Ross is definitely salty (honestly I am too after the years of Spurs kicking Houston’s backside until recently), but Manu will definitely make the HOF. It’s just interesting to know that now 4 of the 5 starters and their 6-man for the 2014 Spurs championship team are either retired or will don a new uniform during the 2018-19 season. To think Patty Mills and Pop outlasted them all on that team is fascinating.
...for half a season then he quits. Congrats to Manu on a great career though! Thank you for bringing us the Euro-step!
Yeah, crazy that the dude never cracked 20 ppg, 5 rpg or 5 apg. Dude had like a 19.5 ppg, one 4.8 rpg and couple 4.9 apg seasons. I think he always played 3rd fiddle to someone but boi, was he good at that. He was better than Eric Gordon IMHO. Revolutionized the game with Eurostep and blindly changing directions and speed, and flopping. Master at those, esp. master flopper.
Agreed about Hondo not really counting as a 6th man when he averaged almost 37mpg for his entire career. His accolades are pretty damn incredible for someone who rarely gets any mention or recognition as one of the goat SF's along with Rick Barry, but Hondo has incredible defensive metrics that are better than almost any other SF that ever lived. Manu only won 1 SMOTY award, but you can tell he sacrificed a lot. His PER36 numbers point to a guy that could have been a 20-5-6 career average type of player. He's #26 all time in WS/48. Though the argument is could he have stayed healthy enough to carry a team as a #1 or #2 option workload. Very unlikely.
fwiw: He also started that year. He didn't really become a 6th man until Pops decided the best way to maximum Michael Finley was to start him, and Ginobody come off bench. That was age 29 for Gino, and that was the 3rd title year in the Gino era. That's the one we remember the most when we say 6th man. But he was a title-winning starter prior to that at age 27, and started at age 28, (with Finley), but they go beat by Mavs, so Pops tried a different approach with Finley and Gino the following years, until Finley got too old. Based upon the fact Ginobody was indeed a starter prior to Finley arriving (as well as for Finley's first year) and returned to starter when Finley left, it's probably best to remember that had it not been for Finley coming to the Spurs, he probably remains a starter in his prime. Pops might that have made a strategic change to the rotation had he not had a legit starter (Finley) to work into the lineup.
How can you even put them on the same sentence? Hahha Manu lead an Argentinian team to gold in Athens against an all nba team. He should od have been the finals mvp on 2005. When has iguaodala lead any team to anything? Don't get me wrong. He is a great player, good defender, but not on the same level.
I hate to break it to you, but Iguodala has earned a Finals MVP already and several titles too. Also, he would be as important to that Argentina team as Manu, and Manu would be equally significant on a full Team USA. As far as NBA goes, Iguodala has achieved just as much, if not more, and has at least another season. Not diminishing Manu, but you are way underselling Iguodala - who btw is not particularly an excellent all time player.
Iggy is an interesting one, but they are quite different other than playing the 2. I think Gino was drafted very late bc 1) he was a Euro, 2) he was not the most athletic. http://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2018/08/29/5b868f7622601dc46c8b45a8.html
I can't believe people are still debating this. Manu is a lock for HOF. Book it. The question is whether he's first ballot or second. Basketball HOF is not as strict as the NFL. Candidates are evaluated not solely based on stats and rings but also on "contributions" to the game. Outside of the NBA, Manu LED Kinder Bologna to win the 2001 Italian League Championship, the 2001 and 2002 Italian Cups, and the 2001 EuroLeague, where he was named the 2001 Euroleague Finals MVP. He was also named the Italian League MVP in 2000–01 and 2001–02, and made the Italian League's All-Star Game three times. Let's also not forget he LED the Argentine National Team to the 2004 Gold Medial in the Athens Olympics by upsetting Team USA. Manu doesn't have eye-popping stats because he played most of his career on the Spurs as a bench player. When he was needed, he stepped up. In my opinion, he is the most decorated international player ever. He has won at every level - Euro League, Olympics, and NBA. This is impressive and should easily give him a spot at the HOF. Let's look at it this way. If Dennis Rodman can make it into the HOF, then Manu should DEFINITELY get in.
