J-Speaks: Spurs Lose Foundation

For two season he coached the San Antonio Spurs when they were part of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and then for 18 seasons served in the front office as their General Manager when they moved into the National Basketball Association (NBA) as part of the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Before that he was a collegiate basketball coach, then a head coach in the ABA and also served as GM for the Charlotte Hornets. While he will be remembered for making two of the toughest trades in Hornets history, under his guidance both with the Spurs and Hornets they were playoff perennials. He served many roles in his basketball journey and made a last impression in every place he worked. On Friday the basketball world said goodbye to this proud person and man. 

On Friday night Robert Eugene Bass passed away at his home in San Antonio, TX. He was 89 years old. 

According to a report from NBA.com, Mr. Bass, who was named NBA Executive of the Year twice (1990, 1997) suffered a stroke and had been in the hospital. He returned home a week ago to enter hospice care after suffering a second stroke, his granddaughter Blair Bass-Percle said. 

In two decades with the “Silver and Black” as first a head coach and then an executive, the Spurs made it to the playoffs 17 times, including trips to the Western Conference Finals in 1982, 1983, and 1995. 

While Bass’ prominent roles with the Spurs were as a head coach as mentioned in their final two seasons of the ABA and then for 18 seasons as GM, he was also served as an assistant coach, vice president of basketball operations, and assistant to the chairperson. 

San Antonio Express-News’ Tom Osborn described Bass’ work demeanor as one that was intense as an executive, but also as one of a laid-back father figure who was extremely loyal and genuine even as his hair turned from salt-and-pepper gray to white. 

“Bob stayed in his lane,” former Spurs star James Silas said of his former boss. “He didn’t try to be something he wasn’t. He knew where he came from. He was a country boy…and he knew how to coach. He was very special to me.” 

That so-called “country boy” made perhaps the biggest decision early on in his tenure with the Spurs that changed the course of their franchise and pro basketball forever. 

Mid-way through the 1974-75 NBA campaign, Bass moved the very thin then 23-year-old George Gervin from small forward to shooting guard. That decision transformed the Spurs from a team that won games on defense into an exciting fast-breaking, entertaining, high-scoring offense that made them attractive to the NBA. 

Three years later, the Hall of Famer would win his first scoring title narrowly edging out Hall of Famer David Thompson of the Denver Nuggets for the scoring title to the tune of 27.22 to 27.15. 

Before joining the Spurs, Bass, who was born on Jan. 28, 1929 graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1950 after graduating from Rogers High School in Tulsa, OK. He then earned his master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. 

His first coaching job was with the ABA’s Denver Rockets, now the Denver Nuggets for just the 1967-68 season. He then became the head coach of the Texas Tech Red Raiders from 1969-71. He then coached The Floridians and Memphis Tams of the ABA the next two seasons before building the foundation of his career as an executive with the Spurs. 

There were times that Bass assumed coaching duties on an interim basis when needed-in 1980, 1984, and 1992. He finished his career as a head coach with a 311-300 record. 

The years of 1985-89 were difficult ones for Bass and the Spurs who had a combined regular season record of 115-213 and that caused attendance at the Hemisphere to dwindle. It had gotten so bad that there was mentioned of the team being a candidate for possible relocation. 

The one bright spot for the team was being awarded the No. 1 overall pick in the 1987 NBA Draft Lottery. They used the pick on United States Naval Academy star center David Robinson. 

The team would have to wait though two years for him to join because of the two-year commitment he made to serve in the United States Navy. 

After going a dismal 21-61 in 1988-89, Robinson along with 1989 draft pick Sean Elliott from the University of Arizona and the acquisition of power forward Terry Cummings from the Milwaukee Bucks turned the Spurs under head coach Larry Brown into a 55-win team and capturing their first Midwest Division crown in seven years. 

Robinson, rookie season began a trek that would lead him to be a Hall of Famer was unanimously named the 1990 NBA Rookie of the Year thanks to averages of 24.3 points and 12.0 rebounds and Bass won his first of two NBA Executive of the Year awards. 

Bass would leave the Spurs’ front office and one year later was hired to be the GM of the Hornets, working for then owner George Shinn. In nine seasons under Bass, the Hornets never had a losing record and reached the postseason in seven of those nine years. That included back-to-back 50-plus win season of a franchise record 54 victories in 1996-97, which earned Bass his second Executive of the Year award and 51 one year later. He retired in 2004. 

Even with that success, he will always be remembered as the man who traded away two future Hall of Famers in Kobe Bryant and Alonzo Mourning, who won a combined six Larry O’Brien trophies in their careers respectably. 

In the case of the Mourning situation, according to the Charlotte Observer, he was quickly becoming the Hornets’ best player surpassing his fellow front court mate Larry Johnson and it became clear that the franchise needed to sign Mourning to a new deal or trade him and get something in return. 

