duncan228
11-05-2009, 12:08 PM
Spurs Roundup: Talkin' Manu (but without all the bat puns) (http://www.kens5.com/sports/The-Roundup--69247937.html)
by Dan Oshinsky / KENS 5
The Roundup would like to get this one out of the way early, and we're going to attempt to do it without making any puns:
We were all prepared to declare last Saturday's bat incident an inside job. But then KENS 5 photographer Marcus Floyd -- our eyes and ears inside the AT&T Center -- pointed something out:
This decade, at least three bats have flown into Spurs games in San Antonio and stopped play.
We're still trying to track down the exact date of the most recent bat incident -- if you can help, contact the Roundup via email, please -- but we've narrowed it down to the 2002-03 season, when then-Spur Stephen Jackson had a bat swoop down on him at court level.
(In the process of trying to track down previous bat incidents, The Roundup did uncover a number of bat-related Spurs quotes. Our favorite is from Mike Wise of The Washington Post, who once described Bruce Bowen this way: "Palms out, feet shuffling laterally, limbs fluttering like bat wings, Bowen was a microcosm of the franchise the past decade -- that annoying insect impossible to shoo away.")
The Roundup also agrees with with Marcus' comments on our sports blog (http://www.kens5.com/community/blogs/featured-blogs/Okay-Enough-With-the-Bats-69086692.html): despite the conspiracies buzzing around the city, there's no chance that the bat was a Halloween stunt organized by the Spurs. Legally and ethically, it just doesn't make sense.
Yes, the Spurs' Coyote just happened to saunter out moments after the incident wearing a form-fitting Batman suit that he just happened to have nearby. Yes, we know how quickly mascots can change into entirely new outfits. And yes, the Coyote's giant fishing net is a bit suspicious, too, though we're open to the possibilities that the Coyote's been ice fishing before Rampage games.
For now, we'll call the entire thing a massive coincidence and an excellent excuse to create abstract Batmanu art like this (http://www.poundingtherock.com/2009/11/2/1111890/via-garbage-time-all-stars-too-cool).
Moving on....
Around the Web
Three excellent Spurs reads this week:
-"How can Blair play at a professional level without an ACL to call his own? With his fingers crossed." -- If you read only one (non-Roundup) Spurs article this week, make it this excellent article by Slate (http://www.slate.com/id/2234460/) explaining how DeJuan Blair can play without an ACL in either of his knees.
-"Spurs coach Gregg Popovich announced to his team after its final preseason game that he was implementing a new practice schedule. Until further notice, he told his players, practices would begin at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, rather than 10 or 11 in the morning....If sleeping in is what it takes for Ginobili to return to being the player who energizes the Spurs after a 2008-09 season in which he battled injuries and fatigue, you can be sure Popovich is going to give his new practice regimen a long chance to prove the scientific research that prompted his decision." -- The San Antonio Express-News explains why the Spurs are sleeping in this season (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Can_practice_schedule_make_Spurs_dream_team.html).
-"The fact of the matter remains that Gregg Popovich brings George Hill, Manu Ginobili, Roger Mason, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess off the bench. That’s a 5-man unit that is better than some NBA teams’ starting 5 and is sure to overwhelm nearly any second unit the Association has to offer." -- Spurs blog "48 Minutes of Hell" (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/10/28/new-orleans-hornets-96-san-antonio-spurs-113/) brings forth a point worth arguing.
Let's put it to the test. Tell us how many games the Spurs would win this season with that starting five, and explain why. Send your best answers to [email protected], and we'll publish the best best reponses in next week's Roundup.
(And before you say San Antonio has the best bench in basketball, take a look around at what other teams are boasting at roster spots 6-10. Of note: the surprisingly palatable Washington Wizards bench of Randy Foye, DeShawn Stevenson, Andre Blatche, Nick Young and JaVal McGee.)
A YouTube Clip That We Do Not Have Express Written Consent to Reproduce Here
Dwayne Wade, taking on five defenders and scoring. And a reminder: he doesn't turn 28 until January.
MW3dD9CbaxI
Consider the Following
Tim Duncan is just 102 offensive rebounds away from becoming the 25th leading rebounder in NBA history. With rebound number 2,881 (http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/milestones.cgi?stat=orb), he'll tie Vlade Divac for 25th.
