duncan228
04-29-2009, 07:55 PM
Ousted Spurs embark on an unusually long offseason (http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5jBFUVs2NvGVuZzCjLI2uB7g15SWw)
Paul J. Weber
SAN ANTONIO — While Tim Duncan is finally resting his aging knees and Manu Ginobili is letting his ankle heal, Tony Parker has a summer of playing for France ahead of him.
Uh-oh.
"One could probably look at my face ... and could glean from that how happy I am about some of the guys playing in the summertime," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked Wednesday.
That wink to Ginobili shredding his ankle while playing for Argentina in last summer's Olympics - the first of several injuries that doomed San Antonio to an unusually short playoff run - is how Popovich and the Spurs began their earliest offseason since 2000.
Though disappointed, Popovich seemed at ease a day after the Dallas Mavericks ousted San Antonio in a series that exposed how ill-equipped the Spurs were for a serious title run.
Even again on Wednesday, Popovich pointed out how much more "firepower" the Mavs packed.
Popovich's reflection on the season also hinted at a four-time NBA champion coach who knew these Spurs faced longer odds without their Big Three healthy.
To that end, getting booted by the Mavs while Ginobili sat behind the bench maybe wasn't much of a surprise.
Nor is what the Spurs will likely do next: shed some veterans, add some newcomers and not change a proven formula for the NBA's winningest team over the last decade.
"At some point we won't be looking at role players," Popovich said. "We'll be looking to bring stars in, to replace stars. That's not the situation yet."
It would've been a solid season in just about any NBA city but San Antonio. The Spurs won the Southwest Division, were the No. 3 seed in the West and joined Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers as the only teams in history to win 50-plus games in 10 consecutive seasons.
But those achievements belied the injuries and shortcomings San Antonio couldn't get around.
Ginobili played just 44 games because of problems in both ankles, Duncan's knees flared up down the stretch and the supporting cast was a no-show in the playoffs.
This was most evident in San Antonio's final two playoff losses, when Duncan and Parker combined to hit 50 of their team's 70 field goals.
Parker averaged 28.6 points in the playoffs and a career-best 22 points in the regular season.
The 26-year-old quickly shot down the suggestion during the playoffs that the Spurs are now his team, calling himself and Ginobili "sidekicks" to Duncan even though he tied the Mavericks, 19-19, in the first quarter of San Antonio's only win in the series.
"I think we just have to make a couple changes," said Parker, who will play for the French national team this summer.
"I don't think we're done at all. I think with a healthy Manu Ginobili and a couple changes in our role players, we'll be right back trying to get another one."
Rookie George Hill impressed defensively, and newcomer Roger Mason averaged nearly 12 points a game before fizzling in the playoffs. But the Spurs, the NBA's oldest team, know they must add other young parts.
Veteran starter Michael Finley, 36, said he hasn't thought about his future with the Spurs. Bruce Bowen, the 37-year-old defensive specialist whose minutes were reduced at times this year, said it would be a "shock" to him if he didn't return but added he understands the nature of the business.
"I think there are going to be some changes made, just to give the Spurs organization the best chance to win a championship," Finley said. "Just from past experiences, changes usually come about."
Popovich, while not addressing any specific player, said it is always a difficult offseason task to tell pieces of past championship teams that the Spurs are moving on without them.
He recalled severing ties with Robert Horry last year as being a tough phone call to make.
"But it needs to be done," Popovich said. "Very few players stay in one spot for their whole career. It doesn't limit the difficulty of making those calls. I don't look forward to it at all."
Paul J. Weber
SAN ANTONIO — While Tim Duncan is finally resting his aging knees and Manu Ginobili is letting his ankle heal, Tony Parker has a summer of playing for France ahead of him.
Uh-oh.
"One could probably look at my face ... and could glean from that how happy I am about some of the guys playing in the summertime," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich joked Wednesday.
That wink to Ginobili shredding his ankle while playing for Argentina in last summer's Olympics - the first of several injuries that doomed San Antonio to an unusually short playoff run - is how Popovich and the Spurs began their earliest offseason since 2000.
Though disappointed, Popovich seemed at ease a day after the Dallas Mavericks ousted San Antonio in a series that exposed how ill-equipped the Spurs were for a serious title run.
Even again on Wednesday, Popovich pointed out how much more "firepower" the Mavs packed.
Popovich's reflection on the season also hinted at a four-time NBA champion coach who knew these Spurs faced longer odds without their Big Three healthy.
To that end, getting booted by the Mavs while Ginobili sat behind the bench maybe wasn't much of a surprise.
Nor is what the Spurs will likely do next: shed some veterans, add some newcomers and not change a proven formula for the NBA's winningest team over the last decade.
"At some point we won't be looking at role players," Popovich said. "We'll be looking to bring stars in, to replace stars. That's not the situation yet."
It would've been a solid season in just about any NBA city but San Antonio. The Spurs won the Southwest Division, were the No. 3 seed in the West and joined Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers as the only teams in history to win 50-plus games in 10 consecutive seasons.
But those achievements belied the injuries and shortcomings San Antonio couldn't get around.
Ginobili played just 44 games because of problems in both ankles, Duncan's knees flared up down the stretch and the supporting cast was a no-show in the playoffs.
This was most evident in San Antonio's final two playoff losses, when Duncan and Parker combined to hit 50 of their team's 70 field goals.
Parker averaged 28.6 points in the playoffs and a career-best 22 points in the regular season.
The 26-year-old quickly shot down the suggestion during the playoffs that the Spurs are now his team, calling himself and Ginobili "sidekicks" to Duncan even though he tied the Mavericks, 19-19, in the first quarter of San Antonio's only win in the series.
"I think we just have to make a couple changes," said Parker, who will play for the French national team this summer.
"I don't think we're done at all. I think with a healthy Manu Ginobili and a couple changes in our role players, we'll be right back trying to get another one."
Rookie George Hill impressed defensively, and newcomer Roger Mason averaged nearly 12 points a game before fizzling in the playoffs. But the Spurs, the NBA's oldest team, know they must add other young parts.
Veteran starter Michael Finley, 36, said he hasn't thought about his future with the Spurs. Bruce Bowen, the 37-year-old defensive specialist whose minutes were reduced at times this year, said it would be a "shock" to him if he didn't return but added he understands the nature of the business.
"I think there are going to be some changes made, just to give the Spurs organization the best chance to win a championship," Finley said. "Just from past experiences, changes usually come about."
Popovich, while not addressing any specific player, said it is always a difficult offseason task to tell pieces of past championship teams that the Spurs are moving on without them.
He recalled severing ties with Robert Horry last year as being a tough phone call to make.
"But it needs to be done," Popovich said. "Very few players stay in one spot for their whole career. It doesn't limit the difficulty of making those calls. I don't look forward to it at all."