Spot Number 11 - Top 50 Spurs

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

Anyone who was a fan of the Spurs in the early 80's would vote for Johnny Moore over Larry Kenon if the true basis for the top 50 is to be "influential" to the franchise. If not for the desert fever, Moore would hold all of the point guard records in San Antonio.

If you played playground hoop in San Antonio kids always pretended to be George Gervin, and there were a lot of Jimmy Si's out there, but there were just as many kids pretending to be Johnny Moore. Kids didn't go out and emulate Larry Kenon because he just wasn't very endearing to fans. Of course, I was alway Edgar Jones, but hey, we all have our heroes.

Johnny Moore is my vote.

[remingtonbo2001]

@ people voting for R.C. Buford.

[timvp]

talent wise it's even worse.

Which is why the Barbosa and Ginobili comparison doesn't make sense. Ginobili and Barbosa are probably similarly talented but Ginobili is twenty times better due to being smarter, tougher and more fearless.

first off, being 30 back then is like 36 now a days.

You said he came to the Spurs at the tail end of his career. He was 22 when the Spurs traded for him.

So you are blaming him. Please explain why you blame him? What did he do as compared to the rest of the team and coaches that made him responsible for the slight differences?

I don't really blame him but if he were such a great player, you'd think he'd have an impact on winning and losing.

Pop was brutal as a coach early on. I loved Avery as a player and leader, but truth is he wasn't that talented. A team with Young Timmy and good DRob and all the other talent they had was bound to be successful. In fact, they win with Terry Porter at the helm that year.

I don't think much about 2001 can be considered a "win". Unless you liked the Spurs getting blown out by 50 in the WCF

Avery's cred got him the job, so I'm aware of what people thought of him. I'm also aware that he didn't leave on the best of terms and he turned out to be a puss in Dallas with all that whining. Since Avery needs to get in based on more than his ability to play basketball, those dinks against his reputation do count.

I hate the pick of AJ at 11, but oh well.

AJ was not very talented on the basketball court but he got the most out of his ability. Plus he was the team leader for damn near a decade when the Spurs were revving up this streak of winning. My AJ vote is more based on his coaching, intangibles and how he added fire to the mix.

AJ wasn't a very good point guard but compared to every other point guard the Spurs had after Rod Strickland and before Tony Parker, he was like Magic Johnson.

[Spurminator]

I'm voting with ignorance having never seen any of the players I'm considering except for Avery Johnson. But I have to go with Oscar Robertson's resume.

[2centsworth]

Which is why the Barbosa and Ginobili comparison doesn't make sense. Ginobili and Barbosa are probably similarly talented but Ginobili is twenty times better due to being smarter, tougher and more fearless.

Production ,especially in key situations, is incomparable between the two.

You said he came to the Spurs at the tail end of his career. He was 22 when the Spurs traded for him.

I meant more at the end of his career, but I already admitted I may have misspoke.

I don't really blame him but if he were such a great player, you'd think he'd have an impact on winning and losing.

Did AJ have an impact or did Tim Duncan?

I don't think much about 2001 can be considered a "win". Unless you liked the Spurs getting blown out by 50 in the WCF

apples to apples, Terry Porter on the spurs in '99 wins a le.

AJ was not very talented on the basketball court but he got the most out of his ability. Plus he was the team leader for damn near a decade when the Spurs were revving up this streak of winning.

they were the same ole spurs for many of those years until the arrival of Tim.

My AJ vote is more based on his coaching, intangibles and how he added fire to the mix.

Great players like Tim, DRob, and Sean can make a servicable person look good. That fire and winning at ude can be attributed more to Mario Ellie IMO. Mario started the steak of clutchiness that a team needs to win big.

AJ wasn't a very good point guard but compared to every other point guard the Spurs had after Rod Strickland and before Tony Parker, he was like Magic Johnson.

that's not saying much.

I like AJ, but since most of his cred comes from his personality, I think he has failed miserably in that department the past 5 years. I'm not saying the guy shouldn't be recognized, but to put him ahead of Kenon, Gilmore, and Holt doesn't add up to me.

AJ is should come in at about 15th.

[angel_luv]

I will continue to vote for Rob till he gets in.

But you didn't.


???

