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Ain't nothin' like a Media member pullin' for ya, eh?
http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/feed...010-11-preview
Deveney’s take
It’s difficult to count out the Spurs, as long as they are working with the trio of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. But age is becoming an issue, even as the team tries to find roles for youngsters like George Hill, DeJuan Blair and rookie Tiago Splitter. They’ll need support from those three, as well as a more consistent season from Richard Jefferson, to secure a good seed in the West playoffs.
View from the other bench
“You watched them all season long and they kept wondering if they were ever going to put it together again. Then they started to click over the last six weeks and suddenly nobody wanted a piece of them as a seven seed in the playoffs. (Tim) Duncan is no longer the dominant force over an 82-game season, but he can still be an elite level player. (The same goes) with (Manu) Ginobili and (Tony) Parker.
“If (Tiago) Splitter can deliver anything close to the promise that’s been talked about with him, then they have a solid rebounder and strong presence at the rim that can get them back to their defensive roots. If (Richard) Jefferson can stop pressing and find himself a comfortable role as a scorer on the wing, he could bounce back from last season’s disaster and it would be like they’ve added two key new players. It would be foolish to write them off after what was, for them, a down season. I think they’re back in the top half of the playoff bracket.”
For rest of article see link above - seems like a spot on article for a team that is going to go 55-57 wins again and is one of only 2-3 teams (I personally see Houston and Portland as the other "true" big threats to the LAL)that can truly threaten the Lakers to represent the West in the finals. Then if the Spurs get to the finals, their experience and under-rated talent (by much of the media has them as a 7-10 NBA team, when in fact, if healthy are a top 5) could take out anyone of the Eastern tri-powers!
Ain't nothin' like a Media member pullin' for ya, eh?
The Big 3 seem healthy, the young players and new acquisitions like RJ should continue to improve, no more Bogans or Mason Jr, arrival of Tiago Splitter - seems like a potent Spurs team for the next season.
It doesn't happen for the Spurs very often Culburn. It is always good to hear when someone is actually LOOKING at the team and not just stating what others have told them.
NBA Season Preview: San Antonio Spurs
Kurt Helin
Last season: 50-32, tied with Oklahoma City and Portland for the six seed (or eight seed, depending on how you want to look at it). The Spurs bested the Mavericks in six games in what was a mild first round upset, but were swept aside by the Suns in the next round. That kind of sums up the Spurs season: They were a little better than you thought they were, but they were not in the class of the elite.
Head Coach: Gregg Popovich, who has four rings but if you ask me did his best work at Pomona College back in the day. Fear the Sagehens.
Key Departures: Roger Mason is gone, not sure that qualifies as key, however. Eight of the top nine guys from the Spurs are back so this is the same Spurs you’ve known and loved.
Key Additions: Tiago Splitter is finally here. He has been the best big man in Europe for the last couple of seasons and the Spurs got him to come over at a bargain price ($10 million over three years). He is 6’11”, can protect the rim and has a polished if not spectacular game. He will start as the backup to Antonio McDyess at the spot, but early on look for Splitter to be the guy finishing games with Duncan.
Then there is the Richard Jefferson opt-out and signing. Call me a cynic (because I am) but this had to be a pre-arranged deal. Sure, that would violate all kinds of rules so this was figured out in some way that kept David Stern out of the loop, but there is now way Jefferson opts out of $15 million a year to get a four-year, $40 million deal he did not deserve off last season’s play, just to help out the Spurs finances almost perfectly. If all his off-season work to find his game pays off, this is a good deal. It could be a bad one, but the Spurs front office gets the benefit of the doubt based on track record here.
Also in the door is shooter Gary Neal and James Anderson, both who will play minor roles.
Best case scenario: the Spurs are the charter members of a big club in the West — “if everything goes perfect we could challenge the Lakers in the West.” But that’s the goal.
For that to happen: Well, everything has to go perfect — Tony Parker needs to bounce back from his injury and all the other core players need to stay healthy. Richard Jefferson needs to get his groove back. Duncan needs to be Duncan, maybe even a little more so. Tiago Splitter needs to adjust to the NBA quickly so he can make an impact at the end of games.
Defense is going to be the key — the Spurs were 9th in the NBA in defensive efficiency last season. Which is not bad — top third and all. But the championship Spurs were intimidating defensively, and that meant their nice-but-not-thrilling offense as good enough. What the Spurs lacked is what every team in the no-touch-on-the-perimeter era needs — a big man who can protect the rim. Tony Parker can’t stop Tony Parker with the current rules, he needs an intimidating big behind him.
Splitter needs to be that guy. He needs to adjust to the NBA game fast on the defensive end, be able to be in the lane and close out games by blocking or altering shots.
