooting hand is the N.B.A. shopping spree for Spurs brainpower.
It all prompts R. C. Buford, San Antonio’s modest general manager, to quip:
“I’m going to go to the East, because in the West, you’ve got all the smart guys,” a reference to Kerr, Presti and Pritchard. “In the East, all I’ve got to do is compete with Ferry. So we’ve got to figure out a way to get the Spurs in the East.”
The Spurs’ DNA is spreading across the N.B.A. at an even faster rate than the banners across the AT&T Center rafters.
“I think it’s a result of winning,” Ferry said. “I think the Spurs’ identity and the culture is something that people are intrigued by.”
However one defines that culture, it is likely to take root soon in Seattle, Phoenix and Portland. Those who have lived the Spurs’ way say it is about high character and low risk, humility and honesty, and payroll prudence.
Of course, whenever the subject of the Spurs’ eight-year run of success is raised, Buford and Coach Gregg Popovich invariably boil it down to two words: Tim Duncan. That is the Spurs’ humility and honesty coming through. Duncan, the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft, has developed into one of the best power forwards in N.B.A. history.
But the Spurs have been adept at finding the right pieces to complement Duncan, even while drafting at the bottom of the first round each year. And they have been the best team in the league at identifying and developing international players.
Parker, a Frenchman and the Spurs’ All-Star point guard, was the 28th pick in the 2001 draft. Manu Ginóbili of Argentina, their All-Star shooting guard, was a second-round pick (57th over all) in 1999. Fabricio Oberto, their starting center, who is also from Argentina, signed as a free agent two years ago.
The Spurs’ winning ways, and their welcoming locker room, have made San Antonio an attractive place for skilled veterans in search of a championship ring. In recent years, they have attracted Michael Finley and Robert Horry and, in previous years, Kerr and Ferry.
The championships and 60-victory seasons have been achieved without unbridled spending. The Spurs’ payroll is in the middle of the pack. They have never exceeded the luxury-tax threshold by more than $1 million.
“They’re a business here of no shortcuts,” said Hank Egan, a member of Brown’s staff in Cleveland and formerly a member of Popovich’s brain trust. “They don’t look for quick fixes for anything.”
That means avoiding high-risk players and bloated contracts. With few exceptions, the Spurs have made wise investments. Egan said that the Spurs “dig into the character” of potential draft picks and free agents. They avoid troubled souls like Ron Artest who may wreck the good vibes.
“They want to be around for a while,” Egan said. “They don’t want to be one-hit wonders.”
Those sound like the kind of principles every team owner would espouse, as Ferry quickly notes. But clearly, not all N.B.A. teams operate that way. For years, the Trail Blazers gambled on high-risk, high-priced talent and alienated fans with a roster of volatile personalities — from Rasheed Wallace to Isaiah Rider to Bonzi Wells. The Knicks annually have the league’s highest payroll and one of its worst records.
Having a selfless, low-key, hard-working star like Duncan helps set the right tone. But every Spurs alumnus is quick to cite Popovich as the spiritual leader. Unlike some of his more high-profile colleagues — Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, to name two — Popovich does not engage in mind games with players or project any sense of self-importance. He can be brusque and condescending but rarely disingenuous.
“He’s a straight-talking guy who is also a compassionate, caring family person,” Ferry said. “Pop isn’t full of himself.”
That seems to be a common trait here. When Buford was asked what attracted other teams to his employees, he quipped, “Lottery luck,” because the Sonics, who hired Presti, won the second spot in the draft lottery. Asked about Kerr’s ties to the Spurs’ dynasty, Buford said, “He created us, I guess.”
It is little surprise, then, that when Buford was asked to define the Spurs’ vision, he began with, “Not taking yourself too seriously.”
“Having a sense of humor, not skipping any steps and building with character that you enjoy being around,” he added, “so that when things aren’t going so well, the process of what you’re going through carries you in those times. And the people who you are with carry you.”
It is getting harder to recall a time when things here did not go well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/12/sports/basketball/12nba.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin
Spurs’ Winning Culture Has Other Teams Wanting the Secret
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2007/06/12/sports/12spurs.1.600.jpg
Many former Spurs cite Coach Gregg Popovich, pointing, as a key to San Antonio’s sustained success.
By HOWARD BECK
Published: June 12, 2007
SAN ANTONIO, June 11 — Tim Duncan’s team is halfway to its fourth championship, and in the distance, one can almost hear the commemorative DVDs being pressed and labeled.
By dominating the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first two games of the N.B.A. finals, the San Antonio Spurs, led by Duncan, are again setting the standard for precision, dedication and teamwork. The greatest tribute to the Spurs’ way, however, had already been delivered, through a flurry of news releases from the other corners of the league.
