Spot Number 18 - Top 50 Spurs

[timvp]

SpursTalk's Top 50 Spurs
1. Tim Duncan
2. David Robinson
3. George Gervin
4. Gregg Popovich
5. Angelo Drossos
6. Manu Ginobili
7. Tony Parker
8. Sean Elliott
9. James Silas
10. Bruce Bowen
11. Larry Kenon
12. Avery Johnson
13. Alvin Robertson
14. Johnny Moore
15. RC Buford
16. Artis Gilmore
17. Peter Holt

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To pass the time until the start of preseason, let's see how SpursTalk.com ranks the Top 50 Spurs. Those eligible for the list include all players, coaches and owners. I don't want to define "top" too narrowly, but I think the best way to do it would be to think of the list as a list of the 50 most influential people who have helped make the Spurs one of the most successful franchises in the history of sport.

For more information on what we are doing, check out this thread.

In this thread, we will vote for spot number 18. Please place your vote. If you will, also explain in this thread why you voted how you did.

Thanks.



P.S.

Poll options listed in alphabetical order. If you want to vote for someone not on the list, post in the thread and I'll add the person.

Voting will end 2AM CST Wednesday morning.

Please vote only once.

[xtremesteven33]

gotta go with Malik.

he helped alot with our le wins in 99' and 03'.

always was a fan favorite and always showed his love for the city of San Antonio

[timvp]

I'll again be voting for Mitc . Bob Bass or Doug Moe would pretty good picks here as well.

[urunobili]

it should be Mitchel's turn then... i'll get strong on my support for Bud since he has been in all 4 championship runs with us and he is WAY>Malik or any other 3 ring contributor...

[century]

Gotta go with the Brick. Luv'em polaks!

[alamo50]

IBob Bass would pretty good pick here as well.

Make that 8 picks ago.

[FromWayDowntown]

Agree with alamo.

If the question is the most influential people in Spurs history, it's absolutely absurd that Bob Bass -- certainly among the 5 most influential figures in the first 20 years of the franchise's existence -- is still not among those who've been selected and that players who were here just a few years and were never All-Stars or anything close have been selected.

Do this sort of a poll 10 years ago and Bob Bass is undoubtedly a top 10 pick. Do it now, and a lot of people don't have a clue who Bob Bass was.

Until Bass is off the board, I'm not voting for anyone else.

[Brutalis]

Mitc was my pick.

[Spurminator]

After further reading I'd like to change my vote from Doug Moe to Bob Bass. Is that possible?

[Kona]

M twice.

[FromWayDowntown]

Making more of a plug for Bass, its interesting to me that though he only started one season as the Spurs' head coach (1975-76), he's the 5th winningest coach in Spurs history, both in terms of games won and in terms of winning percentage. So through 4 terms as interim coach -- not exactly a position in which coaches thrive -- Bass was able to win almost 57% of his games.

But coaching is the forgotten aspect of Bob Bass's contributions to the Spurs. Bass was crucial to building those teams in the late 70's and early 80's that were among the very best teams in basketball in that era. He was belatedly named the NBA's executive of the year for reshaping the Spurs in 89-90 -- David Robinson's arrival greatly helped, but the shrewd moves to get Mo Cheeks (and later Rod Strickland) and Terry mings, along with the wisdom to draft Sean Elliott, made a huge difference to that team; and that team really changed the course of the franchise and set the stage for what we all see now.

More than any of that, though, there are a lot of little things that are telling about the difference that Bob Bass made in San Antonio. I've mentioned it in another of these threads, but it warrants mentioning again -- last year, as the Spurs had a number of halftime celebrations to honor their past, one of those was devoted to Bob Bass. It was the only one that kept Gregg Popovich on the floor for the ceremony. Given the impact that Popovich has had on the franchise, his choice to stay out on the floor for that ceremony was, in my mind, telling.

Bass gave 20 years to the Spurs and played a huge role in a whole lot of wins. It's hard for me to understand how he's not been voted higher on this list, given that his impact on the Spurs' franchise is so significant.

[Spurs Brazil]

B.Bass

[manufor3]

malik!

[kobyz]

Malik Rose

[2centsworth]

not that it's Timvp's fault, but why do people even vote if they are just going to agree with Timvp?

[Bruno]

I don't know Bass, Mitc or some other "old" guys to judge by myself but I trust and follow FWD on this one.

[timvp]

not that it's Timvp's fault, but why do people even vote if they are just going to agree with Timvp?

What does this even mean?