For his career, Duncan's averaged 3.1 offensive rebounds per game, so at that pace, he'd pass Divac in 33 games.
We'd tell you to mark your calendars and buy your tickets for that game, but you're probably a step ahead of The Roundup already, though for different reasons. At this pace, Duncan would tie Divac's mark on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at home against the defending champs, the Los Angeles Lakers.
We Promise This is the Final Bat-Related Thing in this Column.
"For the remainder of 2009, every time the Spurs win & Manu DOESN'T kill the Official Flying Mammal of Texas, we will buy everyone in the house a beer AND donate $1 on their behalf to Bat Conservation International" -- The Freetail Brewing Company, via their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=324245025404&id=57028762312). (You can find out more about the S.A.-based restaurant at their website (http://www.freetailbrewing.com/).)
Basketball, Explained.
Each we'll offer a weekly feature in which we explain things that our readers want to know. We're willing to investigate the issues of the day. So: if you've ever wondered about something -- like what a certain player's tattoo means, or whether or not the Coyote is capable of catching anything in that giant fishing net -- we'll do our best to answer it. Just send the Roundup an email at [email protected].
This week's "Basketball, Explained": +/-
Plus/minus (+/-) is a stat with roots in hockey, though the concept behind it is ripped straight from the pages of "Moneyball." +/- measures one thing: the number of points scored and points allowed while a particular player is on the floor.
So let's say the Spurs trot out a never-in-a-million-years lineup of Parker-Mason-Hill-Hairston-Ginobili. If George Hill hits a three-pointer, all five players get +3. If they give up a layup, each player gets -2. And so on.
Add up all those pluses and minuses, and it's easy to see which combination of players works best together to score the most points while allowing the fewest. (The Roundup is guessing that Parker-Mason-Hill-Hairston-Ginobili won't be at the top of that list.)
Take, for example, the Lakers. Last season, the Spurs were anchored by Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. It's not a coincidence that when those three players were on the floor, the Lakers outscored opponents (http://www.nba.com/statistics/plusminus/plusminus.jsp) by 503 points.
In 2008-2009, the Spurs' best five were Parker-Mason-Finley-Bonner-Duncan, who were +88 for the season, according to 82games.com (http://www.82games.com/0809/0809SAS2.HTM).
by Dan Oshinsky / KENS 5
The Roundup would like to get this one out of the way early, and we're going to attempt to do it without making any puns:
We were all prepared to declare last Saturday's bat incident an inside job. But then KENS 5 photographer Marcus Floyd -- our eyes and ears inside the AT&T Center -- pointed something out:
This decade, at least three bats have flown into Spurs games in San Antonio and stopped play.
We're still trying to track down the exact date of the most recent bat incident -- if you can help, contact the Roundup via email, please -- but we've narrowed it down to the 2002-03 season, when then-Spur Stephen Jackson had a bat swoop down on him at court level.
(In the process of trying to track down previous bat incidents, The Roundup did uncover a number of bat-related Spurs quotes. Our favorite is from Mike Wise of The Washington Post, who once described Bruce Bowen this way: "Palms out, feet shuffling laterally, limbs fluttering like bat wings, Bowen was a microcosm of the franchise the past decade -- that annoying insect impossible to shoo away.")
The Roundup also agrees with with Marcus' comments on our sports blog (http://www.kens5.com/community/blogs/featured-blogs/Okay-Enough-With-the-Bats-69086692.html): despite the conspiracies buzzing around the city, there's no chance that the bat was a Halloween stunt organized by the Spurs. Legally and ethically, it just doesn't make sense.
Yes, the Spurs' Coyote just happened to saunter out moments after the incident wearing a form-fitting Batman suit that he just happened to have nearby. Yes, we know how quickly mascots can change into entirely new outfits. And yes, the Coyote's giant fishing net is a bit suspicious, too, though we're open to the possibilities that the Coyote's been ice fishing before Rampage games.
For now, we'll call the entire thing a massive coincidence and an excellent excuse to create abstract Batmanu art like this (http://www.poundingtherock.com/2009/11/2/1111890/via-garbage-time-all-stars-too-cool).
Moving on....
Around the Web
Three excellent Spurs reads this week:
-"How can Blair play at a professional level without an ACL to call his own? With his fingers crossed." -- If you read only one (non-Roundup) Spurs article this week, make it this excellent article by Slate (http://www.slate.com/id/2234460/) explaining how DeJuan Blair can play without an ACL in either of his knees.
