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This is going to be the biggest and moan thread of them all....
If this has been posted, sorry.
Mike Finger: Spurn Spurs at your own risk
San Antonio Express-News
07/06/2006
Nazr Mohammed and Joel Przybilla got the contracts they wanted, so financially speaking, both have it made.
But if Mohammed wants to hold on to all that money, he better hope the checks don't arrive via entry passes to the post.
The Spurs would never make such a joke, nor would they criticize a player for making a business decision. Besides, R.C. Buford, Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan always seem to have the last laugh in these situations anyway.
Spurning the Spurs in free agency? That's almost never a good career move.
Since Duncan arrived in San Antonio, an average of about one sought-after player per year has turned down the Spurs. And this is where Mohammed and Przybilla — the two centers who just agreed to terms with Detroit and Portland, respectively — should start to get nervous.
History does not look kindly on those who said, "Thanks, but no thanks," to life in South Texas.
Remember the summer of 2000, when Orlando was trying to steal Duncan and sign Grant Hill as part of one big coup? At one point, the Spurs made their own pitch to Hill, thinking that the chance to play with Duncan would entice the player who at the time was arguably the league's premier small forward.
Well, we all know how that turned out. Duncan stayed put and won two more championships. Hill, meanwhile, signed in Orlando, where he became the highest-paid one-footed player in NBA history and spent more time in Epcot Center than on the floor.
But Hill certainly wasn't the last guy to learn the don't-burn-the-Spurs lesson. A year later, it was Derek Anderson, the self-proclaimed "X-Factor," who turned up his nose at a Spurs offer and bolted for Portland. With the Spurs, Anderson appeared to be emerging as one of the game's most exciting shooting guards. But after languishing with the Trail Blazers and most recently being relegated to the end of Miami's bench, he became nothing more than an Ex-Factor.
The list goes on and on. That same summer, while the Spurs were in the middle of heated contract negotiations with David Robinson, they made a brief run at Chris Webber, who never warmed to the idea of playing in San Antonio. As it turned out, Webber's knee wasn't warmed to the idea of playing anywhere. He has not played a full season since, and his achy knee has forced his numbers to drop even when he's been on the court.
In 2003, it was Jason Kidd — an MVP candidate fresh off a trip to the NBA Finals — who received the Spurs' wine-and-dine treatment. Kidd passed, then saw his scoring totals, assists and field-goal percentage diminish, and saw his team lose three of its next five playoff series.
Then there was Stephen Jackson (who found more playing time elsewhere but also helped start a riot in Detroit), and Karl Malone (who elected to retire during the 2004-05 season, thereby wasting the chance to win what would have been his first NBA le).
So go ahead and congratulate Mohammed and Przybilla on their new contracts. Chances are, they won't have much else to celebrate for a while.
* * *
Over the past seven years, the Spurs have pursued — to varying degrees — several highly prized free agents who turned them down. For the most part, those players haven't exactly thrived elsewhere. Here's a lineup of the top spurners, with their production before and after their free-agent dance with the Spurs:
Player Before After
PG Jason Kidd Took Nets to 2003 NBA Finals while averaging 18.7 points and shooting 41percent from the field. Never advanced past second round; points, assists, shooting percentage all below 2003 levels.
SG Derek Anderson Averaged 15.5 points per game for Spurs in 2000-01. Averaged 11.4 points per game since; didn't see any playing time for Miami in NBA Finals against Dallas.
SF Grant Hill Averaged 25.8 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game in 1999-2000. Injuries limited him to 27 games per season since signing in Orlando.
PF Chris Webber/ Karl Malone Webber was a perennial all-star; Malone was one of the greatest ever to play the position. Webber's knee injury limited his mobility and his production; Malone retired without a championship ring.
C Nazr Mohammed/ Joel Przybilla Mohammed played a significant role on the Spurs' 2005 championship team; Przybilla showed promise as one of the league's best shot-blockers. To be determined.
Link...
This is going to be the biggest and moan thread of them all....
Not sure I understand the point of that article...to intimidate players into signing with us...
Or to point out how incredibly ing lucky we have been that those guys didn't sign with us...
That article doesn't exactly make the FO come off looking like the geniuses the rest of the league believes them to be. Damn we are lucky those guys blew us off.
Oh, so Grant Hill got injured because he turned down the Spurs.
And Karl Malone made it to the NBA Finals the year he went to LA instead of SA.
