前一个赛季，请见马刺1996-97赛季全实录。
前后两个赛季：
1997-98赛季 ，马刺迎来状元秀 蒂姆-邓肯 ，同时前一个赛季受背伤和左脚骨折困扰的 大卫-罗宾逊 伤愈复出，双塔时代来临。
注：
- SAEN (San Antonio Express-News) 的存档不可避免的会出现缺失，可结合赛程查看。
- 所有内容由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。如发现错误可回复纠正。
- 所有时间均为原文时间即当地时间，并非东八区时间。
2 个赞
来自BBR的相关参考链接：
| No. | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Birth Date | Exp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cory Alexander | PG | 6-1 | 185 | June 22 1973 | 2 |
| 9 | Willie Burton | SF | 6-8 | 210 | May 26 1968 | 6 |
| 15 | Vinny Del Negro | SG | 6-4 | 185 | August 9 1966 | 7 |
| 21 | Tim Duncan | PF | 6-11 | 250 | April 25 1976 | R |
| 32 | Sean Elliott | SF | 6-8 | 205 | February 2 1968 | 8 |
| 4 | Reggie Geary | PG | 6-2 | 187 | August 31 1973 | 1 |
| 7 | Carl Herrera | PF | 6-9 | 215 | December 14 1966 | 6 |
| 2 | Jaren Jackson | SG | 6-4 | 190 | October 27 1967 | 7 |
| 6 | Avery Johnson | PG | 5-10 | 175 | March 25 1965 | 9 |
| 54 | Brad Lohaus | PF | 6-11 | 230 | September 29 1964 | 10 |
| 41 | Will Perdue | C | 7-0 | 240 | August 29 1965 | 9 |
| 45 | Chuck Person | PF | 6-8 | 220 | June 27 1964 | 10 |
| 50 | David Robinson | C | 7-1 | 235 | August 6 1965 | 8 |
| 31 | Malik Rose | PF | 6-7 | 250 | November 23 1974 | 1 |
| 3 | Monty Williams | SF | 6-8 | 225 | October 8 1971 | 3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
1997-05-18, By Jerry Briggs
马刺赢得邓肯乐透抽签
新泽西州锡考克斯——马刺队主席彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)摆好姿势拍照，脸上洋溢着喜悦。他微笑着，手里紧握着球队的海报标志，并竖起食指，示意“第一”的手势。
“这是献给我们球迷的，” 霍尔特说，“是他们一直支持着我们。”
周日，马刺队在第 13 届 NBA 选秀乐透抽签中赢得状元签，为他们痛苦煎熬的一年画上了一个令人惊喜的句号。
马刺队当即明确表示，他们将在 6 月 25 日于北卡罗来纳州夏洛特举行的选秀大会上用状元签选中维克森林大学中锋兼前锋蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)，他是公认的 NCAA 年度最佳球员。
上赛季，一系列严重的伤病使马刺队创下了 20 胜 62 负的球队历史最差战绩。而邓肯的到来可能会使他们立即重返西部冠军的争夺行列。
“这真是太棒了，” 霍尔特说，“这是我们应得的。太棒了，真的太棒了。”
如果能与邓肯成功签约，马刺队的“梦之队”锋线阵容预计将由他和中锋大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)以及小前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)组成，这套阵容有一天可能会成为联盟中最强大的锋线。
球队主教练兼总经理格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)打消了外界关于他可能会交易状元签的任何猜测。
一位记者找到波波维奇，暗示球队在如何使用状元签方面有“一百万种选择”。
波波维奇回答说：“不，交易蒂姆·邓肯的可能性，和（球队球探）R.C. 布福德(R.C. Buford)担任我们首发得分后卫的可能性一样大。”
波波维奇几乎没有留下任何疑问，他表示身高 6 英尺 10 英寸、体重 248 磅的邓肯是无可争议的两届全美最佳阵容一阵球员，也是唯一可选中的人选。
“你永远不想把自己逼到死角。但在这一点上，很明显，他是选秀大会上与众不同的球员，” 波波维奇说，“他和其他人之间显然存在着差距，每个人都知道这一点。”
在 NBA 娱乐公司的演播室里，波波维奇和媒体开玩笑说，他搬出了几位现役和退役的篮球巨星的名字，来证明邓肯的价值。
“我想如果你能用拉里（伯德）(Larry (Bird))、迈克尔（乔丹）(Michael (Jordan))和魔术师（约翰逊）(Magic (Johnson))打包交易，那你或许可以做成这笔交易，” 波波维奇说，“但这不会发生。”
凭借这场胜利，马刺队成为了乐透抽签历史上最幸运的球队。他们在 1987 年获得了状元签并选中了七届全明星罗宾逊。他们在 1989 年获得了探花签并选中了两届全明星埃利奥特。现在，他们又获得了自 1992 年的沙奎尔·奥尼尔(Shaquille O’Neal)以来最具统治力的状元秀。
事实上，马刺队的运气好到两次获得了邓肯的签约权。在乒乓球抽签中，他们的四个号码组合中有两个比其他任何球队都先出现。
“很明显，第二个被作废了，”一位联盟发言人说。
之后，乒乓球抽签决定费城 76 人队获得榜眼签，而此前被看好的波士顿凯尔特人队(Boston Celtics)将不得不接受探花签。
根据联盟规则，剩余的选秀顺位根据球队上赛季胜负记录的反序确定。拥有两个选秀权的凯尔特人队还获得了 6 号签。但作为联盟历史上最具传奇色彩的球队，波士顿队却失望地离开了现场。
“显然，我们想要得到状元签，因为我们意识到状元签能让我们有机会得到蒂姆·邓肯，” 凯尔特人队企业发展副总裁 M.L. 卡尔(M.L. Carr)说，“但我认为我们仍然有两个非常好的选秀权。”
此前，在 1000 个能抽中状元签的四位数号码组合中，凯尔特人队拥有 264 个。这意味着，波士顿队和他们新签下的 7000 万美元主教练里克·皮蒂诺(Rick Pitino)有 36.31% 的几率抽到状元签，这是所有球队中最高的。
相比之下，马刺队拥有 157 个号码组合，获得邓肯的几率排名第二，为 21.6%。对于这一结果，波波维奇只能耸耸肩，开玩笑地谈论球队的幸运。
“我们真的很努力，” 波波维奇面无表情地说，“我们只是坐在那里看着。”
波波维奇推测，马刺队的球员人事主管萨姆·舒勒(Sam Schuler)在乐透球队代表们观看抽签的房间里耍了些花招。
“萨姆是待在后台的那个人，” 波波维奇说，“我认为他对那些乒乓球动了手脚，才让这一切发生。萨姆·舒勒是我们爱戴的人，我们要带他出去吃饭，给他食物、啤酒、金钱，一切东西。”
选秀顺序确定后，NBA 将其搬上了舞台，并在国家电视台播出。从 13 号签开始，球队标志被从信封中取出，按降序排列。
当联盟宣布温哥华灰熊队(Vancouver Grizzlies)位列第 4 位，并在第 3 位抽出波士顿队的第二张也是最后一张卡片时，波波维奇开始感到乐观。
“当你看到那些奇怪的球队早早被选中时，你就知道你很有机会了，”他说，“你真的开始抱有希望。但你试着控制自己（不要）得意忘形，这样你就不会失望。你只是试着保持冷静。”
作为球队的新老板，霍尔特无法掩饰自己的情绪。他与其他球队代表一起坐在台上，当 76 人队被宣布为榜眼时，他挥舞着拳头，留下马刺队独自一人获得状元签。“我当时在想，‘我们做到了，’” 霍尔特说，“这就是我脑子里想的东西。当我们来到这里时，我就在想，‘我能把它带回家，带给一支永不放弃的球队和他们的球迷吗？’”
最终，马刺队管理层做到了。
这让马刺队总裁杰克·迪勒(Jack Diller)非常高兴。
“我刚飞到休斯敦，还不知道乐透抽签的结果，”迪勒说，“我给马刺队的人打了电话，但他们都出去了。最后，机场有人告诉我了。我还没有和任何人说过话，但这显然很棒。这是一个艰难的赛季，现在一些痛苦和不幸都有了意义。”
“事情本来不该是这样的，真的。一支拥有我们这样天赋的球队不应该赢得乐透抽签，也不应该再加入像邓肯这样的球员。但伤病让我们走到了这一步。”
自从去年夏天霍尔特购买了球队超过 31% 的股份以来，马刺队在他的掌控下分崩离析，上赛季因伤缺阵的比赛场次高达 347 场。
罗宾逊因脚伤和背伤缺席了 76 场比赛。埃利奥特因右膝肌腱炎缺席了 43 场比赛。球队八年来首次无缘季后赛。
现在，随着这两位前全明星球员在夏天进行康复治疗，球队的未来又燃起了新的希望。另一位球队基石邓肯即将到来。
“他是一个非常全面的球员，”舒勒说，“他可以打高位也可以打低位。他的品格很高尚。他非常符合波波维奇想要的球员类型。他是过去四年里最不可能失败的球员。”
他也是那种可以帮助马刺队争取新球馆的球员。
“我认为球队的表现定下了基调，所以像邓肯这样的球员的加入可以创造更好的氛围，” 迪勒说，“球馆的建成与否取决于它对社区是否有意义，而不仅仅是因为球队赢得了乐透抽签。但这确实加强了马刺队作为一项资产的价值。”
1997 年 6 月 25 日：圣安东尼奥马刺队中锋蒂姆·邓肯在北卡罗来纳州夏洛特体育馆举行的 NBA 选秀大会上与 NBA 总裁大卫·斯特恩握手。强制来源：Craig Jones/Allsport
前维克森林大学球员蒂姆·邓肯在 1997 年 6 月 25 日星期三于北卡罗来纳州夏洛特举行的 NBA 选秀大会上被圣安东尼奥马刺队以状元秀身份选中后，摆姿势拍照。(美联社照片/NBA 照片，Andy Hayt)
1997 年 5 月 18 日星期日，在新泽西州锡考克斯，圣安东尼奥马刺队董事长彼得·霍尔特在马刺队被选中获得即将到来的 NBA 选秀大会的状元签后做出反应。(美联社照片/Bill Kostroun)
点击查看原文：Spurs win the Duncan lottery
Spurs win the Duncan lottery
SECAUCUS, N.J. — Posing for photographs and feeling euphoric, Spurs chairman Peter Holt smiled, clutched the team’s poster logo and raised his index finger to flash the No. 1 signal.
“This is for our fans,” Holt said, “who hung with us.”
The Spurs’ year of pain and suffering came to a surprisingly happy conclusion Sunday when the team won the 13th NBA draft lottery.
The Spurs immediately made it clear they would take Wake Forest center-forward Tim Duncan, a consensus NCAA Player of the Year, with the first pick June 25 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It’s a development that could vault the Spurs back into immediate contention for the Western Conference championship after a horrible string of injuries knocked them down to a franchise-worst record of 20-62 last season.
“This is absolutely wonderful,” Holt said. “We were due. It’s great, just great.”
On a projected “dream” front line that one day could be the best in the league, the Spurs, assuming they sign Duncan to a contract, are expected to play him alongside center David Robinson and small forward Sean Elliott.
Gregg Popovich, the team’s coach and general manager, stamped out any speculation that he might trade the rights to the pick.
One reporter approached Popovich and suggested the team had “a million options” on what it could do with the No. 1 selection.
Responded Popovich: “Well, no. The chances of trading Tim Duncan are about the same as (team scout) R.C. Buford starting for us at off guard.”
Leaving little doubt that Duncan would be a Spur, Popovich said the 6-foot-10, 248-pounder and consensus two-time, first-team All-American stood alone as the best player available.
“You never want to paint yourself into a corner. But at this point, it’s pretty obviously a no-brainer that he’s the different player in the draft,” Popovich said. “There’s obviously a drop-off between him and everyone else, and everybody knows that.”
Joking with the media in the studios of NBA Entertainment, Popovich invoked the names of some of the game’s greatest current and former players to make a point about how valuable Duncan might be.
“I guess if you put a (trade) package together of Larry (Bird), Michael (Jordan) and Magic (Johnson), then you could make a trade,” Popovich said. “But that’s not going to happen.”
With their victory, the Spurs emerged as the most dominant lottery player in the event’s history. They won a No. 1 pick in 1987 and selected Robinson, a seven-time All-Star. They received the No. 3 choice in 1989 and took Elliott, a two-time All-Star. Now they have secured the rights to the most dominant No. 1 pick since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992.
Actually, the Spurs were so lucky, they won the rights to Duncan twice. In the pingpong-ball drawing, two of their four-numeral combinations came up before any other team.
“Obviously, the second one was thrown out,” a league spokesman said.
Afterward, the pingpong-selection process determined that the Philadelphia 76ers would get the No. 2 choice and the favored Boston Celtics would have to settle for No. 3.
In accordance with league rules, the rest of the draft order was cemented based on inverse order of the teams’ win-loss record last season. The Celtics, with two choices, also came up with No. 6. But Boston, the league’s most storied franchise, left the premises in dismay.
“Obviously, we wanted to get No. 1, because we realized that No. 1 gives you a shot at Tim Duncan,” said M.L. Carr, Celtics vice president of corporate development. “But I look at it and say we still have two very good picks.”
Going in, the Celtics had 264 four-number combinations out of 1,000 that would have yielded the No. 1 choice. Translated, it gave Boston and new $70 million coach Rick Pitino a 36.31 percent chance of drawing the No. 1 pick — the best of any team.
By contrast, the Spurs had the second-best shot at Duncan with 157 combinations and a 21.6 percent chance. In reaction to the outcome, Popovich could only shrug his shoulders and joke about his team’s good fortune.
“We worked real hard,” Popovich deadpanned. “We just sat there and watched.”
Popovich speculated that Sam Schuler, the Spurs’ director of player personnel, worked some magic in the room where representatives of the lottery teams witnessed the drawing.
“Sam was the guy in the back room,” Popovich said. “I think he did something to those pingpong balls to make this happen. Sam Schuler is the guy that we love and want to take out to eat, give him food, beer, money — everything.”
When the draft order was set, the NBA took its show to the stage and put it on national television. The team logos were taken out of envelopes and placed under the numbers, starting in descending order at No. 13.
Popovich began to feel optimistic when the league announced the Vancouver Grizzlies at the No. 4 spot and drew out Boston’s second and final card at No. 3.
“You knew you had a hell of a chance when you saw those weird selections early,” he said. “You really started to get hopeful. But you try to keep yourself (from) not going over the edge so you don’t get disappointed. You just try to stay calm.”
Holt, the team’s first-year owner, couldn’t hide his emotions. Sitting on the stage with the other team representatives, he thrust a fist in the air when the 76ers were announced at No. 2, leaving the Spurs alone with the top pick. “I was thinking, ‘We did it,’” Holt said. “That’s what was going through my head. When we were coming over here, I was thinking, ‘Can I bring it home to a team and its fans who didn’t give up?’”
In the end, Spurs management brought it home.
And that made Spurs president Jack Diller a happy man.
“I just flew into Houston and didn’t know the results of the lottery,” said Diller. “I called Spurs people but they were all out. Finally, somebody at the airport told me. I still haven’t talked to anybody, but this obviously is great. It was a difficult season and now some of the pain and misery means something.
“It’s not supposed to work this way, really. A team with the talent we have is not supposed to win the lottery and add somebody like Duncan. But the injuries put us in there.”
The Spurs, under Holt’s watch since he purchased more than 31 percent of the team’s stock last summer, fell apart with 347 player-games lost to injury last season.
Robinson, recovering from foot and back injuries, missed 76 games. Elliott sat out 43 with right knee tendinitis. The team missed the playoffs for the first time in eight years.
Now, as the former All-Stars rehabilitate over the summer, there is renewed hope for the future. Another franchise player, Duncan, is on the way.
“He’s a very versatile player,” Schuler said. “He can play the high post or the low post. And his character is so high. He fits right in with the kind of player that Pop wants here. He’s as close to a can’t-miss player that’s come out in the last four years.”
He’s also the kind of player that could help the Spurs in their push for a new arena.
“I think the team’s performance sets a tone so the addition of somebody like Duncan can create a better atmosphere,” Diller said. “The arena will stand or fall on whether it makes sense to the community, not just because the team won the lottery. But it does reinforce what an asset the Spurs are.”
