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Mike Finger: Dynasties never last for long
Web Posted: 02/14/2007 01:02 AM CST
San Antonio Express-News
Finger They built a foundation with unheralded-but-brilliant draft picks, pulled off a couple of shrewd trades, and were led by a trio of elite players who seemed destined for each other, if not the Hall of Fame. They ended up with three championships to show for it, then woke up one day and found themselves looking awfully old.
And now?
The Spurs hope their next step works out a lot better than the Cowboys' did.
Dynasties in sports are funny things, what with how they can be so coveted and so taken for granted at the same time, and how they take so long to build and yet can fall apart so quickly. Few of them last longer than the prime of a star player, and those that do always require a little luck.
Sometimes, they even can start to look alike, even when they span different decades and different sports. Before Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, the most beloved sports triumvirate in San Antonio had been Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.
A decade later, it's easy to forget how quickly the power of "The Triplets" disintegrated. The Cowboys won their third Super Bowl in 1995, won their division in 1996, and by 1997, full-scale panic had set in. Aikman didn't look as sharp, Irvin had lost a step, and the supporting cast wasn't as strong as it once was. Some said the naysayers were overreacting, but Dallas hasn't won a playoff game since.
Those Spurs fans who believe in déjà vu or numerology (a third championship in 2005, a division title in 2006, panic in 2007) can't like where this is heading. When the Cowboys hit the wall in 1997, the eldest two of their marquee trio were 31 and 30 years old. Today, Duncan is 30, and Ginobili is 29.
Of course, there are limits to this comparison. Basketball players don't peak at the same age as their football brethren, and the circumstances offer more differences. The Spurs, for example, are in no danger of being coached by the likes of Barry Switzer and Chan Gailey. And the Cowboys never had the opportunity to be rescued by the likes of Melvin Ely.
Ely won't save a dynasty by himself, but he can do more than some might think. He was talented enough to be the 12th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, and he automatically becomes the Spurs' second-best low-post scorer as soon as he puts on a uniform. If he can provide the same kind of subtle spark Nazr Mohammed offered in 2005, he will have done his part.
If anything, Tuesday's trade shows the Spurs realize how fleeting dynasties can be. Even though the Mavericks and Suns have looked light years ahead of them over the past few months, the Spurs still have to believe they have a better chance to win this season than they do next year or in any after that. The window only stays open for so long, and it's better to spend energy keeping it pried open than to let it slam shut and search for another one.
The Cowboys figured that out the hard way. Four coaching searches and a multitude of new game plans later, they still haven't found another window. And they aren't the only ones.
The landscape is littered with dying sports dynasties, and it gets more cluttered every day. This week, the Duke men's basketball team was shut out of the Top 25 for the first time in the coaches' poll's nine-year history. The Yankees just spent another offseason trying to recreate the formula that enabled them to dominate the World Series from 1996-2000.
And last month, the New England Patriots — who like the Spurs and Cowboys had built their own three-title dynasty — were eliminated before the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. Tom Brady, by the way, is about to turn 30.
But Brady isn't over the hill yet, and neither is the core of the Spurs. Duncan is still two years younger than Steve Nash and just two years older than Dirk Nowitzki, and he'll be starting in the All-Star Game this week. Parker will be joining him, and Ginobili continues to display the kind of energy that belies his bald spot.
So there are a few reasons for optimism, just as there were 10 years ago with a different big three.
The Spurs can only hope the similarities end there.
Web Posted: 02/14/2007 01:02 AM CST
San Antonio Express-News
Finger They built a foundation with unheralded-but-brilliant draft picks, pulled off a couple of shrewd trades, and were led by a trio of elite players who seemed destined for each other, if not the Hall of Fame. They ended up with three championships to show for it, then woke up one day and found themselves looking awfully old.
And now?
The Spurs hope their next step works out a lot better than the Cowboys' did.
Dynasties in sports are funny things, what with how they can be so coveted and so taken for granted at the same time, and how they take so long to build and yet can fall apart so quickly. Few of them last longer than the prime of a star player, and those that do always require a little luck.
Sometimes, they even can start to look alike, even when they span different decades and different sports. Before Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, the most beloved sports triumvirate in San Antonio had been Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.
A decade later, it's easy to forget how quickly the power of "The Triplets" disintegrated. The Cowboys won their third Super Bowl in 1995, won their division in 1996, and by 1997, full-scale panic had set in. Aikman didn't look as sharp, Irvin had lost a step, and the supporting cast wasn't as strong as it once was. Some said the naysayers were overreacting, but Dallas hasn't won a playoff game since.
Those Spurs fans who believe in déjà vu or numerology (a third championship in 2005, a division title in 2006, panic in 2007) can't like where this is heading. When the Cowboys hit the wall in 1997, the eldest two of their marquee trio were 31 and 30 years old. Today, Duncan is 30, and Ginobili is 29.
Of course, there are limits to this comparison. Basketball players don't peak at the same age as their football brethren, and the circumstances offer more differences. The Spurs, for example, are in no danger of being coached by the likes of Barry Switzer and Chan Gailey. And the Cowboys never had the opportunity to be rescued by the likes of Melvin Ely.
Ely won't save a dynasty by himself, but he can do more than some might think. He was talented enough to be the 12th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, and he automatically becomes the Spurs' second-best low-post scorer as soon as he puts on a uniform. If he can provide the same kind of subtle spark Nazr Mohammed offered in 2005, he will have done his part.
If anything, Tuesday's trade shows the Spurs realize how fleeting dynasties can be. Even though the Mavericks and Suns have looked light years ahead of them over the past few months, the Spurs still have to believe they have a better chance to win this season than they do next year or in any after that. The window only stays open for so long, and it's better to spend energy keeping it pried open than to let it slam shut and search for another one.
The Cowboys figured that out the hard way. Four coaching searches and a multitude of new game plans later, they still haven't found another window. And they aren't the only ones.
The landscape is littered with dying sports dynasties, and it gets more cluttered every day. This week, the Duke men's basketball team was shut out of the Top 25 for the first time in the coaches' poll's nine-year history. The Yankees just spent another offseason trying to recreate the formula that enabled them to dominate the World Series from 1996-2000.
And last month, the New England Patriots — who like the Spurs and Cowboys had built their own three-title dynasty — were eliminated before the Super Bowl for the second year in a row. Tom Brady, by the way, is about to turn 30.
But Brady isn't over the hill yet, and neither is the core of the Spurs. Duncan is still two years younger than Steve Nash and just two years older than Dirk Nowitzki, and he'll be starting in the All-Star Game this week. Parker will be joining him, and Ginobili continues to display the kind of energy that belies his bald spot.
So there are a few reasons for optimism, just as there were 10 years ago with a different big three.
The Spurs can only hope the similarities end there.
