duncan228
07-21-2009, 04:23 PM
Hoopsworld.
Blinebury: Spurs Ready To Go Again (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=13390)
By: Fran Blinebury
It's an old story.
Actually, that's exactly why it gets re-circulated like the stale air inside a plane cabin.
The San Antonio Spurs are too old, too worn out, too broken down, too yesterday's-news to still be contenders for the NBA title.
It was the story that grew wobbly, aging legs again last spring when the Spurs were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000 and the only time in Tim Duncan's career when he was healthy enough to take the floor.
With Manu Ginobili injured and watching from the bench, the Spurs were no match for the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round and once again there were plenty of people ready to turn the page.
But here they are back with a summertime infusion of athleticism and veteran know-how to place themselves right back at the top of the heap as the team to beat in the Southwest Division and a worthy challenger to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Coach Gregg Popovich and General Manager R.C. Buford – the best 1-2 front office combination in the league – are firmly committed to their core trio and figure they've still got enough left for at least one more run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The Spurs went from relics to relevant in three quick moves that landed Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess.
The Spurs made their boldest change by bringing in wing man Jefferson from Milwaukee. The arrival of Jefferson will not only lower the average age of the Spurs from something right below Social Security level, but should also allow them to get enough easy fastbreak baskets to take some of the burden off their half-court offense. That the Spurs only gave up the aging Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas along with the average Fabricio Oberto in the deal made it only more of a positive transaction.
Jefferson has the high-flying, fast-moving ability that the Spurs have lacked in their offense for years now. Too many of their games and too many of their offensive possessions were grind-it-out affairs that had the potential to bog down.
The next move was to lure the free agent McDyess to the Alamo City, where he'll fit in nicely to give San Antonio the rebounding and scoring punch needed off the bench, along with the potential to step into the starting lineup as needed.
The bonus addition came when Blair fell into the Spurs' laps in the second round of the draft. With the 37th pick overall, the 6-7 Blair – with an extra-long wingspan – is a high-energy type who can make things happen while gobbling up enough rebounds and loose balls to keep even the demanding Popovich happy.
Of course, the resurrection of the Spurs still centers on the three-headed monster of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. The only question is whether Ginobili, 32, can return healthy following a season where injuries to both his left ankle and right leg limited him to only 44 games all season and kept him out of the playoffs.
So much of the Spurs' struggle last year was directly related to Ginobili's ability to be himself. He entered the season with a balky left ankle, having re-injured it at the Olympics in Beijing and everybody knew it was only going to be a matter of time before it took him out of the lineup. When he finally did get onto the floor, Ginobili was not able to cut and run and cause the havoc at both ends that elevates his game. When he injured his right leg and went to the sidelines for good, the Spurs knew their season was done and spent the rest of the schedule and the playoffs just marking time.
Now Ginobili is not only rehabilitated, but motivated to show the world and the Spurs that he can still be up to his old tricks. This is the last year of his contract ($10 million) and now he's got to prove it. The simple truth is the Spurs are still a good team without him, but can only reach the level of a real contender when he's weaving through traffic and working his magic.
At 33, Duncan has 12 NBA seasons under his belt, but was still good enough to earn All-NBA second team honors last season, played solidly in the playoff loss to Dallas and continues on what seems to be his inexorable march toward going down as the greatest power forward in the history of the game.
As long as his wheels are healthy, Duncan can still carry the Spurs on his back and take them deep into the playoffs, perhaps as far as to one more title.
The good news is that Duncan will have more than capable help this time around from the veteran McDyess, who isn't the high-flying, skywalker anymore, but still has the ability to take his man off the dribble and knock in the outside jumper. McDyess gives the Spurs the scoring punch that has been desperately lacking up front off their bench and his rebounding will help as well.
While Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups and even the venerable Jason Kidd keep getting the due at the point in the Western Conference, Parker somehow manages to keep raising the level of his game with very few outside of San Antonio noticing.
Now entering his ninth NBA season, it's remarkable to think how far Parker has progressed since those early days when his main role was to be head coach Popovich's whipping boy. He's coming off a season where averaged 22 points, shot 50.6 percent from the field and dished out 6.9 assists.
The best part if you're the Spurs is that Parker is still only 27 years old and just entering what should be the prime of his career.
With Ginobili entering the final year of his contract, this season will go a long way toward determining the future track of the Spurs.
Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have been the core of the NBA's most successful franchise over the past decade and with the off-season additions that have been made, there's every reason to think they can be a real threat again. It's an old story. But not done yet
Blinebury: Spurs Ready To Go Again (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?STORY_ID=13390)
By: Fran Blinebury
It's an old story.
Actually, that's exactly why it gets re-circulated like the stale air inside a plane cabin.
The San Antonio Spurs are too old, too worn out, too broken down, too yesterday's-news to still be contenders for the NBA title.
It was the story that grew wobbly, aging legs again last spring when the Spurs were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000 and the only time in Tim Duncan's career when he was healthy enough to take the floor.
With Manu Ginobili injured and watching from the bench, the Spurs were no match for the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round and once again there were plenty of people ready to turn the page.
But here they are back with a summertime infusion of athleticism and veteran know-how to place themselves right back at the top of the heap as the team to beat in the Southwest Division and a worthy challenger to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.
Coach Gregg Popovich and General Manager R.C. Buford – the best 1-2 front office combination in the league – are firmly committed to their core trio and figure they've still got enough left for at least one more run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
The Spurs went from relics to relevant in three quick moves that landed Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess.
The Spurs made their boldest change by bringing in wing man Jefferson from Milwaukee. The arrival of Jefferson will not only lower the average age of the Spurs from something right below Social Security level, but should also allow them to get enough easy fastbreak baskets to take some of the burden off their half-court offense. That the Spurs only gave up the aging Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas along with the average Fabricio Oberto in the deal made it only more of a positive transaction.
Jefferson has the high-flying, fast-moving ability that the Spurs have lacked in their offense for years now. Too many of their games and too many of their offensive possessions were grind-it-out affairs that had the potential to bog down.
The next move was to lure the free agent McDyess to the Alamo City, where he'll fit in nicely to give San Antonio the rebounding and scoring punch needed off the bench, along with the potential to step into the starting lineup as needed.
The bonus addition came when Blair fell into the Spurs' laps in the second round of the draft. With the 37th pick overall, the 6-7 Blair – with an extra-long wingspan – is a high-energy type who can make things happen while gobbling up enough rebounds and loose balls to keep even the demanding Popovich happy.
Of course, the resurrection of the Spurs still centers on the three-headed monster of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. The only question is whether Ginobili, 32, can return healthy following a season where injuries to both his left ankle and right leg limited him to only 44 games all season and kept him out of the playoffs.
So much of the Spurs' struggle last year was directly related to Ginobili's ability to be himself. He entered the season with a balky left ankle, having re-injured it at the Olympics in Beijing and everybody knew it was only going to be a matter of time before it took him out of the lineup. When he finally did get onto the floor, Ginobili was not able to cut and run and cause the havoc at both ends that elevates his game. When he injured his right leg and went to the sidelines for good, the Spurs knew their season was done and spent the rest of the schedule and the playoffs just marking time.
Now Ginobili is not only rehabilitated, but motivated to show the world and the Spurs that he can still be up to his old tricks. This is the last year of his contract ($10 million) and now he's got to prove it. The simple truth is the Spurs are still a good team without him, but can only reach the level of a real contender when he's weaving through traffic and working his magic.
At 33, Duncan has 12 NBA seasons under his belt, but was still good enough to earn All-NBA second team honors last season, played solidly in the playoff loss to Dallas and continues on what seems to be his inexorable march toward going down as the greatest power forward in the history of the game.
As long as his wheels are healthy, Duncan can still carry the Spurs on his back and take them deep into the playoffs, perhaps as far as to one more title.
The good news is that Duncan will have more than capable help this time around from the veteran McDyess, who isn't the high-flying, skywalker anymore, but still has the ability to take his man off the dribble and knock in the outside jumper. McDyess gives the Spurs the scoring punch that has been desperately lacking up front off their bench and his rebounding will help as well.
While Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups and even the venerable Jason Kidd keep getting the due at the point in the Western Conference, Parker somehow manages to keep raising the level of his game with very few outside of San Antonio noticing.
Now entering his ninth NBA season, it's remarkable to think how far Parker has progressed since those early days when his main role was to be head coach Popovich's whipping boy. He's coming off a season where averaged 22 points, shot 50.6 percent from the field and dished out 6.9 assists.
The best part if you're the Spurs is that Parker is still only 27 years old and just entering what should be the prime of his career.
With Ginobili entering the final year of his contract, this season will go a long way toward determining the future track of the Spurs.
Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have been the core of the NBA's most successful franchise over the past decade and with the off-season additions that have been made, there's every reason to think they can be a real threat again. It's an old story. But not done yet