Oh, What Could've Been ...

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Dang ping-pong balls

[Celtic Fan Forever]

Pitino probably would’ve traded him lol

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Pitino probably would’ve traded him lol

LOL, touché.

[Donoghus]

Duncan probably would've bounced after his rookie deal.

[Moranis]

I think Pitino would have been much better suited to coach Duncan then Billups.  Billups was just too raw and wasn't ready.  Even without Duncan but with Van Horn I think Pitino's tenure turns out a lot differently.  Pitino just felt so much pressure to win and win early that he made several win now type moves and felt like he couldn't wait for the young guys to develop.  Some of those win now moves worked out ok, but some did not.  Of course as we've seen time and time again, when the coach is also the GM, it always ends badly.  Recently we've seen that with Van Gundy and Rivers.  You just can't effectively do both roles and you end up hurting both. 

[boscel33]

Pitino probably would’ve traded him lol

LOL, touché.

and then later say, "Tim Duncan is not walking through that door".

[bdm860]

Duncan probably would've bounced after his rookie deal.

Coincidentally, this is apparently trending again now, but legend goes Duncan was very close to leaving the Spurs for Orlando to team up with Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady in 2000.

Per Doc (who was head coach of the Magic at the time):

“Tim Duncan looked at me and said, ‘I’m pretty sure I’m coming to the Magic. I just need to go back to San Antonio because I love Pop and want to have my last meeting with Pop’. ”

I 100% believe that conversation goes, "I'm coming to the Magic, I just need to go back to Boston because I love Pitino and want to have my last meeting with Pitino, where do I sign?" if Duncan ended up here with Pitino.

If Duncan was close to leaving a contender that he already won a championship with and who had one of the greatest NBA coaches at the helm, think how easily and quickly he would have left Boston.

[Donoghus]

Duncan probably would've bounced after his rookie deal.

Coincidentally, this is apparently trending again now, but legend goes Duncan was very close to leaving the Spurs for Orlando to team up with Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady in 2000.

Per Doc (who was head coach of the Magic at the time):

“Tim Duncan looked at me and said, ‘I’m pretty sure I’m coming to the Magic. I just need to go back to San Antonio because I love Pop and want to have my last meeting with Pop’. ”

I 100% believe that conversation goes, "I'm coming to the Magic, I just need to go back to Boston because I love Pitino and want to have my last meeting with Pitino, where do I sign?" if Duncan ended up here with Pitino.

If Duncan was close to leaving a contender that he already won a championship with and had one of the greatest NBA coaches at the helm, think how easily and quickly he would have left Boston.

And that's what I was alluding to.   I can't imagine Duncan having a better relationship with Pitino (I mean read all the crap that has come out about him, quotes & all, from those late 90s Celtics), than he had with Pop.  If he was that close to leaving for ORL after starting off with SA, then there's a pretty solid chance he's gone from Boston in that alternate universe.

[Ogaju]

Duncan probably would've bounced after his rookie deal.

Coincidentally, this is apparently trending again now, but legend goes Duncan was very close to leaving the Spurs for Orlando to team up with Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady in 2000.

Per Doc (who was head coach of the Magic at the time):

“Tim Duncan looked at me and said, ‘I’m pretty sure I’m coming to the Magic. I just need to go back to San Antonio because I love Pop and want to have my last meeting with Pop’. ”

I 100% believe that conversation goes, "I'm coming to the Magic, I just need to go back to Boston because I love Pitino and want to have my last meeting with Pitino, where do I sign?" if Duncan ended up here with Pitino.

If Duncan was close to leaving a contender that he already won a championship with and who had one of the greatest NBA coaches at the helm, think how easily and quickly he would have left Boston.

uh? who says with Duncan Pitino does not become 'one of the greatest NBA coaches at the helm'?

[Ogaju]

all this revisionist history is just that - revisionist history. If you have been around negotiating at all you will understand a deal is not done until IT IS DONE. It does not matter what Duncan told the Magic especially when he was in their house trying to get out of dodge. In fact, when a player does not sign on a visit to the poaching team it is side out home team.  Not my rule, but not a bad rule in recruiting players.

[Donoghus]

Duncan probably would've bounced after his rookie deal.

Coincidentally, this is apparently trending again now, but legend goes Duncan was very close to leaving the Spurs for Orlando to team up with Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady in 2000.

Per Doc (who was head coach of the Magic at the time):

“Tim Duncan looked at me and said, ‘I’m pretty sure I’m coming to the Magic. I just need to go back to San Antonio because I love Pop and want to have my last meeting with Pop’. ”

I 100% believe that conversation goes, "I'm coming to the Magic, I just need to go back to Boston because I love Pitino and want to have my last meeting with Pitino, where do I sign?" if Duncan ended up here with Pitino.

If Duncan was close to leaving a contender that he already won a championship with and who had one of the greatest NBA coaches at the helm, think how easily and quickly he would have left Boston.

uh? who says with Duncan Pitino does not become 'one of the greatest NBA coaches at the helm'?

I don't think he would've.  Certainly not as long as he was also running player personnel. No doubt he would've screwed it up.  And its not like he was exactly well liked by his players during his tenure in Boston either.  He struggled handling professionals.

Doesn't seem like a recipe to becoming one of the greatest NBA coaches to me.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

Pitino probably would’ve traded him lol

LOL, touché.

and then later say, "Tim Duncan is not walking through that door".

Haha, yes!

[GreenFaith1819]

I wonder....how good would we have been with Duncan?

Guaranteed Playoff spot? Sure..

But no David Robinson to pair with him...probably no Paul Pierce, either I'd guess...

Would our infrastructure, at the time - been good enough to build a great team around him?

[Roy H.]

I wonder....how good would we have been with Duncan?

Guaranteed Playoff spot? Sure..

But no David Robinson to pair with him...probably no Paul Pierce, either I'd guess...

Would our infrastructure, at the time - been good enough to build a great team around him?

Since we’re doing “what ifs” we may as well draft McGrady instead of Mercer too.  And who knows, maybe we get Tony Parker in 2001, like we should have.  Then, keep Bruce Bowen on the roster.

Duncan
Antoine
McGrady
Bowen
Parker

Then all we need to do is fire Pitino and hire Popovich, ha ha.

[konkmv]

First bias.. then Lewis... and in the end pitino...