Nice article about AJ

[nbascribe]

Was interviewed Friday along with a couple of other people on Avery Johnson. Article has San Antonio references.

Check it out at http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site....ews/johnson612

[whottt]

He added that even legendary players like Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson often fail to carry the success they gained playing over to coaching or management roles.

Ya well...if AJ had the success they had as players he wouldn't have matched it as a coach either. It's a joke to even put him in the same sentence as Jordan and Magic.


Basically it's fluff...I only wish AJ had been a coach instead of a PG for the Spurs.

If only he'd lashed out at his own Defense, shooting and FT's like he did at David Robinson, the Spurs would have had more les...Pretty bad when the 7'1 C is a better FT shooter than the no game PG. Usually the no game PG's can hit FT's if nothing else.

[SPARKY]

So when ME called out DRob it was ok, but when AJ did so then it was a travesty?

[whottt]

ME backed it up by hitting shots to punish teams that tried to take Duncan and Robinson out of the game, and he hit daggers that saved wavering confidence...and ME called out everyone.

He didn't just take advantage of his best friends good nature to make himself look like a bigshot, like AJ did.

[SPARKY]

Clearly AJ didn't know what he was doing.

[whottt]

AJ is excellent at running his mouth...he's just bad at backing it up with his on court play. That's why he makes a great coach...he doesn't have to back it up and his total lack of shot and doesn't hurt his team.


You think the Mavs would be in the finals right now if AJ was the PG?

Think again.

[nbascribe]

whott...news flash....AJ is coaching in the finals. Where's Jordan and Magic on their coaching resumés with that distinction? Nowhere to be found.

You so-called diehard spurs fans amaze me. When AJ was here pretty much everybody was kissing his ass. He moves on, and everybody wants to bad mouth him. Yet I don't remember anyone thanking AJ, DRob and Sean Elliott for getting Bob Hill's ass ran? I don't here either one of you saying that with AJ and ME's leadership that the Spurs would have never gotten that le?

I don't see you two saying, "Way to go AJ for putting your money into a neighborhood where people thought it was dead and drug infested" or "Good job AJ. First DRob gives back and now AJ follows his longtime friend in doing the same."

AJ did something that a bunch of us wish we could do...go undrafted and prove himself. And instead of giving a guy like him (an ordinary guy mind you) props for grabbing success, you two yokels want to bad mouth him. And then we all wonder how come some Spurs fans are hated for their classless thoughts.

Way to go you two. Thanks for showing the world that for many Spurs fans are a bunch of idiots who don't appreciate any of our players.

Unfreakingbelievable.

[leemajors]

magic was a great coach and late night host.

[DarrinS]

whott...news flash....AJ is coaching in the finals. Where's Jordan and Magic on their coaching resumés with that distinction? Nowhere to be found.

You so-called diehard spurs fans amaze me. When AJ was here pretty much everybody was kissing his ass. He moves on, and everybody wants to bad mouth him. Yet I don't remember anyone thanking AJ, DRob and Sean Elliott for getting Bob Hill's ass ran? I don't here either one of you saying that with AJ and ME's leadership that the Spurs would have never gotten that le?

I don't see you two saying, "Way to go AJ for putting your money into a neighborhood where people thought it was dead and drug infested" or "Good job AJ. First DRob gives back and now AJ follows his longtime friend in doing the same."

AJ did something that a bunch of us wish we could do...go undrafted and prove himself. And instead of giving a guy like him (an ordinary guy mind you) props for grabbing success, you two yokels want to bad mouth him. And then we all wonder how come some Spurs fans are hated for their classless thoughts.

Way to go you two. Thanks for showing the world that for many Spurs fans are a bunch of idiots who don't appreciate any of our players.

Unfreakingbelievable.

I never liked AJ as a player. I think the Spurs won a championship IN SPITE of having a terrible PG. So he made a 10 foot basline jump shot against the Nicks? BFD.

I would cringe every time I saw AJ taking a jump shot. AJ makes TP look like freakin Kobe Bryant.

[strangeweather]

I never liked AJ as a player. I think the Spurs won a championship IN SPITE of having a terrible PG. So he made a 10 foot basline jump shot against the Nicks? BFD.

I would cringe every time I saw AJ taking a jump shot. AJ makes TP look like freakin Kobe Bryant.

Yeah, if we'd had John Stockton, we would have won more. But we didn't have John Stockton.

AJ had holes in his game like Swiss cheese. So what? He worked his ass off and did everything he could with what he had. We had a lot of PGs in the 90s that were worse than AJ, and almost all of them had more tools to start with than he had, but he was more effective on the court.

