Many didn’t expect much out of Boban Marjanovich when he joined the Spurs last season. Some saw a big, slow center who would just come in and clog up the paint. He was viewed by some to be a novelty act and no one took him seriously. Then he actually started to get some playing time and showed off his skills.
He quickly became a cult hero to both the NBA internet community and Spurs fans alike. Standing at 7’3″ and weighing in at nearly 300 pounds not many were prepared for what he had to offer. He surprised many with his soft touch on his shot, shooting 60.3 % last season. Plus, he’s got post moves, pump-fakes, protects the rim pretty well and he’s quite nimble for a man his size.
So when free agency came this past summer, it was expectedly going to be hard for the Spurs to keep Boban. They only had a hold on him for $3 million but that was quickly crushed. The Detroit Pistons came in and offered Boban a three-year deal worth $21 million. It seems like a no-brainer for the big man, take the money. Right?
Not quite. It appears he needed Pop to send him away like Josh did to Air Bud, minus the pudding cup.
Following from Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
“He’s such a good kid, at some point I had to work to get him to understand that $21 million was different than $3 million,” Popovich said. “I said, ‘Get your ass out of here. Go. You’ve got to do it.’ But he felt bad.”
“We knew he was gone,” Popovich said. “It happens to every team. You lose a guy because you have to pay people and you can’t pay them all.”
“My first wish was to stay,” Marjanovic said. “But this is good now. I think I made a good decision.”
It was probably hard for Pop to send Boban out but he did it for good reason. There was money to spend last summer and Boban needed to make the most out of a new opportunity. It’s also a chance that will allow Boban to be planted on the roster as the immediate backup center to Andre Drummond. So far, Drummond approves.
So Boban leaves the Spurs to join the team who wants to pay him more money and use him more. It’s a win for Boban. Besides, the Spurs had no problem replacing him and some other dude who just happened to retire this summer with Pau Gasol and David Lee. Not exactly an even trade but Pop did pretty well this summer figuring out what to do in the post-Boban era.
