Terry Cummings was more than surprised when the call came from Milwaukee Bucks coach Del Harris, a call that would change Cummings' life so quickly.
Cummings had spent the last five years in Milwaukee, leading the Bucks in scoring each season and becoming involved in the community and its charities as a Pentecostal minister. He'd grown to love a city located less than 90 miles from his hometown of Chicago.And now, in the short span of a phone call, he was being whisked away to San Antonio in a trade for the Spurs' Alvin Roberston and Greg Anderson. Future considerations - which could mean the swapping of second-round draft choices - also were involved.
Future considerations and those of the past were on Terry Cummings' mind.
"I'm very disappointed. I thought somebody would have told me something instead of calling me up this morning and basically having Coach (Del) Harris say he didn't know what to say, they had just traded me," Cummings said Sunday evening.
"I wanted to finish my career here. This is the best group of people I ever played with and the best organization I ever played for. But I'm going to a team that is young with a lot of youth. I will try to intermingle.
"It's a business."
Cummings, 28, who was selected to the NBA All-Star team for the second time in his career last season, averaged 22.9 points and 8.1 rebounds in 1989 but missed most of the Bucks last five playoff games with a sprained ankle.
The Bucks were eliminated in the Eastern Conference semifinals by Detroit.
"Obviously, it is difficult to let go of Terry. He's been a very key part of our team for the past five years," Harris said.
Harris said the increasing age of his squad and a career-threatening knee injury suffered in the playoffs by forward Larry Krystkowiak, forced the trade.
Robertson said he would have preferred to stay with the Spurs, so he could play on the same team with 7-1 center David Robinson.
"This is very surprising. Milwaukee is always in the race but the Spurs are a team on the rise and I wanted to be a part of it," he said.
"There's always positives and negatives with a change like this, but I was looking forward to San Antonio's future," Robertson said.
Anderson said: "It's great. I'm very excited about the trade. I figure when I get there I can step in and play more than in San Antonio."