I respect guys like AJ a lot more than the guys who have all the physical tools but don't make anything out of them.

[DarrinS]

Yeah, if we'd had John Stockton, we would have won more. But we didn't have John Stockton.

AJ had holes in his game like Swiss cheese. So what? He worked his ass off and did everything he could with what he had. We had a lot of PGs in the 90s that were worse than AJ, and almost all of them had more tools to start with than he had, but he was more effective on the court.

I respect guys like AJ a lot more than the guys who have all the physical tools but don't make anything out of them.

He did have a killer, uncontested layup shot.

He is a good motivator, which is probably why he's such a good coach. I like AJ as a person, just not as a PG.

[whottt]

Yeah, if we'd had John Stockton, we would have won more. But we didn't have John Stockton.

AJ had holes in his game like Swiss cheese. So what? He worked his ass off and did everything he could with what he had. We had a lot of PGs in the 90s that were worse than AJ, and almost all of them had more tools to start with than he had, but he was more effective on the court.

I respect guys like AJ a lot more than the guys who have all the physical tools but don't make anything out of them.

Truthfully...the fact that AJ was the best PG on the Spurs for many years was a testament to the tightfistedness of the Spurs FO more than anything AJ did by hard work...hard work didn't keep his azz from getting cut by every other team that a mediocre PG to put in front of him.


I will agree on one thing....AJ wasn't an idiot like Strickland was.

[strangeweather]

Truthfully...the fact that AJ was the best PG on the Spurs for many years was a testament to the tightfistedness of the Spurs FO more than anything AJ did by hard work...

Don't get me wrong -- I would have loved to have someone better. But that's not AJ's fault at all.

If a guy doesn't have much potential but lives up to all he has, he's done his part. Blame the front office for their part.

[whottt]

Oh I do...don't worry about that. The FO is where blame #1 goes. They are very lucky that Drob was the type of guy he was, more worried about community service and being a great human being than people thinking he was the greatest basketball player ever, otherwise he'd have been playing elsewhere.

[leemajors]

Oh I do...don't worry about that. The FO is where blame #1 goes. They are very lucky that Drob was the type of guy he was, more worried about community service and being a great human being than people thinking he was the greatest basketball player ever, otherwise he'd have been playing elsewhere.

BAkriD would like you to prove that last statement...

[nbascribe]

Oh I do...don't worry about that. The FO is where blame #1 goes. They are very lucky that Drob was the type of guy he was, more worried about community service and being a great human being than people thinking he was the greatest basketball player ever, otherwise he'd have been playing elsewhere.

When they got rid of Bob Bass and Pop became the general manager, that's when things began to change. And you can't blame the front office for everything thath goes wrong. In case you haven't noticed, there are only about fifteen teams in the league that even a have a le so something had to go right. And as far as the community service goes, there are a lot of guys who go out and do things unnoticed because that's what they do and who they are.

Mailik, Samaki Walker, Chris Whitney and quite a few others helped out kids on the city's Eastside and Westside when their time permitted. Some guys were doing things in two cities...their on-season and off-season residences. So that last statement about community service is a little skewed.

[ShoogarBear]

Hey, whottt, who do you think worked the longest and hardest at improving his game: DRob or AJ?

[nbascribe]

Hey, whottt, who do you think worked the longest and hardest at improving his game: DRob or AJ?

They ain't getting it SB. AJ epitomizes what it takes to succeed in a profession where the fraternity is close knit and instead realizing that he lived the life tha many of us wish he had, they wanna be monday night quarterbacking a guy's career AFTER he's retired.

DRob's game was flowed as well but nobody wants to admit that fact. And as usual, missing the point in the story seems to be the norm. Instead of saying, "dayum somebody actually said something nice about a guy who was San Antonio when he was here", it's fluff and stuff.

but yet if an article came out and lambasted Avery for being an arrogant ass (which he is known to be on numerous occasions), people would say the media is picking on the little guy.

Some days u just gotta say, "They're clueless on the Riverwalk"....

[whottt]

When they got rid of Bob Bass and Pop became the general manager, that's when things began to change. And you can't blame the front office for everything thath goes wrong. In case you haven't noticed, there are only about fifteen teams in the league that even a have a le so something had to go right. And as far as the community service goes, there are a lot of guys who go out and do things unnoticed because that's what they do and who they are.

Mailik, Samaki Walker, Chris Whitney and quite a few others helped out kids on the city's Eastside and Westside when their time permitted. Some guys were doing things in two cities...their on-season and off-season residences. So that last statement about community service is a little skewed.

