When I first heard of Michael Finley being released, I thought it was a good move by both sides. Finley gets to go play for a championship contender and possibly get more minutes, while the Spurs cull the swingman herd and open up an opportunity for Malik Hairston. I posted my thanks to Finley and gave him props for being a model teammate over the years.
But after hearing more details surrounding Finley's release, I've changed my tune. From various accounts, Finley had been whining privately for a while before telling Pop he wanted out.
I can understand wanting more playing time but in this situation it was a very weak move on Finley's part. First of all, the Spurs needed him to be a veteran leader this season and help out the new players -- not whining behind the scenes about playing time.
Secondly, how the heck can Finley complain about minutes? He's been a pretty damn bad basketball player for years now and has gotten way more minutes than he deserved. Pop basically ended Bruce Bowen's career just so Finley could play more. There hasn't been a Spurs player in recent history who has gotten so many unwarranted minutes. Even this season, he inexplicably began the season as a starter. If he didn't miss a couple months due to a mild sprained ankle, he probably would still be playing too many minutes.
Third of all, how can Finley bail on a team that was so good to him during the 2007 championship run? Everyone said that winning for Fin was a big motivation. They treated him as he if wasn't the easily replaceable bit player he was at the time.
The Spurs give him a champion, give him an abundance of minutes, showered him with praise and he repays the team by asking out of his contract? That is just lame. The least he could have done is be the positive locker room influence who would be willing to go down with the ship if he couldn't help steady it.
Hopefully Fin signs with a contending team and gets plenty of unwarranted minutes. That would create one less contender.
As far as the Spurs are concerned, it's a glorious day that the Finley reign is finally over. He can take his bandwagoning ways and hit the road. I'll remember him as a coat-tailing ex-Sun Maverick who wanted out when the going got tough.
Good riddance.
I felt the same way because from what I heard Fin wanted out and after all the Spurs have done for him, for him to be crying was a move. What ever though, glad he's gone and I doubt he's going to play for another championship team cause if they give him minutes, they are likely to lose.
+1 qft
one less distraction.
when i found out the news, i was relieved but still appreciated what finley did here.
after hearing why he wanted to leave, i got to say "are you ing kidding me, fin?"
he started all last season when he was clearly done and Bowen was left in the dirt. If Finley didnt lose weight in summer 08, he would have looked like how he looks now: done. Finley should be the last player to complain about minutes. Look at Mason/Hairston/Ian. even Hill last year. Except for Mason, these guys just shut up on the bench and when they play, they play. These guys are clearly better than Fin talent wise.
Finley was overplayed here and he should know that. Still i got to appreciate what he did here but he could have at least left with some respect like Bowen/Horry/Fab.
Beautiful, Timvp.
Could this have an affect on team chemistry? It's now confirmed that both Mason and Finley were unhappy and were complaining about their minutes.
Mason had a right to complain about minutes. He did well for us last year. Finley shouldnt have had a problem. Chances are if Spurs didnt resign him in 08, he would have been retired with Horry. The FO gave him a gift to play for 2 more years and earn money when he didnt deserve it.
Wow, pretty sad revelation. And, I just got done praising the asshole in the other thread. It's sad to see the team in its current state, but to know that guys want to bail on a great bunch of guys like Timmy, Tony and Manu is the saddest part. That asshole should be thanking the Spurs that they gave him the only championship ring to his name and that they gave him a ridiculous 2 yr./5 million dollar deal at 35 years old. Well, this is the way a 36 year-old, over-the-hill bum like Finley repays the team. Good in' riddance after all, you piece of ....
Oh, and him for being one of the original es to whine about Bruce's "dirty" tactics.....
Yeah, good riddance.
All this ing from players who aren't even consistent can eat a you know what. I am over Mason...and at least Bogans gives his right arm on every play. He is still learning, maybe by next year he will get the system. Until then unleash Hairston. It's good to see Ian in a uniform, thank FIN.
I find it funny and ironic more than anything..
All this time, most of us Spurs fans have been complaining that Finley has been playing too much, but he himself felt like he hasn't played enough LOL..classic..
I don't know if I believe the reason though..I'm sure he wanted more minutes, but he can't actually believe he'll get them somewhere else..Pop also must know that Finley is done, despite his comments..it's pretty obvious to everybody..
Hopefully it opens up minutes for Hairston..during the game tonight, Sean said that the Spurs wanted to get Hairston some minutes and experience, which was part of the reason the coaches didn't want to cooperate with Finley's request for more minutes..do you think Sean knows anything, timvp, or probably speculating?..