The writer does not understand what it is that may motivate a player and a person. Of course Przybilla does not expect to win a championship in Portland, but there are other considerations, and they are not all monetary. A player actually needs to get to play cosistent minutes to improve his game. Sometimes a player does not fit into a particular teams scheme of things and fits in better elsewhere. I applaud the players on this list who stayed with the teams they were with.
Exactly my thought. It just shows the bullets the Spurs have managed to dodge on the way to championship glory. Or more correctly, it shows the bullets that the Spurs haven't walked into.
To belittle those players who turned down the Spurs. The PR machine is in full force.
So . . . there is some voodoo created by the Spurs management to curse players who don't sign here? Is that what he's getting at?
All I see are lucky dodges - Hill's ankle problem, Webber's knee problem, Anderson's at ude problems, Kidd's rapidly approaching age inhibitors were all reasons we never should have signed them. Thank God we didn't.
I'm not upset at losing Mohammed or Przybilla since there is still a lot of time left to play. I think it is certainly true that neither will be getting a ring in the next couple of years, but then neither will any player from the 29 losing teams, so they are hardly alone there.
Stupid ing article.
Maybe Mike Finger was just trying to write a fluff, ironic piece....
Haven't you heard that it is better to be lucky than good.
It's a fluff, ironic piece, as per 1Parker1. Don't give it too much thought. Just a flippant talk about a "SA Free Agent Curse"
what a stupid article.
I think that the author of this article is stretching a bit too much, trying TOO hard to write something, anything about the Spurs during a time when there's very little to write. Look, Przybilla chose to REMAIN in Portland. I wonder if the author bothered to consider his relationship with the fans and local community. What about his sense of loyalty and familiarity with the Portland organization? Maybe he actually likes living there. Maybe he sees Portland as heading in a brighter direction. AND, he ended up making at least the same if not more money than he would have made in San Antonio.
Regarding Nazr, he's getting his potential five year deal and is making probably a little more in Detroit than he would've made in San Antonio. Plus, in Detroit, it can be assumed that he will definitely start and probably will log more minutes than he would've in San Antonio. What about his sentiments regarding playing only 15 minutes the entire Dallas series?
I wouldn't say these guys spurned the Spurs in an arrogant sense. I think that each, including the Jason Kidds and Grant Hills, had their own particular agendas and reasons. The flakiest might be Chris Weber. Derek Anderson shoved his foot in his mouth so much he HAD to go.
For goodness sake, these guys made BUSINESS decisions! Give me, them and all of us a break! Cut with the sappy drama queen , Mike Finger. Spurn the Spurs or what? The boogie man's gonna come? Get some skillz, kid.
put the aluminum foil in the window, the helicopters are hovering outside.To belittle those players who turned down the Spurs. The PR machine is in full force.
GREAT ARTICLE! C.I.A. POP STRIKES AGAIN!
I told you. It is well on its way.
So, anyone going to see Pirates 2 tomorrow?
Samaki Walker left San Antonio to sign with the Lakers as a free agent in 2001. Subsequently, he started at power forward for most of the following two seasons and was a part of the next two NBA Champs after leaving the Spurs.
i'm sorry. but that line right there is truely hilarious.But if Mohammed wants to hold on to all that money, he better hope the checks don't arrive via entry passes to the post.
on saturday. early show.
BTW - Alamo Draft House is showing it tonight at midnight for all those super hardcore fans.
Well, in my opinion the Spurs FO this season have just dragged their feet too much expecting big name FA's to bow to our greatnesss. It's backfired. I of course, like everyone else am eagerly and silently anticipating a blockbuster signing/trade that will make the Spurs FO the geniouses they're considered now, but it just might not happen. I'm not holiding my breath...
I would say, the point of the article is for Spurs fans not to hang themselves in July due to FA moves. Maybe we can hang ourselves after they actually play a game or 2. See what happens.
Every big name free agent not named Finley has spurned the Spurs over the years. Name one big name player even close to his prime and not already a Spur that has chosen to come to San Antonio. . .ever. And that includes the years that the Spurs have had the capspace to work with. Anyone who expected the Spurs to sign a Ben Wallace type player for the MLE was smoking too much of the wacky tabacky.
Welcome to Spurs basketball. This team was built through some great draft day decision-making, putting the right parts around Timmy, and filling in the cracks with a couple of aging veterans. Not by making big free agent signings.
It will be interesting to see how well we convert that philosophy to the new league order.
Robert Horry.
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