McDonald: Horry Not Retired Yet

[duncan228]

http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/courtside/archives/2008/05/jeff_mcdonald_h_5.html

Jeff McDonald: Horry not retired yet

As of 12:30 on Saturday afternoon, Robert Horry was still not a retiree.

The 37-year-old reserve forward, on the short list of greatest role players in NBA history, said Saturday he would still like to keeping playing, and would still like to keep playing for the Spurs.

"Right now, I'm up in the air," Horry said. "I want to play. Eighty percent of me wants to play. I'm sure once I get in the gym and see people bouncing the ball, it will turn to 100 percent."

Horry said last summer he expected this year to be the last of his 16-season NBA career. He's just having trouble letting go.

Horry said Saturday his options will probably boil down to either playing for the Spurs or retiring. His contract expires this summer, meaning his return to San Antonio would be entirely at the club's discretion.

He has not completely ruled out playing for another team, but given the low demand for players pushing 40, he's not expected to command much on the open market.

Part of Horry's aversion to retirement stems from the fact that he doesn't know what else he would do with his time. He doesn't really want to coach ("Too many knuckleheads out there," he says). And he doesn't see a future for himself in television ("If I get excited, I might start cursing").

There is always the question of Horry's legacy.

Before he left Saturday, Horry was asked whether it was possible for a player to hang around too long. He shook his head, and brought up Michael Jordan.

"People always say, 'His game wasn't as good as it was, ' " Horry said. "When they talk about Michael Jordan, his game was so freaking good, that even though he wasn't where he was (at the end of his career), he was still better than half the league."

Horry isn't about to compare himself to Jordan. But ...

"If I stuck around, I'm still better than a lot of players," he said. "I might not be as fast as a lot of them, or as quick. But I'm smarter than about 98 percent of league."

Here, Horry paused for a laugh, and the gathered media corps obliged. You had to wonder if it was the last joke he'd tell as an NBA player.

[E20]

Sign him up! :smokin

[Lakers_55]

The final story on Horry in the NBA is not yet written. He was key for playoff clutchness with 3 teams. He has one more bag of tricks up his sleeve. Question is, for what team?

[1Parker1]

:pctoss I have a growing suspicsion that the Spurs front office is going to keep on Finley and Horry as sort of a loyalty to them.

[Holt's Cat]

If Horry was amenable to spending most of next season on IR, I'd take him as the 15th man.

He was pretty damn good in Game 7 against the Hornets.

[Borosai]

Honestly, I love seeing Horry in a Spurs uniform, and wouldn't mind seeing him on the team next year (especially if Splitter doesn't come over).

[Avitus1]

I wish he'd retire.

[jag]

"If I stuck around, I'm still better than a lot of players," he said. "I might not be as fast as a lot of them, or as quick. But I'm smarter than about 98 percent of league."



I'd completely agree with you, if you didn't shoot 23% from downtown in the playoffs.

[polandprzem]

Well he is basketball smart, but umm how the big man rotation will look like now, with probable Ian invasion?

[missmyzte]

This is going to be a long summer for me, until he signs somewhere...

[polandprzem]

This is going to be a long summer for me, until he signs somewhere...

At least you will have some emotions during summer :)

[ducks]

he does not want to coach fine but what about coaching spurs players the last year some

[Brutalis]

Why?

Was it not obvious you have no more game left Horry? I love you dude but go out gracefully this summer and don't be retarded.

[Sway]

Wow I hope he retires...

[kaji157]

I think the Spurs will keep him for the league minimum, but only as a sign of respect.

Unless he really regains his 3pt shooting the guy is too slow to compete on the frontline.

[Spurs Brazil]

"I might not be as fast as a lot of them, or as quick. But I'm smarter than about 98 percent of league."

True

[AFBlue]

Kurt Thomas is a better option at this point.

[Buddy Holly]

Just Retire Already!!

Just Retire Already!!

Just Retire Already!!

Just Retire Already!!

Just Retire Already!!

Just Retire Already!!

[Brutalis]

True

What advantage does smarts have if you can't use it?

I mean dude needs to retire and be a coach then.

[timvp]

It's too early to tell. The Splitter situations needs to be solved. The Kurt Thomas situation needs to be solved. If Mahinmi is playing in summer league, Spurs probably want to see if he's progressed far enough to be a rotation player. Is Bonner still part of the plans or will the Spurs salary dump him? Is Oberto still viewed as a quality player in today's NBA?