25 Jun 1997: Center Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs shakes hands with NBA Commissioner David Stern during the NBA Draft at the Charlotte Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mandatory Credit: Craig Jones /Allsport
Former Wake Forest player Tim Duncan poses for a portrait after being selected by the San Antonio Spurs as the first pick overall in the 1997 N BA Draft in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday, June 25, 1997. (AP Photo/NBA Photos, Andy Hayt)
San Antonio Spurs Chairman of the Board Peter Holt reacts Sunday, May 18, 1997, in Secaucus, N.J., as the Spurs were selected to receive the first pick in the upcoming NBA draft. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)"
By Jerry Briggs, via Express-News Archives
来几张状元秀的照片 (via SI.com)：
邓肯 (Tim Duncan) 在1995年3月18日于巴尔的摩举行的NCAA锦标赛第二轮比赛中，为维克森林大学对阵圣路易斯大学的比赛中扣篮。
邓肯于1995年8月3日在圣克罗伊岛的克里斯琴斯特德参加摄影时摆姿势。
邓肯和他的姐夫里奇·洛瑞 (Ricky Lowery) 于1995年8月3日在圣克罗伊岛的克里斯琴斯特德一起散步。
邓肯于1996年10月16日在北卡罗来纳州温斯顿-塞勒姆参加摄影时摆姿势。
1997年2月9日在密苏里州哥伦比亚的维克森林大学与密苏里大学的比赛中，邓肯从凯利·泰晤士 (Kelly Thames) 头上摘篮板。
1997-05-21, By Kevin O’Keeffe
母亲的离世，邓肯动力之源
“优秀，更好，最好，永不停止。直到你的优秀变成更好，你的更好变成最好。” - 已故的黛丽西娅·邓肯 (Delysia Duncan)，不止一次对她的孩子谢丽尔 (Cheryl)、特丽西亚 (Tricia) 和蒂姆 (Tim) 说道。
黛丽西娅·邓肯的这些话是她最小的孩子蒂姆在竞技游泳和学习方面的一大驱动力。
蒂姆·邓肯 (Tim Duncan)，前维克森林大学明星球员，将在下个月的 NBA 选秀中被马刺队选中成为状元秀，他从母亲那里继承了动力和竞争精神。
但她从未看到儿子打篮球。
蒂姆和姐姐特丽西亚年轻时都热爱游泳。特丽西亚还代表美属维尔京群岛参加了 1988 年汉城奥运会，主攻仰泳。
蒂姆是 400 米自由泳年龄组冠军，他原本计划代表维尔京群岛参加 1992 年巴塞罗那奥运会。
但飓风雨果 (Hurricane Hugo) 袭击了圣克罗伊岛，摧毁了他训练的游泳池。
蒂姆喜欢游泳池的安静，喜欢与秒表比赛。
他说，游泳增强了他的信心。
“这项（游泳）是个人运动，必须培养你的自信，”邓肯说，“你不能依靠任何人。你必须靠自己，所以你必须相信自己。”
在 1989 年飓风雨果肆虐之后，邓肯被迫在海里训练。
即使有母亲的鼓励，他也无法重拾兴趣。那一年，邓肯再也没有参加过游泳比赛。
事实证明，这个决定只是部分原因是由于飓风。
在 1990 年 4 月，他 14 岁生日的前一天，邓肯停止游泳的真正原因出现了。
他失去了动力。
黛丽西娅·邓肯因患乳腺癌去世。
可以理解的是，母亲的去世对他造成了巨大的影响。他眼看着母亲饱受病痛折磨。
黛丽西娅·邓肯的离世加速了他的成长。
邓肯性格合作，但却不善言辞，也不喜欢媒体关注，在维克森林大学的前三年，他从未谈及母亲的去世。
邓肯喜欢筑起小小的围墙来保护自己的隐私。
然而，这个赛季，邓肯敞开心扉，谈论了母亲对他意味着什么。
“他母亲的去世在他心中留下了伤疤，”维克森林大学心理学系主任、邓肯的学术顾问黛博拉·贝斯特 (Deborah Best) 说。
“他跟我谈到目睹母亲去世，”贝斯特告诉《今日美国》，“我认为他今天身上的独立性很大程度上源于年少时失去母亲。”
邓肯说，母亲给了他方向，是他的头号粉丝。他说，在母亲去世后，他屏蔽了大多数人。
“没有人能取代你的母亲，”邓肯说。
即使是你的父亲也无法取代。
威廉·邓肯 (William Duncan) 性格随和，这似乎也影响了他的儿子，蒂姆的举止是他的优点之一。
但黛丽西娅一直是蒂姆的动力。
而且会一直都是。
点击查看原文：Mom's passing the source of Duncan's drive
Mom’s passing the source of Duncan’s drive
“Good, better, best, never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” - the late Delysia Duncan, to her children, Cheryl, Tricia and Tim, on more than one occasion Those words from Delysia Duncan were a driving force for her youngest child with regard to his competitive swimming, as well as his education.
Tim Duncan, the former Wake Forest star who will be the top pick in the NBA draft by the Spurs next month, got his drive and competitive fire from his mother.
But she never saw her son play basketball.
Swimming was Duncan’s athletic pursuit as a youth. Ditto for his sister, Tricia, who did the backstroke for the U.S. Virgin Islands in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.
Duncan, who was an age-group champion in the 400-meter freestyle, planned to compete in the '92 Summer Games in Barcelona, Spain, for the Virgin Islands.
But Hurricane Hugo intervened, destroying the pool where he worked out in St. Croix.
Duncan enjoyed the solitude of that pool. He liked competing against the stopwatch.
It was swimming, he said, that bolstered his confidence.
“That (swimming) is an individual sport has to build your confidence,” Duncan said. “You don’t have anyone else to rely on. You have to do it yourself, so you have to believe in yourself.”
After Hugo blew through in '89, Duncan was forced to work out in the ocean.
That didn’t have the same appeal, even with mom’s push. Duncan never again swam competitively that year.
As it turns out, that decision was due only in part to Hugo.
The following spring, the day before his 14th birthday in April 1990, came the real reason Duncan stopped swimming.
He lost his push.
Delysia Duncan died after a bout with breast cancer.
Understandably, her death had an incredible impact on him. He watched her suffer through the disease.
Delysia Duncan’s passing expedited his growing up.
Cooperative, although hardly chatty and desiring media attention, Duncan made the subject of his mother’s death off- limits through his first three years at Wake Forest.
Duncan likes to erect little walls to guard his privacy.
This season, though, Duncan opened up on that subject, talking about what she meant to him.
“His mom’s death left a scar,” said Deborah Best, chairman of the Wake Forest psychology department and Duncan’s academic adviser.
“He talked to me about watching her die,” Best told USA Today. “I think a lot of his independence today came out of losing his mom at such an early age.”
Duncan said his mom gave him direction and was his biggest fan. He said he tuned out most people after his mom’s death.
“No one replaces your mom,” Duncan said.
Not even your dad.
William Duncan’s easy-going nature seems to have rubbed off on his son, whose demeanor is one of his best traits.
Still, Delysia was Tim’s motivation.
And continues to be.
By Kevin O’Keeffe, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-22, By Jerry Briggs
邓肯聘请经纪人，静待马刺队
预计状元秀蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)已聘请底特律活塞队格兰特·希尔(Grant Hill)的律师作为他的经纪人，邓肯的姐夫周三表示。
里克·劳瑞(Rick Lowery，邓肯的姐夫)在从北卡罗来纳州家中打来的电话中表示，邓肯已聘请了位于华盛顿特区的律师朗·巴比(Lon Babby)。
邓肯是上赛季在维克森林大学获得年度最佳球员的大学篮球运动员，周三他回到了维尔京群岛探望父亲。他无法接受采访。
但劳瑞表示，与巴比的协议已于周二达成。
“朗通过了正确的渠道，”劳瑞说。“他打电话给(维克森林)教练(戴夫·奥多姆)，教练把他指给了我。他参加了面试，并向蒂姆解释了一切。蒂姆对他感觉很舒服。”
NBA球员工会的一位女发言人证实，巴比已受聘为邓肯，这位身高6英尺10英寸的中锋预计将被马刺队以状元签选中。
劳瑞表示，巴比将负责谈判邓肯的篮球合同以及他的球鞋代言协议。他还说，邓肯仍在寻找营销公司。
巴比目前无法接受采访。马刺队主教练兼总经理格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)表示，他尚未听说巴比受聘的消息。
但他表示，他并不担心与邓肯签署合同，因为联盟的菜鸟工资帽中规定了相关的条款。
“这是个毫无疑问的事，”波波维奇说。“合同已经写在纸上了(在集体谈判协议中)。我只是照着签字就行了。”
协议规定，1997年状元秀将获得一份价值853万美元的三年合同，其中包括第一年247万美元的年薪。
他可以获得比工资帽高出20%的薪水，这意味着他可能会获得总价值约938万美元的合同。波波维奇说，邓肯只有在选秀结束后才能签署合同。
尽管波波维奇一再强调马刺队不太可能交易邓肯，但劳瑞表示，关于交易的持续传闻令人困扰。
“很多人都在谈论这件事，(波士顿教练里克)皮蒂诺(Rick Pitino)一直在给圣安东尼奥打电话，”他说。“我们听到了这些消息，坦率地说，我们很担心。作为一个家庭，我们非常希望看到他在圣安东尼奥打球。”
根据集体谈判协议，邓肯将在2000年7月1日有资格成为不受限制的自由球员。
到那时，如果他兑现了作为一名特许球员的承诺，他可以在自由市场上获得一份价值超过1亿美元的长期合同。
劳瑞表示，邓肯三年后在哪里打球的决定将不会完全取决于金钱。
“这将取决于蒂姆在圣安东尼奥的归属感，”劳瑞说。“他在维克森林大学读了四年书。他打破了常规。如果他在圣安东尼奥感觉很安全……胜利将占很大一部分因素。”
点击查看原文：Duncan hires agent, waits on the Spurs
Duncan hires agent, waits on the Spurs
Projected No. 1 draft pick Tim Duncan has hired as his agent the lawyer who handles Detroit’s Grant Hill, Duncan’s brother-in-law said Wednesday.
Rick Lowery said in a telephone interview from his home in North Carolina that Duncan has retained the services of Washington D.C.- based attorney Lon Babby.
Duncan, college basketball’s player of the year last season at Wake Forest, traveled home to the Virgin Islands to visit his father Wednesday. He was unavailable for comment.
But the deal with Babby was completed Tuesday, Lowery said.
“Lon went through the right channels,” Lowery said. “He called (Wake Forest) Coach (Dave Odom) and Coach directed him to me. He got an interview and explained everything to Tim. Tim feels real comfortable with him.”
A spokeswoman at the NBA Players Association confirmed that Babby had been hired by Duncan, a 6-foot-10 center who is expected to be selected by the Spurs at No. 1.
Lowery said Babby will negotiate Duncan’s basketball contract as well as his shoe deal. And he said Duncan is still in the process of hiring a marketing firm.
Babby was not immediately available for comment. Spurs coach/general manager Gregg Popovich said he had not heard about Babby being hired.
But he said he isn’t worried about signing Duncan because of the guidelines spelled out in the league’s rookie salary scale.
“It’s a no-brainer,” Popovich said. “The contract is already down on paper (in the collective bargaining agreement). I just copy it.”
The agreement calls for the No. 1 pick in 1997 to receive a three-year deal worth $8.53 million, including a first-year salary of $2.47 million.
He can receive up to 20 percent more than the scale, which means he likely will get a total package of about $9.38 million. Duncan can’t sign the contract until after the draft, Popovich said.
Even though Popovich has insisted that it’s highly unlikely that the Spurs will trade Duncan, Lowery said the continuing talk of a deal is bothersome.
“So many people have been talking about it, that (Boston coach Rick) Pitino has been making calls to San Antonio,” he said. “We’ve heard it, and quite frankly we’re worried. As a family we’d love to see him play in San Antonio.”
According to the collective-bargaining agreement, Duncan will be eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2000.
At that point, if he has fulfilled his promise as a franchise player, he could command a long-term contract worth more than $100 million on the open market.
Lowery said Duncan’s decision on where he plays in three years will not be totally dependent on money.
“It’ll depend on how secure Tim feels at San Antonio,” Lowery said. “He stayed in school four years at Wake Forest. He bucked the norm. If he is very secure with San Antonio … winning will have a lot to do with it.”
By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-22, By Buck Harvey
希尔的运气究竟有多糟糕？
每个信封打开时，心跳都加速了。但在圣安东尼奥的一间客厅里，一颗心是否停止了跳动？
12月被解雇，周日又被解雇：当马刺队得到蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)时，鲍勃·希尔(Bob Hill)难道没有清楚地看到自己失去了多少吗？
他更愿意用不同的方式看待这件事，也许钱是一个原因；他今年夏天仍然可以赚很多钱。但最重要的是，希尔认为马刺队的头号问题是连头号新秀也无法解决的。
健康。希尔想知道很多人想知道的事：邓肯的到来让马刺队成为争冠者，还是邓肯只是给了球队一个可以重建的完整基础？
无论如何，希尔都有其他事情要考虑。他已经卖掉了他在圣安东尼奥的房子，但不知道该往哪个方向开着搬家车。如果找不到合适的教练工作，他可能会在下一季休息并做更多电视工作。或者，在等待的时候，他甚至可能涉足篮球之外的商业领域。
接手奥兰多仍然是一个强烈的可能性，尤其是在查克·戴利(Chuck Daly)本周退出考虑后。戴利被认为是魔术队的前两位选择之一，另一个是菲尔·杰克逊(Phil Jackson)，而希尔显然是下一个候选人。
魔术队向杰克逊提供了一份价值3000万美元的五年合同。所以即使魔术队低价挖希尔，他也可以将自己的马刺队薪水翻三倍。
这足以让任何人平静下来。此外，如果奥兰多愿意向杰克逊支付这种高价，那么就意味着球队有足够的资金吸引自由球员。难怪希尔喜欢魔术队的管理层。
不过，如果希尔幸运的话，他将执教佩尼·哈达威(Penny Hardaway)和一群杂牌军。没有迹象表明尼克·安德森(Nick Anderson)、罗尼·塞卡利(Rony Seikaly)和丹尼斯·斯科特(Dennis Scott)的职业生涯会向上发展。
所以希尔在上赛季不仅失去了一份工作，还失去了什么吗？他难道没有失去一个执教NBA中最有吸引力球队的机会吗？
“根据我与所有人的交谈，”希尔说，“邓肯绝对是这支球队的完美人选。这对马刺队来说太好了。他们应该把他包裹在马刺队的制服里，永远不要让他离开。”
了解希尔的人知道，他忍不住会在脑海里设计一些战术。邓肯在一个位置，大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)在另一个位置。对于那些X，有足够的O吗？
然而，希尔有理由抑制期望。即使邓肯和罗宾逊会吸引双人包夹，希尔说比赛仍然会取决于艾弗里·约翰逊(Avery Johnson)是否能投进空位跳投。
第二点：邓肯是一个新秀。“邓肯可以得分，他可以帮助大卫抢更多进攻篮板，他可以做很多事，”希尔说。“但有多少新秀能够一上来就产生巨大的影响？邓肯不会带领他们进入总决赛。”
邓肯需要跟随其他人，而这就是希尔看到的最关键问题。希尔说他本月初与罗宾逊共进晚餐，罗宾逊说他仍然感到弯腰很痛苦。
希尔对罗宾逊的背部了解不多，但这足以让希尔感到担忧。“再加上肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)刚刚做了膝盖手术，查克·珀森(Chuck Person)的出场时间也存疑，”希尔说，“这将不是关于邓肯的。这将是关于其他人是否健康。”
也许这是一种现实主义的态度。要么是，要么就是有人不愿承认自己会错过一些特别的东西。
有一点很清楚：小小的乒乓球落球影响了所有事情。从联盟的权力平衡，到球迷的态度，到球馆的前景，甚至到前任教练。
在周日之前，希尔似乎是唯一一个从一个糟糕的赛季中毫发无损的人。现在？没有人确定。
点击查看原文：Down Hill: How awful was his luck?