On June 6, the Phoenix Suns named Steve Kerr, a key player on the Spurs’ first two championship teams, their president for basketball operations. The next day, the Seattle SuperSonics hired Sam Presti, the Spurs’ assistant general manager, to be their general manager.
The Cavaliers’ first trip to the finals has been presided over by two former Spurs — General Manager Danny Ferry (formerly San Antonio’s director of basketball operations) and Coach Mike Brown (a former Spurs assistant).
Three months ago, the Portland Trail Blazers named Kevin Pritchard, a former Spurs scout, as their general manager.
The only thing hotter than Tony Parker’s shooting hand is the N.B.A. shopping spree for Spurs brainpower.
It all prompts R. C. Buford, San Antonio’s modest general manager, to quip:
“I’m going to go to the East, because in the West, you’ve got all the smart guys,” a reference to Kerr, Presti and Pritchard. “In the East, all I’ve got to do is compete with Ferry. So we’ve got to figure out a way to get the Spurs in the East.”
The Spurs’ DNA is spreading across the N.B.A. at an even faster rate than the banners across the AT&T Center rafters.
“I think it’s a result of winning,” Ferry said. “I think the Spurs’ identity and the culture is something that people are intrigued by.”
However one defines that culture, it is likely to take root soon in Seattle, Phoenix and Portland. Those who have lived the Spurs’ way say it is about high character and low risk, humility and honesty, and payroll prudence.
Of course, whenever the subject of the Spurs’ eight-year run of success is raised, Buford and Coach Gregg Popovich invariably boil it down to two words: Tim Duncan. That is the Spurs’ humility and honesty coming through. Duncan, the No. 1 pick in the 1997 draft, has developed into one of the best power forwards in N.B.A. history.
But the Spurs have been adept at finding the right pieces to complement Duncan, even while drafting at the bottom of the first round each year. And they have been the best team in the league at identifying and developing international players.
Parker, a Frenchman and the Spurs’ All-Star point guard, was the 28th pick in the 2001 draft. Manu Ginóbili of Argentina, their All-Star shooting guard, was a second-round pick (57th over all) in 1999. Fabricio Oberto, their starting center, who is also from Argentina, signed as a free agent two years ago.
The Spurs’ winning ways, and their welcoming locker room, have made San Antonio an attractive place for skilled veterans in search of a championship ring. In recent years, they have attracted Michael Finley and Robert Horry and, in previous years, Kerr and Ferry.
The championships and 60-victory seasons have been achieved without unbridled spending. The Spurs’ payroll is in the middle of the pack. They have never exceeded the luxury-tax threshold by more than $1 million.
“They’re a business here of no shortcuts,” said Hank Egan, a member of Brown’s staff in Cleveland and formerly a member of Popovich’s brain trust. “They don’t look for quick fixes for anything.”
That means avoiding high-risk players and bloated contracts. With few exceptions, the Spurs have made wise investments. Egan said that the Spurs “dig into the character” of potential draft picks and free agents. They avoid troubled souls like Ron Artest who may wreck the good vibes.
“They want to be around for a while,” Egan said. “They don’t want to be one-hit wonders.”
Those sound like the kind of principles every team owner would espouse, as Ferry quickly notes. But clearly, not all N.B.A. teams operate that way. For years, the Trail Blazers gambled on high-risk, high-priced talent and alienated fans with a roster of volatile personalities — from Rasheed Wallace to Isaiah Rider to Bonzi Wells. The Knicks annually have the league’s highest payroll and one of its worst records.
Having a selfless, low-key, hard-working star like Duncan helps set the right tone. But every Spurs alumnus is quick to cite Popovich as the spiritual leader. Unlike some of his more high-profile colleagues — Phil Jackson and Pat Riley, to name two — Popovich does not engage in mind games with players or project any sense of self-importance. He can be brusque and condescending but rarely disingenuous.
“He’s a straight-talking guy who is also a compassionate, caring family person,” Ferry said. “Pop isn’t full of himself.”
That seems to be a common trait here. When Buford was asked what attracted other teams to his employees, he quipped, “Lottery luck,” because the Sonics, who hired Presti, won the second spot in the draft lottery. Asked about Kerr’s ties to the Spurs’ dynasty, Buford said, “He created us, I guess.”
It is little surprise, then, that when Buford was asked to define the Spurs’ vision, he began with, “Not taking yourself too seriously.”
“Having a sense of humor, not skipping any steps and building with character that you enjoy being around,” he added, “so that when things aren’t going so well, the process of what you’re going through carries you in those times. And the people who you are with carry you.”
It is getting harder to recall a time when things here did not go well.