With contract negotiations going nowhere fast, Bass searched for a team to trade Mourning to and he found a deal with the Miami Heat, which would net the Hornets sharp shooter Glen Rice, center Matt Geiger, guard Khalid Reeves and a future First-Round pick. 

The issue was that Mourning felt his new team was giving up too much and was not in good spirits about the deal. Bass went into tough guy mode and threatened to deal the All-Star big man to a team that he would want no part of, even if that meant the Hornets would get less value in return. 

The deal went through Rice became one of the best players in franchise history in his three seasons with the team. 

The trade of Bryant on draft night back in June of 1996, Bass knew something was a foot leading up to the draft when the Lower Merion High School product out of Philadelphia, PA refused to work out for the Hornets and other teams with high First-Round picks. 

Bryant’s then agent Arn Tellem, according to the Observer was working with then Los Angeles Lakers’ GM Jerry West to get his draft rights dealt to them. He was also maneuvering to create enough cap room to pursue signing superstar center Shaquille O’Neal in free agency. 

The trade that they had in the works was acquiring Bryant’s draft rights for starting center Vlade Divac. 

Shortly before the draft West and Bass agreed tentatively to a deal if Bryant was available when the Hornets picked at the No. 13 slot. 

As with the Mourning deal, there was a complication. Divac, who loved being a Laker and living in Southern California said he would rather hang up his sneakers than be dealt to Charlotte. So, Bass in his typical calm but firm voice said to Shinn back then if Divac didn’t change his mind, the Hornets would just keep Bryant regardless of his threat to play overseas. 

Shinn remembers calling Tellem for comment and Bryant’s agent went on a screaming swearing tirade. Bass though did not care how agitated either Divac or Tellem got. 

After a few days, Divac did change his mind, agreed to come to the Hornets and formed a nice three-man trio with All-Star forwards Anthony Mason and Rice.

“After coming to Charlotte in 1995, Bob was responsible for some of the most successful teams in Hornets history and left an indelible mark on our franchise,” the team said in a statement over the weekend.  

It is those kinds of moments of getting a deal done under pressure why Shinn adored working with Bass so much that late in Bass’s career he offered him a 10-year contract. 

Bass said to the gesture that it was unnecessary because no one would need his basketball advice from an 80-year-old. 

To put into context the respect Shinn had for Mr. Bass, he got him a black 1965 Oldsmobile convertible as special recognition for winning Executive of the Year 21 years ago. He is the first and only Charlotte executive to win that honor in franchise history. 

“He was the most brilliant basketball guy I have met. So adept at evaluating talent,” Shinn said. “He always kept me posted, and I stayed out of his way. We had that kind of relationship, and it was the best.” 

Bass did not have the same working relationship with then-partner in Hornets ownership Ray Woolridge. 

As the 2001 draft approached, Woolridge had his sights set on drafting a forward from a school out of the Big Ten, while Bass had his eyes on a European point guard. 

Shinn stayed out the debate, which would prove to be costly as with the No. 16 pick the Hornets chose Kirk Haston out of Indiana University, who only lasted two seasons in “The Association,” averaging just 1.2 points on 23 percent from the floor. 

The point guard Bass had his sights on was Frenchman Tony Parker, who ironically enough the Spurs chose with the No. 28 overall pick. In his 17 seasons with them, he was a six-time All-Star and helped the Spurs win four of their five NBA titles. 

In another twist of irony, Parker signed a two-year, $10 million contract earlier this off-season to join the Hornets to back up All-Star lead guard Kemba Walker. That is one draft choice with all that has transpired that that Hornets would like to have back. 

This past Friday, the NBA world said goodbye to one of the best talent evaluators and executives in its history. He laid the ground work for Spurs that has made them one of the best franchises in not just the NBA, but in the four major North American professional sports. 

He had a plan and new how to communicate that plans with those that he worked with for it to be executed. He had a respect from the players, coaches, and all personnel of the organizations he worked for. He was a tough, focused, determined person who turned the San Antonio Spurs and Charlotte Hornets from NBA cellar dwellers into playoff perennials. He found a way to improve teams through either trades and draft selections and was not afraid to make tough decisions even though a couple of championships might have left in the process. 

“Over the course of four decades, Bob Bass had a huge impact in both the ABA and NBA,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said in a statement released by the team on Saturday. “BB was a true pioneer in the world of professional basketball. His knowledge, passion and dedication to the game were inspiring. We send our condolences to the entire Bass family.” 

Information and quotations are courtesy of 8/18/18 www.nba.com article, “Former San Antonio Spurs GM Bob Bass Dies at 89;” 8/18/18 www.espn.com article, “Bob Bass, Two-Time NBA Executive of the Year, Dies at 89;” 8/18/18 www.charlotteobserver.com article “Bob Bass Might Have Traded Kobe Bryant, But He Did So Much More with Charlotte Hornets,” by Rick Bonnell; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_San_Antonio_Spurs_seasons; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Gervin; https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Charlotte_Hornets_seasons; and https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirk_Haston.