Down Hill: How awful was his luck?
Hearts beat faster as each envelope opens. But in one San Antonio living room, does one heart stop?
Axed in December, axed again Sunday: When the Spurs won Tim Duncan, didn’t Bob Hill see so clearly how much he had lost?
He prefers to view this differently, and maybe money is a reason; he could still get a lot of it this summer. But mostly, Hill thinks the No. 1 Spurs issue is something not even the No. 1 rookie can solve.
Health. Hill wonders what a lot of people wonder. Does the arrival of Duncan make the Spurs contenders, or does Duncan merely give the franchise something whole to build upon?
Either way, Hill has other things on his mind. He’s sold his San Antonio home, but doesn’t know which way to point the moving van. He might sit out next season and do more TV work if the right coaching job doesn’t come along. Or, while he waits, he might even go into business outside of basketball.
Taking over in Orlando is still a strong possibility, especially after Chuck Daly withdrew his name from consideration this week. Daly was considered one of the Magic’s top two choices, along with Phil Jackson, and Hill is apparently on the next rung.
The Magic offered Jackson a five-year deal worth $30 million. So even if the Magic low-ball Hill, he might triple his Spurs salary.
That would be enough to soothe anyone. Besides, if Orlando is throwing that kind of money at Jackson, then that means the franchise has enough to throw at free agents. No wonder Hill likes the Magic management.
Still, if Hill is lucky, he coaches Penny Hardaway and an otherwise mish-mash of talent. There are no signs that the careers of Nick Anderson, Rony Seikaly and Dennis Scott head upward.
So didn’t Hill lose more than just a job last season? Didn’t he lose a chance to coach something as intriguing as there has been in the NBA?
“From everyone I’ve talked to,” said Hill, “Duncan is absolutely perfect for this team. This is fantastic for the Spurs. They ought to wrap him up in a Spurs uniform and never let go.”
Knowing Hill, he can’t help but diagram a few plays in his head. Duncan on one block, David Robinson on the other. Are there enough O’s for those X’s?
Hill, however, has reason to curb expectations. Even with the double teams that Duncan and Robinson will draw, Hill says games will still come down to Avery Johnson hitting the open jumper.
A second point: Duncan is a rookie. “Duncan can score, he can put David on the offensive boards more, he can do a lot of things,” said Hill. “But how many rookies come in and have a great impact? Duncan won’t take them to the Finals.”
Duncan will need to follow others, and that’s where Hill sees the biggest question. Hill said he had dinner with Robinson earlier this month, and Robinson said it still pains him to bend.
Hill knows little else about Robinson’s back, but it’s enough to make Hill wonder. “And with Sean Elliott coming off knee surgery and Chuck Person’s availability in question,” Hill said, “this won’t be about Duncan. This will be about everyone else being healthy.”
Maybe it’s the attitude of a realist. Either that, or someone who would rather not admit he will miss something special.
What is clear: The simple drop of a pingpong ball touched everything. From the power balance of the league, to fan attitudes, to arena prospects, to even ex-coaches.
Before Sunday, Hill seemed to be the only one who came out of a mean season unscathed. Now? No one is sure.
By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-23, By Dan Cook
很难找到邓肯的任何缺点
命运的无常之手常常将重大交易与一些微不足道的事情联系在一起，比如爆胎、忘记预约或糟糕的决定。
或者只是一个廉价的小乒乓球，它给众多圣安东尼奥人带来了如此多的欢乐，这在周日得到了验证。毫无疑问，它将为马刺队带来数百万美元的新收入。甚至有一天，它可能会带来更多数百万美元，以及一个NBA总冠军。
然而，现在要展望那条漫长而崎岖的道路还为时过早。
凯尔特人队拥有更多机会获得下个月NBA选秀的状元签，但对于波士顿来说，这是一个糟糕的消息，因为幸运女神对他们冷眼相待。
因此，现在，拥有历史上最丰厚的教练合同的里克·皮蒂诺(Rick Pitino)将不得不通过交易来重建衰落的凯尔特人帝国。一些烟雾、魔法和镜子可能也会有所帮助，因为他不指望从这次选秀中获得太多帮助。
这次选秀中只有一个显而易见的奖品，而圣安东尼奥拥有他。
蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)，这位来自维克森林的6英尺10英寸的全能球星，被许多人称为“球队基石”，而这个描述十分贴切。
在蒂姆之后，可供选择的球员中，实力出现了大幅下降。
然而，多年来，我们都知道许多球员是在选秀后期被选中，并随着时间的推移发展成为优秀的职业球员。同样，也很容易想起那些在选秀中排名靠前的球员，他们赚了大钱，却从未在NBA取得成功。
关于邓肯的描述已经有很多了，他在这四个赛季的维克森林生涯中获得的所有荣誉。
但归根结底，撇开所有的赞誉和每份球探报告中列出的溢美之词，我个人非常喜欢邓肯先生的几个方面。
-
他选择成为一名竞技游泳运动员，直到九年级才开始打系统的篮球比赛，所以他还在学习，而且可能还在进步。
-
在大学的四个赛季中，他几乎没有因为任何原因错过过比赛。
-
他想来这里，因为他觉得圣安东尼奥的天气和他在家乡美属维尔京群岛圣克罗伊岛的天气相似，而且他想和大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)一起打球。你知道吗？他几乎完美得过分了。
在那些罕见出现完美先生的时候，我天生多疑，会立刻开始寻找他的缺点。
是的，我知道，这态度不怎么好。但在撰写专栏的时候，你必须留心假货。我多年前就从一个男人那里学到了这门课，他打电话给我，说要安排我和哈利·格雷布(Harry Greb)的采访，格雷布是唯一一位击败过吉恩·图尼(Gene Tunney)的拳击手。
如果我给他寄20美元，让他从拉雷多坐巴士来我家，他就会带着格雷布先生来我的办公室。
我本来会去，但有两件事让我犹豫。那时候我没闲钱，而且我的记录簿上显示，格雷布于1926年10月22日去世，那是我出生后大约两个月。
然而，现在我能想到的唯一可能让邓肯在这里感到不适应的事情是墨西哥菜。也许他不喜欢吃玉米卷，或者也许他吃不了墨西哥鸡肉卷。
好吧，他可以改变口味。
马刺队最终获得了下个月选秀的状元签，他们唯一可能感到遗憾的是，他们在前一天晚上没有尝试拿六个乒乓球，也没有参加价值5000万美元的彩票。
他们可能处于一个热烈的乒乓球状态，却浑然不知。
点击查看原文：Hard to find any faults with Duncan
Hard to find any faults with Duncan
It’s funny how that fickle finger of fate often whirls big deals around such little things as a flat tire, a forgotten appointment or a bad decision.
Or one cheap, little pingpong ball, the one that brought so much joy to so many San Antonians on Sunday. It will, no doubt, bring millions of fresh dollars to the Spurs. And it could even some day bring more millions and an NBA championship here.
At this point, however, it’s much too early to try to look down that long, rocky road.
The Celtics had far more chances to get the first pick in next month’s NBA draft, but it was a bummer for Boston as Lady Luck spat in the Celtics’ eyes.
So now Rick Pitino, with the richest coaching contract in history, will have to use trades to rebuild the fallen Celtics empire. A little smoke, magic and mirrors also may help because it’s not likely that he’ll get much assistance from this draft.
There’s only one obvious prize in this draft, and San Antonio has him.
Tim Duncan, the 6-foot-10 all- planet everything from Wake Forest, has been called by many a “franchise player,” and the description fits well.
After Tim there’s a tremendous drop-off in talent of those available.
Nevertheless, over the years we’re all aware of the many who were drafted late and, in time, developed into fine pros. And, by the same token, it’s just as easy to recall the high draft picks who pocketed big bucks but never made it in the NBA.
Much has been written and said about Duncan, all the honors he’s earned during his four seasons as a Wake Forest star.
But boiling it down, looking past the all-this and all-that and the raves listed on every scouting report, there are several things that I particularly like about Mr. Duncan.
-
A competitive swimmer by choice, he didn’t play any kind of organized basketball until the ninth grade, so he’s still learning and probably still improving.
-
He rarely missed a game for any reason during his four seasons of collegiate play.
-
He wants to come here because, as he put it, San Antonio’s weather is similar to what he’s used to in his home, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, and he wants to play alongside David Robinson. You know something? He’s almost too perfect.
On the rare occasions when a Mr. Perfect comes along, I, being of a suspicious nature, immediately start looking for faults.
Yeah, I know, that’s not a nice attitude. But in this column- writing dodge, you’ve got to stay on the lookout for phonies. I learned that lesson many years ago when a man called and offered me an interview with Harry Greb, the only fighter ever to beat Gene Tunney.
He was going to bring Mr. Greb by my office if I would just send him $20 bus fare for two from Laredo.
I would have gone for it expect for two things. In those days I didn’t have a loose $20, and according to my record book, Greb died on Oct. 22, 1926, about two months after I was born.
Right now, however, the only thing I can imagine that might be disagreeable with Duncan here is Mexican food. Maybe he won’t like tacos or perhaps enchiladas won’t sit too well with him.
Oh well, he can convert.
After the Spurs wound up with the top pick in next month’s draft, the only regret they may have had was that they didn’t try for six pingpong balls the night before and the $50 million lottery.
They may have been on a hot pingpong ball roll and didn’t know it.
By Dan Cook, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-23, By Glenn Rogers
NBA 边线开销 - 球队老板突然为大牌教练豪掷千金
似乎毫无疑问，NBA 球队老板们又一次遇到了敌人，而这个敌人正是他们自己。
球队老板们总是抱怨着巨额开支和盈利困难，但他们却毫不犹豫地开启了疯狂的消费狂潮。
这次不是为了追求“拯救球队”的球员，而是老板们试图在教练的薪酬上互相攀比。
这种景象让观察者们感到困惑、不解和担忧。
马刺队董事长皮特·霍尔特(Peter Holt)是担心者中的一员，尽管他签下了格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)，让他兼任教练和总经理，年薪约为 60 万美元，从而避免了这场疯狂。
“每个老板都要做出自己的决定，但我认为联盟里肯定有人在讨论什么时候会停止这种趋势，”霍尔特说，“这让我感到不安……很不舒服。”
霍尔特是篮球世界的新人，但他认为自己已经学到了不少东西。
“我认为这没有必要。我加入联盟才一年，但我相信，如果你没有好的球员，教练是谁并不重要，”他说，“费城需要一个年薪 2500 万美元的教练吗？他去年都没能带领球队进入季后赛。我不知道，也许 76 人队看到了他们拥有的年轻球员和选秀权，所以认为他们需要一个教练。但 2500 万美元？”
“基本上，我认为你必须问：‘教练带来了什么值得他拿这种高薪？’”
老板们想要的是名气，他们愿意深挖，即使他们担心这个洞口会带来不祥之兆。
“这一切都不好，”步行者队总裁唐尼·沃尔什(Donnie Walsh)说，他每年支付拉里·伯德(Larry Bird) 450 万美元的年薪让他执教球队。
但沃尔什表示，球员的薪水要求教练的薪水也必须相应提高。
“这两者密不可分。当球员的薪水去年夏天大幅上涨时，这种情况就不可避免。今年夏天可能是教练自由球员市场，”他说。
经纪人们对这种财务活动感到有趣。
“我去年夏天和一位教练谈论了一些教练的薪水，我们都笑了起来，”基思·格拉斯(Keith Glass)说，他的父亲乔·格拉斯(Joe Glass)是拉里·布朗(Larry Brown)的经纪人。“我们真的对此感到好笑。但嘿，祝他们好运。”
“当然，很明显这些球队有很多钱，”格拉斯继续说，对集体谈判协议表示不屑。“球员的（薪资）上限是完全人为的。嘿，现在一些球队会发现他们还有 600 万美元或 700 万美元的薪资空间，然后就全部给一个球员。他们会感到恐慌。然后他们就无法用有能力的球员围绕着这位球星。”
沃尔什指出，由于布朗已经获得了高薪，换成伯德并没有那么严重。布朗的年薪为 250 万美元，并且有一个条款，要求他获得前四名教练的平均薪水。
“但有一个极限，你不能超过这个极限，”沃尔什说。
聘用伯德也包括一些附加福利——传奇人物带来的轰动和魅力。
上周初，步行者队已经收到了 35 个季票定金，许多季票持有者希望将自己的座位从两个增加到四个。
伯德的宣传效应是立竿见影的。他在飞往印第安纳波利斯并登上豪华轿车后，被当地电视台的直升机一路跟踪到市中心办公室。
里克·皮蒂诺(Rick Pitino)在签署了一份为期六年的合同后，已经开始在波士顿的弗利特中心出售座位，这份合同将给他每年 700 万美元的教练薪水，然后在管理层任职四年期间每年 200 万美元的薪水。
在签约后的 48 小时内，500 名球迷支付了季票定金。脱口秀主持人和热线电话都在电波中充斥着他们对美好未来的兴奋预测。
“拉里能带来轰动效应是一件好事，”沃尔什说，“但我们雇佣他来执教。你不能只为了轰动效应而雇佣一个人，因为他可能不会执教。拉里必须赢得比赛才能维持良好的氛围。”
费城队总裁帕特·克罗切(Pat Croce)表示，迫于形势，他被迫签下了拉里·布朗，这让他花费了 2000 万美元到 2500 万美元。
“在去年的灾难之后，如果我带进来一个没有经验的教练，我会被臭骂一顿，”克罗切说。“我不能坐视不管，看着伯德和皮蒂诺加入联盟。拉里的季后赛战绩并没有让我退却。他可以教我们的球员在球场上和场下都要自律。他可以教防守。当我们进入季后赛的时候，他的战术安排将发挥作用。”
“但是，你说得对，我们（老板）是自己的最坏敌人。”
值得注意的是一些非常成功的教练的薪水。休斯顿的鲁迪·汤姆贾诺维奇(Rudy Tomjanovich)已经获得了两个 NBA 冠军，到 2000 年之前，他的年薪约为 130 万美元。犹他队的杰里·斯隆(Jerry Sloan)在过去六年中四次进入西部决赛，他在本赛季签署了一份续约合同，未来两年他的年薪将约为 130 万美元。
这些签了合同的球员们是否会开始变得焦躁不安，效仿他们的球员对其他球员薪水的反应？
“好吧，如果杰里这么做了，上帝保佑他，”爵士队总裁弗兰克·莱登(Frank Layden)说。“但是，不，我认为他不会。他是一个脚踏实地的人。”
莱登还对教练大规模被解雇感到惋惜。
“球队没有耐心，”他说。“我们和杰里一起经历了低谷期，现在我们正在经历高光时刻。当卡尔（马龙）和约翰（斯托克顿）离开时，我们预计会有一段低谷期。但我们会坚持我们的教练，重建球队。”
点击查看原文：NBA's Sideline Spending - Owners suddenly breaking the bank for big-name coaches
NBA’s Sideline Spending - Owners suddenly breaking the bank for big-name coaches
There seems no doubt about it. The NBA owners again have met the enemy, and it is themselves.
Team bosses repeatedly point to staggering costs and difficulties in making profits. They then take off on wild spending sprees.
This time it’s not the hot pursuit of a “franchise-saving” player. Now the owners are trying to outdo themselves in filling the pockets of the coaches.
The spectacle leaves observers bemused, bewildered and worried.
Spurs chairman of the board Peter Holt is among the worried crowd, even though he escaped the madness by signing Gregg Popovich as both coach and general manager for about $600,000 a year.
“Every owner has to make his own decision, but I imagine there is some talking going on in the league about when this will stop,” Holt said. “It’s disquieting … uncomfortable to me.”
Holt is a novice in the basketball world but he figures he’s learned a thing or two already.
“I just don’t think it’s necessary. I’ve only been in the league for a year, but I believe that it makes no difference who the coach is if you don’t have the players,” he said.
"Does Philadelphia need a $25 million coach who was unable to get his team into the playoffs last year? I don’t know, maybe the Sixers saw the young talent they have, plus a draft pick, and decided they will need some coaching. But $25 million?
“Basically, I think you have to ask, ‘What does the coach bring to the table to deserve those types of salaries?’”
What owners want is name value, and they’re willing to dig deep even if they fear the hole is ominous.
