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Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue

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Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#1 » by Big NBA Fan » Fri Aug 16, 2019 7:49 pm

There's been this story going around for a few years now that Tim turned down Orlando because of Doc's then-policy that wouldn't allow family members to travel on the team plane.

In this article, Doc says that didn't cost them Duncan, and John Gabriel says the Magic actually had a verbal commitment from Lon Babby (Tim's agent at the time) that Tim wanted to join before he backed out at the last second.

“We did a pretty decent job of painting Orlando as a field of dreams,” Gabriel said. “I got a call from Lon Babby [Hill and Duncan’s agent] saying, ‘You did it. The visit with Duncan, with Grant and T-Mac, was just sort of a courtesy at the beginning, but [Duncan] wants to come.’”

Duncan eventually re-signed with San Antonio, but Rivers says an oft-told anecdote that Duncan was turned off by being told his family could not fly on the Magic’s plane is not true. A bigger factor, he believes, were the relationships Duncan shared with center David Robinson, who cut short a vacation to Hawaii to see Duncan, and the coach he’d won the 1999 title with, Gregg Popovich.


https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2019-08-03/clippers-coach-doc-rivers-talks-about-his-new-super-team

Thoughts?

Just imagine Duncan/T-Mac/Hill/Mike Miller...good luck trying to beat Orlando back then if they got Tim.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#2 » by Last Guardian » Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:02 pm

Hill wouldn't have rushed back to help the team and T-Mac wouldn't have soured if he was winning with Duncan. By 2001 the team would have been ridiculous. Spurs on Steroids, provided we found good enough role players. Armstrong and Outlaw were already really good glue guys too.

Oh well.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#3 » by Furinkazan » Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:03 pm

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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#4 » by Big NBA Fan » Fri Aug 16, 2019 8:07 pm

Biggest "What-if" in NBA history, in my mind.

Missing out on Duncan was a bigger blow than losing Shaq and Dwight in 1996 and 2012, respectively.

Duncan is the GOAT PF, a top 5 player all time for me, and while losing Shaq and Dwight hurt, there is no guarantee the Magic would have won titles with them if they both stayed.

But missing out on Tim, one of the greatest winners in sports history, still hurts the organization.

Duncan/Hill/McGrady/Mike Miller would have won the title every year from 2001 until forever if all stayed healthy.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#5 » by Popsicle1228 » Sat Aug 17, 2019 2:40 pm

The way I read this is that Doc is not denying that he would not allow Duncan’s family on the team plane, but that he believes the choice to leave his family off the plane played a lesser roll than Duncan’s relationship with David Robinson.

Three things that as a Magic I have never gotten over.

1. Shaq leaving for LA.

2. GHill playing on a broken leg in the playoffs just before we signed him, and how his timetable was always rushed here so he couldn’t heal properly.

3. Losing Tim Duncan by the absolute thinest of margins.

This article titled “Doc Rivers, Magic lessons taught him how to deal with superstar players” did not help with #2 or #3. It basically just serves to re-open old wounds. :(
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#6 » by AdamTheGreek » Sat Aug 17, 2019 4:01 pm

Eh, it's not a strong debunking from Doc. At the end it's a combination of things.

Duncan's then-girlfriend/fiancee who would become his wife was a bigger influence then the Magic thought (and then Timmy ended up having to divorce her anyway) and we catered to just Duncan.
Popovich and Robinson gave it their all to keep him.
There are some guys that view loyalty in business/profession as important. Duncan thought he could be a lifer Spur.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#7 » by Furinkazan » Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:16 pm

Only Duncan knows why he did it.
Doc is just trying to look good by saying there was other big thing that stopped Duncan from coming to the Magic.
Still doesnt mean plane story isnt true.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#8 » by OrlandO » Sat Aug 17, 2019 5:20 pm

BREAKING: doc rivers insists doc rivers was not responsible for scaring away tim duncan
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Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#9 » by NavalAviator94 » Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:00 am

At the end of the day, staying with your original team is an honorable choice. Add in Greg Popovich & David Robinson and it became easier for someone like Tim Duncan to stay for his career.

As a fan though how can you not wonder, what if?