Uh, no it wasn't skewed, unless those guys also were turning down offers to go play for the Celtics and Lakers.


You miss the point entirely...the point was not that he was the only guy wanting to do community service... Rodman did community service...

The point was that winning championships wasn't the most important thing to him, and if it had been he wouldn't have been here in the first place, much less spent his career here.


And Avery Johnson would have been cut from here like he was every other team in the N B A...just another scrub. Lucikily the best friend whose career he nutrode, was cut from a different cloth.

[whottt]

Hey, whottt, who do you think worked the longest and hardest at improving his game: DRob or AJ?

So?


Hedo probably worked hard at it too...your point?


Did that make you scream his name when he couldn't hit wide open shots?

[whottt]

They ain't getting it SB. AJ epitomizes what it takes to succeed in a profession where the fraternity is close knit and instead realizing that he lived the life tha many of us wish he had, they wanna be monday night quarterbacking a guy's career AFTER he's retired.

I monday night QB'ed his career while he was still active...

DRob's game was flowed as well but nobody wants to admit that fact. And as usual, missing the point in the story seems to be the norm. Instead of saying, "dayum somebody actually said something nice about a guy who was San Antonio when he was here", it's fluff and stuff.

but yet if an article came out and lambasted Avery for being an arrogant ass (which he is known to be on numerous occasions), people would say the media is picking on the little guy.

Some days u just gotta say, "They're clueless on the Riverwalk"....

Well at least you admit the arrogant ass part.

Look, people homer for AJ, to a ridiculous level already, but sticking him in a sentence that implies a peer or comtemporous relationship with MJ, and Magic...is completely ludicrous. That is getting way off the beaten path of reality.


Allow me:

Beno's success in the NBA was followed by an even greater success as a coach, unlike other PGs who had successful playing careers, like John Stockton and Oscar Robertson...


Yes that's an exaggeration...but it's just as glaringly obvious which name doesn't belong in the sentence when AJ is stuck in there with Magic and MJ.


No matter how hard AJ worked on his game.


Get real.

[ShoogarBear]

So?


Hedo probably worked hard at it too...your point?

Uh, no, Hedo didn't work hard at it. That was part of his problem.

You still didn't answer the question.

[whottt]

How hard is it to hit an open shot?


He had to work hard enough to get from Turkey to the NBA. That's a looooong way.


Did that make you scream his name when he couldn't hit wide open shots?

[miss paxton]

You so-called diehard spurs fans amaze me. When AJ was here pretty much everybody was kissing his ass. He moves on, and everybody wants to bad mouth him. Yet I don't remember anyone thanking AJ, DRob and Sean Elliott for getting Bob Hill's ass ran? I don't here either one of you saying that with AJ and ME's leadership that the Spurs would have never gotten that le?

I don't see you two saying, "Way to go AJ for putting your money into a neighborhood where people thought it was dead and drug infested" or "Good job AJ. First DRob gives back and now AJ follows his longtime friend in doing the same."

Thanks for showing the world that for many Spurs fans are a bunch of idiots who don't appreciate any of our players.

Unfreakingbelievable.

Wow, I have a lot of problems with this. First of all, I didn't like AJ as a player. Therefore, the fact that I don't like him now doesn't make me a hypocrite or unappreciative of Spurs players. Since my opinion has been consistent, that's not hypocrisy. Secondly, am I supposed to admire all former Spurs players? And if so, why?

AJ was leading this team before the 1999 le, but for whatever reason they didn't win until then. I don't like it when people criticize David for "not being able" to win a le by himself, and I certainly wouldn't say that about AJ either. I don't blame him for not getting the Spurs to a le before 1999; by the same token, I don't give him sole--or even significant--credit for it.

I also don't see how not liking AJ translates to being an "idiot who doesn't appreciate" ANY Spur. My thinking that he was an undertalented player whose best attribute was criticizing more talented players doesn't mean I don't appreciate David, or Tim Duncan, or Manu, or Parker. I don't care that AJ coaches Dallas. Coaching does seem to be his forte.

Also, I read the article, and I don't see where you're getting that AJ put his money into a drug-infested neighborhood. Maybe it's there and I just missed it. What I did read was that he chaired a fundraising campaign to build a sports complex; while he may very well have contributed his own money, the article doesn't technically say that. He also held a Katrina fundraiser. He's also a "consistent alumni donor" to his college--me too. I'll never criticize anyone for charitable work, and AJ lending his name has value. I'll also assume that he contributed some of his own money. However, I don't see where the linked article says that; maybe you're referring to another source.

[ShoogarBear]

Noted: question still not answered.