duncan228
01-27-2010, 01:20 PM
Spurs Roundup: The fall of the empire (or: potius cero quam numquam) (http://www.kens5.com/sports/Spurs-Roundup-The-fall-of-the-empire-or-potius-cero-quam-numquam-82716867.html)
by Dan Oshinsky / KENS 5
Inside this edition of the Roundup:
-The road to Tim Duncan's next milestone!
-NBA point guard cluelessness!
-And why you should care about Hawks center Zaza Pachulia!
But first: a story that I promise goes somewhere.
In high school, I had a Latin teacher named Miss Cherry. She was old, but it was impossible to know how old. Many of us believed she predated Caesar. She couldn't have stood an inch above 4-foot-8, and she had a poof of white hair. When upset, she'd put her hands on her hips and glower at the class. "Snap out of it!" she'd say.
I took three years of Latin, but only one phrase from Miss Cherry's class stuck with me. It's a phrase that started with Miss Cherry's unusual attendance policy, and seeing as how I made it a point to show up late for Latin class, it's the only phrase I ever really needed to learn. In Roman days, myth has it that a citizen could travel anywhere needing only the protection of three words: Civus Romanus sum, which means, "I am a Roman citizen."
In Miss Cherry's Latin class, a student could arrive as tardy as was desired needing only the protection of four: Potius sero quam numqam.
Better late than never, it meant.
I'd show up late for class, toss Miss Cherry an apologetic "potius sero quam numquam" and take my seat. Miss Cherry would already be deep into a talk about the fall of the Roman empire, which is all we ever talked about in Latin class. It's all you really can talk about in such a class: Rome rose, became the most powerful civilization on the planet and then fell. They fell quickly and mercilessly, and without grace.
The same questions came up in every class: How could an empire fall so quickly? How could such great leaders fail?
When answering, Miss Cherry liked to point to Latin thinkers for guidance. Cicero was a particular favorite of hers. "Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis," he once said, with Dylan-like prescience (http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/times-they-are-changin): the times are changed, and we are changed in them.
If only we knew -- or, rather, if only we knew when.
It's Rome that we have to credit for the elevation of sport towards today's modern levels. In the Coliseum, the gladiators were immortal, or at worst, infallable. Our modern sports heroes are no less legendary.
Modern sport has seen the rise of dynasties and heroes, but they all eventually end the same way: with a fall.
Look north to New England. This fall, the Patriots had what might be considered a down year for their franchise: a 10-6 record and a first-round home playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots had won three Super Bowls under head coach Bill Belichick, widely considered a mastermind of the game. Their quarterback, Tom Brady, had never lost a home playoff game. In games played in temperatures below 40 degrees, he entered 2009 with a 27-2 record. Their best wide receiver, Randy Moss, was considered one of the most gifted to ever play football.
The Patriots were a dynasty, and the best pro football team of the decade.
The Patriots lost, 33-14, to the Ravens.
Look west, to Los Angeles. This fall, the University of Southern California Trojans were projected to be one of the top 10 teams in America. They entered the season ranked number four in both the AP and Coaches polls. They had a backfield full of five-star recruits. Their starting safety had won All-American honors twice. Their coach, Pete Carroll, had guided his team to one national championship and seven straight BCS bowls (and won six of them).
The Trojans were a dynasty, and the best college football team of the decade.
The Trojans finished 2009 with a 9-4 record, fifth place in the Pac 10 conference and a birth in the Emerald Bowl.
Now look just east of downtown San Antonio, to the AT&T Center. This fall, the San Antonio Spurs were considered a favorite to win the NBA title. They had Tim Duncan, a lock for the Hall of Fame and perhaps the best power forward in basketball history. They returned All Star guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. They brought in All Star forward Richard Jefferson, and their draft was widely praised thanks to the signing of forward DeJuan Blair. Their coach, Gregg Popovich, and general manager, R.C. Buford, had been the architects of three NBA titles in 10 years.
The Spurs were a dynasty, and the best NBA team of the decade.
But the Spurs are not playing well this season, and they are playing especially poorly right now. After Monday night's loss to the Bulls, San Antonio has lost three in a row -- the third time they've accomplished that feat this season. If the playoffs started today, they would qualify for the postseason -- but barely. As of Wednesday morning, the difference between the Spurs (the sixth place team in the West) and the Thunder (the 11th place team) is 1.5 games.
