wijayas
07-25-2008, 09:40 AM
Team Report
Yahoo! Sports
4 hours, 31 minutes ago
It’s hot this summer in San Antonio, and the two men sweating most have to be Michael Finley and Robert Horry.
As the Spurs tinker with their roster in a bit of a youth movement this off-season, two guys who have played a role in their recent success seem forgotten.
They’re not forgotten. And it would be unfair to label them unwanted. Perhaps unneeded would more accurate.
Finley and Horry were disappointments last season, one (Finley) as he played a major role as a regular starter, the other (Horry) as he basically took the regular season off in hopes of storing maximum energy for the playoffs.
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Clearly, the Spurs are prepared to go forward without them. The club signed Roger Mason Jr. to play the same role as Finley—a spot-up shooter who could be used as a starter or off the bench. More recently, summer-league star Anthony Tolliver was given a contract, with Horry’s old seat on the bench a possible destination.
Make no mistake about it: If Finley or Horry offered to play for the veterans’ minimum in 2008-09, the Spurs almost assuredly would hand him an invitation to training camp. But given the increased level of competition for playing time, it’s pretty obvious each has a better option.
Stay tuned. Then again, given the Spurs’ current level of interest, there might be no news forthcoming.
Notes, Quotes
• The Spurs re-signed the top priority among their free agents, center Kurt Thomas. The 36-year-old got a two-year guarantee worth a total of $8 million. The Heat and Lakers had been considered the chief competition for his services.
• Robert Horry appears to be in no hurry to decide whether to retire or make a run at a 17th NBA season. “I haven’t even talked to anybody,” he assured as the calendar approached August.
• Anthony Tolliver agreed to a one-year deal with the Spurs after having been the club’s second-leading scorer (12.3 points per game) in the NBA Summer League. The 6-foot-8 forward began last season with the Cavaliers, but saw a majority of his playing time (25 games) in the NBA D-League, where he averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 rebounds.
• Manu Ginobili informed the Spurs he would be joining his native Argentina in its quest to defend the gold medal in Beijing. In his first action since seen limping away from the NBA playoffs on a bad ankle, the left-hander poured in 18 points in a recent exhibition win over Spain in Madrid.
Quote To Note: “It’s been a goal of mine to play 15 years. This will take me to my 15th season.”—Center Kurt Thomas, on his new two-year contract with the Spurs.
Roster Report
Draft Picks:
George Hill, G, 6-2, IUPUI—The Summit League Player of the Year is considered equally talented at both ends of the floor. The 22-year-old stood out at the NBA predraft camp in Orlando.
Malik Hairston, F, 6-6, Oregon—The run-and-gun Ducks were known for their offense, and Hairston (sixth-leading scorer in school history) provided his fair share. But he also was considered the club’s best defensive player.
James Gist, F, 6-9, Maryland—A powerful interior presence who made the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-defensive first team.
Biggest Needs: Stay healthy this summer. The Spurs will have one eye overseas, with Tony Parker (France) and Manu Ginobili (Argentina) far more active than the organization would prefer.
Free-agent Focus: Having convinced Kurt Thomas to return and imported Roger Mason Jr. via free agency, the Spurs now must turn their attention to loyalty issues. Do they owe Michael Finley and Robert Horry contracts as a partial repayment for past contributions? We’ll see.
Player Notes:
• A lot of people have had bad luck in Las Vegas. You can now add George Hill to that list. The first-round pick missed 23 of his 25 shots in three summer-league games in what can only be labeled as a nightmarish debut as a Spur. He did average 7.0 rebounds per game, but had as many turnovers (nine) as assists (nine) and totaled 14 fouls in three contests.
• If production in Las Vegas can be used as a guide, Malik Hairston is going to have a hard time making the Spurs’ regular-season roster next season. Despite taking the third-most shots, the Oregon product was just the club’s ninth-leading scorer at 6.3 points per game. He also grabbed only 11 rebounds in four games.
• James Gist helped the Spurs split four games in Las Vegas, shooting 62.1 percent and contributing 10.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. The former Maryland star led the team in blocked shots with three.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=teamreports-2008-nba-sas&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report
Yahoo! Sports
4 hours, 31 minutes ago
It’s hot this summer in San Antonio, and the two men sweating most have to be Michael Finley and Robert Horry.
