I was remembering this recently when thinking of how impatient everyone is with our (the Celtics') young guys, and how we get caught assuming that what they are now is the finished product.
Tony Parker is, arguably, hall of fame bound. He's one of the most beloved players in Spurs history. But the franchise wasn't always sold on him. See the link below (with some snippets that I pulled out):
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/playoffs/2013/06/04/tony-parker-san-antonio-spurs-nba-finals/2385817/Before Tony Parker was the guy leading the San Antonio Spurs' against the Miami Heat in their charge for a fifth NBA championship, he was a grainy figure on general manager R.C. Buford's TV.
...
"He came into a difficult situation," Buford said of Parker. "He was handed the ball as a 19-year-old (and told to) go run a team that had two future Hall of Famers (Duncan and David Robinson). He (was) trying to grow into a leadership role … and you've got a coach who's very demanding, a system that's pretty sophisticated. ... That wouldn't have been easy.
"There have been times during his time here that he hasn't played like he's playing now — when he was younger you wondered where he was going to get to. But again, I think the last three or four years, he's become a big focal point of what we do."
The love-at-first-sight beginning never segued into a perfect marriage between Parker and the Spurs. There were early clashes with Popovich and the near-constant refrain that Parker wasn't a fit for their one-of-a-kind culture. He heard them all: not tough enough, not defensive-minded, too prone to taking it easy during practice.
Some wondered if his time in San Antonio would be cut short...
...Parker shored up all those pet peeves that used to drive his coach mad. He improved defensively, showed an ability to play with poise more consistently, and became the engine of a Spurs' offense that has long since relied on his ability to make it go.
The point is, it's too easy to give up on young guys. The Spurs almost gave up on one of their best, after all. This Celtics team is rare because it's got young studs mixed in with veteran all-stars established role players. Just recognize that young players are by nature frustrating and need time to grow.
Topic: Spurs were frustrated by Tony Parker when he was young. Sound familiar? (Read 792 times)