Maybe, I hear fans saying, the Spurs will get out of this funk, make a big run to finish the season and find their way through the playoffs. Potius sero quam numquam, fans will say, as Tim Duncan hoists his fourth NBA title this June.
But I know what Miss Cherry would say about the dynasty that's been built in South Texas and the heroes it has made.
Miss Cherry would put her hands on her hips and glower.
Snap out of it, she'd say.
Tim Duncan Milestone Watch
Last week, Tim Duncan hit a major milestone: 20,000 points. As of this morning, he's scored 20,039 points (good for 39th all time). But Duncan has a good chance to become the Spurs' all-time leading scorer by year's end.
David Robinson is the current record holder for the Spurs. He scored 20,790 points in his career.
This season, Duncan is averaging 19.8 points per game. With 39 games left, assuming Duncan plays in every remaining game, he'll score 772 more points this season. At that rate, he will pass Robinson on Mon., April 12, at home vs. the Timberwolves.
In related Duncan milestone news: Duncan's just 84 offensive rebounds away from reaching 3,000 for his career. This year, he's already passed Vlade Divac to become the 25th leading offensive rebounder in history. If he gets to 3,000, he'll pass Dominique Wilkins and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the process.
He's still a bit off David Robinson's career mark, though. Robinson grabbed 3,083 offensive rebounds in his career.
First Annual Roundup Award for Most Unlikely Reaction to a Historic Milestone
"He scored the basket and everyone yelled and it was like, 'Dang. Why's everybody yellin'? Did Eva (Longoria) come in or something?" -- Rockets guard Aaron Brooks, reacting to Duncan's 20,000th career point (http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gpxX1aTpKXRpuxBCCc4ZrKppWong).
Briefly, re: Potential Manu Trades
"One free agent not often mentioned is the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili, who last week was explaining away comments in an Argentinean newspaper that suggested he’d leave the Spurs after this season. Ginobili said there was a loss in translation, but given his history of injury and hard falls, the Spurs may let him go if they go out of the playoffs early. Then what would the market be for a 33-year-old exciting player clearly on the downside." -- From Sam Smith (http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_100125.html), noted NBA reporter. Arguments/counterpoints welcome in the comments below.
More Rumors Du Jour
Wednesday's big rumor is that Amar'e Stoudemire could be headed to the Spurs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Stoudemire-could-be-headed-to-San-Antonio?urn=nba,215948). But the Spurs aren't the only interested party. In the last 48 hours, the Bulls, Cavs, Warriors, Heat, Nets, Pistons and T'Wolves have all been linked to the Suns' power forward. And last summer, an Amar'e-to-the-Warriors deal was allegedly in place (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Stoudemire-could-be-headed-to-San-Antonio?urn=nba,215948), but that fell apart. Sounds like the Suns are feeling out the market and trying to see if they can pull off a blockbuster deal. Roundup prediction: most likely, no deal will be made.
Something You Didn't Know About Atlanta Big Man Zaza Pachulia
Here at the Roundup, I'm constantly searching for ways to allow you to impress friends with obscure trivia. (Trivia, of course, coming from the Latin word "trivium," which refers to the junction of three roads.) The Spurs take on the Hawks tonight at 7:30 p.m. (TV: FSN Southwest; Radio: WOAI 1200 AM), and your friends will probably be talking about stat stuffer Josh Smith, who's averaging 15.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 steals, 2.2. blocks and 1.5 steals per game.
But I think you should be focused on reserve center Zaza Pachulia, who has the unusual distinction of having been born in Georgia (the country) before moving to America to play in Georgia (the state).
Pachulia's minutes have dropped this year now that Hawks have two talented, young big men in Al Horford and Marvin Williams, but it's still possible that Pachulia could set a milestone tonight against the Spurs.
With eight additional offensive rebounds, Pachulia will equal the total number of offensive rebounds that the three other Georigan-born NBA players -- Vladimir Stepania, Jake Tsakalidis and Nikoloz Tskitishvili -- combined to grab in their careers.
And if that's not reason enough to root for a man named Zaza, consider the entry that Pachulia posted just Monday on his blog (http://www.zazapachulia.com/ssp/journal):
"I hope everyone has a great 2010, and that all the goals you set come true. This is the year of the Tiger (not the golfer, I promise), and the Tiger is a very strong animal. It’s very determined and confident, and I want for everyone to feel that way."
