gilmor
06-14-2007, 12:25 AM
Buck Harvey: 2000 fears: How Spurs' Red got his own Russell
Web Posted: 06/13/2007 09:56 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
CLEVELAND — They set the meeting for a luxurious San Antonio apartment that overlooks the river. They brought in a chef from Houston, and they displayed graphs and pie charts.
Then Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford tried to tell Tim Duncan what was going to happen over the next few years, when there was no way to know. Ill at ease led to ill; Popovich and Buford left the meeting feeling sick.
This happened at the beginning of the decade. What followed changed careers and franchises — and created the team of the decade.
What's funny now?
Duncan didn't need a luxury apartment or a chef from Houston or pie charts.
The only reason this is funny at all to the participants is because everything worked out for everyone. They are all in Cleveland today, too: From Popovich and Buford, to Duncan and his wife, Amy, to Grant Hill, who is working TV, to the agent for Duncan and Hill, Lon Babby.
None of them were as rich or relaxed in July of 2000, when both Duncan and Hill faced free-agency decisions. Babby escorted the duo to Orlando for a tour, and there, everyone from Mickey Mouse to Tiger Woods tried to convince them to sign with the Magic.
Orlando had something to offer. The franchise had piled up first-round draft picks, and Doc Rivers was coming off a coach-of-the-year season. Better yet, the Shaq-Kobe Lakers were in the West.
Hill needed crutches then to get around, but no one expected him to limp for long. Wouldn't he and Duncan become the best in the East?
"It was probably a lot closer decision than people even think," Duncan told a newspaper this week.
Everyone in San Antonio knew how close it was. Sean Elliott thought Duncan could leave, for example, and Will Perdue, a former Spur by then, said: "Tim Duncan is not married to San Antonio by any means; he's made that very clear. ... You'll have an opportunity to put Hill and Duncan on the same team. I find it hard to believe that both would turn down that opportunity."
When Duncan stayed an extra few days in Orlando, Popovich and Buford began to sweat, and the meeting in the San Antonio apartment reinforced all fears. They had planned on dining the night before, but Duncan's father was critically ill and hospitalized in San Antonio at the time. That night, the chef instead cooked for the Duncan family, who had gathered in town.
Popovich and Buford arrived the next morning for their meeting. There, they faced Babby and Marc Scott, who worked for Duncan at the time, as well as Tim and Amy. Scott and Amy, in particular, began to pepper Popovich with basketball questions, and Popovich responded as he often does with the media. This is not a way to enhance ambiance.
Babby tried to lighten the mood. "You didn't know you would be talking to four Red Auerbachs," he said.
Popovich didn't have answers because there were none. The Spurs didn't have many draft choices or much cap space. And if they could have predicted the future and told Duncan he would someday win with a French point guard and an Argentine slasher?
"Had they said that," Babby said Wednesday, laughing, "we would have gone to Orlando."
Popovich, Buford and Babby left the meeting and went straight to a private jet to see Hill in Detroit, and the atmosphere was awkward at best. "I felt underwater," Buford says now.
Peter Holt went, too, along with a musical consultant from Austin. They wanted to impress upon Hill's wife that her career could continue in South Texas. But the trip seemed futile because they didn't have enough cap space to offer Hill.
Then their fortunes changed. Hill was heading to Orlando, no matter what Duncan did, and this worked out for Hill. Had he taken a one-year deal from the Spurs, assuming he would get a bigger contract later, wouldn't his chronic ankle have cost him millions?
But Hill also didn't try to convince Duncan to come with him. Popovich impressed Hill in their meeting, and Hill shared that with Duncan. "I know why you have a tough decision," Hill said then.
A second break had already occurred on Duncan's trip to Orlando, unknown to anyone in San Antonio. Rivers, unlike Popovich, didn't believe family should fly with the team on trips. Amy had a problem with that.
Then there was the third turn, when David Robinson flew in from his summer home in Hawaii — on his own — to lobby Duncan. Robinson was well motivated. Had Duncan left, the Spurs would have likely dumped salaries to rebuild.
But the Spurs' ultimate edge was there all along in the room with the chef and pie charts. It was Popovich.
Danny Ferry, now the Cleveland general manager, arrived in San Antonio in 2000 a few months after Duncan re-signed, and what he found in San Antonio surprised him. "I didn't know how good Pop was," he said Wednesday, "and I didn't know how good Tim was."
He also didn't know how good they were together. From what Ferry has pieced together — from both his father and from what he has read — they are this generation's Auerbach and Bill Russell.
"They make each other better," Ferry said.
The win-loss record of Auerbach and Russell can't be approached, but their relationship has been. Popovich and Duncan connect with similar intelligence and respect, and the last thing they ever needed was a formal meeting.
Duncan didn't stay because of anything tangible he saw. He stayed because he trusted Popovich to figure things out, and here they are, with details neither could have ever seen, a win from a third title since that summer of angst.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/bharvey/stories/MYSA061407.01S.COL.BKNharvey.spurs.3287a86.html
This is one of the most beautiful entry from Buck.. I am surprised nobody post it here..
