We’ve got accomplished our 2026 summer season challenge of figuring out who the largest Spurs Villain of all time is, and whereas the end result shouldn’t be in any respect stunning when taking in context with the timing, I’ll admit it wasn’t the end result I anticipated after we first concocted this concept a bit over a month in the past (extra on that under). Beating out Zaza Pachulia (the dirtiest participant to ever face the Spurs) to win all the event is the one that performed an excellent greater function within the franchise’s downturn: the notorious Dennis Robertson: uncle to Kawhi Leonard and destroyer of two franchises (and counting).
Uncle Dennis first got here into the purview of Spurs followers throughout the 2017-18 season, when stunning rumors began to swirl that Leonard was sad, claiming that they’d misdiagnosed a quad damage — which thoughts you was unrelated to the Pachulia foul — as a continual problem. They allowed him to hunt a second medical opinion, and away he went to New York for “rehab”, infrequently returning and even hiding in a closet when Spurs representatives got here to verify on him. Because the detrimental reviews saved trickling out all season, all the pieces was being referred to has coming from “Kawhi’s group”, which we might quickly be taught was his agent on the time, Mitch Frankel, and uncle and consultant, Dennis Robertson.
As rumors saved swirling and the media gave the impression to be taking Kawhi’s aspect on all the pieces, the Spurs lastly revealed their aspect of issues by way of Michael C. Wright of ESPN, who wrote partially:
After Leonard and (former agent Brian) Elfus parted methods, Robertson and Frankel took over the day-to-day communication with the Spurs, and the connection hasn’t been practically as wholesome, in line with Spurs sources.
A number of league sources additionally instructed ESPN that the Spurs have grown frightened that Leonard’s group has an ulterior motive to fray the connection and get Leonard traded to a bigger market comparable to Los Angeles (Leonard’s hometown) or New York or Philadelphia (Robertson lives in New Jersey).
By that time, it was clear who was working the present, and everyone knows what occurred from there. (Should you actually need to relive the entire saga that was 2017-18, return and take a look at all the timeline of occasions. That was simply my second season overlaying the Spurs right here at PtR, and I keep in mind being each honored and terrified that J.R. Wilco gave me that challenge. However his phrases have been prophetic: he instructed me we‘d want it to reference again to each for ourselves and to indicate to doubters sooner or later, and I nonetheless use it loads.)
It was clear all the pieces advanced round what Dennis wished, and Kawhi was simply alongside for the trip. That continued to be the case as he allegedly demanded impermissible advantages from a minimum of the Raptors, Lakers and Clippers throughout 2019 free company. As we now know, the Clippers acquiesced, a lot to their very own detriment, and it didn’t even repay! The Spurs’ have been confirmed proper about Kawhi’s well being points being continual; the Clippers by no means reached the finals with him or his desired working mate of Paul George, whom they acquired for future MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. (They reportedly demanded the Spurs commerce for George as nicely, however they mentioned no since they’d simply gotten LaMarcus Aldridge.)
Uncle Dennis is a villain who helped ship the Spurs from seemingly set to maintain contending after the Large 3 period to caught in mediocrity and finally rebuild mode. Positive, let’s imagine, “however we wouldn’t have Wemby, Fort or Harper now,” and whereas probably true, the quantity of luck concerned particularly with Wemby can’t be ignored, and with a distinct bounce of the lottery balls, the Spurs might nonetheless be in purgatory. The actual fact is a lot of their sterling information have been damaged by Kawhi quitting/leaving, such because the streak of 50-win seasons and 22 straight years within the playoffs, and their variety of years exterior the playoffs grew by 250%, from 4 to 10 earlier than they returned this yr.
Now right here is the place the shock is available in. Again within the Last 4, I mentioned it was as much as the voters to resolve in the event that they blamed Uncle Dennis for influencing Kawhi to make all this occur, or if Kawhi was responsible for going together with it. Primarily based on the boos and Kawhi a minimum of publicly being Villain #1 over the past 9 seasons, I assumed for positive he would win, so the truth that not solely did he not make the finals shock me, but additionally the finals ending up placing him in a sufferer function, which is greater than a bit ironic.
However that simply goes present how manipulative a human being Uncle Dennis is, and also you all aren’t improper. Whether or not or not the Aspiration Scandal — which had nothing to do with the Spurs — performed a job in his victory right here is irrelevant. He ended up being a horrible function mannequin for his nephew, who was simply on the lookout for a father determine and somebody to belief after he tragically misplaced his personal. Robertson took full benefit, all whereas being so good at maintaining a low profile that I needed to recycle the identical header picture from a number of articles in the past as a result of it was one in all solely a handful of pictures I might discover of him, and that is the one one which both didn’t have textual content on it from a social media submit or wouldn’t come out blurry on our website.
So congratulations, Uncle Dennis: you might be formally probably the most villainous character in Spurs historical past, and that’s saying A LOT contemplating a number of the competitors you needed to compete with.
As soon as once more, we need to thank everybody who participated! I do know some see this as merely area filler for the offseason, and it could be a mislead say that isn’t a minimum of a part of it, however there may be additionally way more to it than that. It offers us one thing enjoyable to workforce up on after what could be a very lengthy 9-10 months of overlaying the common season, playoffs, draft, free company and Summer time League. It additionally permits us to set free our inventive sides a bit, and it makes for some enjoyable teamwork and dialog throughout the boring time of the yr. A particular thanks additionally goes to Jesus Gomez, Jacob Douglas and Invoice Huan for serving to with the posts; with my present (different) work schedule, I by no means would have gotten this completed in a well timed method with out them.
We’re nearly there, Pounders. Media Day is subsequent Monday!