Or, as Miss Cherry might say: ut ameris, amabilis esto (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Latin_proverbs).
by Dan Oshinsky / KENS 5
Inside this edition of the Roundup:
-The road to Tim Duncan's next milestone!
-NBA point guard cluelessness!
-And why you should care about Hawks center Zaza Pachulia!
But first: a story that I promise goes somewhere.
In high school, I had a Latin teacher named Miss Cherry. She was old, but it was impossible to know how old. Many of us believed she predated Caesar. She couldn't have stood an inch above 4-foot-8, and she had a poof of white hair. When upset, she'd put her hands on her hips and glower at the class. "Snap out of it!" she'd say.
I took three years of Latin, but only one phrase from Miss Cherry's class stuck with me. It's a phrase that started with Miss Cherry's unusual attendance policy, and seeing as how I made it a point to show up late for Latin class, it's the only phrase I ever really needed to learn. In Roman days, myth has it that a citizen could travel anywhere needing only the protection of three words: Civus Romanus sum, which means, "I am a Roman citizen."
In Miss Cherry's Latin class, a student could arrive as tardy as was desired needing only the protection of four: Potius sero quam numqam.
Better late than never, it meant.
I'd show up late for class, toss Miss Cherry an apologetic "potius sero quam numquam" and take my seat. Miss Cherry would already be deep into a talk about the fall of the Roman empire, which is all we ever talked about in Latin class. It's all you really can talk about in such a class: Rome rose, became the most powerful civilization on the planet and then fell. They fell quickly and mercilessly, and without grace.
The same questions came up in every class: How could an empire fall so quickly? How could such great leaders fail?
When answering, Miss Cherry liked to point to Latin thinkers for guidance. Cicero was a particular favorite of hers. "Tempora mutantur et nos mutamur in illis," he once said, with Dylan-like prescience (http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/times-they-are-changin): the times are changed, and we are changed in them.
If only we knew -- or, rather, if only we knew when.
It's Rome that we have to credit for the elevation of sport towards today's modern levels. In the Coliseum, the gladiators were immortal, or at worst, infallable. Our modern sports heroes are no less legendary.
Modern sport has seen the rise of dynasties and heroes, but they all eventually end the same way: with a fall.
Look north to New England. This fall, the Patriots had what might be considered a down year for their franchise: a 10-6 record and a first-round home playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots had won three Super Bowls under head coach Bill Belichick, widely considered a mastermind of the game. Their quarterback, Tom Brady, had never lost a home playoff game. In games played in temperatures below 40 degrees, he entered 2009 with a 27-2 record. Their best wide receiver, Randy Moss, was considered one of the most gifted to ever play football.
The Patriots were a dynasty, and the best pro football team of the decade.
The Patriots lost, 33-14, to the Ravens.
Look west, to Los Angeles. This fall, the University of Southern California Trojans were projected to be one of the top 10 teams in America. They entered the season ranked number four in both the AP and Coaches polls. They had a backfield full of five-star recruits. Their starting safety had won All-American honors twice. Their coach, Pete Carroll, had guided his team to one national championship and seven straight BCS bowls (and won six of them).
The Trojans were a dynasty, and the best college football team of the decade.
The Trojans finished 2009 with a 9-4 record, fifth place in the Pac 10 conference and a birth in the Emerald Bowl.
Now look just east of downtown San Antonio, to the AT&T Center. This fall, the San Antonio Spurs were considered a favorite to win the NBA title. They had Tim Duncan, a lock for the Hall of Fame and perhaps the best power forward in basketball history. They returned All Star guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. They brought in All Star forward Richard Jefferson, and their draft was widely praised thanks to the signing of forward DeJuan Blair. Their coach, Gregg Popovich, and general manager, R.C. Buford, had been the architects of three NBA titles in 10 years.
The Spurs were a dynasty, and the best NBA team of the decade.
But the Spurs are not playing well this season, and they are playing especially poorly right now. After Monday night's loss to the Bulls, San Antonio has lost three in a row -- the third time they've accomplished that feat this season. If the playoffs started today, they would qualify for the postseason -- but barely. As of Wednesday morning, the difference between the Spurs (the sixth place team in the West) and the Thunder (the 11th place team) is 1.5 games.
Maybe, I hear fans saying, the Spurs will get out of this funk, make a big run to finish the season and find their way through the playoffs. Potius sero quam numquam, fans will say, as Tim Duncan hoists his fourth NBA title this June.
