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To me there was no doubt that David would retire a Spur.
How The Admiral almost jumped ship in 2001
By Art Garcia, NBA.com
SAN ANTONIO -- David Robinson suiting up in anything other than Silver & Black? That unnatural sounding idea not only crossed his mind, it could have been a reality.
"There was a time I thought maybe I wouldn't finish my career here and it was towards the end," Robinson told NBA.com recently.
The Hall of Fame center who retired a San Antonio Spur wondered if he would actually get to retire a San Antonio Spur. Robinson wasn't so sure his final NBA game would be played with the franchise he helped save from relocation and lead to its first championship.
A decision had to be made in the summer of 2001. The Spurs had completed a superb regular season with the league's best record only to end it with a resounding thud. A sweep at the hands of the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference finals signaled changes around the corner.
Franchise mainstay Avery Johnson signed with Denver. Derek Anderson, a hit during his one season in San Antonio, was surprisingly dealt to Portland after he couldn't agree on a new contract. Free agents Bruce Bowen and Stephen Jackson were among the newcomers that offseason.
The free-agent Admiral turned 36 that summer and wasn't navigating the franchise anymore. The Spurs, once unquestionably his, were now built around Tim Duncan.
"I knew the Spurs were looking to reshape their team, kind of like they did this year, and go in a different direction," said Robinson, part of the 2009 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame set for induction Friday. "I felt like we still had some gas left in our tank, but there was a very real possibility there they wouldn't bring me back.
"That was towards the end of my career, so I knew it was a very real possibility of having to go somewhere else and do something else. I didn't like the idea, but I know it's a business."
Robinson, even with a dozen years in the league, wasn't ready to hang up his No. 50 jersey. He began to take a look-see around the league. If Spurs management, fronted by Gregg Popovich and Peter Holt, wasn't committed to bring him back, Robinson would have signed somewhere else.
Really?
"Yeah, absolutely," Robinson admitted. "At that time I wasn't ready to retire. I really felt good and I felt like there was a lot more I could do. I would not have retired at that point."
He didn't have to retire or move on. Even with the retooling that summer, smarter heads prevailed. The Spurs signed the 7-foot-1 anchor to a two-year deal for $20 million. The investment, as most with Robinson, paid off. San Antonio won its second le in 2003 to close out Robinson's storybook run. Closing out on top, Robinson didn't exactly slip into the background. In addition to his various philanthropic endeavors, including The Carver Academy, Robinson took minority ownership in the Spurs.
"I don't try to stay real active right now," Robinson said of his role with the franchise. "They have great management. It's not like they need me to make any decisions. I just love being part of the team. It's been such a part of my life. As much as I can, as long as I can, I'll probably stay involved at that level."
Not that Robinson isn't close to the team and the players or has an opinion on what's going on. A fixture at games seated in the second row across from the Spurs bench, Robinson is a big fan of this offseason overhaul.
"It's pretty exciting," he said. "I hate to lose a guy like Bruce Bowen, a great locker room guy, but you bring in a young and athletic guy like Richard Jefferson who can play both sides. I think our key is getting back to that defensive end. If we're dominant defensively, we're going to be the best. I think [Antonio] McDyess and Jefferson can add to that. Those guys can help us be solid again.
"Bringing in the young kid [second-round pick DeJuan Blair] is exciting, too. We're looking like we can be really deep. We have a nice looking team on paper, but they've got to get the concepts and they've got to get back to that defensively philosophy. If they don't make stops, they're not going to win. Making stops is about chemistry. That's what we're going to have to build on."
Robinson is beginning to sounds like Pop.
"No, no, no," he said with a laugh. "I was there for a long time. But it's really about trust and if these guys can come in and trust one another right away. It's not hard to trust a Tim Duncan. If he's behind you, you can play aggressive. But you have to execute.
"We'll get it. It won't be there right away, but when you have four or five guys who can score 20 points on any give night that's not bad."
*******************
Hit the link for the pics and videos.
• Photo Timeline: David Robinson through the years
• Photos: David Robinson's career
DAVID ROBINSON VIDEOS:
1987 Draft Lottery: Spurs strike it rich
Dazzling debut: Robinson has double-double
'90 Rookie of Year: Leads Spurs to 56-26 mark
Game to remember: Robinson scores 71
The best around: Admiral named MVP in '95
Twin towers: Robinson teams with Duncan
Sir Thief: Admiral becomes Spurs' steals leader
King of the hill: Robinson surpasses Gervin
Exclusive club: Robinson scores 20,000th point
Beat L.A.: Admiral helps Spurs oust Lakers
To the rafters: Spurs retire Robinson's No. 50
Highlight reel: Robinson's finest plays
Spurs' 1999 Championship | 1995 MVP
Looking back: Robinson reflects on career
NBA TV GameTime: Paying tribute to Admiral
HOF Enshrinement Announcement
http://www.nba.com/2009/news/feature...9/09/robinson/
Last edited by duncan228; 09-09-2009 at 02:35 PM.
To me there was no doubt that David would retire a Spur.
Thank god the Spurs didn't sign Chris Webber that offseason. He had like one more good year after that and would not have been healthy for the 2003 playoff run that produced a championship.
Agree with Robinson saying Spurs need to get back to that defensive philosophy.
That won't happen with Bonner being our starting center.
It was close...what isn't mentioned in this article is that the Spurs were lowballing David to an extreme degree and at least on the surface appeared to be in mad pursuit of Chris Webber...and the main thing that changed the course of that...
#1. The fans raised with the Spurs over the prospect of losing David Robinson(outside of the message board asshats many of whom were ready to cut ties, and they know exactly who they are).
#2. Let's face it, Chris Webber would have never signed here all things being equal.
I wonder if D-Rob would like to have Bruce's number retired, or if he would even campaign for it.
The other "thank God" was not re-signing Derek Anderson. It seemed like an either/or scenario with him and Robinson that year. DA was a demanding b!tch but I remember a lot of folks arguing his merits over using that money to keep an aging Admiral.
I'll sack up and admit I was on the Webber bandwagon in 01 even at the expense of losing David. That sweep the Lakers had just handed the Spurs was ridiculously traumatic to me as a Spurs fan, and I guess I wasn't thinking straight or something. Sometimes it's good to not get what we want though. I can't imagine winning the le in 03 without having David to line up against Shaq, and nothing in Spurs history was as sweet as seeing David exit the court for the final time as the champion of the world.
Webber in his prime would have been a of a catch to play alongside Duncan. The guy had a great outside shot and was an amazing passer. And in his prime he was known as a pretty good player too.
But in the end it all worked out for the Spurs.
Our starting centre is TD. Our starting PF is Dice.
Interesting, isn't it... there are actually some BENEFITS that arise from being a franchise that:
a) big time FAs are hesitant to join, and,
b) that doesn't give in to ridiculous demands by its FAs.
I've never thought about that before, but it certainly saved our arse on this one!
You're kidding right? Just about everytime Pop gets his man it turns out badly...it's when he gets about his second or third choice that we win les.Interesting, isn't it... there are actually some BENEFITS that arise from being a franchise that:
a) big time FAs are hesitant to join, and,
b) that doesn't give in to ridiculous demands by its FAs.
I've never thought about that before, but it certainly saved our arse on this one!
Last years team was pretty much Pop's wet dream...
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