Once the Spurs figure out all that, then you decide if you want to bring back Horry. Either way, Horry isn't going to be anything more than an insurance policy but I wouldn't throw him to the curb just yet. As a IR fodder and practice player, the Spurs could do a lot worse.

[angelbelow]

i say we sign him if he wants to be here. he'll accept the minimum and we can use him as a coach or special assistance.

[Chief]

sorry Horry, time to go set sail

i ask one question, how much of us would be begging for him to come back next year had he gotten that inbounds ball back at the end of game 4 from Barry and made it. (instead of barry trying to shoot a 3 while being fouled by fishy)

[Bruno]

If Mahinmi is playing in summer league

Mahinmi will play in both summer leagues (Vegas and Salt Lake).

[Bruno]

If Horry still want to play, he would be stupid not to do so.

It's up to NBA teams to decide or not to sign him. I wouldn't be against to see him with a Spurs jersey next year but only as 5th or 6th big man.

[timvp]

Mahinmi will play in both summer leagues (Vegas and Salt Lake).Good news. Hopefully he stays healthy this year and can play.

Summer league will answer a lot of questions about Mahinmi. It's probably a step up in competition from the D-League, especially when it comes to bigmen. If Mahinmi can shine, then that's a good sign he's NBA ready. If Mahinmi struggles with fouls or looks lost, another year in Austin could be needed.

[Borosai]

Eventhough his shot was either off or way off, he wasn't a liability out there. He still played respectable defense against younger players, and in a way, he gives the team confidence. Like timvp said, the Spurs could do worse.

[CubanMustGo]

If this season showed nothing else, it showed that the Spurs just can't keep dragging the same bunch of ever-older guys onto the court every year. With all due respect: sorry, Robert, time to go.

[MrChug]

...Question is, for what team?

If it's for any team, it will be the Spurs. If he goes to another team it will be seen as "gravy training". He's not one of those guys.

[Holt's Cat]

If not SA, probably either Houston, Dallas, or New Orleans. I think he would prefer to stay a short Southwest flight away from his family in Houston.

[porscha]

still wanna play.. play what? passed up open shots or air balls?
it takes five to play, not four!

[Bruno]

I also think Horry can be better (or less worst) next year than this year.

This year was quite hash for him. He missed the whole training camp and it takes him forever to be back at a decent level. He started to find his groove in March but injured his knee and played injured during the playoffs.

With an injury free year, he can likely be better but two questions remains :
Can he still have an injury free year at his age ?
Can he still be efficient in a playoff game if he doesn't get regular playing time during the season?

[AFBlue]

As a IR fodder and practice player, the Spurs could do a lot worse.

This is one of my big question about re-upping on Horry and also Finley. Both of them have been starters or key contributors for their entire career, and that didn't change when they joined the Spurs.

Not that Bonner was an upgrade over Horry, but the guy didn't even get a shot during the playoffs when Horry struggled. I don't want to compare Horry with Van Exel, but both are linked by Pop who clearly played them well beyond their useful basketball life.

I guess my question is if Horry would accept a role of "IR fodder", or if Pop would even let him become that.

[SenorSpur]

It was not until this year that it appeared Horry actually became a liability on the court. Sure he had some good moments against New Orleans, but his season, overall, was a diaster. He was unavailable to start the season, he was hurt during the middle and out of shape toward the end. Personally, I think he's been mentally retired for most of this year.

Still, it's counter-productive to have a guy on the bench, taking up a roster spot, who cannot contribute on a game-to-game basis. Look around the Western Conference. It's filled with young, up-and-coming teams, most of whom will be contending for playoff berths. The Spurs just lost to a YOUNG Fakers team. New Orleans has arrived. Portland is on the way. The front office can ill-afford to start using sentiment as a way of evaluating the roster needs for next season. If that's the case, they should've just kept Malik Rose and Antionio Daniels in a Spurs uniform.

It's been widely reported and now recognized that this team needs to get younger and more athletic. It's time to turn the page and replenish the roster with players whose arrow is pointing up, rather than pointing down. Sorry Rob. Your contributions over the past several seasons cannot be measured. You aint gotta go home, but you've got to get up outta here!

[Mulletino]

Nobody will sign him. He's done.