But I know what Miss Cherry would say about the dynasty that's been built in South Texas and the heroes it has made.
Miss Cherry would put her hands on her hips and glower.
Snap out of it, she'd say.
Tim Duncan Milestone Watch
Last week, Tim Duncan hit a major milestone: 20,000 points. As of this morning, he's scored 20,039 points (good for 39th all time). But Duncan has a good chance to become the Spurs' all-time leading scorer by year's end.
David Robinson is the current record holder for the Spurs. He scored 20,790 points in his career.
This season, Duncan is averaging 19.8 points per game. With 39 games left, assuming Duncan plays in every remaining game, he'll score 772 more points this season. At that rate, he will pass Robinson on Mon., April 12, at home vs. the Timberwolves.
In related Duncan milestone news: Duncan's just 84 offensive rebounds away from reaching 3,000 for his career. This year, he's already passed Vlade Divac to become the 25th leading offensive rebounder in history. If he gets to 3,000, he'll pass Dominique Wilkins and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the process.
He's still a bit off David Robinson's career mark, though. Robinson grabbed 3,083 offensive rebounds in his career.
First Annual Roundup Award for Most Unlikely Reaction to a Historic Milestone
"He scored the basket and everyone yelled and it was like, 'Dang. Why's everybody yellin'? Did Eva (Longoria) come in or something?" -- Rockets guard Aaron Brooks, reacting to Duncan's 20,000th career point (http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gpxX1aTpKXRpuxBCCc4ZrKppWong).
Briefly, re: Potential Manu Trades
"One free agent not often mentioned is the Spurs’ Manu Ginobili, who last week was explaining away comments in an Argentinean newspaper that suggested he’d leave the Spurs after this season. Ginobili said there was a loss in translation, but given his history of injury and hard falls, the Spurs may let him go if they go out of the playoffs early. Then what would the market be for a 33-year-old exciting player clearly on the downside." -- From Sam Smith (http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/smith_100125.html), noted NBA reporter. Arguments/counterpoints welcome in the comments below.
More Rumors Du Jour
Wednesday's big rumor is that Amar'e Stoudemire could be headed to the Spurs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Stoudemire-could-be-headed-to-San-Antonio?urn=nba,215948). But the Spurs aren't the only interested party. In the last 48 hours, the Bulls, Cavs, Warriors, Heat, Nets, Pistons and T'Wolves have all been linked to the Suns' power forward. And last summer, an Amar'e-to-the-Warriors deal was allegedly in place (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/rumors/post/Stoudemire-could-be-headed-to-San-Antonio?urn=nba,215948), but that fell apart. Sounds like the Suns are feeling out the market and trying to see if they can pull off a blockbuster deal. Roundup prediction: most likely, no deal will be made.
Something You Didn't Know About Atlanta Big Man Zaza Pachulia
Here at the Roundup, I'm constantly searching for ways to allow you to impress friends with obscure trivia. (Trivia, of course, coming from the Latin word "trivium," which refers to the junction of three roads.) The Spurs take on the Hawks tonight at 7:30 p.m. (TV: FSN Southwest; Radio: WOAI 1200 AM), and your friends will probably be talking about stat stuffer Josh Smith, who's averaging 15.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 steals, 2.2. blocks and 1.5 steals per game.
But I think you should be focused on reserve center Zaza Pachulia, who has the unusual distinction of having been born in Georgia (the country) before moving to America to play in Georgia (the state).
Pachulia's minutes have dropped this year now that Hawks have two talented, young big men in Al Horford and Marvin Williams, but it's still possible that Pachulia could set a milestone tonight against the Spurs.
With eight additional offensive rebounds, Pachulia will equal the total number of offensive rebounds that the three other Georigan-born NBA players -- Vladimir Stepania, Jake Tsakalidis and Nikoloz Tskitishvili -- combined to grab in their careers.
And if that's not reason enough to root for a man named Zaza, consider the entry that Pachulia posted just Monday on his blog (http://www.zazapachulia.com/ssp/journal):
"I hope everyone has a great 2010, and that all the goals you set come true. This is the year of the Tiger (not the golfer, I promise), and the Tiger is a very strong animal. It’s very determined and confident, and I want for everyone to feel that way."
Or, as Miss Cherry might say: ut ameris, amabilis esto (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Latin_proverbs).