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Legend
Spectacular article about a spectacular player.
The tension between Ginobili and Popovich was clear in the beginning. And it was clear that Manu wasn't going to back down to Pop. I used to watch the interaction between the two of them and laugh out loud in the stands. Thank goodness Pop could eventually see Manu's strengths and contributions. That reality speaks to Pop's (eventual) readiness to accept a reality other than the one he had in mind.
He has always been my fave, partly because he really gave the Spurs what they never had before: unpredictabililty in playing excellence. His court vision truly is better than maybe anyone in the league.
And, regardless of what other reasons went into the decision to have him start the second unit, I definitely believe that said decision prolonged his career.
Most surprising quote of the article: When Manu said he thought his great play in game 5 relaxed him too much in game 6, and essentially said he lost his focus. That is a terrific piece of self-knowledge.
Legend
Amazing article. The quotes may be the best part. Zach is the king of bball writers.
Manu...
Back in the day, when the Spurs were new to San Antonio, I loved to watch the very special skills that George Gervin brought to the game. If you weren't there you can't understand because the games in that era (both NBA and ABA) weren't taped and/or archived for the most part. At GG's retirement dinner they only had a few highlights of his career. But Gervin's shooting skills were so unique that I always felt that he'd make one shot in every game with a degree of difficulty that justified the cost of the tickets. Pure basketball entertainment factor was high.
I never thought I'd see another Spur with that same magical skill set that would electrify a crowd night after night and justify the much higher cost of today's entertainment ticket. Manu does that. And more than Gervin, Manu has the ability to make those electrifying plays on offense, defense, and even by his brilliant passing and court vision. Manu is the player that makes the Spurs a premier entertainment value.
What did KD say?"I would rather lose with you guys than win with any other group of players," Ginobili said through tears. Scola said the same thing.
Great article. Thanks for sharing. So much insight there, specially from Pop for me. How he wanted to change and restrict Manu. How he started in a role, how Manu broke out of that role to play his game. So much perspective and appreciation for the man and how the Spurs are also a reflection of his personality as well as it was Tim's.
It would indeed have been hard for both to retire at the same time, something we chatted about before and this article gives an insight on that.
This article just validates in my mind why manu will go down as my favorite basketball player ever. Awesome article.
"What a vanilla take. A frosty has more creativity than that" -- spurstalk
Well said. Manu's unpredictability was a great counterpoint to Duncan's methodical dominance, Parker's aggression, and Pop's structure.
Wow! What a very nice article on my favorite spurs player! Thanks for posting!
With Tim's retirement Pop came out with the statement that he's looking forward to seeing how the new Spurs' locker room leadership develops. He has obviously been pushing Kawhi for that and it remains to be seen. He doesn't form bonds with others well since teammates have said he doesn't talk or hang out privately and although Tim was also quiet he did have ways to connect with others through kinship and encouragement.
Manu one more season plus Tony are holding the leadership fort while the Spurs' younger players develop, that's the bottom line. Their development is to me the theme this upcoming season. Even Kawhi is still developing. He's just 25 (imagine, that was Manu's age coming over to the NBA more or less) and still needs to develop as a leader.
The Manu retirement tour is probably going to allow those guys to stay in the background building their own music metaphorically. The end of an era and hopefully the beginning of one have coincided for a couple of years and we are witnessing it this season. Even if the end result in the postseason is disappointing (it will be if the team gets eliminated and they didn't win every year even in their heyday) last season felt transitional and this upcoming one will be even more so.
Got to enjoy the season, for Manu and for the young Spurs. I think it will be special no matter what. So excited to see the Spurs....
has he definitely said this is his last season?With Tim's retirement Pop came out with the statement that he's looking forward to seeing how the new Spurs' locker room leadership develops. He has obviously been pushing Kawhi for that and it remains to be seen. He doesn't form bonds with others well since teammates have said he doesn't talk or hang out privately and although Tim was also quiet he did have ways to connect with others through kinship and encouragement.
Manu one more season plus Tony are holding the leadership fort while the Spurs' younger players develop, that's the bottom line. Their development is to me the theme this upcoming season. Even Kawhi is still developing. He's just 25 (imagine, that was Manu's age coming over to the NBA more or less) and still needs to develop as a leader.
The Manu retirement tour is probably going to allow those guys to stay in the background building their own music metaphorically. The end of an era and hopefully the beginning of one have coincided for a couple of years and we are witnessing it this season. Even if the end result in the postseason is disappointing (it will be if the team gets eliminated and they didn't win every year even in their heyday) last season felt transitional and this upcoming one will be even more so.
Got to enjoy the season, for Manu and for the young Spurs. I think it will be special no matter what. So excited to see the Spurs....
I'm just regurgitating what spurstalkers say when someone posts a link to an article, no matter how good the article is. I figure if I say it enough times, they'll stop.
One of the GOAT bball articles tbh.
I was backing you up on that, tbh
I've always said, one of the reasons the Spurs were able to win championships was because Manu wasn't afraid to go outside of pops "system" to wrestle a game trying to get away by the horns.
I truly believe he's the greatest compe or we've seen since MJ. Kobe is right there and dare I say Westbrook, maybe time will tell...Manu never had the athletic ability but damn what a winner. What he did in Athens will never be duplicated. Ever. This is why his signed jersey hangs in my office.
Props to Zach Lowe. This isn't just your typical sports article, this is outstanding literary journalism.
No, nor will he I think, but at 39 I am assuming it is no offense.
Great Piece!
Zach Lowe.
Damn I'm going to be experiencing shock from Timmy being gone all year. I can't even imagine how it's gonna be when Manu retires. Great article, Lowe.
Makes me miss Splitter even more. It's clear he was a big part of that chemistry, too. But yes, that was a great article. Manu is quite the drama-queen. But you don't get to where he is without being weird.
It was a great article. It's clear that Lowe got most of those quotes months ago. It's nice to see someone actually put in work for their stories as opposed to just rehashing the same quotes they overhear in press conferences.
Though
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