“None of this is good,” said Pacers president Donnie Walsh, who gave $4.5 million yearly to Larry Bird to coach his team.
But Walsh said player salaries demand such raises for coaches.
“The two go hand in hand. When the players’ salaries rose so dramatically last summer, this had to happen. This might be the summer of free agency for coaches.” he said.
Agents are amused by the financial activity.
“A coach and I cracked up last summer talking about some of the salaries going to coaches,” said Keith Glass, whose father, Joe, represents Larry Brown. "We were really laughing about it. But, hey, good luck to them.
“Sure, obviously the teams have plenty of money,” Glass continued, showing disdain for the collective-bargaining agreement. “The (salary) cap on players is totally artificial. Hey, now some of these teams will see they have $6 million or $7 million under the cap and hand it all to one player. They just panic. Then can’t surround the star with capable players.”
Walsh noted that since Brown already was receiving a high salary, the move to Bird was not that severe. Brown was receiving $2.5 million and had a clause that would have insisted he be paid the average of the top four coaches.
“But there is a point beyond which you don’t want to go,” Walsh said.
Hiring Bird does include fringe benefits - the buzz and allure of a legend.
By early last week, the Pacers had received 35 deposits for season tickets and many season-ticket holders were interested in increasing their seats from two to four.
Bird’s publicity impact was instant. After flying to Indianapolis and hopping into a limousine, he was shadowed to the downtown offices by a local television station’s helicopter.
Rick Pitino already is selling seats at the Fleet Center in Boston after signing a contract that will pay him $7 million annually for six years as a coach, then $2 million annually for a four-year stint in the front office.
Within 48 hours of the signing, 500 fans made deposits for season tickets. The talk-show hosts and call-ins are filling the airwaves with their excited predictions for fine things to come.
“The fact that Larry brings in buzz is fine,” Walsh said. “But we hired him to coach. You can’t hire just for the buzz because the guy might not be able to coach. Larry has to win to continue the good atmosphere.”
Philadelphia president Pat Croce said circumstances forced him into the Larry Brown deal that cost him between $20 million and $25 million.
“After last year’s disaster, if I had brought in an unproven coach, I would have been tarred and feathered,” Croce said. "I just couldn’t sit back and watch Bird and Pitino come into the league. Larry’s playoff record didn’t deter me. He can teach our guys discipline on and off the court. He can teach defense. His X’s and O’s will come into play when we get into the playoffs.
“But, you’re right, we (owners) are our own worst enemies.”
It’s interesting to note the pay of some highly successful coaches. Houston’s Rudy Tomjanovich, already the owner of two NBA titles, is earning about $1.3 million annually through the year 2000. Utah’s Jerry Sloan, back into the conference finals for the fourth time in six years, signed a contract extension this season that will pay him about $1.3 million in each of the next two seasons.
Will some of these fellows under contract start getting antsy and duplicate their players’ reactions to other guys’ salaries?
“Well, if Jerry does, God bless him,” Jazz president Frank Layden said. “But, no, I don’t think he will. He’s a down-to-earth guy.”
Layden also laments the rash of coaching firings.
“Teams just have no patience,” he said. “We went through the down years with Jerry and we now have been going through the up years. When Karl (Malone) and John (Stockton) leave, we expect to have some down time. But we’ll stick with our coach and rebuild the team.”
By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-24, By Buck Harvey
休斯顿会不会出现一位多米尼克？计划浮出水面
休斯顿——多米尼克从希腊归来，同意以最低薪水继续打球，老当益壮，斗志不减。
或许他曾连续上百次投篮不中，但他相信自己有一百零一次机会破局。
他就是多米尼克-威尔金斯（Dominique Wilkins）。如果上赛季在圣安东尼奥表现不佳，那么一位更年长的球员会向他展示本可达到的高度：埃迪-埃迪-约翰逊（Ed-die, Ed-die Johnson）。
如果没有埃迪，火箭队今天可能已经完蛋了。
由于他们本周大部分时间都在腹痛，如果火箭队在周五的比赛中输球，那么这将会是一个有希望的赛季的丑陋结局。在大盐湖城的几个尴尬夜晚后，“三巨头”变成了大哭包。哈基姆-奥拉朱旺（Hakeem Olajuwon）称爵士队肮脏，火箭队还向 NBA 办公室发送了录像带，其中包含犹他移动掩护的九个示例。
火箭队证明，你不能低估冠军的心脏，或他的嘴。这让一些马刺队的球员和前任马刺队球员今天露出了笑容。爵士队结束了马刺队最近三个赛季中的两个赛季，马刺队在那些季后赛中也抱怨过。1994 年，约翰-斯托克顿（John Stockton）在一次掩护中与大卫-罗宾逊（David Robinson）发生了纠缠。去年，卡尔-马龙（Karl Malone）用一次假摔将罗宾逊送上了犯规麻烦的替补席，为爵士队和马刺队的系列赛定下了基调。
这个时刻让罗宾逊暴了粗口，而现在火箭队的表现更糟。但如果马龙和斯托克顿还在他们的第二个赛季里就能逍遥法外，那会怎么样？这对于奥拉朱旺来说是新闻吗？
事实上，当他们很好地防守掩护时，火箭队会很难找到九个这样的例子。当他们周五早早落后 13 分时，这就是结局吗？
约翰逊这时站了出来，他了解压力。他说在希腊打球可能很可怕。如果你赢了，你的对手知道你住在哪里；如果你输了，你的球迷知道。在某年的季后赛中，他藏起了自己的家人。
至少他们已经习惯搬家了。在约翰逊长达 15 年的 NBA 生涯中，他效力过七支球队。他从很早的时候就开始打球，从堪萨斯城国王队开始。尽管他从未达到威尔金斯的明星地位，但约翰逊是一名得分 20 分的球员，还曾被评为联盟最佳第六人，当时效力于菲尼克斯队。
他去欧洲的原因与现在许多人相同：为了钱。工资帽限制了球队，像威尔金斯和约翰逊这样的可用球员通常面临大幅降薪才能留在美国。
即使到了 38 岁，约翰逊对火箭队仍然有价值。鲁迪-汤姆贾诺维奇（Rudy Tomjanovich）说：“当他状态好时，他就像任何一位球场上的球员一样出色。”
具体来说：约翰逊是一位出色的射手。他的跳投高效快捷，这就是汤姆贾诺维奇多年来一直觊觎他的原因。休斯顿体系需要外界的帮助才能利用好奥拉朱旺。
但当约翰逊手感冰冷——就像他在季后赛中的表現直到周五一样——他看起来像 38 岁了。如果马刺队保持健康，威尔金斯也会遭遇同样的境遇。当他以 1 投 6 中开场时，他就会感到不安，有时他会质疑自己为什么同意扮演这个角色。
但周五这样的夜晚一定会出现，当球星们光彩不在时，他再次感觉自己回到了 28 岁。威尔金斯会旋转并猛扣。相反，约翰逊退后一步，轻弹手腕。
在系列赛的前两场比赛中，火箭队的替补球员共得到 26 分。约翰逊在周五得到了赛季最高的 31 分。难怪休斯顿的球迷高呼“埃迪，埃迪”。这晚约翰逊的家人是安全的。
如果这种情况没有持续下去——如果爵士队很希望约翰逊每晚投 17 次投篮——那么要知道这绝不是希腊的秘方。马刺队想要的正是火箭队得到的。一个疯狂的夜晚，白发变成了金黄。
点击查看原文：A Dominique in Houston? Plan revealed
A Dominique in Houston? Plan revealed
HOUSTON - He returned from Greece. Agreed to play for the minimum. Arrived with old legs and his old philosophy.
He might miss a hundred times in a row. Given a brief opening, he would like his chances at shot 101.
That was Dominique Wilkins. And if it didn’t work out last season in San Antonio, then an even older man revealed what could have been. Ed-die, Ed-die Johnson.
Without him, the Rockets might be belly up today.
Since they had spent most of the week belly-aching, a Rockets loss Friday would have been an ugly ending to a promising season. Given a few embarrassing nights in Utah, the Big Three became big babies. Hakeem Olajuwon called the Jazz dirty, and the Rockets sent tapes to the NBA office with examples of nine Utah moving screens.
The Rockets proved you can’t underestimate the heart of a champion, or his mouth, either. And that should make a few Spurs and ex-Spurs smile today. The Jazz ended two of the last three Spurs seasons, and the Spurs complained during those playoffs, too. In 1994, John Stockton tangled with David Robinson on a pick. Last year, Karl Malone defined the Jazz- Spurs series with a flop to send Robinson to the bench in foul trouble.
The moment inspired a few Robinson bad words, and the Rockets have said worse now. But it would be one thing if Malone and Stockton were in their second seasons and getting away with it. This is news to Olajuwon?
Truth is, the Rockets would have been pressed to find nine examples when they defended the screens well. And when they fell behind by 13 points early Friday, was this the end?
Johnson checked in, then, and he knew about pressure. He says playing in Greece can be harrowing. If you win, your opponents know where you live; if you lose, your fans do. During the playoffs one year, he hid his family.
At least they were used to moving. In Johnson’s 15 years in the NBA, he’s played for seven franchises. He goes so far back, he started with the Kansas City Kings. And though he never reached Wilkins’ star status, Johnson was a 20-point scorer and once was named the league’s Sixth Man of the Year, then with Phoenix.
He went to Europe for the same reason so many do now. For money. The salary cap handcuffs teams, and usable players such as Wilkins and Johnson often face severe pay cuts to stay in the United States.
Johnson, even at age 38, still had value to the Rockets. Rudy Tomjanovich said “when he’s right, he’s as good as any who have played the game.”
To be specific: Johnson is as good a shooter. His jumper his efficient and quick, and that’s why Tomjanovich says the Rockets coveted him for years. The Houston system requires outside help to take advantage of Olajuwon.
But when Johnson goes cold - as he had been through the playoffs until Friday - he looks 38 years old. And Wilkins would have been the same had the Spurs stayed healthy. He would have been jerked when he started 1 of 6, and at times he would have questioned why he ever agreed to play a role.
But there would have been a night such as Friday, when the stars faded, and he felt 28 again. Wilkins would have spun and slammed. Johnson, instead, backed up and flicked his wrist.
The Rockets’ subs had combined for 26 points in the first two games of this series. Johnson had a season-high 31 Friday. No wonder the Houston crowd chanted “Ed- die, Ed-die.” Johnson’s family was safe this night.
And if it doesn’t continue - if the Jazz would love for Johnson to shoot 17 times every night - then know that was never the Grecian formula. The Spurs wanted what the Rockets got. One crazy night when gray turned golden.
By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-25, By Jerry Briggs
关于邓肯和罗宾逊的关键问题仍待解答
马刺球迷都知道大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson)有多出色。他们只是想知道他过去背部和脚部的伤病情况。
他们听说蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)可能很出色。但作为一个新秀，他能贡献多少呢？
他将如何融入球队的阵容和轮换？
问题。问题。
马刺队将整个夏天都在努力寻找答案，他们试图从联盟最差的20胜62负的战绩中反弹。
据报道，罗宾逊对马刺队下赛季的前景感到乐观，因为他们很可能会得到来自维克森林大学的大学篮球年度最佳球员邓肯。
“我和大卫简短地谈了谈，他真的很兴奋，”马刺队助理教练汉克·伊根(Hank Egan)上周晚些时候说。“我们主要讨论了他的训练计划。但他对（邓肯）很兴奋。他觉得这很棒。”
自从马刺队上周日赢得NBA选秀状元签后，罗宾逊一直没有接受采访。凭借令人震惊的抽签胜利，马刺队获得了选秀大会的状元签。
马刺队已经明确表示，他们计划选中邓肯，这位身高6英尺10英寸，体重248磅的球员可以打中锋和大前锋。
预计邓肯将在6月25日被马刺队选中，然后很快就会签署一份合同。预计他将成为球队历史上第二位状元签球员，也是自1987年罗宾逊以来第一位。
上周，在邓肯即将到来的兴奋之情中，人们忽视了罗宾逊的身体状况。
正是罗宾逊带领马刺队连续七年进入季后赛，直到他因伤病困扰而被替换下场，球队也因此跌入自1989年以来的首次彩票。
马刺队官员坚称，罗宾逊将在10月份的训练营开始时准备好比赛。他们说他已经被允许跑步，并将从8月1日开始进行全对抗训练。伊根说罗宾逊对自己的状态“非常高兴”。
“他认为自己的恢复进展顺利，”伊根说。
罗宾逊上赛季因背部拉伤缺席了前18场比赛。他在12月份打了6场比赛，然后左脚外侧骨骼骨折。
他再也没有上场。
总的来说，马刺队因伤病损失了347个球员-比赛。如果伤病方面一切顺利，马刺队主席彼得·霍尔特(Peter Holt)表示，他认为球队将恢复昔日的状态。
“在受伤之前，我们是一支非常有竞争力的球队，”霍尔特说。“当你1994-95赛季赢了62场球，1995-96赛季赢了59场球，然后你只赢了20场球，那是因为伤病。我们（在乐透抽签之前）认为明年会赢得50场以上的比赛。”
“当你加入了像蒂姆·邓肯这样的球员，这会让你提升到下一个层次吗？我们当然希望如此。”
无论有多少乐观情绪，球队仍然密切关注着罗宾逊。
自从上个月常规赛结束以来，这位7英尺1英寸的老将中锋已经开始全速跑步。
伊根说，让邓肯加入阵容将帮助罗宾逊，但不一定是让他更容易从健康问题中恢复。
“我认为这与之无关，”伊根说。“背部康复进展顺利，预后是他会恢复良好。”
霍尔特说，根据球队医疗团队的报告，他对罗宾逊感到乐观。
“大卫还没有完全康复，但他已经恢复了90%，”霍尔特上周末在新泽西州说。“好消息是，脚伤已经痊愈了。所以他可以真正专注于背部康复。仅仅是过去几周的训练，他就看起来好多了。”
伊根说，罗宾逊和邓肯的组合将在多个方面有所帮助。凭借他们的封盖能力，马刺队可以在防守端更多地采取赌博战术，例如包夹和对周边的施压。
他们的篮板球能力将让球队的进攻（上赛季联盟中最糟糕的进攻之一）恢复到快攻方式。教练组最棘手的任务可能是调整半场进攻。
“我们必须小心，他们不要互相干扰，”伊根说。“当其中一人在内线设立位置时，要给他空间。如果我们把他们安排好，会非常有效。”
- 马刺队消息：球队在6月25日的选秀大会上没有第二轮选秀权。
马刺队三年前在交易中放弃了第二轮选秀权，这笔交易将前锋肖恩·埃利奥特(Sean Elliott)从活塞队带回。1994年7月，活塞队将埃利奥特送往圣安东尼奥，换取了马刺队首轮选秀权比尔·柯利(Bill Curley)和1997年第二轮选秀权。
- 一位球队官员说，埃利奥特在2月份接受了右膝上部肌腱部分撕裂的手术，预计将在7月份恢复全速跑步。
- 马刺队主教练兼总经理格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)周四前往邓肯的故乡美属维尔京群岛的圣克罗伊岛。他拜访了这位21岁的中锋和他的父亲威廉·邓肯(William Duncan)。
点击查看原文：Key questions about Duncan, Robinson still to be answered
Key questions about Duncan, Robinson still to be answered
Spurs fans know how good David Robinson is. They just wonder about past injuries to his back and foot.
They are hearing how good Tim Duncan may be. But how much can he contribute as a rookie?
And how will he fit into the team’s lineup and rotation?
Questions. Questions.
The Spurs will get them all summer as they try to rebound from a franchise-worst record of 20-62.
Robinson reportedly is upbeat about the Spurs’ chances next season after learning that the team will likely get Duncan, college basketball’s Player of the Year from Wake Forest University.
“I talked to David briefly and he was really excited,” Spurs assistant coach Hank Egan said late last week. “Mainly, we talked about his schedule for working out. But he was excited (about Duncan). He thought it was great.”
Robinson has not been available for comment since the Spurs won the NBA lottery last Sunday. With the stunning lottery victory, the Spurs secured the No. 1 pick in the draft.
The Spurs have made it clear they plan to select Duncan, a 6- foot-10, 248-pounder who can play both center and power forward.
