Back in the day, when I first became a season ticket holder during the first year of the franchise, I used to justify the cost of my tickets to the entertainment value I got from watching the Spurs. My mantra was that "Every game, Gervin will make some unbelieveable move and shot that will be worth the price of admission."
There aren't many players who can provide that entertainment value game after game, year after year. Only the legendary greats can do it. For all Timmy's greatness, his game and skills were so fundamentally pure that we seldom came out of our seats to cheer for a particular play. Parker often came close with his great finishes on drives to the basket.
Manu, however, is one of those players whose skills are off the charts for the spectacular plays that bring folks to their feet and that we talk about in the bars whenever we talk basketball. I've personally seen every great passer from Bob Cousy to Pete Maravich, but the greatest pass I EVER saw was when Manu was dribbling on a break downcourt along the sideline and made a bounce pass through the legs of a RUNNING defender between him and a teammate for a layup. What's the degree of difficulty on that? And that dunk in Game 5 on four Heat players to seal the lead is on a lot of folks sigs.
If you understand that pro basketball is an entertainment product, the value of a player like Manu to a franchise far transcends the won/lost record. It helps keep folks coming back to watch and appreciate what these marvelous athletes can do. And we can't. Not even in our dreams.
So if the last contract mixes his current playing time potential with a little love for his willingness to play from the bench while keeping his magnificent skills in San Antonio, it ill behooves anyone to challenge or dispute the decision of the front office. A little farewell bonus is well-deserved.