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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#10 » by Optimus_Steel » Sun Aug 18, 2019 1:23 am

Doc is being disingenuous.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#11 » by Skin » Thu Aug 22, 2019 10:56 pm

Another story that I like to forget is how close we were to trading up for Amare Stoudemire.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#12 » by Optimus_Steel » Thu Aug 22, 2019 11:20 pm

Skin wrote:Another story that I like to forget is how close we were to trading up for Amare Stoudemire.
Actually we had that draft pick that became Amare, I think from the Penny Hardaway to PHX trade. Then we gave them back that pick in exchange for Jud Bucheler's expiring contract in that year John Gabriel was shedding salary to make a run at Hill/Duncan/Tmac. Alot of what ifs with this team.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#13 » by OrlDave » Fri Aug 23, 2019 2:51 pm

I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have had the money for TMac if we signed Tim. It would have been Tim and an injured Hill.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#14 » by cedric76 » Fri Aug 23, 2019 3:01 pm

OrlDave wrote:I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have had the money for TMac if we signed Tim. It would have been Tim and an injured Hill.


Yes, we had

John did a great job creating space

I remember all those trades, this was crazy and very entertaining
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#15 » by darthcheech2000 » Fri Aug 23, 2019 3:22 pm

cedric76 wrote:
OrlDave wrote:I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have had the money for TMac if we signed Tim. It would have been Tim and an injured Hill.


Yes, we had

John did a great job creating space

I remember all those trades, this was crazy and very entertaining


This.

I remember one of the local TV sports people teasing "Guess who the magic traded today, you'll never believe it... coming up next on sports"

The joke was that they didn't trade anyone that day... but everyday before that you were seeing one magic player after another going bye bye.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#16 » by OrlDave » Fri Aug 23, 2019 3:23 pm

cedric76 wrote:
OrlDave wrote:I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have had the money for TMac if we signed Tim. It would have been Tim and an injured Hill.


Yes, we had

John did a great job creating space

I remember all those trades, this was crazy and very entertaining


I'll take your word for it, but that's 2 max contracts and another very large contract.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#17 » by Xatticus » Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:07 pm

OrlDave wrote:
cedric76 wrote:
OrlDave wrote:I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have had the money for TMac if we signed Tim. It would have been Tim and an injured Hill.


Yes, we had

John did a great job creating space

I remember all those trades, this was crazy and very entertaining


I'll take your word for it, but that's 2 max contracts and another very large contract.


Don't take his word for it. The goal was always two max contract players. Adding a third would've taken a miracle. The money wasn't there.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#18 » by Big NBA Fan » Mon Aug 26, 2019 3:10 pm

Initially, the plan was just Duncan and Hill; but after the Duncan visit, Gabriel says they figured out a creative way to get the 3 of them.

That would have been a team for the ages if Duncan joined and if Hill stayed healthy. (Assuming they got T-Mac with them)

What might have been...
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#19 » by fendilim » Mon Aug 26, 2019 3:45 pm

Big NBA Fan wrote:There's been this story going around for a few years now that Tim turned down Orlando because of Doc's then-policy that wouldn't allow family members to travel on the team plane.

In this article, Doc says that didn't cost them Duncan, and John Gabriel says the Magic actually had a verbal commitment from Lon Babby (Tim's agent at the time) that Tim wanted to join before he backed out at the last second.

“We did a pretty decent job of painting Orlando as a field of dreams,” Gabriel said. “I got a call from Lon Babby [Hill and Duncan’s agent] saying, ‘You did it. The visit with Duncan, with Grant and T-Mac, was just sort of a courtesy at the beginning, but [Duncan] wants to come.’”

Duncan eventually re-signed with San Antonio, but Rivers says an oft-told anecdote that Duncan was turned off by being told his family could not fly on the Magic’s plane is not true. A bigger factor, he believes, were the relationships Duncan shared with center David Robinson, who cut short a vacation to Hawaii to see Duncan, and the coach he’d won the 1999 title with, Gregg Popovich.


https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2019-08-03/clippers-coach-doc-rivers-talks-about-his-new-super-team

Thoughts?

Just imagine Duncan/T-Mac/Hill/Mike Miller...good luck trying to beat Orlando back then if they got Tim.
Doc didn't deny it. But obviously it played a role.
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Re: Doc Rivers Says Tim Duncan Plane Story Untrue 

Post#20 » by Capn'O » Mon Sep 9, 2019 4:33 am

Skin wrote:Another story that I like to forget is how close we were to trading up for Amare Stoudemire.


Unlike the others, this is a story I have no sympathy for.

Spoiler:
Knicks were actually in position to draft him and instead drafted Nene who they traded with Marcus Camby for the broken and becoming more broken Antonio McDyess
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