Web Posted: 06/13/2007 09:56 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
CLEVELAND — They set the meeting for a luxurious San Antonio apartment that overlooks the river. They brought in a chef from Houston, and they displayed graphs and pie charts.
Then Gregg Popovich and R.C. Buford tried to tell Tim Duncan what was going to happen over the next few years, when there was no way to know. Ill at ease led to ill; Popovich and Buford left the meeting feeling sick.
This happened at the beginning of the decade. What followed changed careers and franchises — and created the team of the decade.
What's funny now?
Duncan didn't need a luxury apartment or a chef from Houston or pie charts.
The only reason this is funny at all to the participants is because everything worked out for everyone. They are all in Cleveland today, too: From Popovich and Buford, to Duncan and his wife, Amy, to Grant Hill, who is working TV, to the agent for Duncan and Hill, Lon Babby.
None of them were as rich or relaxed in July of 2000, when both Duncan and Hill faced free-agency decisions. Babby escorted the duo to Orlando for a tour, and there, everyone from Mickey Mouse to Tiger Woods tried to convince them to sign with the Magic.
Orlando had something to offer. The franchise had piled up first-round draft picks, and Doc Rivers was coming off a coach-of-the-year season. Better yet, the Shaq-Kobe Lakers were in the West.
Hill needed crutches then to get around, but no one expected him to limp for long. Wouldn't he and Duncan become the best in the East?
"It was probably a lot closer decision than people even think," Duncan told a newspaper this week.
Everyone in San Antonio knew how close it was. Sean Elliott thought Duncan could leave, for example, and Will Perdue, a former Spur by then, said: "Tim Duncan is not married to San Antonio by any means; he's made that very clear. ... You'll have an opportunity to put Hill and Duncan on the same team. I find it hard to believe that both would turn down that opportunity."
When Duncan stayed an extra few days in Orlando, Popovich and Buford began to sweat, and the meeting in the San Antonio apartment reinforced all fears. They had planned on dining the night before, but Duncan's father was critically ill and hospitalized in San Antonio at the time. That night, the chef instead cooked for the Duncan family, who had gathered in town.
Popovich and Buford arrived the next morning for their meeting. There, they faced Babby and Marc Scott, who worked for Duncan at the time, as well as Tim and Amy. Scott and Amy, in particular, began to pepper Popovich with basketball questions, and Popovich responded as he often does with the media. This is not a way to enhance ambiance.
Babby tried to lighten the mood. "You didn't know you would be talking to four Red Auerbachs," he said.
Popovich didn't have answers because there were none. The Spurs didn't have many draft choices or much cap space. And if they could have predicted the future and told Duncan he would someday win with a French point guard and an Argentine slasher?
"Had they said that," Babby said Wednesday, laughing, "we would have gone to Orlando."
Popovich, Buford and Babby left the meeting and went straight to a private jet to see Hill in Detroit, and the atmosphere was awkward at best. "I felt underwater," Buford says now.
Peter Holt went, too, along with a musical consultant from Austin. They wanted to impress upon Hill's wife that her career could continue in South Texas. But the trip seemed futile because they didn't have enough cap space to offer Hill.
Then their fortunes changed. Hill was heading to Orlando, no matter what Duncan did, and this worked out for Hill. Had he taken a one-year deal from the Spurs, assuming he would get a bigger contract later, wouldn't his chronic ankle have cost him millions?
But Hill also didn't try to convince Duncan to come with him. Popovich impressed Hill in their meeting, and Hill shared that with Duncan. "I know why you have a tough decision," Hill said then.
A second break had already occurred on Duncan's trip to Orlando, unknown to anyone in San Antonio. Rivers, unlike Popovich, didn't believe family should fly with the team on trips. Amy had a problem with that.
Then there was the third turn, when David Robinson flew in from his summer home in Hawaii — on his own — to lobby Duncan. Robinson was well motivated. Had Duncan left, the Spurs would have likely dumped salaries to rebuild.
But the Spurs' ultimate edge was there all along in the room with the chef and pie charts. It was Popovich.
Danny Ferry, now the Cleveland general manager, arrived in San Antonio in 2000 a few months after Duncan re-signed, and what he found in San Antonio surprised him. "I didn't know how good Pop was," he said Wednesday, "and I didn't know how good Tim was."
He also didn't know how good they were together. From what Ferry has pieced together — from both his father and from what he has read — they are this generation's Auerbach and Bill Russell.
"They make each other better," Ferry said.
The win-loss record of Auerbach and Russell can't be approached, but their relationship has been. Popovich and Duncan connect with similar intelligence and respect, and the last thing they ever needed was a formal meeting.
Duncan didn't stay because of anything tangible he saw. He stayed because he trusted Popovich to figure things out, and here they are, with details neither could have ever seen, a win from a third title since that summer of angst.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/bharvey/stories/MYSA061407.01S.COL.BKNharvey.spurs.3287a86.html
This is one of the most beautiful entry from Buck.. I am surprised nobody post it here..