FanPost

Happy Five-O, Five O!

He's not the greatest player of his generation. He's not the best player of his generation at his position. He's not even the best player in the history of his franchise. But David Robinson, even today, twelve years after his career ended with an NBA championship, is the San Antonio Spurs personified. Everything the Spurs are known for today - great talent, winning and losing with class, relentlessly pursuing excellence, playing with consistent effort and focus - is what David Robinson took to the floor for fourteen years.

David Robinson was supposed to be the foundation of the team of the 1990's; he was, in reality, the foundation of the greatest franchise in sports for the past 20 years. To see how this came about, let's take a look back:

The San Antonio Spurs have seldom been bad since joining the NBA. A former ABA franchise, the Spurs hit the ground running in the NBA back in 1976 with 24-year old George Gervin and 27-year old James Silas already in place. The star backcourt paced the Spurs to 46 wins per year from 1977-80 and a Conference Finals appearance. James Silas career ran aground after a knee injury, but the team retooled and added All-Stars Mike Mitchell and Artis Gilmore to the mix. And from 1981-84, the Spurs were even better than in the late 70's, averaging nearly 48 wins and making two Conference Finals appearances. Unfortunately, the parity of the late 70's gave way to the top-heavy 80's, and the Spurs couldn't advance past Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and the rest of the Showtime LA Lakers.

And George Gervin's Hall-of-Fame San Antonio career ended in a 41-41 whimper. For the next four seasons, the Spurs entered the worst stretch, by far, in the history of the franchise. Alvin Robertson was the best player on the team during that period, and his best teammates were flawed in a variety of ways. Forward Walter Berry was the Rasheed Wallace of his day in terms of temperament - unfortunately, his talent wasn't exactly up to Wallace's. Greg "Cadillac" Anderson was a poor man's Antonio Davis. Johnny Dawkins was a fine talent hampered by a fragile body. Kevin Duckworth, limited though he was, didn't find his game until leaving San Antonio. Willie Anderson was truly a promising player, but he and Robertson only played together for one season. The last four seasons of the Alvin Robertson era in San Antonio were terrible by anyone's standard, and unrecognizable by the standards of today's Spurs: an average record of 53-29 and two eighth-seed playoff appearances.

Aside from a few woeful seasons leading up to 1989-90, the Spurs were a pretty decent franchise; the arrival of David Robinson turned the Spurs into a top team. Consider these two facts:

  • The Spurs franchise record for wins was 53-29, established in 1982-83. In David Robinson's rookie year, the Spurs beat that record at 56-26. Beat it again in 1990-91 at 55-27. Again in 1993-94 at 55-27. Again in 1994-95 at 62-20. And again in 1995-96 at 59-23 .
  • From 1977 to 1989, the Spurs won three playoff series. From 1990 to 1997, the Spurs won five, including two in the 1995 playoffs alone. The Spurs had never won two series in a single playoff until then.
Every superstar needs an all-NBA caliber running mate to have a crack at a ring, and most of Robinson's contemporaries had at least one. Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen. Charles Barkley had Kevin Johnson. Karl Malone had John Stockton, unless it was the other way around. Hakeem Olajuwon had Clyde Drexler starting in 1994-95; before that, neither he nor David Robinson nor Patrick Ewing had a teammate of that caliber during the first half of the 1990s. Unfortunately for Big Dave and the Spurs, it's not clear that Sean Elliott was even in the class of either Otis Thorpe or Charles Oakley.

In the first half of David Robinson's career, his entire legacy was defined by one playoff series: the 1995 Western Conference Finals. Although Robinson paced the Spurs to a league-best record while earning the MVP award, he was decidedly outplayed by Hakeem Olajuwon, his in-state rival and the MVP of the previous season. Olajuwon saved his best basketball for his best opponent, and Robinson wasn't up to the challenge. Olajuwon averaged 35.3 points, 12.5 rebounds, 5 assists, 4.2 blocks, and 1.3 steals on 56% FG and 80% FT in a 4 games to 2 series win. In defeat, Robinson was subpar by his standards: 23.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.5 steals on 45% FG and 76% FT.