[Borosai]

Does anyone think Bonner has a future on this team. For a while it looked like he would be a contributor, but it seems he's been grounded indefinitely. If they move him this summer, the F rotation of Duncan-Mahinmi-Horry wouldn't be bad at all. With Oberto-Thomas-(draft/FA since Splitter is bailing out), that's not a bad frontline (and the bigs weren't the biggest problem this year anyway).

[whottt]

Lot of Spurs fans with some bad basketball takes in this thread. I doubt we make it past the Hornets without Horry...he's got more game than Tony Massenberg and Danny Ferry had when they contributed to Spurs championships...

And he's gonna play for the min...so it's completely stupid to not resign him if he is willing to go on the deep bench.


And he's never played good against the Lakers since coming to the Spurs.....the truly clutch never light up their old teams..whereas the unclutch do(see Smith, Steve and Udrih, Beno).

[AFBlue]

And he's gonna play for the min...so it's completely stupid to not resign him if he is willing to go on the deep bench.



Again, this is making the assumption that he'd be willing to re-sign even if he spent most of his time in street clothes, and/or that Pop would change let him be a T-Mass or Willis.

I just don't think that assumption should be a foregone conclusion.

[mrspurs]

i could see horry going to the hornets....they are ready for another shot, they know they coulda beat the lakers....west woulda killed odom, and chandler woulda killed gasol...of course i dont have to say what CP3 woulda done to fisher like he did to tony...the hornets of hungry and horry...well we all now horry, he will jump on the next up coming team with a legit chance at winning a ring....and he has the inside scoop on the other west teams to make him a valuable assist.....horry has been making suckers out of fans for along time....horrys gravestone will read....i got alot of rings off alot of allstar players and a bunch of sucker fans.....and they loved me for it............go spurs go

[ChumpDumper]

If he wants to play the Massenburg role for Massenburg money, welcome back.

[AFBlue]

If he wants to play the Massenburg role for Massenburg money, welcome back.

Agreed.

[Mr. Body]

Does anyone think Bonner has a future on this team. For a while it looked like he would be a contributor, but it seems he's been grounded indefinitely.

He's not a good player, strictly an energy guy to play out garbage times and keep the fans around. Nothing more. Why the team considered him to be more than that -- much more, a rotation guy -- is mystifying.

[ChumpDumper]

And even if the Spurs don't want him, Horry can't retire -- the Spurs can trade him like they did Ferry.

[Velo]

Even now, at his age, he draws a lot of attention, due to his reputation in the clutch. If anything, Spurs can use him on the floor as a Decoy. Who knows? he may just surprise us.

[T Park]

It's too early to tell. The Splitter situations needs to be solved. The Kurt Thomas situation needs to be solved. If Mahinmi is playing in summer league, Spurs probably want to see if he's progressed far enough to be a rotation player. Is Bonner still part of the plans or will the Spurs salary dump him? Is Oberto still viewed as a quality player in today's NBA?

Once the Spurs figure out all that, then you decide if you want to bring back Horry. Either way, Horry isn't going to be anything more than an insurance policy but I wouldn't throw him to the curb just yet. As a IR fodder and practice player, the Spurs could do a lot worse.

Game 7 proved theres gas left.

[SenorSpur]

I know Pop values him heavily and wants to do right by him. However he's not obligated to give him a roster spot out of loyalty. The Spurs need his smarts, but they also need a smart player with skills, energy and good health too.

[ManuTim_best of Fwiendz]

Even now, at his age, he draws a lot of attention, due to his reputation in the clutch. If anything, Spurs can use him on the floor as a Decoy. Who knows? he may just surprise us.
Yeah , even if Horry is old as hell, he still has that intimidation factor and it'll never leave him, and strikes fear in the hearts of fans. That's why they hate him, because of jealousy that the Spurs have him as an insurance policy in the clutch.

I'd say we can't keep both him and Finley, and I'd rather someone replace Finley because Finley is an inadequate "4th" "5th" scorer now, he helped pitch in on O in 2007 but he's too one dimensional now.

[1Parker1]

Lot of Spurs fans with some bad basketball takes in this thread. I doubt we make it past the Hornets without Horry...he's got more game than Tony Massenberg and Danny Ferry had when they contributed to Spurs championships...

And he's gonna play for the min...so it's completely stupid to not resign him if he is willing to go on the deep bench.

He had a knee problem that needed draining in the postseason. You think at his age, it's not going to be a continuous problem? He shot like 15% in the regular season and 25% in the postseason, I mean, that's hideous no matter what way or shape you look at it.

