The Price of Winning

As we learned on Friday, for some people, money isn't everything. At least not to 13-year NBA veteran David West who elected to ditch a hefty payday for a better chance at hoisting a Larry O'Brien trophy. With a $12 Million dollar player-option to re-sign with the Indiana Pacers, West instead chose to sign with the San Antonio Spurs for the veteran minimum of $1.4 Million, leaving more than $10 Million on the table to head west. West, a former AP Player of the Year while attending Xavier University and 2-time All-Star while a member of the New Orleans Hornets where he spent the first 8 years of his career before signing with Indiana in 2011, averaged 11.7 points and 6.8 rebounds with the Pacers a season ago.

Facing the twilight of his career and having earned over $50 Million dollars in contracts, West can ill-afford another unsuccessful season at the age of 34 and has reached the point in his career where the cost of winning far outweighs the amount of dollar signs. Just two years removed from an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals with the Indiana Pacers who nearly took the defending NBA Champion Miami Heat to the brink of elimination in a deciding Game 7 which Indiana went on to lose, the Pacers figured to be the next up and coming team in the east. But over the course of the next few months, the state of Indiana basketball would be altered when the team's star player Paul George suffered a freak injury in a U.S.A. Men's Basketball scrimmage which left George with a compound fracture in his right leg and the Pacers on the outside looking in on the 2014-15 playoff picture. What was once touted to be a true title contender for many years to come, was instead put on hold with George's playing career in question.

With the uncertainty regarding the future of the Pacers franchise depending on the health of its star player and a question mark hovering over whether or not the team would ever be as good as they were in 2013-14, West's decision was made a bit easier. What may come off as a head-scratcher for many, just might end up being a good decision that pays dividends given the Spurs also landed the most coveted piece in all of free-agency when 4-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge agreed to a four-year, $80 Million dollar deal with the Spurs. With San Antonio's roster aging but still very much a threat in the west prior to Aldridge's signing, the acquisition of the big man and Texas alum automatically catapults the Spurs back to the top of the Western Conference alongside the reigning NBA Champion Golden State Warriors. While money is certainly something that West left on the table, it isn't the only thing as him signing with the Spurs also means he'll have to accept a lesser role by coming off the bench and no longer starting like he's grown accustomed to throughout his NBA career. Another decision that may come off as questionable to some but could be one that benefits West and prolongs his career in the long run.

Whatever role it is that coach Greg Popovich chooses for his newest acquisition, it'll be one that best compliments his talents as West provides a much needed toughness that the Spurs have lacked.


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