Duncan is expected to be drafted by the Spurs on June 25 and then signed to a contract shortly thereafter. He is expected to become the second No. 1 overall pick in team history and the first since Robinson in 1987.
Lost in the euphoria of Duncan’s impending arrival last week was Robinson’s physical status.
It was Robinson who led the Spurs to the playoffs seven years in a row before a couple of injuries sidelined him and sent the team spiraling to its first lottery since 1989.
Spurs officials insist that Robinson will be ready to play when training camp opens in October. They said he has been cleared to run and will begin full- contact drills Aug. 1. Egan said Robinson is “very happy” about his status.
“He thought he was making good progress,” Egan said.
Robinson missed the first 18 games last season with a lower back strain. He played six games in December and then broke the the outside bone on his left foot.
He didn’t play again.
In all, the Spurs lost 347 player- games to injury. If everything goes right on the injury front, Spurs chairman Peter Holt said he thinks the team will revert to its old form.
“We were a heck of a contender before the injuries,” Holt said. "When you win 62 games (in 1994- 95) and 59 games (in 1995-96) and then you go to 20, it’s because of injuries. We felt (before the lottery) we were going to win 50- plus games next year.
“When you add someboy like Tim Duncan, does it move you to that next level? We certainly hope so.”
No matter how much optimism has been espoused, the team is still keeping close watch on Robinson.
Since the end of the regular season last month, the 7-foot-1 veteran center has started to run at full speed.
Egan said having Duncan in the lineup would help Robinson, but not necessarily in the sense of making it easier for him to bounce back from his health problems.
“I don’t think this will have anything to do with it,” Egan said. “The back rehabilitation is going well and the prognosis is for him to be in good shape anyway.”
Holt said he is encouraged about Robinson based on reports from the team’s medical staff.
“David is not completely healthy, but he’s 90 percent there,” Holt said last weekend in New Jersey. “The beauty of it is, the foot injury has healed. So he can really focus on the back rehabilitation. Just the last couple of weeks of workouts, he’s looking a lot better.”
Egan said a tandem of Robinson and Duncan will help on a number of fronts. With their shot-blocking ability, the Spurs can gamble more defensively with traps and pressure on the perimeter.
Their rebounding will allow the team’s offense, one of the worst in the league last season, to return to its fast-breaking ways. The trickiest part of the coaching staff’s job may be tinkering with the half-court offense.
“We have to be careful they don’t get in one another’s way,” Egan said. “When one is set up inside, it’ll be important to give him room. If we position them well, it can be very effective.”
- Spurs notes: The team does not have a second-round pick in the June 25 draft.
The Spurs gave it up three years ago in the trade that brought forward Sean Elliott back from Detroit. In July 1994, the Pistons sent Elliott to San Antonio in return for the rights to Spurs first- round draft pick Bill Curley and a 1997 second-round pick.
- A team official said Elliott, who underwent surgery for a partial tear of a tendon above his right knee in February, is expected to be cleared for full-speed running in July.
- Spurs coach-general manager Gregg Popovich traveled to Duncan’s native St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday. He visited the 21-year-old center and his father, William Duncan.
By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-25, By Glenn Rogers
罗宾逊(David Robinson)和邓肯(Tim Duncan)的异同
火箭队深知马刺队现在的感受。
1984年春季，休斯顿火箭队通过掷硬币的方式从波特兰开拓者队手中赢得了签下哈基姆·奥拉朱旺(Hakeem Olajuwon)的权利。
这位身高6尺10寸的强力中锋将与7尺4寸的拉尔夫·桑普森(Ralph Sampson)联手镇守内线。桑普森本人是在上赛季火箭队通过掷硬币的方式从印第安纳步行者队手中获得他后才加盟休斯顿的。
就这样，双塔诞生了。
桑普森，这对搭档中更灵活的那位，至少当时是这样，会拉开空间打高位，担任进攻端的四号位。肌肉发达的奥拉朱旺，那时还只是一位原始、强壮的天才，会把对手背在身后。
这对搭档最初配合得很好，给对方防守者和想要得分的球员制造了无数的麻烦。在他们一起效力的第二年，桑普森和奥拉朱旺带领火箭队杀入了NBA总决赛，最终输给了由拉里·伯德(Larry Bird)领军的波士顿凯尔特人队。
但在1986-87赛季，桑普森遭遇了膝伤。他的灵活性和平衡性都受到了影响，第二年他就被交易到了金州勇士队。
现在，双塔狂热席卷了圣安东尼奥，7尺1寸的大卫·罗宾逊和6尺10寸的蒂姆·邓肯，后者预计将在6月25日的NBA选秀大会上被马刺队选为状元秀。
除了罗宾逊和邓肯都是通过幸运的抽签结果才来到这里的之外，他们之间还有一些有趣的相似之处。
罗宾逊已经期待着把防守球员拉出禁区，利用自己的速度攻击篮筐，或者用跳投得分。邓肯则会感受到在禁区内面对防守球员的感受。
而且，他们在防守端可以互换位置。
教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)和他的团队已经开始制定复杂战术了。
圣安东尼奥的这两座塔之间也有一些有趣的不同之处。
还记得马刺队当年赢得状元签的时候吗？他们欣喜若狂，告诉全世界50号球衣将属于银黑军团，梦想着未来的冠军，更不用说财务上的稳定了。
50号似乎并没有那么兴奋。
很快，关于罗宾逊更想被克利夫兰骑士队选中消息传了出来。
克利夫兰？好吧，他的队友卡尔·利伯特(Carl Liebert)解释说，克利夫兰可能是罗宾逊唯一熟悉的一支NBA球队，因为他和罗恩·哈珀(Ron Harper)和布拉德·道格蒂(Brad Daugherty)都是朋友。
更糟糕的是，罗宾逊立刻就有了不签几年合同，然后重新参加选秀的想法。但是，当他听说NBA可能会延长马刺队对他权利的期限时，罗宾逊告诉利伯特：“如果我必须为他们效力，我就效力。”
另一方面，邓肯对抽签结果很满意。他很高兴。这个来自美属维尔京群岛的家伙可不是傻子，他想到要忍受波士顿寒冷的气候，在漫长的湾州冬季在冰冷的街道上滑来滑去就感到一阵寒颤。
为什么不在两个小时的汗流浃背的训练后，在阳光下打几轮高尔夫球呢？
邓肯也不是傻子，他知道他可以在罗宾逊的阴影下成长，而且不用被寄予带领挣扎的凯尔特人队杀入季后赛的希望。
圣安东尼奥的媒体也能够理解当时马刺队总经理鲍勃·巴斯(Bob Bass)的困境。这周，媒体记者们都在努力从罗宾逊那里得到关于签下邓肯的几句话。他们被告知罗宾逊正在度假，无法接受采访。
当时，巴斯也有同样棘手的任务，试图在抽签日和选秀日之间与罗宾逊保持某种联系。
“如果我联系不上他，那就联系不上他吧，”巴斯当时抱怨道。
当然，罗宾逊已经学会了热爱圣安东尼奥，并且成为了这里场内外都受欢迎和支持的力量。邓肯是否会成为圣安东尼奥这座城市的忠实市民还有待观察。
在早期，罗宾逊并没有被NBA的宣传活动所吸引。
他在选秀日那天爽约了。来自海军学院的早期报道称，选秀日活动似乎并不在罗宾逊的首要任务之列。
1987年6月22日上午，当大多数NBA希望之星聚集在纽约的费尔特论坛时，罗宾逊在白宫与副总统乔治·布什(George Bush)共进早餐。当天下午，他参加了一场慈善高尔夫球赛，与他同组的是已故的众议院议长蒂普·奥尼尔(Tip O’Neill)。
罗宾逊已经和更高级别的人打成一片了。
预计邓肯将在6月25日在北卡罗来纳州夏洛特穿上马刺队的21号球衣。
马刺队的新塔只能希望自己和罗宾逊之间不会存在太大的差异。
罗宾逊以雷霆万钧之势闯入联盟。在自己的第一场比赛中，他得到23分，抢下17个篮板，并盖掉了魔术师约翰逊(Magic Johnson)的一次上篮。从那以后，他获得了联盟颁发的所有主要个人奖项，并且入选了NBA历史50大球星。
邓肯可能无法达到罗宾逊那样的成就，但他很有可能帮助罗宾逊赢得一枚总冠军戒指。
点击查看原文：Robinson, Duncan share similarities, differences
Robinson, Duncan share similarities, differences
The Rockets know how the Spurs feel.
In the spring of 1984, Houston won a coin flip with Portland and gained the rights to sign Hakeem Olajuwon.
The 6-foot-10 powerhouse would join the 7-foot-4 Ralph Sampson in the paint. Sampson, himself, had been brought to Houston the previous season when the Rockets won a coin flip with Indiana.
Thus was born the Twin Towers.
Sampson, the more agile of the pair, at least at the time, would drift out and play high, the power forward on offense. The muscular Olajuwon, then just a raw, bullish talent, would show foes his back.
The pairing worked well at first, creating myriad headaches for opposing defenders and would-be scorers. In their second year together, Sampson and Olajuwon took the Rockets to the NBA Finals, before losing to the Larry Bird-led Boston Celtics.
But during the 1986-87 season Sampson suffered a knee injury. His agility and balance sacrificed, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors the next year.
Tower mania now engulfs San Antonio in the form of 7-1 David Robinson and 6-10 Tim Duncan, who the Spurs are expected to make the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft on June 25.
There are some interesting similarities, beyond the fact that Robinson and Duncan both arrived here courtesy of the luck of the drafting draw.
Robinson already looks forward to drawing defenders out and using his fleetness to attack the basket or burn foes with jumpers. Duncan will get a feel of defenders in the heavy duty deep-paint area.
And on defense they can switch duties.
Coach Gregg Popovich and his staff already are drawing up complicated mixtures of Xs and Os.
There are a few amusing differences between San Antonio’s towers.
Remember way back when the Spurs won the No. 1 pick? They exulted, told the world that No. 50 would wear the Silver and Black, dreamed the dreams of future titles, not to mention financial solvency.
No. 50 seemed less exuberant.
Word drifted out pretty quickly that Robinson would have preferred going to Cleveland.
Cleveland? Well, teammate Carl Liebert explained that Cleveland probably was the only NBA team Robinson was familiar with, being friends with Ron Harper and Brad Daugherty.
Even worse, Robinson immediately entertained thoughts of not signing a contract for a couple of years and then re- entering the draft. But, when he heard that the NBA might extend the time-limit on Spurs rights to him, Robinson told Liebert, “If I have to play for them, I’ll play.”
Duncan, on the other hand, applauded the lottery results. He was happy. No fool, the native of the U.S. Virgin Islands shuddered at the thought of shivering through the frigid Boston climate, slipping and sliding on the icy streets through the endless Bay State winter.
Why not a few rounds of golf in the sun after two hours of sweaty practice?
No fool, too, Duncan knows he can grow in Robinson’s shadow and not be expected to carry the struggling Celtics into playoff contention.
The San Antonio media also can sympathize with the plight of then Spurs general manager Bob Bass. This past week, media types struggled to get a quote or two from Robinson regarding the signing of Duncan. Robinson is on vacation and not avaialable for comment, they were told.
Back then, Bass had the equally ticklish duty of trying to maintain some kind of contact with Robinson during the interim between lottery and draft days.
“If I can’t get hold of him, I can’t get hold of him,” Bass yelped at one point.
Robinson, of course, has learned to love San Antonio and has become a welcome and supportive presence here both on and off the court. It remains to be seen whether Duncan will become a solid Alamo City citizen.
In the early days, Robinson simply wasn’t caught up in the NBA’s promotional sprees.
He stood up the league on draft day. Early reports from the Naval Academy were that draft day activities didn’t seem to be near the top of Robinson’s priorities.
On the morning of June 22, 1987, when most NBA hopefuls gathered at the Felt Forum in New York, Robinson enjoyed breakfast at the White House with Vice President George Bush. Later in the day, he played golf in a charity tournament in a foursome that included the late Tip O’Neill, a former Speaker of the House.
Already, Robinson was marching with a loftier band.
Duncan is expected to hoist a Spurs jersey, No. 21, on June 25 in Charlotte, N.C.
The Spurs’ new tower can only hope no great differences will exist between himself and Robinson between the baselines.
Robinson thundered into the league. In his first game, he scored 23 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked a layup attempt by Magic Johnson. Since then he has won every major individual award the league offers and is a member of the NBA’s 50 Greatest Players.
Duncan may not quite reach those towering achievements, but he may well help Robinson get fitted for a championship ring.
By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-25, By Buck Harvey
从邓肯到德雷克斯勒：查克的火
休斯顿——查尔斯·巴克利抬头了。看到了来自圣安东尼奥的人。忍不住要说话。
“他们那里不太聪明，”他说，“他们建了一个足球场，然后说，‘哎呀，我忘了。我们还需要一个足球队！’”
巴克利带着戏谑的惊讶说，很喜欢这句台词，于是不断重复，“我会这么做，”他说。“我要回到阿拉巴马州利兹，为自己建一个体育场。”
他乐在其中，不介意继续圣安东尼奥的话题。但当被问及蒂姆·邓肯是否会是巴克利好友大卫·罗宾逊的完美搭档时，巴克利花了一点时间冷静一下。巴克利严肃地说，“我不知道。大卫旁边需要一个有火力的人。”
巴克利并未详细说明。但在同一天，他批评了自己的队友——问问克莱德·德雷克斯勒，他对火力有什么看法——巴克利的暗示非常明显。难道不是巴克利自己就有这种火力吗？
巴克利对邓肯的分析中也说了很多关于罗宾逊的话，巴克利并未就此止步。巴克利说，他曾在梦之队的热身赛中与邓肯交手，巴克利表示“他没有人们想象的那么高大。他可能 6 英尺 9 英寸。”
这就是巴克利。邓肯甚至还没有被选中，巴克利就已经准备好了反驳等待。所以当被问及邓肯是否让马刺队瞬间成为总冠军材料时，巴克利张大嘴巴盯着。“瞬间总冠军材料？”他翻着白眼说。“哦，他们可能会比上赛季有进步。”
邓肯不应感到被挑衅。在星期六下午 75 分钟的国情咨文中，巴克利对全世界进行了一番猛烈轰击。巴克利批评了每个人，从老虎伍兹到马夫·阿尔伯特，再到女高尔夫球手（“她们唯一应该出现在高尔夫球场的时候就是带着啤酒车在后边跟着”）。
但随后，巴克利做了一件在胜利后很少有人尝试的事情。他开始批评自己的队友。巴克利声称，那些以前赢得过冠军的火箭队球员现在没有他或爵士队那样有决心。巴克利似乎针对的是德雷克斯勒，他在这个系列赛中表现得非常被动，只罚过一次球。
“这些球队势均力敌，”巴克利说，“所以谁更想要它就成关键。现在，犹他队想要它。”
巴克利不再关心约翰·斯托克顿设置非法掩护（巴克利说他大部分时间都在做这件事），或者斯托克顿打非法区域联防（巴克利说他每次都这样做）。巴克利改变了目标，而新的目标穿着相同的球衣。
巴克利说，一些火箭队球员接近自私，一些火箭队球员接近愚蠢。在两个主题上，他都得到了很多信誉。巴克利牺牲了自己的比赛，在卡尔·马龙身上扮演了一个类似罗德曼的角色。
所以不要告诉他，星期五让一切都变对了。他把那一夜当作侥幸，因为火箭队的替补球员救了他们。如果一个 38 岁的老将没有度过职业生涯中的一夜，那么犹他队将在系列赛中以 3-0 领先，并收拾行装前往芝加哥。
这就是巴克利。他经常到处游玩，说了很多“垃圾话”，正如罗宾逊亲切地称的那样。但他也可以残酷地诚实。难怪鲁迪·汤姆贾诺维奇私下说，在他身边的所有人中，没有人比巴克利更擅长更衣室的动力。
尽管如此，火箭队在没有巴克利的情况下赢过，也没有真正的领导者。所以也许德雷克斯勒受到鼓舞。或者受到侮辱。
如果这就是火的危险，那也是巴克利的本性。罗宾逊和邓肯将更有分寸，更有逻辑，更谨慎。巴克利抬头，他忍不住。
点击查看原文：From Duncan to Drexler: Chuck's fire
From Duncan to Drexler: Chuck’s fire
HOUSTON - Charles Barkley looked up. Saw someone from San Antonio. And couldn’t help himself.
