Yahoo!: Spurs Top 10 Role Players 1999 onward

[baseline bum]

If you're going to rank role players based on contributions to le teams, there's no way that Speedy Claxton can be ahead of Stephen Jackson for their relative contributions in 2003; Jack had a much, much greater role in making that le happen than Claxton did.

It's even more laughable that someone would argue that Claxton's contributions in 2003 were greater than Parker's; that Spurs team doesn't get out of the West if Tony Parker doesn't play absolutely gigantic games 3 & 4 in Dallas that year and Parker was great at times in other rounds at times when the Spurs needed it (Game 3 in Phoenix, Games 5 & 6 against LA, Game 3 at New Jersey (good, at least)). Long forgotten in the sands of time is the fact that Kerr's heroics in Game 6 at Dallas that year came about because Parker was ill and Claxton didn't play very well in his absence.

Oh my god, I thought you were just responding to some re ed GNSF and then I see Claxton’s contributions far outpaced that of starting guard Tony Parker during the 2003 playoffs in the article. I mean that may be the stupidest Spurs take I have ever read. LOL Claxton's one quarter being more important than Parker outplaying Kidd the first 3 games of the Finals.

[baseline bum]

brent should be ranked imo he was basically our de facto backup point guard in the 05 finals because beno was being a pussie per par tbh he did some solid work for us

Yeah, he did a great job running the point when Parker was resting in the second half of game 7. No way they win that game without him.

[Spurminator]

The Legend of Speedy Claxton is pretty ridiculous, especially when used at the expense of Tony Parker. Never has someone who achieved 5 ppg in the Playoffs been so overrated. But I guess he did shoot a whole 4% better than Parker.

[baseline bum]

The Legend of Speedy Claxton is pretty ridiculous, especially when used at the expense of Tony Parker. Never has someone who achieved 5 ppg in the Playoffs been so overrated. But I guess he did shoot a whole 4% better than Parker.

Claxton had an awesome quarter, but god, people act like he was the one who won game 6 when in reality that run was due mostly to Duncan, Jackson, and Ginobili.

[Sec24Row7]

If you're going to rank role players based on contributions to le teams, there's no way that Speedy Claxton can be ahead of Stephen Jackson for their relative contributions in 2003; Jack had a much, much greater role in making that le happen than Claxton did.

It's even more laughable that someone would argue that Claxton's contributions in 2003 were greater than Parker's; that Spurs team doesn't get out of the West if Tony Parker doesn't play absolutely gigantic games 3 & 4 in Dallas that year and Parker was great at times in other rounds at times when the Spurs needed it (Game 3 in Phoenix, Games 5 & 6 against LA, Game 3 at New Jersey (good, at least)). Long forgotten in the sands of time is the fact that Kerr's heroics in Game 6 at Dallas that year came about because Parker was ill and Claxton didn't play very well in his absence.

Long forgotten is that Kerr's 3's mainly padded a lead and that Jackson's scoring is what brought us back.

[Mal]

Bowen was the best role player. Prototype of role player.
And where is Big Shot Rob....

I was very young that time, hardly remember 99 championship, but I remember guy named Mario Elie who wasnt mentioned.

Avery Johnson wasnt role player, tbh.

[Sean Cagney]

Matt Bonner doesn't belong anywhere near that Top 10.

And it's stupid how Horry and Barry aren't on that list.

This is how I would rank it:

1. Bowen
2. AJ
3. Horry
4. Rose
5. Elie
6. Stak
7. Barry
8. Kerr
9. Finley
10. Jaren Jackson

I was livid to not see Horry or Barry on the list! GET THE outta here. That writer is a bozo.

[Sean Cagney]

I think they meant to call this list "10 randomly selected role players from the Spurs Championship Era."

The correct top ten list is as follows:

1. Bruce Bowen
2. Robert Horry
3. Sean Elliott
4. Stephen Jackson
5. Michael Finley
6. Avery Johnson
7. Brent Barry
8. Malik Rose
9. Jaren Jackson
T10. George Hill / Antonio Daniels

Not bad until George Hill, he is not anywhere near that list as they won nothing with him. Daniels can slide out as well! He did better outside of SA. I would fit Kerr in there for one game over them! I know one game, but what an important game! He also hit a few in the Finals that year in game 5.

[crc21209]

I think they meant to call this list "10 randomly selected role players from the Spurs Championship Era."

The correct top ten list is as follows:

1. Bruce Bowen
2. Robert Horry
3. Sean Elliott
4. Stephen Jackson
5. Michael Finley
6. Avery Johnson
7. Brent Barry
8. Malik Rose
9. Jaren Jackson
T10. George Hill / Antonio Daniels

This. Although I would put Mario Elie in there instead of Antonio Daniels...

