paulpressey25 wrote:People always wonder how San Antonio was so good for so long. Easy. Tim Duncan always stayed with them, no questions asked, save for a brief free agent flirtation with Orlando in July of 2000.
Second most important thing is that somehow, someway, they were always able to keep Tony Parker and Manu off the free agent market. And they'd sign them to these long, team friendly deals. Had either of those guys broken out into free agency during a summer with a lot of money, one of them would have gotten the Middleton contract. And it would have messed up the whole thing.
I mean, would it have? The more remarkable thing with the Spurs to me was their front office's uncanny ability to consistently find value in the draft, overseas, or of the scrap heap to compliment those 3. Remember that Parker in 2005 signed what was at the time a massive extension (6-yrs $66 million in a time where the cap was $50 million). Duncan giving them the loyalty discount in his last few seasons probably helped extend their window slightly, but the Spurs absolutely ponied up to keep the Parker/Duncan/Ginobli trio together.
As for a Bucks parallel, they've pretty much forced themselves into a similar situation (you have to extend Giannis and Jrue at all costs), but again, the Spurs always managed to scrounge up those guys (Patty Mills, Bertans, Bowen, Splitter, Diaw, Danny Green, etc.) that helped them stay relevant and kept roster spots 4-15 churning.