The other key is for an aging Spurs to stay healthy. Before you email in anger — yes the Spurs have done a good job of getting younger in recent years. George Hill was a great pick, as was DeJuan Blair. Splitter provides a path to being good in the post-Duncan era.
But we are talking contending here, and for that they need Duncan/Parker/Ginobili all healthy and playing well in the playoffs. And we haven’t seen that in a few years. So it’s a concern.
More likely the Spurs will: Get overlooked but be better than everyone remembers. They could be the best of the second tier of the West, even if their record doesn’t show it because Popovich will focus on the playoffs, not regular season wins (like Boston last season).
They will get to the playoffs without much hype then will knock somebody off in the first round. The Spurs know that this is very likely the last year Parker is a Spur — he could even be gone at the trading deadline — and so this will be one last run for this group. They will not go quietly into that good night.
But things will not be knock-off-the-Lakers perfect, either.
Prediction: 52-30, second round playoff exit. Good, but not what they hoped internally. And then the Tony Parker questions really start.
San Antonio Spurs 2010-11 NBA Season Preview
By Austin Burton
Dime
As the NBA preseason gets underway, we preview the upcoming campaign with the “Highs and Lows” system — predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team.
Added: Tiago Splitter, James Anderson, Alonzo Gee
Lost: Roger Mason, Keith Bogans, Ian Mahinmi
Ceiling: NBA Finals
“The way some people are saying this season is San Antonio’s last real shot at a championship in the Tim Duncan era, you’d think the Spurs are using ‘This Is It’ as their marketing slogan. It’s not quite that bad.” That was what I wrote to start last year’s Spurs preview, and you could recycle the same intro this year. San Antonio is running out of chances — unless TD goes down with an early-season injury and they wind up with Harrison Barnes in the 2011 Draft … Duncan is back for Round 14, and once again Gregg Popovich is saying he’s going to limit his minutes this year. But that could actually happen, with DeJuan Blair having established himself as a legit player (and coming into camp in better shape) plus the addition of Tiago Splitter from Brazil … Forget the lineup/rotation shuffle for now and focus on the fact that Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and George Hill give the Spurs one of the best three-man guard groups in the League. Throw in rookie James Anderson, last year’s Big 12 Player of the Year, and the Spurs have a good mix of youth and experience in the backcourt. Ideally, Hill and Anderson play enough quality allow Parker to Manu to stay fresh for the postseason … Richard Jefferson was one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA last year, but he’s received nothing but rave reviews From Popovich for how he committed himself to getting better this summer. Apparently RJ went back to the basics and focused on what made him a top prospect coming out of college: efficient scoring and defense.
Basement: First-round playoff exit
Once upon a time, I would have never entertained the idea of a Duncan-led San Antonio team going down in the first round. But after a first-round loss to Dallas in ‘09, then an embarrassing sweep at the hands of the Suns in the 2010 conference semis, the Spurs are as ripe for an early exit as any team in the West … Duncan will always be good, but his game is starting the inevitably drop-off of the mid-30s. Last year he posted career-lows in points, rebounds and blocks. And while he had good numbers in the Phoenix series (20.2 ppg, 10.5 rpg), Duncan isn’t able to just hoist the oak tree on his back like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando and carry the Spurs out of danger by himself … Splitter has shown every indication that he will be good in the NBA, and Blair got so much love during his rookie year that he’s on the verge of being overrated, but both of them have significant flaws. With Blair it’s always the height; with Splitter it’s inexperience and health. He has yet to play in the preseason due to a calf injury. After that, the Spurs would have to rely on Antonio McDyess and Matt Bonner to bolster the front line … Can Parker and Ginobili stay healthy? Will Parker’s impending free agency — and the constant talk that he’s basically expendable thanks to George Hill — become a chemistry-wrecking distraction? Is Hill also being overrated? Will Anderson, who missed summer league with a bad hamstring injury, be able to contribute right away? The Spurs’ backcourt may not be as solid as it appears … Then there’s Jefferson. He is the X-factor who can either lift the Spurs up as a dangerous championship threat, or leave them susceptible to getting eliminated by teams they traditionally own. Jefferson’s stats last year (12.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 46% FGA) didn’t accurately depict how much he hurt his team. He made just 31.6 percent of his three-pointers, and routinely came up small in big games. If he really did re-discover his swagger this summer, the Spurs can make that last le run. If not, they’re glorified fodder.
Well personally, in my honest opinion and I mean to be totally honest. This is a fair assesement.
I'm curious to read if this meant "Winning the NBA Finals."
Key questions for the five le contenders
Zach Lowe
The Point Forward
SI.com
5. SAN ANTONIO SPURS
The obvious question: Can the old guys still carry the load for a championship team?
There’s not much original to say here. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are into their mid-30s, and both of them — along with Tony Parker – battled various injuries last season. Again, we can only wait and watch.