-"Spurs coach Gregg Popovich announced to his team after its final preseason game that he was implementing a new practice schedule. Until further notice, he told his players, practices would begin at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, rather than 10 or 11 in the morning....If sleeping in is what it takes for Ginobili to return to being the player who energizes the Spurs after a 2008-09 season in which he battled injuries and fatigue, you can be sure Popovich is going to give his new practice regimen a long chance to prove the scientific research that prompted his decision." -- The San Antonio Express-News explains why the Spurs are sleeping in this season (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Can_practice_schedule_make_Spurs_dream_team.html).
-"The fact of the matter remains that Gregg Popovich brings George Hill, Manu Ginobili, Roger Mason, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess off the bench. That’s a 5-man unit that is better than some NBA teams’ starting 5 and is sure to overwhelm nearly any second unit the Association has to offer." -- Spurs blog "48 Minutes of Hell" (http://www.48minutesofhell.com/2009/10/28/new-orleans-hornets-96-san-antonio-spurs-113/) brings forth a point worth arguing.
Let's put it to the test. Tell us how many games the Spurs would win this season with that starting five, and explain why. Send your best answers to [email protected], and we'll publish the best best reponses in next week's Roundup.
(And before you say San Antonio has the best bench in basketball, take a look around at what other teams are boasting at roster spots 6-10. Of note: the surprisingly palatable Washington Wizards bench of Randy Foye, DeShawn Stevenson, Andre Blatche, Nick Young and JaVal McGee.)
A YouTube Clip That We Do Not Have Express Written Consent to Reproduce Here
Dwayne Wade, taking on five defenders and scoring. And a reminder: he doesn't turn 28 until January.
MW3dD9CbaxI
Consider the Following
Tim Duncan is just 102 offensive rebounds away from becoming the 25th leading rebounder in NBA history. With rebound number 2,881 (http://www.basketball-reference.com/friv/milestones.cgi?stat=orb), he'll tie Vlade Divac for 25th.
For his career, Duncan's averaged 3.1 offensive rebounds per game, so at that pace, he'd pass Divac in 33 games.
We'd tell you to mark your calendars and buy your tickets for that game, but you're probably a step ahead of The Roundup already, though for different reasons. At this pace, Duncan would tie Divac's mark on Tuesday, Jan. 12 at home against the defending champs, the Los Angeles Lakers.
We Promise This is the Final Bat-Related Thing in this Column.
"For the remainder of 2009, every time the Spurs win & Manu DOESN'T kill the Official Flying Mammal of Texas, we will buy everyone in the house a beer AND donate $1 on their behalf to Bat Conservation International" -- The Freetail Brewing Company, via their Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=324245025404&id=57028762312). (You can find out more about the S.A.-based restaurant at their website (http://www.freetailbrewing.com/).)
Basketball, Explained.
Each we'll offer a weekly feature in which we explain things that our readers want to know. We're willing to investigate the issues of the day. So: if you've ever wondered about something -- like what a certain player's tattoo means, or whether or not the Coyote is capable of catching anything in that giant fishing net -- we'll do our best to answer it. Just send the Roundup an email at [email protected].
This week's "Basketball, Explained": +/-
Plus/minus (+/-) is a stat with roots in hockey, though the concept behind it is ripped straight from the pages of "Moneyball." +/- measures one thing: the number of points scored and points allowed while a particular player is on the floor.
So let's say the Spurs trot out a never-in-a-million-years lineup of Parker-Mason-Hill-Hairston-Ginobili. If George Hill hits a three-pointer, all five players get +3. If they give up a layup, each player gets -2. And so on.
Add up all those pluses and minuses, and it's easy to see which combination of players works best together to score the most points while allowing the fewest. (The Roundup is guessing that Parker-Mason-Hill-Hairston-Ginobili won't be at the top of that list.)
Take, for example, the Lakers. Last season, the Spurs were anchored by Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. It's not a coincidence that when those three players were on the floor, the Lakers outscored opponents (http://www.nba.com/statistics/plusminus/plusminus.jsp) by 503 points.
In 2008-2009, the Spurs' best five were Parker-Mason-Finley-Bonner-Duncan, who were +88 for the season, according to 82games.com (http://www.82games.com/0809/0809SAS2.HTM).