duncan228
06-16-2007, 09:57 AM
Ding is the Laker's beat reporter for the OC Register. He talks about the Lakers implosion and why it doesn't happen with the Spurs.
Some funny stuff, and a great compliment to the Spurs.
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/sports/columns/article_1731835.php
Model building project: Spurs
KEVIN DING
Register columnist
NBA
[email protected]
After presenting the San Antonio Spurs with the Larry O'Brien Trophy late Thursday night, NBA commissioner David Stern announced that when the league's collective-bargaining agreement was renegotiated in 2005, the fine print clearly stipulated the following:
"Should five continuous seasons pass at any juncture without the Los Angeles Lakers winning the league championship, in addition to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal failing to win a single series in the same postseason, Bryant and O'Neal shall hereby be reunited as Lakers, post-haste, in order to ensure the NBA's ongoing popularity." :lol
The Lakers need not pay any compensation to Miami to reacquire O'Neal, according to the agreement, but the Lakers thought it would be fitting if they gave the rights to the useless Brian Grant back to the Heat anyway.
A Lakers insider notes: "I want to stress that Kobe had no involvement whatsoever in anything at all to do regarding Shaq, and this needs to be clarified. Wait, what happened? Um, OK, then let's say Kobe was instrumental in bringing back his beloved friend, Shaq — in fact insisting on getting back with Shaq to get us out of this mess."
The fact that the Cleveland-San Antonio NBA Finals set all-time lows in TV ratings triggered a bonus in the agreement that sends the charmed Robert Horry back to play for the Lakers, too, helping guarantee the Lakers will win again. :spin
"Woo-hoo!" Lakers vice president Jim Buss exclaimed — before quickly adding: "Shaq will be a good backup for Andrew Bynum." :lol
Tony Parker reading creases in the Cleveland defense created by Tim Duncan's presence for gorgeous scores, then stepping back most other times to let Duncan go to work in the post … it certainly evoked flashbacks to the Kobe-Shaq glory days.
But this little Texas town where they also raise banners for "Rodeo of the Year" in the arena now has four recent championships to the glamorous Lakers' three. And the Spurs would've had even more if not for bad breaks in 2000 (Duncan's knee injury caused him to miss the playoffs), 2004 (Derek Fisher's shot) and 2006 (Manu Ginobili's Game 7 foul on Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki).
In the 2007 NBA Finals, the Spurs also had the kind of light the Lakers' tunnel never reached. It wasn't necessarily passing a torch, but Duncan did gracefully step to the side in this series.
Publicly, Duncan joked on the postgame platform about Parker taking "my other trophy" for Finals MVP. Privately, Duncan told Parker just how proud he was of him.
The seven-year age gap between O'Neal and Bryant, surprisingly, isn't far off from Parker, 25, and Duncan, 31. Parker had spent his whole career as Duncan's helper, enduring ups and downs while the coach favored Duncan over him. Sound familiar?
Few realize, though, that whereas O'Neal has a degree in business, Duncan has a degree in psychology.
"It's a lot easier to put pieces around somebody like Tim Duncan than most other players," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Tim has such an empathy for people."
Steve Nash is heralded as everybody's ultimate teammate these days, but Duncan has even more value here. For one thing, Nash is tied with Ricky Pierce for second place in postseason games played without reaching the NBA Finals; Nash (97 games) might well pass Terry Cummings (110) for all-time championship-round futility next season. :lol
Combine Duncan's fundamental game with success that is just as plain to see, and you've got the paragon of team players.
Here's how Spurs general manager R.C. Buford put it: "If you've got the honey, the bees will come."
Both Kobe and Shaq think everyone wants to play with them — and a lot of people do. It's just that everyone knows they can be high-maintenance, too. Whatever anyone thinks of Bryant's hot-and-cold personality, it's especially a challenge not to zig on the court when Bryant zags.
Even Bryant's buddy, Derek Fisher, said as much after the leaving the Lakers: Because Bryant is so creative and explosive, it takes time to figure out what the heck he's doing.
That just makes it all the more critical who gets put around Bryant.
By nature, Mitch Kupchak is careful. Watch him get up from his seat, and you'll see him check his pockets to make sure he hasn't lost anything. But Bryant has come to see that at the very least he needs veterans who can figure him out, not kids who can't.
That's how Jerry West did it in 2000. And while we're flashing back, let's remember that Duncan was tempted to leave San Antonio that year for Orlando as a free agent. It made complete sense to step out with David Robinson soon to retire. Yet Duncan stayed — because he had true faith in Popovich and Buford to rebuild the thing around him, and fast.