Meh. He wants to play. At least he never whined to the press or the public. I can't really hold it against him (not the little I've heard about, anyway). Even if he was wrong for doing it, it's not reprehensible, it's just a mistake on his part. Good luck Finley.
Now if we can somehow switch Bogan's and Hairston's roles in our rotation and get Ian some minutes, I won't be so disappointed this year.
I never really liked the Finley pick up and I am glad to see him gone. Finley has been eating up minutes and unnecessary cap space for far too long. I will be amazed if anyone actually picks him up. What good team could he make better?
Not making any baskets the past three games despite shooting too many will not look very good if you are looking for a quality shooting guard.
I guess now we know who Bowen was talking about on his twitter.
Only thing I hate is that Finley should've said something to Pop before the trade deadline.
i agree with this, i wanted Fin out of the rotation as much as anyone but im not sure that wanting to play more makes him an 'asshole'. obviously all agreed that he was over the hill. but hes acted respectfully, at least publically the whole time hes been here. now if he comes out and says crap in the media about the spurs then i will be the first to smear him
What did Bowen say on twitter? I remember reading something, but completely forgot. I thought it was something in a way addressed to Mason?I guess now we know who Bowen was talking about on his twitter.
Only thing I hate is that Finley should've said something to Pop before the trade deadline.
I loved it in 06 and some in 07, but after that he didn't have shyt left to give IMO!!!!!! So in 08 he was okay at times, but not worthy of a starter nor for a le team! Pop played him way too long IMO and signing him again was a mistake IMO! He hate shyt left but we extended his contract.
Sean knows. He was talking about the conversation at the coaches' dinner after Finley bailed. When Sean actually goes on road trips, he gets good info because he hangs out with either Pop or TP.
What's funny is he ended up starting his final game as a Spur. To show how bad he wanted to play, he finished the game 0-for-2 in ten minutes to go along with no rebounds, no assists, no steals, no rebounds, no fouls and a plus/minus of -15. Way to state your case for more PT, Fin.
Not surprising to hear. Finley's always been a tad bit overly-sensitive - even in his Dallas days. He was brutally criticized, by fans and media alike, for several seasons, because his production did not measure up to his contract. He was never a public whiner, but there were stories of his silent displeasure behind the scenes. He played the victim role pretty well, following his release from the club.
Athletes are always the last to know when their skills have declined. Fin is a prideful man, who was good in his prime. Whlie he reinvented himself as a spot-up shooter, the truth is he was clearly on the decline when he arrived in S.A.
The relationship between him and the Spurs was an equally productive one. And he got a championship out of it. Though the fact remains, he probably stayed a couple of years longer than he should have. In fact, any time he spent on the court proved counterproductive, in my opinion.
Good luck finding more work this season.
Mason was overplayed last year because of injuries and late in the season and the playoffs was exposed. He's 20 minute per game player who comes in hits a couple threes, stretches the defense and sits down. Aaaand that's about the role that he was playing this year. He wanted to get paid this offseason and needed the minutes to do so. It was Mason's agent who blew the situation out of proportion.
Finley on the other hand, if timvp's source is correct, just seemed to revert back to type. If I remember correctly, he also left Dallas privately complaining about his lack of playing time. It appears his ego hasn't declined commensurate to his skills.
Again, for all of the (valid and invalid) criticisms of the FO, it seems they have always tried to honor player's requests: Jack McClinton/Haislip/Finley just this season and others that I can't think of off the top of my head. It seems they even tried to trade Mason at his request.
What exactly did Bowen say on his Twitter?I guess now we know who Bowen was talking about on his twitter.
Only thing I hate is that Finley should've said something to Pop before the trade deadline.
Well put. If he would have retired last year, it would have been best for him and the Spurs.
As it stands, he goes out as a grasping, sad loser. Another dumbo jock that doesn't know what time it is.
So much for the "classy vet" routine, eh? Get lost, Finley.
Bowen called out somebody on the Spurs that was complaining about his PT a few weeks ago on Twitter..it was around the time Mason's complaints became public, so we all thought it was him, even though Bruce said that he wasn't talking about Roger..
So I guess it would make sense if he was talking about Finley..I imagine their relationship might have soured with Finley taking his PT last year despite Bowen having more left in the tank..who knows though, maybe that's false..
I give Finley the benefit of the doubt. "Whining" has such a negative connotation and seems to be at odds with what we know about Finley's character, that of being a team guy and a true professional. He may have sounded off his concerns and issues with some people, its only human nature and completely understandable and he did it in private. To call this "whining" isn't fair IMO. He didn't hold a gun to the FO's head to get his current contract.. it was seen as a mutually beneficial deal at the time. If expectations weren't met on both sides, that's too bad but surely this is the best outcome for both parties.
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