[Ed Helicopter Jones]

I'm voting with ignorance having never seen any of the players I'm considering except for Avery Johnson. But I have to go with Oscar Robertson's resume.

Oscar had a great career. Good choice.

[timvp]

Production ,especially in key situations, is incomparable between the two.

How many championship clinching shots has Barbosa made in his career? How many times in his career did Barbosa outplay the greatest trio of point guards ever assembled? If Barbosa went up against the trio of Kidd, Nash and KJ, he'd be hightailing back to Brazil.

they were the same ole spurs for many of those years until the arrival of Tim.

Can't really argue that but if you are going to hold that against AJ, you should have held that against Robinson, Pop and Elliott.

Great players like Tim, DRob, and Sean can make a servicable person look good. That fire and winning at ude can be attributed more to Mario Ellie IMO. Mario started the steak of clutchiness that a team needs to win big.

Even if that is true, doesn't AJ deserve some credit for personally recruiting Elie? Elie wasn't a Spurs signing ... he was an AJ signing.

I like AJ, but since most of his cred comes from his personality, I think he has failed miserably in that department the past 5 years.

I've never really understood what Spurs fans expected of AJ when he got a head coaching job. Most Spurs fans act like he should have forfeited every game against the Spurs. But AJ *gasp* tried to win and tried to win via every means possible ... like he did for SA.

I guess it wasn't good enough for him to say during his retirement ceremony that no matter where he is in the NBA, he always considers himself a Spur.

I'm not saying the guy shouldn't be recognized, but to put him ahead of Kenon, Gilmore, and Holt doesn't add up to me.

AJ is should come in at about 15th.

Many players were better than AJ, however outside of Robinson, Gervin and Duncan I'm not sure many others can claim to have helped build as much of the foundation for the winning we see today as he did. Great talent only takes you so far.

Bottomline is if AJ didn't hold Pop's hand through his first couple years of coaching, Pop doesn't survive. Heck, AJ was the one who went to bat to convince Pop to fire Hill and then went to bat again when Holt was about to hire Doc Rivers as coach.

[urunobili]

no Love for RC nor Budenholzer...

[baseline bum]

Special K

[Spurminator]

Oscar had a great career. Good choice.

Yeah it's amazing that he was able to be such a high level player 20 years after his prime.

:slapforehead

[SenorSpur]

Why didn't Zarko Paspaji make the list? :-(

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

Yeah it's amazing that he was able to be such a high level player 20 years after his prime.

:slapforehead

He was Robert Horry before Robert Horry was Robert Horry.

[manufor3]

malik

[DespЏrado]

Hey Timvp could you at some point add Jay Howard to the list? He isn't in the top 30 but he might fall in place somewhere after that. He was the voice of the Spurs for many of us.

[Bruno]

I've voted for Holt. It's hard to compare what a player and a owner has brought to a franchise but Holt has been a damn good owner for years.

[YODA]

Bob Bass folks? people need to learn some history

[alamo50]

I think it's time for Swen Nater to be added to the poll list.

[ShoogarBear]

AJ over Kenon is like Barbosa over Manu. Kenon who single handedly led Memphis State to the NCAA championship game. Who does have an ABA championship to his resume. Who played for the Spurs at near the tail end of his career and still averaged 20 and 10.

Tail end? He played years 3-7 of a nine-year career here.

That's my case. Kenon by a mile. AJ ahead of Kenon makes this a non basketball related thread.

If the criteria is influence, Kenon had zero legacy once he left the team. And, unlike AJ, the total was less than the sum of the parts.

[2centsworth]

Tail end? He played years 3-7 of a nine-year career here.

you probably missed several post were I said I may have misspoke, because I was referring to year 7 or 9 (tail end).

If the criteria is influence, Kenon had zero legacy once he left the team. And, unlike AJ, the total was less than the sum of the parts.

Not true, he consistenly invited to tributes etc... Addtionally, he became a common member of San Antonio Society and he's made a ton of friends and has been very accessible to people.

As I said before, Larry would be a max type player today and would be the second best player on the team. AJ was never considered the 5th best player, but I'm not trying to down AJ because he was a special player too.

[Spurtacus]

I'm not very familiar with the pre 1990 Spurs players...so I'm going with Horry here.

[timvp]

Kenon gets the spot at #11. Not my personal choice but his numbers were impressive and it is always good to have the old school represented.