There is no sugarcoating it: David Robinson got hammered. But this isn't the unfair part - that's sports for you. There's no shame in coming up short against a great player. The unfair part is that David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon only hooked up once in the playoffs during their careers. How often does it happen where two guys that are about the same age and play most of the same years in their careers only square off once? Isiah Thomas and Michael Jordan went at it for four straight years. Karl Malone and Clyde Drexler locked horns five times despite Drexler's switching teams. Larry Bird and Magic Johnson didn't even play in the same conference, and they met three times. Why couldn't Robinson and Olajuwon play at least once more?

But we know the story after 1997. Tim Duncan came to town, eventually assumed Robinson's role as the first option, and the pair separated after their second championship together in 2003. It's safe to say that Tim Duncan became everything David Robinson was supposed to be, but Duncan had the best role model an up-and-coming legend could possibly have. In Tim's formative years, all he had to do was beat his man. It was David, in his new role as second option, banging bodies with the likes of Shaq, leaving Tim free to do his thing. It was David making his case to the referees so Tim wouldn't draw their ire. And it was David talking to the media after tough losses, such as the 2001 WCF. Most young superstars have to carry more weight than the young Tim Duncan had to, and besides remaining a great basketball player, David did a lot of Tim's dirty work. And in David Robinson's inimitable way, he did it without complaint. That's why, when Tony Parker talked about Kawhi Leonard's evolution into the primary option, he referenced Tim giving way to Manu, then Manu giving way to Tony, and now Tony himself giving way to Kawhi. Well, Tony just forgot to mention that someone gave way to Tim.

There are seven retired jerseys hanging at the AT&T center: James Silas, George Gervin, Johnny Moore, David Robinson, Sean Elliott, Avery Johnson, and Bruce Bowen. At least four more will follow: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Kawhi Leonard. Danny Green has a shot at it. Some teams honor their coaches in that way, and if the Spurs follow suit Gregg Popovich is a no-brainer. Best case scenario, that's a total of thirteen retired numbers between Pop and the players. David Robinson played with or for eight of those honorees.

And wow, did he play. Let's quickly run down the high points:
  • NBA's rebounding leader, 1991
  • NBA's blocked shots leader, 1992
  • NBA scoring leader, 1994 - only Robinson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have officially led in all three categories
  • Fourth, and still most recent, quadruple-double in NBA history, 1994
  • Only the fifth player in history to score at least 70 points in a game, 1994
  • League MVP 1995
  • One of only seventeen players with 20,000 points and 10,000 rebounds
  • One of only twelve players to log 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in multiple seasons
  • NBA's 50 Greatest Players, 1996. After Shaquille O'Neal, Robinson had the least NBA experience of anyone named to that team
  • Three time Olympic medalist (two golds, 1992 and 1996, and one bronze, 1988) for USA men's basketball. Named to 1992 "Dream Team" as least-experienced NBA member
  • NBA champion, 1999 and 2003
Tim Duncan is the greatest Spur of all time, and no one would dispute this. But in a sense, this team remains David Robinson's team. It's Robinson's team because he not only came willingly to San Antonio (unlike Kobe Bryant to Charlotte or Steve Francis to Vancouver), he embraced his NBA home. He established the Carver Academy and made no secret of his enthusiasm for the community. It's Robinson's team because his visibility as a nationally endorsed superstar helped to keep the Spurs from leaving town. It's Robinson's team because he cut his own Hawaiian vacation short to meet with Tim Duncan during Duncan's one flirtation with leaving town. And it's Robinson's team because, as his body began to break down, he endured epidural injections into his back in order to keep playing for one more Larry O'Brien trophy. He gave of himself for his team and his city time and time again, and for that he'll be remembered in San Antonio as long as the Alamo stands.

Here's to 50 great years for the man who wore #50 - the Admiral - David Robinson!

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