As the Spurs tinker with their roster in a bit of a youth movement this off-season, two guys who have played a role in their recent success seem forgotten.
They’re not forgotten. And it would be unfair to label them unwanted. Perhaps unneeded would more accurate.
Finley and Horry were disappointments last season, one (Finley) as he played a major role as a regular starter, the other (Horry) as he basically took the regular season off in hopes of storing maximum energy for the playoffs.
ADVERTISEMENT
Clearly, the Spurs are prepared to go forward without them. The club signed Roger Mason Jr. to play the same role as Finley—a spot-up shooter who could be used as a starter or off the bench. More recently, summer-league star Anthony Tolliver was given a contract, with Horry’s old seat on the bench a possible destination.
Make no mistake about it: If Finley or Horry offered to play for the veterans’ minimum in 2008-09, the Spurs almost assuredly would hand him an invitation to training camp. But given the increased level of competition for playing time, it’s pretty obvious each has a better option.
Stay tuned. Then again, given the Spurs’ current level of interest, there might be no news forthcoming.
Notes, Quotes
• The Spurs re-signed the top priority among their free agents, center Kurt Thomas. The 36-year-old got a two-year guarantee worth a total of $8 million. The Heat and Lakers had been considered the chief competition for his services.
• Robert Horry appears to be in no hurry to decide whether to retire or make a run at a 17th NBA season. “I haven’t even talked to anybody,” he assured as the calendar approached August.
• Anthony Tolliver agreed to a one-year deal with the Spurs after having been the club’s second-leading scorer (12.3 points per game) in the NBA Summer League. The 6-foot-8 forward began last season with the Cavaliers, but saw a majority of his playing time (25 games) in the NBA D-League, where he averaged 11.6 points and 6.4 rebounds.
• Manu Ginobili informed the Spurs he would be joining his native Argentina in its quest to defend the gold medal in Beijing. In his first action since seen limping away from the NBA playoffs on a bad ankle, the left-hander poured in 18 points in a recent exhibition win over Spain in Madrid.
Quote To Note: “It’s been a goal of mine to play 15 years. This will take me to my 15th season.”—Center Kurt Thomas, on his new two-year contract with the Spurs.
Roster Report
Draft Picks:
George Hill, G, 6-2, IUPUI—The Summit League Player of the Year is considered equally talented at both ends of the floor. The 22-year-old stood out at the NBA predraft camp in Orlando.
Malik Hairston, F, 6-6, Oregon—The run-and-gun Ducks were known for their offense, and Hairston (sixth-leading scorer in school history) provided his fair share. But he also was considered the club’s best defensive player.
James Gist, F, 6-9, Maryland—A powerful interior presence who made the Atlantic Coast Conference’s all-defensive first team.
Biggest Needs: Stay healthy this summer. The Spurs will have one eye overseas, with Tony Parker (France) and Manu Ginobili (Argentina) far more active than the organization would prefer.
Free-agent Focus: Having convinced Kurt Thomas to return and imported Roger Mason Jr. via free agency, the Spurs now must turn their attention to loyalty issues. Do they owe Michael Finley and Robert Horry contracts as a partial repayment for past contributions? We’ll see.
Player Notes:
• A lot of people have had bad luck in Las Vegas. You can now add George Hill to that list. The first-round pick missed 23 of his 25 shots in three summer-league games in what can only be labeled as a nightmarish debut as a Spur. He did average 7.0 rebounds per game, but had as many turnovers (nine) as assists (nine) and totaled 14 fouls in three contests.
• If production in Las Vegas can be used as a guide, Malik Hairston is going to have a hard time making the Spurs’ regular-season roster next season. Despite taking the third-most shots, the Oregon product was just the club’s ninth-leading scorer at 6.3 points per game. He also grabbed only 11 rebounds in four games.
• James Gist helped the Spurs split four games in Las Vegas, shooting 62.1 percent and contributing 10.8 points and 7.3 rebounds a game. The former Maryland star led the team in blocked shots with three.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=teamreports-2008-nba-sas&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report