Finger: AJ's struggle foreign to many of current Spurs

[some_user86]

Mike Finger: AJ's struggle foreign to many of current Spurs

Web Posted: 12/23/2007 12:37 AM CST

San Antonio Express-News

By the time the spotlight panned to the rafters and the AT&T Center's newest retired jersey was unveiled, many members of the 2007-08 Spurs already were gone. They'd filed out of the building one by one, hearing the tributes and applause echo from the floor of the arena but not stopping long enough to soak it all in.
None of those who left had ever known Avery Johnson as anything other than an adversary. The only current Spur to have played with the Little General is Tim Duncan, who was part of the ceremony. So as dignitaries and former players praised Johnson for all he'd overcome —the rejection, the disrespect, the failures, the lack of natural ability — the new Spurs' disinterest was understandable.

"Most of the guys in this locker room now," Bruce Bowen said, "don't relate."

Bowen, with his A.J.-like small-college, NBA-journeyman background, is the exception. He said he's used Johnson as an inspiration because of their "common threads," which is why he made a point of sticking around to watch Saturday night's ceremony even though they were never teammates.

As for the rest of these mid-dynasty Spurs? It's easy to see why they aren't as readily inspired. At about the same age Johnson was when he became unemployed on a Christmas Eve, Tony Parker already has three championships, an NBA Finals MVP award and a Hollywood starlet wife.

But on the 1999 championship team that cemented Johnson's legacy, it wasn't only the little point guard who had to overcome. On the dais Saturday night was a 7-footer who'd been humbled by Hakeem Olajuwon and had his heart questioned, as well as a former small forward who'd been ingloriously shipped to Detroit and all but left for dead.

They had strong personalities, and when they came together, the results might not have been as consistently successful as the current Spurs. But as they proved again Saturday, they were always entertaining.

The camaraderie is still tangible, and if it seems like the emotional attachment between Johnson and David Robinson and Sean Elliott is easier to see than the one between Duncan and Parker and Manu Ginobili, there's a reason for it.

"The guys now didn't have to go through what we had to go through," Elliott said. "They never had to hear everyone say they didn't have what it takes to win a championship. And that's probably because they're better than we were."

They're also more guarded about sharing their personalities, which is one way Johnson's legacy didn't trickle down. Whereas Johnson's Spurs filled up reporters' notebooks and shook maracas for Taco Cabana and revved up crowds with "Y'all ready for this?," the Duncan-Parker-Ginobili Spurs are tame by comparison.

"We seem to be teetering on the edge of boredom most of the year," guard Brent Barry said, "and that's pretty much the way our guys like it."

Much is made of doing things "the Spurs' way," and much of that has carried over from the first championship to the fourth. But even though Gregg Popovich doesn't like to compare teams from different eras, he concedes the atmosphere has changed in eight years.

"That particular team (in 1999) had Avery's personality stamped all over it," Popovich said. "He was a very focused player and a very demanding player, which is unique, because he wasn't that good."

The Spurs' leaders now don't have that problem. They let their accomplishments and their ability speak for them, which is a luxury Johnson didn't always have.

But as he hurried down the hall from the locker room to the ceremony, Duncan wanted to make something clear.

"The voices have changed," Duncan said, "but Avery's voice still echoes."

[email protected]

LINK: http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...s.2fab6f6.html

[timvp]

"That particular team (in 1999) had Avery's personality stamped all over it," Popovich said. "He was a very focused player and a very demanding player, which is unique, because he wasn't that good."

True.

But as he hurried down the hall from the locker room to the ceremony, Duncan wanted to make something clear.

"The voices have changed," Duncan said, "but Avery's voice still echoes."

Exactly. Haters can hate but those who followed the team and aren't blinded by Mav hatred can tell you that Avery was instrumental in the creation of Spurs Basketball.

[whottt]

True.

I've been saying that on the forum for 4 years now and every time I say it you get pissed off...


The part about him always taking the last shot and missing it is true too...which used to piss me off...and that's why I scoff the notion that he was clutch.


I mean let's keep it real here.


It's one thing to be happy to see AJ be the guy that hit that shot in the finals...entirely another to spin that as being clutch...and that is what some AJ fans attempt to do.


I didn't see DRob, Elliott or Pop attempting to spin it that way...they said the same things the AJ haters say, they were laughing when they said it...but they said the same things...they were pretty honest about what his game. Unlike some of the AJ homers more ridiculous claims...clutchness, Drob sucked without him..etc.

Exactly. Haters can hate but those who followed the team and aren't blinded by Mav hatred can tell you that Avery was instrumental in the creation of Spurs Basketball.

And non-AJ homers can tell you that AJ was a prick his last couple of years with the Spurs and talked some bad trash...


That's the AJ that pisses people off. Not the guy who got cut on Christmas eve....

That's why some were so offended at the notion of retiring his jersey...and you can say we were being harsh, but that's why he got let go from the Spurs after 01, without much of a fond farewell.


You know that jersey retirement was about his friends pushing it through...that's what it was about.

And that's fine...Spurs fans aren't heartless, they embrace good guys, they love them in fact, even guys without a shred of talent. And SA is the ultimate city of the underdog......but if their jersey is going up in the rafters, they need to not be acting like they did the Spurs a favor.


AJ didn't act like that last night and it was a lot easier to cheer for him and not be bothered as his jersey was going up...even enjoy watching him be awed by it. A little.

It's true that PG's need an ego...but there's a difference between having an ego and being completely freaking detatched from reality...and AJ's gone off the deepend from reality with some of his comments since leaving the Spurs. He came back after some humiliating asskickings in the post season and some fans being none to enthused about retiring his jersey...

So in a way, you should thank the AJ haters for helping AJ get back to his roots and making that jersey retirement a memorable one

Realize.

[Ignignokt]

aj deserves to get his jersey retired because he hit an open jumper on a team that essentially gave up the fight to the spurs.


Gawdd, we should have kept negele knight.

[timvp]

I'm not falling for that whottt bait.

*points to #6 in the rafters*

[ShoogarBear]

Exactly. Haters can hate but those who followed the team and aren't blinded by Mav hatred can tell you that Avery was instrumental in the creation of Spurs Basketball.

I disagree with this statement.

I am blinded by Mav hatred, but will never forget what AJ did.

whottt loves the Mavs yet hates AJ.

Go figure.

[ploto]

By the time the spotlight panned to the rafters and the AT&T Center's newest retired jersey was unveiled, many members of the 2007-08 Spurs already were gone. They'd filed out of the building one by one, hearing the tributes and applause echo from the floor of the arena but not stopping long enough to soak it all in.

I was VERY disappointed in this. I found it to be in bad taste as it was a team ceremony that does not happen often. It also shows what kind of person Bowen is for staying for it.

[Johnny_Blaze_47]

I heard from a very reliable source (Kori) that Tony and Eva were watching the ceremony from the Spurs bench.

[SequSpur]

They should've waited 10 years before they retired that jersey.

[wildbill2u]

I was VERY disappointed in this. I found it to be in bad taste as it was a team ceremony that does not happen often. It also shows what kind of person Bowen is for staying for it.

I know that these ceremonies can run on and on--but these new Spurs should show the same respect for those that came before them and paved the way that they hope to earn for themselves.

This is a disappointment to me for the team that has established itself as the standard for "NBA Class"