“They aren’t very smart over there,” he said. “They built a football stadium, then said, ‘Oops, I forgot. We need a football team too!’”
Barkley said it in mock surprise, and liked the line so much he kept repeating it. “That’s what I’m going to do,” he said. “I’m going back to Leeds, Ala., and build me a stadium.”
He was having fun, and he didn’t mind staying with the San Antonio theme. But when asked if Tim Duncan might be a perfect partner for Barkley’s buddy, David Robinson, Barkley took a serious moment to gather himself. Without humor, Barkley said, “I don’t know. David needs a guy with fire next to him.”
Barkley didn’t elaborate. But on the same day he critiqued his own teammates - ask Clyde Drexler about fire today - Barkley’s inference was clear. Doesn’t Barkley himself have that fire?
Barkley’s analysis about Duncan said as much about Robinson, and Barkley didn’t stop there. Barkley says he played Duncan during Dream Team warmups, and Barkley says “he’s not as big as people think. He might be 6-foot-9.”
That’s Barkley. Duncan hasn’t even been drafted yet, and Barkley already has putdowns waiting. So when asked if Duncan gives the Spurs instant championship material, Barkley stared with mouth open. “Instant championship material?” He followed with eyes rolling. “Oh, they’ll probably improve on what they did last season.”
Duncan shouldn’t feel picked on. In a 75-minute state-of-the-union Saturday afternoon, Barkley shotgunned the world. Barkley critiqued everyone from Tiger Woods to Marv Albert to women golfers (“The only time they should be on a golf course is with a beer cart behind them”).
But then Barkley did something rarely tried after a win. He launched into his own teammates. Barkley asserted that those Rockets who have won previous titles aren’t as committed now as either he or the Jazz. Barkley seemed to aim at Drexler, so passive in this series he’s only gotten to the free-throw line once.
“These teams are evenly matched,” said Barkley, “so it comes down to who wants it more. Right now, Utah does.”
No longer did Barkley care that John Stockton sets illegal picks (Barkley says he does most of the time), or that Stockton plays illegal zones (Barkley says he does every time). Barkley switched his sights, and the new targets wear the same uniform.
Barkley said some Rockets border on being selfish, some on being dumb. And he gets a lot of credibility on both subjects. Barkley has sacrificed his game to take a Rodman-like role on Karl Malone.
So don’t tell him that Friday set everything straight. He dismisses the night as a fluke because the Rockets’ bench saved them. If a 38- year-old backup hadn’t put together a career night, then Utah would lead the series 3-0 and would be packing for Chicago.
That’s Barkley, too. He plays around a lot, and says a lot of “garbage,” as Robinson affectionately calls it. But he can also be brutally honest. No wonder Rudy Tomjanovich says privately that, of everyone he’s ever been around, no one is better at locker- room dynamics than Barkley.
Still, the Rockets won without Barkley before, and without a true leader. So maybe Drexler is inspired. Or insulted.
If that’s the danger of fire, it’s also the nature of Barkley. Robinson and Duncan will be more measured, more logical, more discreet. Barkley looks up, and he can’t help himself.
By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-28, By Compiled from Staff and Wire Reports
邓肯依然是马刺的目标
马刺队在周末与球员在美属维尔京群岛圣克罗伊的家乡举行会谈后，仍然致力于选中维克森林大学的蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)。
马刺队主教练兼总经理格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)周四抵达圣克罗伊，周日晚上返回圣安东尼奥。
在与邓肯及其家人会面后，波波维奇表示，没有任何“红旗”会削弱球队在6月25日的选秀中用状元签选中这位6英尺10英寸的中锋/前锋的决心。
“与他见面，并与他的家人和朋友共度了大量时间后，用最好的方式来形容他，他是一个聪明、热爱生活的人，他热爱篮球运动，并对来到圣安东尼奥的前景感到非常兴奋，”波波维奇说。
邓肯是上赛季大学篮球赛的共识年度最佳球员。他的加盟将使马刺队在下个赛季拥有11份有保障的合同。
圣安东尼奥最近解雇了老将后卫维尔纳·马克斯韦尔(Vernon Maxwell)，但波波维奇表示，在考虑如何填补最后的名额时，他没有具体的职位。
他还表示，邓肯被交易的可能性很小。
点击查看原文：Quick Hits - Albert's trial date set for September
Quick Hits - Albert’s trial date set for September
Marv Albert was booked, fingerprinted and photographed Tuesday after appearing in court in Arlington, Va., where his lawyer made a point of telling a judge the sportscaster will plead innocent to sex charges.
Judge Benjamin Kendrick set a Sept. 22 trial date for Albert, who was indicted last week on charges of biting a woman repeatedly and forcing her to perform oral sex in his hotel room in February. Albert arranged his surrender through his lawyer.
The judge released Albert on his own recognizance.
NBC’s top basketball announcer said nothing in court or as he, fiancee Heather Faulkiner and his four adult children pushed past throngs of reporters and cameras outside the Arlington County courthouse.
Albert did not formally enter a plea. The judge said he prefers to adhere to the local custom of accepting pleas immediately before trial.
But defense attorney Gerard Treanor asked the judge during the five-minute hearing to acknowledge that his client intends to plead innocent to the assault and forcible sodomy charges.
Neither Treanor nor prosecutor Richard Trodden would elaborate on the evidence or say whether tests of Albert’s teeth will be performed.
Albert, 53, faces five years to life in prison if convicted.
His accuser - a 41-year-old woman who said she has been a friend of his for 10 years - faces criminal charges herself. She is accused of threatening to kill a former boyfriend in March. A female co-worker at the Washington Hilton hotel also filed a discrimination complaint accusing the woman of harassing her.
NBA: Duncan still the man
The Spurs remained committed to drafting Wake Forest’s Tim Duncan after weekend talks with the player in his home of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands.
Spurs coach and general manager Gregg Popovich arrived in St. Croix on Thursday and returned to San Antonio on Sunday night.
After visiting with Duncan and members of his family, Popovich said there were no “red flags” that would lessen the team’s resolve in picking the 6-foot- 10 center/forward with the first overall choice in the draft on June 25.
“In meeting with him and spending a great deal of time with his family and friends, the best way to describe him is that he’s an intelligent, fun-loving individual who loves the game of basketball and who is very excited about the prospect of coming to San Antonio,” Popovich said.
Duncan was college basketball’s consensus player of the year last season. His signing will give the Spurs 11 guaranteed contracts for next season.
San Antonio recently released veteran guard Vernon Maxwell, but Popovich said he didn’t have a specific position in mind when he considers how to fill the final roster spot.
He also said it is unlikely that Duncan will be traded.
High schools: Clark coach resigns
Matt Gustafson has resigned as head baseball coach at Clark to accept a similiar position at Smithson Valley.
Gustafson produced playoff teams all three years he was at Clark, winning two district championships and finishing third the other season. His overall record with the school was 48-25 and his 11-year career mark is 183-84-1.
Track: Sprinter must wait
Ben Johnson’s bid to return to competition has been adjourned until July 21 after lawyers for two track and field governing bodies asked for the delay.
Johnson, who was stripped of his Olympic gold medal and world record in the 100 meters after testing positive for steroids in 1988, and his lawyers were in a Brampton, Ontario, general-division court Tuesday. They were seeking a judge’s ruling that the 1993 lifetime ban against the 35-year-old was imposed unfairly and illegally, and prevents him from earning a living.
“Everybody has a right to work - you do, I do - everybody does,” Morris Chrobotek, Johnson’s agent, said outside the court. “I look at sports as a job, (running) is a professional sport.”
Johnson, who received the lifetime ban in 1993 after another positive drug test, is hoping a favorable court ruling will influence his petition for reinstatement. That would now come before an IAAF council scheduled to meet July 27.
NFL: Ringing endorsement
Hit by criticism after some players were left out of a White House ceremony, the Green Bay Packers announced Tuesday that all members of their Super Bowl champion team would be invited to a ring ceremony.
“The fans voiced their displeasure with our previous decision, and we listened,” Packers president Bob Harlan said in a news release.
Just as fans screamed and yelled as the Packers plowed their way to their first Super Bowl title in 29 years, some also made noise when a few familiar faces were not on hand for a May 20 ceremony with President Clinton.
Super Bowl MVP Desmond Howard, who had signed with the Oakland Raiders, was not invited. Also uninvited were two players who remain free agents: wide receiver Andre Rison and kicker Chris Jacke.
Howard protested in a letter to media Sunday and said he hoped the Packers still would invite him to the June 4 ring ceremony.
Boxing: Return to the ring
Cable television magnate Bill Daniels, whose last foray into professional boxing came two decades ago with former heavyweight contender Ron Lyle, re- entered the sport Tuesday with a multimillion-dollar investment in Denver-based America Presents.
By Compiled from Staff and Wire Reports, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-29, By Jerry Briggs
罗宾逊谈邓肯：马刺就能取得“非常好的表现”
在当地一家健身中心进行了一场晨练后，马刺队中锋大卫-罗宾逊(David Robinson)无意中抛出了一个针对未来预计队友蒂姆-邓肯(Tim Duncan)的双刃剑式描述。
罗宾逊在周三与媒体首次会面，自马刺赢得选秀权后，他称邓肯是“最幸运的”。
罗宾逊表示，邓肯即将进入一支经过季后赛考验的球队，这可能会帮助他避免掉一些通常伴随着新秀班级中状元签而来的压力。
罗宾逊说：“这就是我说他是最幸运的人的原因，”罗宾逊说。“如果他的场均得分为15分，篮板为10个，每个人都会对此感到兴奋。而当你进入另一支球队时，人们会期望你平均获得25分和12个篮板，并每晚带领球队走向胜利。”
1987年状元秀罗宾逊也对球队下个赛季的前景感到兴奋，他说马刺有望获得“非常好的”表现。他说，他希望自己保持健康，并且他对从低位移出，在进攻中更多面对篮筐的前景感到满意。
但当被问及他对邓肯有什么建议时，罗宾逊提出了最有意思的评论，邓肯是来自维克森林大学的6英尺10英寸中锋/前锋，预计他将在6月25日的选秀中被马刺选中状元。
罗宾逊表示：“我会告诉他要感谢上帝，他不必带领一支战绩为20-60的球队——我的意思是真正的20-60，没有伤病——把他们改变为（竞争者），只要感谢这一点。”罗宾逊说。“（我告诉他）要感谢这样一个事实，当他来到这里时，他不会被（视为）球队的救世主。”
八年前，罗宾逊面临着这一艰巨的挑战。
马刺刚刚连续经历了他们的第四个失利赛季。他于海军服役两年，然后来到了圣安东尼奥。他不必擦洗甲板，但他希望带领一支21-61的球队扭转局面。
罗宾逊在1989-90赛季在特里-卡明斯(Terry Cummings)和其他人的帮助下，带领马刺队取得了56-26的战绩，并连续七次进入季后赛。
当罗宾逊因伤错过本赛季大部分时间时，这波连续打进季后赛的旅程结束了。圣安东尼奥因球员受伤损失了347场球员比赛，创下了球队最差的20胜62负的战绩。
马刺没有进入季后赛，但获得了抽签资格，他们在5月18日赢得了抽签，获得了状元签。
从那以后，球迷们一直在谈论让邓肯进入首发阵容，并重建一支分别在1994-95赛季和1995-96赛季赢得62场和59场比赛的球队。
罗宾逊承认，邓肯作为状元秀将面临联盟的审查。但他表示，球队将主要要求他融入球队并做出贡献——同时没必要领导球队。
罗宾逊说：“他没有那种压力，这真是太棒了。”“在他这个年龄，他需要加入并学习如何进行比赛，适应它，如果我们赢了，他就获得荣誉。如果我们输了，每个人都会承担指责。”
马刺队重新崛起的关键是罗宾逊的健康状况，他上个赛季82场比赛缺席了76场，原因是背部和脚部受伤。罗宾逊发誓要成功回归。
他说：“我感觉很好。”“我刚有机会去篮球场上一些。我一直在举重，练习背部锻炼，（做）仰卧起坐。这对我的背来说是一个很好的时机，我可以继续锻炼它。
“对于我明年会如何感觉，我感到兴奋。我认为我明年会变得更强壮，尤其是在篮筐下，在禁区周围，比我以往任何时候都强壮。”
罗宾逊表示，邓肯的到来“对我们来说是不可思议的”，因为它将为球队带来额外的内线深度和天赋。
他说：“他是一位绝对可以立刻加入并为这支球队做出巨大贡献的球员。”“他是一个优秀的篮板手。他在禁区附近有着出色的技术。他拥有出色的控球技术…一个不错的手感。他是一个你不必全面教他比赛的人。”
作为一名新秀，罗宾逊在运动能力上可能比邓肯下个赛季更具爆发力。但罗宾逊表示，如果他有一位资深中锋带他进入NBA，他可能会更轻松。
罗宾逊说：“当我进入联盟时，我没有任何人可以教我，也没有人可以教我如何成为全明星。”“我不得不自己学习很多东西。花了我几年的时间才学会如何练习和准备自己。”
罗宾逊表示，他很高兴能离开禁区，在进攻中面对篮筐。
他说：“我太喜欢了。”“我认为我在（前教练）约翰-卢卡斯(John Lucas)让我身处可以面对对方，可以传球，可以组织进攻的位置时表现最好。
点击查看原文：Robinson on Duncan: Spurs can be 'very good'
Robinson on Duncan: Spurs can be ‘very good’
After a morning workout at a local fitness center, Spurs center David Robinson unwittingly threw out a double-edged description of projected future teammate Tim Duncan.
Robinson, meeting with the media Wednesday for the first time since the Spurs won the rights to the No. 1 pick in the draft, called Duncan “the real fortunate one.”
Robinson said the view that Duncan’s impending arrival on a playoff-tested team could help him avoid some of the pressures that ordinarily come with being the top pick in a rookie class.
“That’s why I’m saying he’s the real fortunate one,” Robinson said. “If he averages 15 points and 10 rebounds a game, everyone is going to be thrilled with that. Whereas, you go to another team and people expect you to average 25 and 12, and to take the team to victory every night.”
Robinson, the No. 1 pick in the 1987 draft, also is excited about the team’s prospects next season, and said the Spurs have a chance to be “very good.” He said he expects to be healthy and that he feels good about the prospect of moving out of the low post to face the basket more on offense.
But Robinson’s most interesting comments came when asked what advice he might give to Duncan, the 6-foot-10 center/forward from Wake Forest who is expected to be selected No. 1 by the Spurs in the June 25 draft.
"I’d tell him to thank God that he doesn’t have to take a team that was 20-60 - I mean, a legitimate 20-60, with no injuries - and have to change it around (into a contender), and just appreciate that, " Robinson said. “(I’d tell him to) appreciate the fact that when he comes out here, that he’s not (viewed as) the savior of the team.”
Eight years ago, Robinson faced that daunting challenge.
The Spurs had just endured their fourth losing season in a row. He showed up in San Antonio fresh off two years of officer’s duty in the Navy. He didn’t have to swab the deck, but he was expected to turn around a 21-61 team.
Robinson, with the help of Terry Cummings and others in 1989-90, carried the Spurs to a 56-26 record and the first of seven consecutive playoff appearances.
The run ended this year when Robinson missed most of the season with injuries. San Antonio, sacked with 347 player-games lost to injury, plummeted to a franchise-worst 20-62 record.
The Spurs didn’t make the playoffs but qualified for the lottery, which they won on May 18 to secure the No. 1 pick.
Ever since then, fans have been talking about the prospect of inserting Duncan into the starting lineup and reinventing a team that won 62 and 59 games, respectively, in 1994-95 and 1995-96.
Robinson acknowledged that Duncan will face leaguewide scrutiny as the No. 1 pick. But he said the team will call on him primarily to fit in and contribute - and not necessarily to lead.
“He doesn’t have that type of pressure, which is fantastic,” Robinson said. “At his age, he needs to come in and learn how to play the game, adjust to it, and if we win, he gets credit. If we lose, everyone takes the blame.”