More often then not over the last dozen votes, the person I've wanted hasn't won. I guess we all can't start voting for "Ellie" in the top ten

[timvp]

Do this sort of a poll 10 years ago and Bob Bass is undoubtedly a top 10 pick. Do it now, and a lot of people don't have a clue who Bob Bass was.

While I have been a Bob Bass advocate and I do think he probably should have been picked by now, Bass was never that highly regarded among Spurs fans. He was oftentimes the fall guy when ownership was being cheap. The fans thought Bass was doing wrong when it was actually ownership.

For example, I remember when Spurs fans wanted Bass run out of town after he supposedly turned down the Barkley deal. It wasn't until later that we learned the reason he turned it down was because ownership didn't want to give Barkley a new contract.

I think Bass is similar to Holt. Holt is disliked by a lot of Spurs fans currently but once a more hands-on owner is brought in and doesn't stay out of the way, Holt will be missed. I expect Bass' legacy to actually grow over time once people are able to take out the emotions and vote based on accomplishments and numbers.

[FromWayDowntown]

While I have been a Bob Bass advocate and I do think he probably should have been picked by now, Bass was never that highly regarded among Spurs fans. He was oftentimes the fall guy when ownership was being cheap. The fans thought Bass was doing wrong when it was actually ownership.

For example, I remember when Spurs fans wanted Bass run out of town after he supposedly turned down the Barkley deal. It wasn't until later that we learned the reason he turned it down was because ownership didn't want to give Barkley a new contract.

I think Bass is similar to Holt. Holt is disliked by a lot of Spurs fans currently but once a more hands-on owner is brought in and doesn't stay out of the way, Holt will be missed. I expect Bass' legacy to actually grow over time once people are able to take out the emotions and vote based on accomplishments and numbers.

All of that might be true; none of it makes Bass less important to Spurs history than Artis Gilmore or Mike Mitc , IMO.

[2centsworth]

What does this even mean?

More often then not over the last dozen votes, the person I've wanted hasn't won. I guess we all can't start voting for "Ellie" in the top ten

I need your support.


honestly, I haven't been following closely.

[timvp]

All of that might be true; none of it makes Bass less important to Spurs history than Artis Gilmore or Mike Mitc , IMO.

Yeah, it's tough to compare players to front office people. What hurts Bass is I haven't seen anyone lay out exact acquisitions that Bass had a positive part in. I saw you mention the Rod Strickland and Terry mings moves but, IIRC, those were more Larry Brown than Bass. LB came to town and had permission to trade whatever wasn't nailed down.

Drossos has Gervin and signed Robinson. Buford played a part in Ginobili and Parker. Bass doesn't really have any specific moves that he's known for. Then again, that's part of what makes Bass a very important part of the Spurs history. He never seemed to have a problem with taking the blame while getting none of the glory.

[ShoogarBear]

Bass was the guy who held the Spurs together through some of their most difficult periods: after the firings of Nissalke and Moe, after the aborted Mo McHone disaster, and after Larry Brown's quit/firing. Every time he prevented what could have been horrible situations from degenerating, and only in McHone's year was he unable to get them to the playoffs.

He was the Spurs coach in their last ABA year, and was one Silas injury or one bad Norm Drucker call away from getting the Spurs to the ABA finals, where they probably would have beaten Denver (the Nets handled them easily after struggling through a 7-game war vs. SA).

He was the guy who swung the Mike Mitc and Artis Gilmore deals--Mitc was acquired for George Johnson and Ron Brewer, and he got Gilmore for Mark Olberding and Dave Corzine. He was also the guy who put together the original Bruise Brothers Olberding, Corzine, Johnson, Paul Griffin, and Kevin Restani.

The guy took a lot of flack from Spur fans because they never got over the hump, but as soon as he got fired from the Spurs he almost immediately was hired by the Charlotte Hornets and had them turned around in a few years (and won the Executive of the Year award.

Also, for a time in the ABA I believe he was the director of officials, and I think his knowledge of the rule book played a huge role in getting the replay game of the infamous 1982 Spurs-Lakers game.

[baseline bum]

I can live with Bass getting the spot ahead of Mitc . This one was pretty close in my mind, but I always err on the side of the player.

[Obstructed_View]

What hurts Bass is I haven't seen anyone lay out exact acquisitions that Bass had a positive part in.

My timeline may be fuzzy on this, if so I apologize in advance...

How about Getting Dale Ellis for Tracy Murray?

BTW, was it Bass that traded Elliott for Rodman and then traded Bill Curley for Elliott a year later?

Those are the positives...

I can sum up Bob's position on this list in one word: Shark.

The draft picks under Bass were brutal. I remember being excited that Chris Whitney actually wore a Spurs uniform.