Bryant has nothing near that feeling for Kupchak and Buss. Bryant's message, though, is the same: Rebuild the thing around me and fast. That's the wishing-upon-a-star game they all play, a game that only San Antonio is winning. :smokin
Some funny stuff, and a great compliment to the Spurs.
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/sports/columns/article_1731835.php
Model building project: Spurs
KEVIN DING
Register columnist
NBA
[email protected]
After presenting the San Antonio Spurs with the Larry O'Brien Trophy late Thursday night, NBA commissioner David Stern announced that when the league's collective-bargaining agreement was renegotiated in 2005, the fine print clearly stipulated the following:
"Should five continuous seasons pass at any juncture without the Los Angeles Lakers winning the league championship, in addition to Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal failing to win a single series in the same postseason, Bryant and O'Neal shall hereby be reunited as Lakers, post-haste, in order to ensure the NBA's ongoing popularity." :lol
The Lakers need not pay any compensation to Miami to reacquire O'Neal, according to the agreement, but the Lakers thought it would be fitting if they gave the rights to the useless Brian Grant back to the Heat anyway.
A Lakers insider notes: "I want to stress that Kobe had no involvement whatsoever in anything at all to do regarding Shaq, and this needs to be clarified. Wait, what happened? Um, OK, then let's say Kobe was instrumental in bringing back his beloved friend, Shaq — in fact insisting on getting back with Shaq to get us out of this mess."
The fact that the Cleveland-San Antonio NBA Finals set all-time lows in TV ratings triggered a bonus in the agreement that sends the charmed Robert Horry back to play for the Lakers, too, helping guarantee the Lakers will win again. :spin
"Woo-hoo!" Lakers vice president Jim Buss exclaimed — before quickly adding: "Shaq will be a good backup for Andrew Bynum." :lol
Tony Parker reading creases in the Cleveland defense created by Tim Duncan's presence for gorgeous scores, then stepping back most other times to let Duncan go to work in the post … it certainly evoked flashbacks to the Kobe-Shaq glory days.
But this little Texas town where they also raise banners for "Rodeo of the Year" in the arena now has four recent championships to the glamorous Lakers' three. And the Spurs would've had even more if not for bad breaks in 2000 (Duncan's knee injury caused him to miss the playoffs), 2004 (Derek Fisher's shot) and 2006 (Manu Ginobili's Game 7 foul on Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki).
In the 2007 NBA Finals, the Spurs also had the kind of light the Lakers' tunnel never reached. It wasn't necessarily passing a torch, but Duncan did gracefully step to the side in this series.
Publicly, Duncan joked on the postgame platform about Parker taking "my other trophy" for Finals MVP. Privately, Duncan told Parker just how proud he was of him.
The seven-year age gap between O'Neal and Bryant, surprisingly, isn't far off from Parker, 25, and Duncan, 31. Parker had spent his whole career as Duncan's helper, enduring ups and downs while the coach favored Duncan over him. Sound familiar?
Few realize, though, that whereas O'Neal has a degree in business, Duncan has a degree in psychology.
"It's a lot easier to put pieces around somebody like Tim Duncan than most other players," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Tim has such an empathy for people."
Steve Nash is heralded as everybody's ultimate teammate these days, but Duncan has even more value here. For one thing, Nash is tied with Ricky Pierce for second place in postseason games played without reaching the NBA Finals; Nash (97 games) might well pass Terry Cummings (110) for all-time championship-round futility next season. :lol
Combine Duncan's fundamental game with success that is just as plain to see, and you've got the paragon of team players.
Here's how Spurs general manager R.C. Buford put it: "If you've got the honey, the bees will come."
Both Kobe and Shaq think everyone wants to play with them — and a lot of people do. It's just that everyone knows they can be high-maintenance, too. Whatever anyone thinks of Bryant's hot-and-cold personality, it's especially a challenge not to zig on the court when Bryant zags.
Even Bryant's buddy, Derek Fisher, said as much after the leaving the Lakers: Because Bryant is so creative and explosive, it takes time to figure out what the heck he's doing.
That just makes it all the more critical who gets put around Bryant.
By nature, Mitch Kupchak is careful. Watch him get up from his seat, and you'll see him check his pockets to make sure he hasn't lost anything. But Bryant has come to see that at the very least he needs veterans who can figure him out, not kids who can't.
That's how Jerry West did it in 2000. And while we're flashing back, let's remember that Duncan was tempted to leave San Antonio that year for Orlando as a free agent. It made complete sense to step out with David Robinson soon to retire. Yet Duncan stayed — because he had true faith in Popovich and Buford to rebuild the thing around him, and fast.
Bryant has nothing near that feeling for Kupchak and Buss. Bryant's message, though, is the same: Rebuild the thing around me and fast. That's the wishing-upon-a-star game they all play, a game that only San Antonio is winning. :smokin