A key to the Spurs’ resurgence will be the health of Robinson, who missed 76 of the team’s 82 games last season with back and foot injuries. Robinson vowed a successful return.
“I’m feeling great,” he said. "I’ve just had a chance to get out there on the (basketball) floor some. I had been just basically lifting weights, working on my back exercises, (doing) sit-ups. It’s been a great time for my back, for me to continue working on it.
“I’m excited about how I’m going to feel next year. I think I’m going to be stronger next year, especially underneath the basket, around the post, than I ever have been.”
Robinson said the expected arrival of Duncan is “incredible for us,” because it will give the team added inside depth and talent.
“He’s a player who can definitely come in right away and contribute big to this team,” he said. “He’s a good rebounder. He’s got great skills around the post. He’s got good ball-handling skills … a nice touch. He’s a guy you don’t have to teach the game all over to.”
Robinson, as a rookie, may have been more explosive athletically than Duncan will be next season. But Robinson said it would have been easier on him if he had a veteran center to usher him into the NBA.
“When I came into the league I didn’t have a guy who could teach me, or did teach me, to become an All-Star,” Robinson said. “I had to learn a lot of those things by myself. And it took a few years to learn how to practice and prepare myself.”
Robinson said he relishes the chance of moving out of the post and facing the basket on offense.
“I love it,” he said. "I think I was at my best when I was put in the position (former coach) John Lucas put me in, where I could face up, where I could make passes, where I could make plays.
By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-29, By Kevin O’Keeffe
波波维奇和马刺球员的天赋排名并不尽如人意
有空吗？
在近期《多伦多太阳报》进行的NBA天赋排行榜评选中，马刺队总经理兼教练格雷格·波波维奇（Gregg Popovich）的表现不佳。
在教练评选中，波波维奇与新泽西队的主教练约翰·卡利帕里并列排名第24位。排在波波维奇之后的有达拉斯队的吉姆·克莱蒙斯和波士顿队的M.L.卡尔。当然，卡尔现在已经不再是凯尔特人队的教练了。
在总经理评选中，波波维奇与温哥华队的斯图·杰克逊并列排名第24位。
马刺队的球员表现也并不理想，文尼·德尔·内格罗在得分后卫评选中并列排名第31位，肖恩·埃利奥特在小前锋评选中并列排名第17位，艾弗里·约翰逊在控球后卫评选中并列排名第12位。
此次评选并未对缺席大部分赛季的球员进行排名，例如大卫·罗宾逊。
每位教练/总经理/球员的评分从低分（0.5）到高分（5.0）不等。
投选者包括：《多伦多太阳报》篮球专栏作家克雷格·丹尼尔斯；前NBA球员、《多伦多太阳报》专栏作家利奥·劳廷斯；加拿大新闻社篮球记者道格·史密斯；《温哥华省报》篮球记者霍华德·津村；《芝加哥论坛报》篮球专栏作家萨姆·史密斯。
说到马刺队，希望我们停止对交易状元秀蒂姆·邓肯的任何讨论。
这件事不会发生，也无法发生。
11月时，邓肯可能会成为首发中锋，因为任何患有背部问题的球员都会知道这个道理。当然，大卫·罗宾逊在星期三表示，他本赛季会更强。但是，在他踏上开场赛的球场时，我才会相信他已经准备好比赛了。
千万不要忘记，去年10月训练营时罗宾逊第一次因背部受伤而缺席时，我们被告知他不会错过一场常规赛比赛。他缺席了前18场比赛——总共76场比赛。
万一让你感到好奇，邓肯最喜欢的电子游戏是《真人快打》。
现在，假设罗宾逊、邓肯和埃利奥特能够在秋季联手，那么马刺队的球迷道格拉斯·博克为这三人起了一个绰号——“红色（RED）线”。
这里的“R”代表罗宾逊，“E”代表埃利奥特，“D”代表邓肯。你一定也会喜欢这个曲棍球风格的绰号。
你有没有注意到马刺队主席彼得·霍尔特最近知名度越来越高了？明智的是，霍尔特是球队在新球馆问题上的核心人物。
霍尔特于去年7月接任主席一职，他还出现在城镇的其他活动中，例如昨晚他在联合劝募志愿者小组上发表了讲话。
如果我是犹他爵士队的球迷，我希望他们今晚在休斯顿赢得第六场比赛，而不是冒着主场优势让他们在第七场比赛中获胜。
在第七场比赛中，我总是会选择拥有哈基姆·奥拉朱旺的球队。
点击查看原文：Talent ratings unflattering to Popovich, Spurs players
Talent ratings unflattering to Popovich, Spurs players
Have you got a minute?
Spurs general manager and coach Gregg Popovich didn’t score well in a recent NBA talent poll conducted by the Toronto Sun.
Among coaches, Popovich finished tied for 24th with New Jersey’s John Calipari. Only Dallas’ Jim Cleamons and Boston’s M.L. Carr ranked lower than Popovich. Carr, of course, has since been removed as the Celtics’ coach.
In the GM category, Popovich was tied for 24th with Vancouver’s Stu Jackson.
The Spurs’ players didn’t fare much better, with Vinny Del Negro tied for 31st among shooting guards, Sean Elliott tied for 17th among small forwards and Avery Johnson tied for 12th among point guards.
The poll didn’t rank players who missed most of the season, as was the case with David Robinson.
Each coach/GM/player/ was graded from a low end (0.5) to a high end (5.0).
Voters in the poll were: Craig Daniels, Toronto Sun basketball columnist; Leo Rautins, former NBA player/Toronto Sun columnist; Doug Smith, Canadian Press basketball writer; Howard Tsumara, Vancouver Province basketball writer; Sam Smith, Chicago Tribune basketball columnist.
Speaking of the Spurs, may we please cease any discussion regarding a trade of No. 1 draft pick Tim Duncan.
It’s not going to happen. It can’t happen.
Duncan just may be the starting center in November, as anyone who has suffered back problems knows. Sure, David Robinson talked Wednesday of being stronger this season. But I’ll believe he’s ready to play when he walks on the court opening night.
Lest we forget, when Robinson first went down with an ailing back in training camp last October, we were told he wasn’t going to miss a regular-season game. He missed the first 18 games - 76 in all.
In case you were wondering, Duncan’s favorite video game is “Mortal Kombat.”
Now, assuming Robinson, Duncan and Elliott are able to team up in the fall, Spurs fan Douglas Boch has checked in with a nickname for the trio - “The RED Line.”
That’s R for Robinson, E for Elliott and D for Duncan. You’ve got to like that hockey twist, too.
Have you noticed the higher profile taken by Spurs chairman Peter Holt? Wisely, Holt is the point man for the team on the new arena issue.
Holt, who took over as chairman last July, is also being seen around town at other functions, such as speaking last night to a United Way volunteer group.
If I’m a Utah Jazz fan, I want them to win Game 6 tonight in Houston and not take the chance of the home-court advantage bringing them victory in Game 7.
In a Game 7, I’ll always take the team that has Hakeem Olajuwon.
No matter who your favorite team is in the College World Series, you have to love the Rice Owls being there.
In 77 Southwest Conference seasons, Rice never won a regular- season baseball title. And I’m glad Texas Tech was eliminated in the regionals, which it didn’t deserve to be in, let alone host.
Tech cheated. Spin it any way you want, but Tech had two scholarships above the 11.7 limit and should have been banned from postseason play.
Guess Byron “0.0 GPA” Hanspard must have been in charge of counting those scholarships.
Green Bay Packers coach Mike Holmgren declined a “forever” extension to his coaching contract with the defending Super Bowl champions. Holmgren’s pact runs through 1999.
And finally, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Andy Van Slyke on Major League Baseball’s $50 million deal with Pepsi, which will stage a contest with a first prize of throwing out the first pitch of the second game of the World Series: “If (President) Clinton can sell the Lincoln bedroom, they can sell the first pitch at the World Series.”
By Kevin O’Keeffe, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-05-31, By Compiled from Wire Reports
马刺队估值 1.56 亿美元
根据《金融世界》杂志公布的年度评级，马刺队特许经营权价值估计为 1.56 亿美元。
该杂志称马刺队和奥兰多魔术队在 29 支 NBA 球队的价值上并列第九。
根据《金融世界》的数据，该球队的估值增长速度也高于联盟中的大多数球队。
在过去的两年中，马刺队的价值已经增长了 41%。
根据该杂志，休斯顿火箭队的价值为 1.54 亿美元，达拉斯小牛队的价值为 1.04 亿美元。
《金融世界》表示，达拉斯牛仔队连续第五年成为美国最有价值的球队。该杂志表示，NFL 牛仔队的价值约为 3.2 亿美元。
在编制其排行榜时，该杂志考虑了球队从门票销售、豪华包厢、无线电和电视、停车和优惠销售中可以赚取多少收入。
该杂志还将德克萨斯游骑兵队评为高于其所在联盟的平均水平，将其价值估计为 1.74 亿美元，高于去年的 1.38 亿美元，在 MLB 中排名第六。该杂志表示，平均 MLB 特许经营权价值为 1.34 亿美元。
小牛队和星队低于其各自项目的平均水平。该杂志将小牛队的估值定为 1.04 亿美元，高于 1995 年的 8900 万美元，在 NBA 中排名倒数第二。联盟平均水平为 1.48 亿美元。
星队在 NHL 中排名第三。他们估计的价值从 1995 年的 5300 万美元上升到 1996 年的 6300 万美元。
点击查看原文：Spurs' value put at $156 million
Spurs’ value put at $156 million
The Spurs franchise is worth an estimated $156 million, according to annual ratings published by Financial World magazine.
The magazine said the Spurs and the Orlando Magic are tied for ninth in value in the 29-team NBA.
The team’s estimated worth is also increasing faster than most in the league, according to Financial World.
In the last two years, the Spurs have jumped 41 percent.
The Houston Rockets are worth $154 million and the Dallas Mavericks $104 million, according to the magazine.
Financial World said the Dallas Cowboys emerged as America’s top-valued team for the fifth year in a row. The magazine said the Cowboys of the NFL are worth about $320 million.
In compiling its list, the magazine considered how much money a team can generate from ticket sales, luxury suites, radio and television, parking and concession sales.
The magazine also rated the Texas Rangers as above average for their league, estimating its value at $174 million, up from $138 million last year and sixth in the majors. The average major league baseball franchise is worth $134 million, the magazine said.
The Mavericks and the Stars are below average for their sports. The magazine valued the Mavericks at $104 million, up from $89 million in 1995 and next to last in the NBA. The league average is $148 million.
The Stars rank third from the bottom in the NHL. Their estimated worth rose from $53 million in 1995 to $63 million in 1996.
By Compiled from Wire Reports, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-06-03, By Buck Harvey
五大炒鱿鱼：解雇球员的缘由
芝加哥 - 马刺队杀入了 NBA 总决赛，对此你肯定不会感到意外。球队里有一个加利福尼亚冲浪手，大狗，一个达拉斯小子，一个未来的控球后卫以及大虫。
一个完整的五人组，他们都被炒了鱿鱼。
这很常见。去年 NBA 总决赛中有其他三名马刺队前球员（大卫-温盖特(David Wingate)、弗兰克-布里考斯基(Frank Brickowski)和杰克-哈利(Jack Haley)）和一名教练（乔治-卡尔(George Karl)）。再过几年，马刺队的前球员们可能会成为一种衡量标准。
毕竟，芝加哥人经常根据世界大赛中有多少前小熊队球员来押注。球队中失利球员越多，获胜的可能性就越大。如果马刺队一直保持同等水平，这是否会给爵士队带来比第一场比赛更多厄运？
丹尼斯-罗德曼对此发出嘲笑，因为这比任何事情都让他开心。他于上周一称马刺队“是一团糟”。
他的侮辱通常更具创造力，而这个软弱的尝试与他周日的比赛相符。罗德曼投了两个三分球，而迈克尔-乔丹一个都没有。如果卡尔-马龙没有在罚球中被卡住，那么人们今天就会指责罗德曼犯下了愚蠢的抢断犯规，导致马龙罚球。
尽管如此，罗德曼还是认为，这五名球员被解雇是德克萨斯州南部情况糟糕的标志 - 当唯一需要再考虑的人事决定涉及霍华德-艾斯利(Howard Eisley)时。马刺队两年前在赛季中将他招入队中，因为艾斯利是一名控球后卫，而马刺队一直在寻找控球后卫。在赛季末，马刺队让他走了 - 然后用首轮选秀权选中了科里-亚历山大(Corey Alexander)。
到处打探一下。大多数总经理都会选择目前给约翰-斯托克顿(John Stockton)打替补的艾斯利，而不是亚历山大。“一切对我有利，”艾斯利说。
斯蒂芬-霍华德(Stephen Howard)也这么认为。他在 12 月底因鲍勃-希尔(Bob Hill)被解雇而来到圣安东尼奥，并呆了 20 天。他说马刺队将他开除并想重新签下他，所以霍华德将车停在圣安东尼奥国际机场，飞回家乡达拉斯。
有一个问题：马刺队改变了主意。霍华德的父亲飞到圣安东尼奥取回他儿子的车。霍华德和爵士队一起参加了 NBA 总决赛。
朱德-比彻勒(Jud Buechler)也有过类似的经历。他于 1991 年带着冲浪板进入圣安东尼奥。拉里-布朗(Larry Brown)喜欢他。格雷格-波波维奇(Gregg Popovich)也喜欢他。但后来比彻勒的手腕开始疼痛。
“所以我告诉他们，我必须去看医生，”他说，“但当我出现时，接待员告诉我医生不在。我知道他在。我看到了他的车。但他们告诉我他不能见我。更疯狂的是，那里没有人能给我拍 X 光。”
比彻勒回家了。几个小时内，马刺队就裁掉了他。第二天，比彻勒发现了他的手腕疼痛的原因。他的手腕断了。
他提出了申诉，最终解决了，在金州勇士队打球 - 然后在周日晚上近距离看到了他的健康手腕。当乔丹投入压哨球时，比彻勒就在那里庆祝。“这真是个好故事，”比彻勒说。
安托万-卡尔(Antoine Carr)也喜欢自己的故事。三年前，当他与马刺队的合同到期时，他是大胖狗。“显然马刺队不想要我，”卡尔说，仿佛每个人都想要他一样。
爵士队本身也不确定。他们拿低薪水打赌让卡尔减肥和减重。他做到了，周日他抢下七个篮板球显示了他的价值。
但他没能抢到的篮板球才是最重要的。马龙错过了他的第二个罚球，然后卡尔大喊大叫，并抢到了球。乔丹拿到了两个。
令人痛心？对于这个俱乐部的成员来说并不痛心。在周末前往芝加哥的包机上，卡尔给艾斯利和霍华德打了电话，一起庆祝他们的好运。“马刺队不想要我们，”卡尔宣布，“但谁进了总决赛？”
还是老样子，五个被炒鱿鱼的球员。
点击查看原文：A fired five: The whys of the exes
A fired five: The whys of the exes
CHICAGO - The Spurs are in the NBA Finals. You can’t miss them. There’s a California surfer, Big Dog, a Dallas kid, a point guard of the future and Worm.
A full starting five. A fired five.
It’s common stuff. Last year’s NBA Finals included three other ex-Spurs (David Wingate, Frank Brickowski and Jack Haley) and a coach (George Karl). Give it a few years and ex-Spurs might become a gauge.
After all, Chicagoans often bet on the World Series according to how many ex-Cubs are in it. The team with the most loses. If the Spurs hold up as an equivalent measure, is this something that dooms the Jazz more than Game 1?
Dennis Rodman laughed at that, because he enjoys this more than any. On Monday he called the Spurs “a big bleeping mess.”
His insults are usually more creative, and this weak attempt fits with his game Sunday. Rodman took two treys, Michael Jordan none. And had Karl Malone not gagged his free throws, then Rodman would be blamed today for the silly, grabbing foul that sent Malone to the line.
Still, Rodman likes to think the fired five are a sign of just how awful things are in South Texas - when the one personnel decision that deserves a second guess involves Howard Eisley. The Spurs picked him up two years ago in midseason, because Eisley is a point guard and the Spurs are always looking for point guards. At the end of the season, the Spurs let him go - then used a first-round pick on Corey Alexander.
