So, I was excited to hear the Spurs reupped Manu Ginobili. One, because he's the only player whose jersey I own; two, because he's a valuable and respected member of the Spurs organization who's been underpaid for his career (though overpaying him might not have been the best response); and three, because it's doubtful that the Spurs could find anyone of equivalent value at that price in free agency.
It's no secret that San Antonio (and virtually every other small market team) has difficulty attracting free agents. Virtually all of their marquee players have come through the draft, and this is what allows them to field a competitive team while (normally) staying out of the luxury tax. Their other major assets have come through trades, though unlike (for example) the Bucks or the Thunder, San Antonio usually trades for role players. This is the case for most small market teams. To illustrate, I'll show the three best players from teams that would be considered 'small market':
Three 'best' (in my opinion) players from each team:
San Antonio-
Tim Duncan (Draft)
Manu Ginobili (Draft)
Tony Parker (Draft)
Milwaukee-
Andrew Bogut (Draft)
Brandon Jennings (Draft)
John Salmons (Trade)
Thunder-
Kevin Durant (Draft)
Jeff Green (Trade)
Russell Westbrook (Draft)
Charlotte-
Stephen Jackson (Trade)
Gerald Wallace (Expansion Draft)
Tyrus Thomas/Raymond Felton (I feel it's tied) (Trade/Draft)
The Thunder haven't picked up a big name free agent since they were the Sonics, nobody wants to sign with Charlotte or Milwaukee, and aside from Richard Jefferson, the last major name that the Spurs pulled in was Michael Finley, back when that meant something.
The closest a small market team came to nailing a big time free agent was when Jason Kidd came within one Joumana of signing to the Spurs back in July of 2003. It signified that even a team coming off of a championship with all of the major players coming back could not sign a top free agent, even if it made basketball sense.
Small markets aren't enticing for those who are interested in marketing themselves beyond basketball. I sincerely doubt that Lebron ever considered the Bucks or the Thunder as serious options, despite the playing opportunities that they could offer him. It will never just be about basketball. In the eyes of a casual fan, Kevin Durant is a guy who kind of looks like Jamie Foxx who might be better than Lebron at scoring a basketball. They see him occasionally dunk on Sportscenter. He may as well be playing Division III ball. He is the great white whale of the casual fan. Few second-tier free agents would want to be stuck in that position.
In the NFL, this is a non-issue. If you win, you'll be on TV. Football is huge enough in this country that every team has some following, and every team will get press. Resting on its own mythology, the NFL perpetuates itself, and this allows players to go anywhere, to establish themselves against the existing myth of the next Barry Sanders or the next Johnny Unitas.
This is also a result of players in the NFL largely being famous enough (due to broader national exposure) to bring the cameras with them. Brett Favre, Tom Brady, Adrian Peterson, Terrell Owens (less so now), Randy Moss, and players of their ilk shine in the spotlight enough to where they can choose where they want to play and the money will follow them.
I think the old axiom of, "There are no small parts, only small actors" holds true. In this case, there are no small markets, only small stars. If Lebron James chose to play in a small market, the cameras would follow him. Cleveland wasn't exactly a huge draw before 2003. He's enough of a star on and off the court to thrust a team into the national spotlight just by playing with them.
I believe that Kevin Durant's star will continue to rise and the Thunder will start attracting national attention with their (presumably brief) playoff run and Kevin Durant's imminent scoring title. Of course, if he doesn't win the scoring title, he doesn't get noticed, simply because no one cares about the second place finisher. BUT, if the pieces fall into place, he'll put Oklahoma City on the map.
If the team has great chemistry, you can win a championship. But if the team has one guy putting up monster stats, you'll get noticed. It's all about priorities.
Manu Ginobili is a box office draw and a vital cog in the Spurs plans for the future. He could have been resigned for less than the maximum, but I'm supposing that the front office wanted to show loyalty and possibly put Manu up to signing for somewhat less than the maximum.
Not that anyone will notice.
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