David Robinson Comments on Kevin Durant, Warriors and Team USA
Hall of Fame center David Robinson thinks the Golden State Warriors have a chance to be special. But he also acknowledges their Big Four may not have the elongated dynasty some are expecting.
"It takes time, you look at what happened with LeBron [James], [Dwyane] Wade and [Chris] Bosh. It took them a year or two to get their legs underneath them and figure things out and even then that run was relatively short," Robinson told Complex's Zach Frydenlund.
"So if you're able to put together a team like this, you're generally going to have a short window because you can't pay all those guys to keep them together," he added. "There's the short window that's going to end relatively quickly and it's not as easy as going out to play."
Robinson, 51, won two championships as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. He stayed with the team for his entire 14-year career, making him uniquely suited to comment on Kevin Durant's decision to bolt Oklahoma City for a bigger, better situation. While he did not join the chorus of former greats to criticize Durant, Robinson didn't seem ready to write off the 2016-17 season.
"It's not that easy and people can say what they want to say, but it's still up in the air," Robinson said. "Nobody thought Cleveland would win the championship this year. There were four teams in the West they said they couldn't beat and they were down 3-1 and they came back and won, so you just never know. You can't write the script."
Per Odds Shark, the Warriors are minus-130 favorites to win the championship, an unprecedented number at this point in the offseason. The Cleveland Cavaliers are right behind at plus-275, and the Spurs are at plus-1000. Robinson commented on the state of his longtime franchise after Tim Duncan's retirement.
"End of an era and obviously, he's like a little brother to me so I just enjoyed watching him, growing up with him," Robinson said. "What's great is what Coach [Gregg] Popovich and R.C. Buford and the whole family have done a great job in continuing to build the franchise and still be very, very competitive. I think we'll have a chance to win the championship this year."
Robinson also took time to comment on the United States Olympic men's basketball team, which won gold Sunday despite an inconsistent tournament. The 7-footer was part of the 1992 and 1996 teams that won Olympic gold.
"It's not like it used to be, where we just had an overwhelming talent advantage. That advantage has slipped somewhat," he said. "So it's fair, you can criticize all you want, but if they get the job done there's nothing anyone can say."
Grant Hill backed up Robinson's comments, noting that some of these international teams have been together upwards of a decade, so they have continuity that Team USA doesn't possess. That said, with three straight gold medals and six in seven Olympics since 1992, it's hard to quibble with the program.
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