Last week he ran this:
6. What if Tim Duncan had signed with Orlando in 2000 to play with Grant Hill?
And to think, it almost happened. This could have been a humongous "What if?" for three reasons:
A. If Duncan signs with Orlando, that swings the title in three seasons (2003, 2005 and 2007). We haven't had a "What if?" that definitively swung a title yet. Now we do.
B. Once Hill's body breaks down, Duncan finds himself emulating KG's career in Minnesota and squandering his prime on a series of undermanned teams. Those two would have been mirror images of each other -- Duncan wasting away in the East, Garnett wasting away in the West -- and we would have spent those years wondering who was more screwed and who was doing more with less. Bad times all around.
C. With Duncan stealing his spot in Orlando, where would T-Mac have ended up? What if he landed in San Antonio to replace Duncan? And what if they still drafted Ginobili and Parker? Could they have won a title with those three guys and Robinson in 2003? Could they have won one without a big guy? Hmmmmmm.
(Note: I would have ranked this one higher, but it's unclear if Duncan was ever THAT close to signing with Orlando, and after learning more about him these past seven years, it would have been extremely out of character for him to ditch everyone from that '99 title team and chase the money to Florida. I don't see it happening.)
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ons/080310
I mailed him a longer e-mail than what he published, including an entire 2000 article by Povtak (for which I don't have a link, sorry), but he ended up giving me this:
6. Davor in Orlando, Fla.: "I don't think you realize how close Duncan was to signing with the Magic back in 2000. Duncan himself confirmed this just during the Finals last year. Also, the Magic were prepared to still sign McGrady, with Duncan and Hill in tow, using Bo Outlaw in a sign-and-trade."
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... nks/080314
