That thick, Cajun accent dominated every Spur timeout—and his attitude was always louder than his talent. Avery was the face of the Spurs before Duncan—a team that needed to remind people that it was good. Manu Ginobili can afford humility, as his performances do the talking. Avery did not enjoy the same luxury.

The same team that retired his jersey in December cut him twice, and once told him he was a terrible player. Avery's insecurity-inspired antics were strange and compelling—but they marked the kind of guy he was. What he lacked in the human-relations department, he made up for with his heart and drive.

The Spurs could have won the 1999 championship with another point guard, but it wouldn't have been the same Spurs. He traveled a rough road in a rough vehicle, then poured his tribulations into a shot against the New York Knicks that he once told David Letterman contained his entire career.

SG: George "the Iceman" Gervin (1974-1985)

He won an epic scoring title race with a 63-point performance, negating a 73-point one by David Thompson. He morphed an infant franchise from questionable ABA afterthought to a playoff team, and spent all of his formidable years in silver and black as one of the greatest scorers in NBA history. 

Gervin owns second place in the all-time blocked shots for guards. He also stays active in the San Antonio community and remains loyal to the Spurs.

SF: Sean Elliot (1989-93; 1994-2001)

One of six players with a retired jersey in the AT&T Center rafters, Elliot is the only one of them to crack the top ten in six statistical categories: games played (third, 669), points (fourth, 9,659), rebounds (sixth, 2,941), assists (seventh, 1,700), steals (eighth, 522), and blocks (ninth, 257).

The defensive-minded "Ninja" spent one season with the Detroit Pistons, but his spirit never left San Antonio. He returned for a brief stint in 2000 after a kidney transplant.

Unlike Clyde Drexler, Elliot's commentary is insightful, well-researched and comedic. I would describe this small forward with a phrase he uses during Spurs telecasts—he had some junk in his game.

PF: Tim "Groundhog Day" Duncan (1997-?)

The greatest power forward ever? I believe it now. His imperfection convinced me that no one else could best him in an all-time list. He sometimes allows layups, misses easy shots, has always struggled from the charity stripe, and has whined to the refs about obvious calls. I think Michael Jordan said it best: "I missed 3,000 shots..."

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