The meatier question: Do the Spurs need to overhaul their formula?
The Spurs have won the same way for a decade: with low-risk basketball. On offense, they want one good shot. That means no turnovers and (mostly) no crashing the offensive glass for fear of giving up a transition bucket on the other end. On defense, they want to force you into taking one bad shot. They don’t gamble for steals, and they don’t give you second chances.
The Spurs stretched that model to its breaking point two years ago, when they ranked last in offensive rebounding, drawing fouls on offense and forcing turnovers on defense. They topped the league in the opposite categories — defensive rebounding, protecting the ball and avoiding fouls. It was low-risk hoops, as if implemented by a computer system.
The team made small movements away from those extremes last season, and they may have to continue on that path if they want to challenge the Lakers and the East’s elite. Their personnel demands it. DeJuan Blair pushed the Spurs above the league average in offensive rebounding last season for the first time since 2004-05, when they were right at the league average mark. Blair and George Hill can both swipe the ball on defense, and Hill is a demon of a finisher on the break. Richard Jefferson, once a slasher (I swear!), attempted a career-low 4.1 free throws per 36 minutes last season; the Spurs need that number to jump back up, or their four-year, $38.9 million commitment to Jefferson will be a sunk cost. Parker and Ginobili, if healthy, should get to the line more.
*********************
The other four. Hit the link for the write-ups.
1. LOS ANGELES LAKERS
2. MIAMI HEAT
3. BOSTON CELTICS
4. ORLANDO MAGIC
http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2010...e-contenders/#
The Works: How Stern Plays the Game; Talkin' Bucks and Spurs
By Bethlehem Shoals and Tom Ziller
Nobody has the entire National Basketball Association at his fingertips, and believe it or not, the brains of Msr. Ziller and Msr. Shoals are not connected by tape and electrical wire. To get prepped -- and pumped -- for the upcoming season, we will interrogate each about the darkest corners of this league. For each team, some questions. And for each question, some answers.
...And now, the Spurs.
TZ: Tony Parker is essentially in the same position Carmelo Anthony is, in terms of questionable Alpha qualities and free agency on the horizon. While Anthony is likely the better player, Parker's PG abilities might make him as valuable. Is the lack of attention on Parker right now a function of the difference of the Q ratings, or Spurs' winning, quiet culture?
BS: I think we should be careful not to overrate Parker's PG abilities. Plus, he's two years older, and as we've shown in the past, speedy guards don't tend to age well. It's funny, while neither Melo nor Parker are clear-cut franchise players, Anthony at least offers one of the top scoring options in the league. Parker is a complementary piece 'til the bloody end. He's a very, very good one one, but not a player who dominates any one aspect of the game. Melo is at least a cornerstone.
You get the sense, too, that despite Parker's willingness to come off the bench last season, he's still very much aware of himself as a recent All-Star at what's becoming the league's (arguably) most important position. The Spurs aren't just going to get to keep him, and do with him what they please, out of blind loyalty on TP's part. That's why the way this season unfolds will tell us a lot about what each side is thinking heading into Parker's free agency.
TZ: Who will fall apart first, Manu Ginobili or Tim Duncan? Will it finally happen for either this season?
BS: Pretty much all forms of sports history would seem to indicate that Duncan, a big man, will have longer to live in this league than Manu, the guard. However, Ginobili is one of three guards who will play a major role on the Spurs next year (count George Hill there, if things go as planned), while there's only one Tim Duncan on the Spurs. San Antonio may work harder than ever to keep Duncan fresh, and find ways to diversify their efforts, but at the end of the day, the team still goes through -- and depends primarily on -- his superstar presence. Duncan no longer being able to anchor the team is, for the Spurs' purposes, Duncan falling apart. Manu, on the other hand, can afford to age gracefully, or at least find a way to keep the glass half-full as starts to lose his faculties.
TZ: So long as Duncan remains, is it not possible for the Spurs to be considered a plucky challenger? They seem to fall with Phoenix and Portland in the standings these days, but are always seen as the been-there-before, even-keeled, you-know-what-to-expect team. But really, they are at least as volatile as Oklahoma City, just in different ways. Why can't the image of the Spurs be refreshed?
BS: That's not really the way the Spurs work. Even when a player does emerge dramatically, as Manu and to a lesser degree, Parker did, it takes time for them to be really incorporated into the program. When the image changes, it's been so gradual, or subtle, that only in retrospect can you really appreciate the difference. Maybe Tiago Splitter and DeJuan Blair will start to take the torch from Duncan, like when he truly succeeded David Robinson. That's a process, but at the same time, will in the interim make the Spurs strong up-front and in the backcourt. It's change, for sure, but it's also part of a script this franchise has rehearsed before.
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