He is not even close to be being quick enough to guard a lot of the more atheletic frontlines the Spurs will be facing next season in the West.

[mrspurs]

not only is horry way out of date....his presense in the our locker room isnt needed...he has more rings then anyother player in our locker room...do you really think horry is hungry for another ring?.....i say we lose him and find someone who is hungry...they dont have to be to good...horry wasnt and isnt anymore....just being hungry and not so layed back is what the spurs really needed.......go spurs go

[Anti.Hero]

Just as long as Finley leaves.

[greens]

I'd say that we can keep Horry. He did show up in some moments of clutch time vs the NO series.

But we can't keep Finley/Horry/Barry/Damon/. That's way too many older players. So I say keep Horry. And maybe Barry since he did show up too.

[spurscenter]

Eventhough his shot was either off or way off, he wasn't a liability out there. He still played respectable defense against younger players, and in a way, he gives the team confidence. Like timvp said, the Spurs could do worse.

agree

he can mentor IAN MAHIMI

[K-State Spur]

If this season showed nothing else, it showed that the Spurs just can't keep dragging the same bunch of ever-older guys onto the court every year. With all due respect: sorry, Robert, time to go.

Agreed - "same BUNCH."

If the Spurs make some other moves to get younger and more athletic, there are worse things than a guy who still plays solid post defense and has a propensity to hit big playoff shots as the last guy on the bench.

[sprrs]

Why is everyone comparing Horry to Finley - where if he isn't making shots he's completely useless? if you watched Horry at all this year you know he still had a decent impact with his defense and the all-important intangibles. He can still be competent if he wants to.

[baseline bum]

I hope to have Rob back on the Spurs next year. This season started off badly for him, and it seemed like he could never catch up. I'd bring him back and give him a full year before I'd write him off yet.

[T Park]

I hope to have Rob back on the Spurs next year. This season started off badly for him, and it seemed like he could never catch up. I'd bring him back and give him a full year before I'd write him off yet.

Thank you.

Agreed 100%

[whottt]

He had a knee problem that needed draining in the postseason. You think at his age, it's not going to be a continuous problem?

He got injured, he got better...it happens all the time. David Robinson couldn't feel his legs at the end of the 02 season, he came back up the next year and held up well enough to help dethrone the Lakers.

Just because he was injured last year doesn't mean he's going to be injured again this season...and even if he is, it doesn't mean he's going to be as injured.

You want to worry about inury? Worry about Manu...not some guy making the min and riding the deep bench.


Besides...you say get rid of him ad hoc...and replace him with who? Your statement assumes he's the worst player in the league, and getting rid of hm is an automatic winning move, and Miss 1P1, I assure you you are wrong about that.

You got someone lined up that's better, that is willing to play reduced minutes and ride the IR and still be effective when called upon, for the min? Go right ahead and start naming names...

Don't dump the old car that can still get you to work without getting a new one...or you just might be walking.




He shot like 15% in the regular season and 25% in the postseason, I mean, that's hideous no matter what way or shape you look at it.


#1. You never judge Horry by his stats.

#2. He does a great deal more than just shoot threes, stuff that isn't easily found...even in a 12th man. He can still do more than Danny Ferry and Tony Massenberg could do, when they helped us win championships.



He is not even close to be being quick enough to guard a lot of the more atheletic frontlines the Spurs will be facing next season in the West.

Oh that's stuff is overblown on this board...

On paper Shaq and Zo weren't quick enough to guard Dirk...they worked around that by planting him on his ass any time he came into their paint.

[whottt]

If he wants to play the Massenburg role for Massenburg money, welcome back.

And finally...after 4 years, you can make that statement and be accurate.

[Spur-Addict]

Yeah , even if Horry is old as hell, he still has that intimidation factor and it'll never leave him, and strikes fear in the hearts of fans. That's why they hate him, because of jealousy that the Spurs have him as an insurance policy in the clutch.

I'd say we can't keep both him and Finley, and I'd rather someone replace Finley because Finley is an inadequate "4th" "5th" scorer now, he helped pitch in on O in 2007 but he's too one dimensional now.

Intimidation factor? I certainly recall Hilton Armstrong dunking on him several times.

:nope

[I am Emoticon]

I wish he'd retire.

:tu

[Spurtacus]

Horry, I respect you a lot. We wouldn't have a championship if it wasn't for your big shot. But, please retire. I saw way too many open shots missed in the playoffs.