I would go:

1. Bruce Bowen
2. Robert Horry
3. Sean Elliott
4. Stephen Jackson
5. Malik Rose
6. Avery Johnson
7. Brent Barry
8. Michael Finley
9. Jaren Jackson
10. Mario Elie

[Sean Cagney]

This. Although I would put Mario Elie in there instead of Antonio Daniels...

I would go:

1. Bruce Bowen
2. Robert Horry
3. Sean Elliott
4. Stephen Jackson
5. Malik Rose
6. Avery Johnson
7. Brent Barry
8. Michael Finley
9. Jaren Jackson
10. Mario Elie

People forget Finleys huge effort in round one in 06 and his play against Dallas with his dunks and his threes! Then in 07 he made a ton of threes in the playoffs! Yet he is hated on alot! I never get that. I like your list.

[Obstructed_View]

"Claxton’s contributions far outpaced that of starting guard Tony Parker during the 2003 playoffs"

...and the legend continues to grow. Never has a player gotten so much mileage from hitting three jump shots inside 20 feet.

[Obstructed_View]

The Spurs don't win in '99 without Elie and Jaren. The Spurs don't win in 2003 without Kerr and Jack and Malik. The Spurs don't win in 2005 and 2007 without Horry. Well, maybe 2007; that run was relatively easy.

[Obstructed_View]

Long forgotten is that Kerr's 3's mainly padded a lead and that Jackson's scoring is what brought us back.

Um, wrong. Manu hit the first three, Jack hit the second and third off Kerr's passing which put the Spurs down three, and Kerr hit the one to tie it, the one to take the lead, and the one to extend it to 8. He also made the biggest defensive play of the game and an incredible save inbounds.

Long forgotten is that Kerr was the backup point guard for quite a stretch during the season because Claxton was hurt.

[SA210]

Bonner
no Horry

I also don't know if you call Bruce a "role player". Dude was our hidden MVP in a sense, part of a big four, imo.

[Drachen]

Bonner as a top 10 role player? The ?

And I was expecting Robert Horry at number 1, but he's nowhere to be found. Avery Johnson should not sniff the top spot.

Bowen should be number one the big three was actually a big four, but yes, horry should be there too.

edit: I share sentiments with the others..... Bowen shouldn't be on the list due to being part of the big four, but if he is to be on the list, then move he deserves to be numbers 1, 1a, 1b, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 10.

[Drachen]

Except for Speedy Claxton, Malik Rose and Bruce Bowen, nobody else should make the top #10 on this list.

Nazr Muhammad? Seriously? Oberto!!!???

Oh and Avery Johnson was NOT a role player. He was the starting point guard and a star.

Here's my top 10

1) Bruce Bowen
2) Speedy Claxton (won us 2003 le)
3) Robert Horry
4) Steve Kerr
5) Brent Barry
6) Micheal Finley
7) Sean Elliott
8) Danny Ferry
9) Stephen Jackson
10) Malik Rose

LOL Star!!!!

Tip your waitresses, Theycallmepo will be here all week

[Drachen]

People forget Finleys huge effort in round one in 06 and his play against Dallas with his dunks and his threes! Then in 07 he made a ton of threes in the playoffs! Yet he is hated on alot! I never get that. I like your list.

wasn't there a still image of finley throwing down a monstrous dunk and you see cuban in the background with a pissed off look on his face?

[DarrinS]

The Spurs don't win in '99 without Elie and Jaren. The Spurs don't win in 2003 without Kerr and Jack and Malik. The Spurs don't win in 2005 and 2007 without Horry. Well, maybe 2007; that run was relatively easy.

This

[DarrinS]

Can starters be considered "role players"?

[100%duncan]

No Horry? No Barry? And if you consider Bruce as a role player then he should be top 1. Heck, it was really the big 4 before.

[PÒÓCH]

this list was obviously done by a casual non-spur fan

[DarrinS]

No Horry? No Barry? And if you consider Bruce as a role player then he should be top 1. Heck, it was really the big 4 before.

True. The only Spurs with more playoff games than Bruce are Tim, Tony, and Manu.

[100%duncan]

And Oberto shouldn't be on that list tbh no disrespect. That 07 run was very winnable without him IMHO.

[spurs_fan_in_exile]

I have no problem with tagging Bowen as a role player. It's nearly impossible to overstate his importance to those 2005 and 2007 teams, but you could transplant any of the Big 3 to any team in the league and make that team better just about 100% of the time. Meanwhile you could do the same with Bowen and he'd fit right in with some teams, while on others that either didn't emphasize D as much or couldn't afford a weak link in their scoring he might struggle to get many minutes. That's a role player in my book. Anyways, he tops the list by a real big margin.

[milkyway21]

so where is Horry?