Ask around. Most GMs would take Eisley, producing now behind John Stockton, over Alexander. “It just worked out for me,” Eisley said.
Stephen Howard says the same. He arrived in San Antonio in late December, in the wake of the Bob Hill firing, and stayed 20 days. He says the Spurs cut him and wanted to re-sign him, so Howard left his car at San Antonio International Airport and flew home to Dallas.
A problem: The Spurs changed their minds. Howard’s father flew to San Antonio to pick up his son’s car. Howard rode with the Jazz to the NBA Finals.
Jud Buechler has had a similar ride. He came into San Antonio on a surf board in 1991. Larry Brown liked him. So did Gregg Popovich. But then Buechler’s wrist began to hurt.
“So I told them I had to go to the doctor,” he said, “but when I showed, the receptionist told me the doctor wasn’t there. I knew he was. I saw his car. But they told me he couldn’t see me. Crazier, no one there could take an X-ray.”
Buechler went home. Within hours, the Spurs cut him. The next day, Buechler found out why his wrist hurt. It was broken.
He filed a grievance, eventually settled, played with Golden State - and then had a front-row view of a healthy wrist Sunday night. When Jordan threw in the buzzer- beater, Buechler was on the floor for the celebration. “It’s a great story,” Buechler said.
Antoine Carr likes his, too. He was Fat Dog three years ago, when his contract with the Spurs expired. “The Spurs obviously didn’t want me,” said Carr, as if everyone did.
The Jazz themselves weren’t sure. They gambled a low salary that Carr would sweat and lose some weight. He did, and his seven rebounds Sunday reveal value.
But it was the rebound he didn’t get that meant everything. Malone missed his second free throw and Carr - barking and howling - got a hand on it. Jordan got two.
Heartbreaking? Not to a member of this club. On the charter to Chicago this weekend, Carr called Eisley and Howard together to celebrate their good fortune. “The Spurs didn’t want us,” Carr announced, “but who’s in the Finals?”
Just the usual. A fired five.
By Buck Harvey, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-06-08, By Jerry Briggs
邓肯的成功给家乡带来了鼓舞
美属维尔京群岛圣克罗伊岛 - 温暖的春日里，放学后年轻人们聚集在户外球场上。
岛上的篮球比赛开始了。
在穿着宽松短裤和网球鞋打球的挥汗如雨的孩子们中，不太可能有人会像当地人蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan)一样成功。
但话又说回来，没有人料到邓肯 - 一个6英尺10英寸的中锋，预计将成为6月25日NBA选秀中马刺队的第1顺位 - 会成为美国最好的大学球员。
他的父亲，同时也是他在岛上唯一的家庭成员威廉·邓肯(William Duncan)说：“很难用语言表达我们对他的成就的感受，但我们真是太高兴了。”
乡村日学校的体育总监南希·庞弗罗伊(Nancy Pomroy)说，蒂姆·邓肯取得的成就应该成为岛上其他年轻人的榜样。
她说：“他过去经常来我们这里，在我们球场上打球(小时候)。”“他个子很高。又大又高，但当时很笨拙。现在看看他。”
邓肯在维克森林大学(Wake Forest)度过上个赛季，是获得一致认可的全国大学生年度最佳球员，他在球场内外都学会了游刃有余。
他在四年内获得了学位，并于5月19日在北卡罗来纳州温斯顿-塞勒姆的校园里毕业。
三天后，他在家拜访了父亲和朋友，并受到当地民众的尊敬。在“蒂姆·邓肯日”仪式上，他乘坐车队并与很多人握手。
这位圣邓斯坦主教学校(St. Dunstan’s Episcopal School)1993年的毕业生还获得了荣誉勋章，这是领土政府授予某人的最高奖项。
参议员瓦格雷夫·理查兹(Vargrave Richards)说：“我们授予他荣誉勋章以表彰他在体育方面的杰出成就和完成学业。我们非常看重他获得学位。”
邓肯在2月份告诉维克森林大学的校报：“我喜欢回家。”“这里和以前很不一样。这里仍然是一个很酷的地方。我在家不怎么感到压力。”
邓肯作为篮球界的一股力量出现，似乎正在改变他以前“舒适之地”周围的许多事情。
首先，从态度方面来讲显然产生了普遍的积极影响，更不用说篮球已成为岛上最受欢迎的运动之一了。
对于当地政客来说，这也成了一股集结的力量，他们估计邓肯即将到来的NBA人气可能会产生积极影响 - 作为圣克罗伊岛旅游业的广告。
来自圣克罗伊岛的议员理查兹说：“这就像醒来得知自己中了头奖。”
NBA选秀中榜首通常会从平面和广播媒体获得大量宣传，更不用说鞋子合同和广告代言了。
对于一个面积82平方英里、人口56000人、经济以旅游业为基础的小岛来说，这不是一件小事。
理查兹说：“坦白地说，他是一块宝。”“我们找不到比他更好的人了。”
如果你想知道，圣克罗伊岛就是加勒比海地图上的一点，在波多黎各以东约90英里处。
圣克罗伊岛商会发言人盖·海恩斯(Gay Haines)说：“你会听到人们说，‘这个地方在哪里？’”‘也许在加勒比海。也许在夏威夷附近。人们无法想象。”
圣托马斯岛、圣约翰岛和圣克罗伊岛在划归为美国领土的68个岛屿中。圣克罗伊岛通常被认为是这三个岛屿中第三大旅游目的地。
但现在它拥有邓肯，他不会被低估为该行业潜在的促进力量。
邓肯的家乡克里斯蒂安斯特德的一位海滨商人说：“他是一座金矿。”“他可以让这个岛产生非常积极的影响。”
在圣克罗伊岛的体育界，居民们同意芝加哥公牛队的超级球星迈克尔·乔丹(Michael Jordan)是岛上孩子们最喜欢的篮球明星。
但自从邓肯在ESPN大学电视转播的三年里表现出色以来，这项比赛有了新的意义。邓肯让比赛更加贴近家园。
然而，官员们在篮球是否在参与人数上超过棒球的问题上存在分歧。
邓肯在圣邓斯坦学校(St. Dunstan’s)的前任教练库斯伯特·乔治(Cuthbert George)说，在岛上青少年的参与度方面，棒球仍然是领先的运动。
乔治说：“你走进去看篮球比赛，看台上是空的。”“而在棒球比赛中，看台会座无虚席。我们一直有球探来这里看棒球比赛。”
男子夏季篮球联盟的教练唐·博威(Don Bowe)对此并不苟同。他说篮球一直是第一名。
也是中央高中的教练博威说：“篮球在这里一直很受欢迎。”“但现在蒂姆家喻户晓，他在(美国)教练眼中脱颖而出。现在，蒂姆取得了成功，他为(其他球员)铺平了道路。”
只有少数圣克罗伊岛的原住民进入NCAA一级联盟阵容，第一个是罗纳德·查尔斯(Ronald Charles)，他是1979年魔术师约翰逊(Magic Johnson)密歇根州立大学冠军队的一名球员。
但最近，流入大陆的人才数量有所增加。
邓肯与后卫法伊萨尔·亚伯拉罕(Faisal Abraham，马奎特大学)和中锋贾贾·理查兹(圣母大学)一起，作为圣克罗伊岛的原住民，他们在上赛季完成了他们在一级联赛中的比赛。
后卫泰隆·阿利克(Tyrone Allick)最近与犹他州大学签署了一份意向书。博威说，最近有很多其他球员被招募到二级联盟和NAIA计划中。
无论邓肯对篮球的影响如何，最近年轻的居民对生活总体上表达了更加乐观的看法。
庞弗罗伊说：“年轻人说，‘看看蒂莫西·邓肯。他做到了。’”他来自这个岛，看看他都做了些什么。我们有机会。”
点击查看原文：Duncan's success having uplifting effect back home
Duncan’s success having uplifting effect back home
ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands - On balmy spring days, the young men congregate on outdoor courts after school lets out.
Island basketball is in session.
It’s unlikely that any of the sweaty kids playing pickup games in baggy shorts and tennis shoes will grow up to be as successful as native son Tim Duncan.
Then again, nobody ever figured that Duncan - a 6-foot-10 center projected to be the No. 1 overall selection by the Spurs in the June 25 NBA draft - would develop into America’s best collegiate player.
“It’s hard to express our feelings at what he’s accomplished,” said William Duncan, his father and the only remaining family member on the island. “But we are overjoyed.”
Nancy Pomroy, athletic director at Country Day School, said Tim Duncan’s accomplishments should be taken as an example for other young people on the island.
“He used to come over here and play on our court (as a youth),” she said. “He was huge. So big and tall, but he was awfully awkward at the time. Now look at him.”
Duncan, the consensus national college player of the year last season at Wake Forest, has learned to be both smooth on the court and smart in the classroom.
He earned his degree in four years and graduated May 19 on the campus in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Three days later, he was at home, visiting his father and friends and being honored by the local populace. In “Tim Duncan Day” ceremonies, he rode in a motorcade and shook a lot of hands.
The 1993 graduate of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal School also received the Medal of Honor, the highest award that can be bestowed upon someone by the territorial government.
“We gave it to him for his outstanding achievements in athletics, and for finishing school,” Sen. Vargrave Richards said. “We put a great premium on him getting his degree.”
“I love going back home,” Duncan told the Wake Forest school newspaper in February. “It’s a lot different, though. It’s still a chill place. I don’t get stressed a lot at home.”
Duncan’s emergence as a force in basketball seems to be changing a lot of things around his old “chill place.”
First, it apparently has had a general uplifting effect on attitudes, not to mention the elevation of basketball into prominence as one of the island’s favorite sports.
It’s also a rallying cry for local politicians, who have estimated that Duncan’s impending NBA popularity could have a beneficial impact - as an advertisement of the St. Croix tourist industry.
“It’s like waking up and learning that you have won the grand prize,” said Richards, a legislator from St. Croix.
No. 1 picks in the NBA draft traditionally get mountains of publicity from print and broadcast media, not to mention shoe contracts and commercial endorsements.
This is no small matter for a tiny island (82 square miles, population 56,000) whose economy is anchored by tourism dollars.
“Frankly, he’s a jewel,” Richards said. “We couldn’t ask for anyone better.”
If you were wondering, St. Croix is that speck on the map in the Caribbean Sea, about 90 miles east of Puerto Rico.
“You hear people say, ‘Where in the world is this little place?’” said Gay Haines, a spokeswoman for the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce. “‘Maybe it’s in the Caribbean. Maybe it’s over by Hawaii.’ People can’t visualize it.”
St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix are among 68 islands in the group designated as U.S. territories. St. Croix generally is regarded as the third tourist destination among the three.
But now it has Duncan, who can’t be downplayed as a potential boost to the industry.
“He’s a gold mine,” said an oceanfront businessman in Christiansted, Duncan’s hometown. “He can have a very positive effect on this island.”
In the St. Croix sports spectrum, residents agreed that superstar guard Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls is the No. 1 basketball attraction of island kids.
But ever since Duncan came on strong during three years of ESPN collegiate telecasts, the game has taken on a new meaning. Duncan has brought the game closer to home.
Officials disagreed, however, on whether basketball has surpassed baseball in sheer number of participants.
Cuthbert George, Duncan’s former coach at St. Dunstan’s, said baseball still is the leading game in terms of youth participation on the island.
“You go in and watch basketball, and it’s empty (in the stands),” George said. “At baseball, it’s full. We always have scouts down here for baseball.”
Don Bowe, a coach in the men’s summer basketball league, begged to differ. He said basketball always has been No. 1.
“Basketball’s popularity here was always high,” said Bowe, also a coach at Central High School. “But now that Tim is a household name, he has brought it forth in the eyes of (U.S.) coaches. Now that Tim has made it, he has paved the way (for other players).”
Only a handful of St. Croix natives have made it onto NCAA Division I rosters, the first being Ronald Charles, a player on Magic Johnson’s Michigan State championship team in 1979.
But lately, the flow of talent to the mainland has increased.
Duncan has been joined by guard Faisal Abraham (Marquette) and center Jaja Richards (Loyola, Ill.), as St. Croix natives who all completed their eligibility in Division I programs last season.
Guard Tyrone Allick recently signed a letter of intent with Utah State. A number of other players, Bowe said, recently have been recruited into Division II and NAIA programs.
Regardless of Duncan’s influence on basketball, young residents have recently expressed a more optimistic outlook on life in general.
“The young people say, ‘Look at Timothy Duncan. He did it,’” Pomroy said. “‘He came from the island and look what he’s done. We have a chance.’”
By Jerry Briggs, via San Antonio Express-News
1997-06-08, By Glenn Rogers
邓肯可能前往圣安东尼奥
芝加哥 - 蒂姆·邓肯(Tim Duncan) 可能会在 6 月 25 日选秀大会之前前往圣安东尼奥。
邓肯周六下午与其他预计会高顺位被选中的球员一起参加了新闻发布会。他将在今天接受 NBA 的体检，并在今晚和周一参加一些 NBA 的入队培训项目。
“我还不确定，但我可能会在选秀大会之前去圣安东尼奥，”邓肯说，这位前维克森林大学球星是马刺队预计的状元秀。“不，我对这个城市现在有多兴奋没有感觉，但我听说那里有点喧嚣。我也很兴奋。”
邓肯可能还不确定他什么时候会第一次访问圣安东尼奥，但他表示渴望穿上马刺队的球衣，开始与大卫·罗宾逊(David Robinson) 和其他队员一起比赛。
“我们（罗宾逊和邓肯）的比赛风格很契合，”身高 6 英尺 10 英寸的邓肯说。“他能面对篮筐，我能背身打球。我认为我能够给球队带来一些东西。”
“不，我认为我不是一座塔，”当被问及双塔概念时，他笑着说。“也许大卫是。我只是另一个大个子。适应大卫，以及他适应我（在球场上）需要一段时间，但我们会做到。”
邓肯承认，与罗宾逊搭档将减轻状元秀通常在菜鸟赛季要承受的压力。
“大卫仍然是焦点，”邓肯说。“我可以在比赛中边学边练。会有很高的期望，我们希望能够满足这些期望。”
马刺队主教练格雷格·波波维奇(Gregg Popovich) 上周在维尔京群岛探望了邓肯，这是他们在选秀抽签结束后第一次见面。
“我对他有了一点了解，他也了解了我，”邓肯说。“我们只是聊聊天，很随意。我们相处得很好，他是一个很好的人。如果他保持现在的样子，那将很棒。”
点击查看原文：Duncan may make stop in S.A.
Duncan may make stop in S.A.
CHICAGO - Tim Duncan might make a trip to San Antonio before the June 25 draft.
Duncan attended a news conference with other expected high draft choices here Saturday afternoon. He will undergo the NBA’s physical examination today and will take part in some NBA orientation programs tonight and Monday.
“I’m not sure yet, but I might travel to San Antonio before the draft,” said Duncan, the former Wake Forest standout and the Spurs’ projected No. 1 draft choice. “No, I don’t really have a feel for how excited the city is now, but I’ve been told there’s kind of a ruckus there. I’m excited, too.”
Duncan may not be sure when he will visit the Alamo City for the first time, but he said he is eager to put on a Spurs uniform and begin playing alongside David Robinson and the rest of the team.
“We (Robinson and Duncan) have games that go together very well,” said Duncan, who is 6-foot- 10. "He can face the basket, I can play with my back to the basket. I think I’ll be able to bring something to the team.
“No, I don’t think I’m a tower,” he said, laughingly, when asked about the Twin Towers concept. “Maybe David is. I’m just another big guy. It will take a little while to get used to David, and he to me (on the floor), but we will.”
Duncan acknowledged that playing with Robinson will deflect some of the pressure a No. 1 draft choice normally has to endure during his rookie year.
“David will still be the focal point,” Duncan said. “I’ll be able to learn the game as I go along. There will be high expectations, and we’ll hope to meet them.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich visited Duncan in the Virgin Islands last week for their first get together after the lottery.
“I got to know him a little bit and he me,” Duncan said. “We just chatted, it was informal. We got along, he’s a real nice guy. If he stays the same way, it’ll be great.”
By Glenn Rogers, via San Antonio Express-News