duncan228
10-09-2010, 06:57 PM
Six Things To Know About The Spurs (http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=17564)
By: Yannis Koutroupis
Hoopsworld
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the tougher teams in the league to project how they are going to do. They have enough talent to compete for a championship, but they're not the youngest team and injuries have consistently been an issue since their last title run in 2007. Here are six other things that need to be taking into consideration when talking about the 2010-2011 San Antonio Spurs.
1) Tony Parker's Contract Isn't A Distraction
Yes, All-Star point guard Tony Parker's contract expires at the end of the year, but don't mistake the San Antonio Spurs with franchises like the Cleveland Cavaliers or Denver Nuggets that let their players' upcoming-free-agent status turn into an absolute circus. They handle situations like this a lot differently and will not have Parker's distract them at all from what they're trying to accomplish this season.
"He's going to approach (his contract situation) professionally," stated Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich very clearly. His number one interest is to make our team as good as he possibly can. There's no other approach that I think he'd even think about."
"I've been here for 10 years now and I've said several times I want to say," added Parker. "Pop and R.C. (Buford) know I'm not going to do anything crazy. We always have great, mature conversations. I'm happy to be here. I'm not going to create something like (in Denver). I'm motivated. I worked hard this summer. I'm ready to go."
The Spurs and Parker both have a mutual interest in working out a long-term agreement. The Spurs took care of Manu Ginobili with a three-year $49 million extension last April and will likely make Parker a similar offer that he can't refuse. The idea of being a free agent is intriguing to Parker, but he understands with so much uncertainty surrounding the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that it's in his best interest to work a deal out before the summer.
2) Tim Duncan's Still One Of The Best
The Big Fundamental is going into his 14th season and is now 34 years old. Yet, retirement couldn't be further from his mind.
"I'm going until the wheels fall off," responded Duncan when asked if he had a timetable for how much longer he would be playing.
Even with plenty of mileage on his legs Duncan continues to be one of the league's most productive big men. Everything the Spurs do offensively starts with him as the base and that won't change this year despite many people's belief that he's on the decline. The numbers say otherwise, though, as Duncan led the team in points, rebounds and blocks once again last year.
"It is what it is," said Duncan of his doubters. "I've been in the league a long time. I heard the same thing with David Robinson. I used to tell him 'I can't believe people would say that about you'. Now it's me."
Duncan is fully healthy, well rested and in great shape after dropping a few pounds this offseason. Expect more steady production from the All-Time great who continues to defy age.
3) The Bench Is Better
The Spurs saw their season end in disappointing fashion last year as they were swept by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the playoffs. In the past Coach Popovich was one of the few coaches that had the answer for Phoenix's up-tempo attack, but last year they turned the tables on him.
"I took away from that series that we needed a better bench," Popovich assessed.
Improving the bench was the primary focus of the Spurs this offseason and they did so with the addition of two rookies in Tiago Splittler and James Anderson. Splitter, one of best big men not to be in the NBA over the past three years, comes over with a lot of experience with the potential to provide meaningful contributions right away. Anderson may need a little bit more time to find his comfort zone, but he's an explosive offensive player that may be the best shooter from the 2010 draft class. The Spurs also signed free agent sharpshooter Gary Neal after his strong performance for their Las Vegas Summer League team.
Then of course there are the reserves who return from last year: George Hill, DeJuan Blair, Matt Bonner and Alonzo Gee. The Spurs have seen a lot of growth from them and are expecting the second unit as a whole to be much more reliable in 2010-2011.
"The second unit guys have been great," said Manu Ginobili. "George Hill, Gary Neal and Alonzo Gee, they play confident. George may start and I could come off the bench. He was great all season long last year. He's healthy, doing fine and is more mature. DeJuan is 21 now and he also understands the league and knows Pop better. Tiago too. We're in a good spot. We've got a young, talented and hungry group."
4) Chemistry Will Be Improved
Throughout their championship years one of the biggest advantages that the Spurs had was their chemistry. They kept their core intact, made minor changes around them and usually had very little trouble getting everyone on the same page. That wasn't the case last year as camp featured several new faces. This year there are only a couple new guys that figure to be a part of the regular rotation, which allows the coaching staff to get into more of the advanced aspects of the game rather than focusing on the basics.
"I think being a little bit more common-denominator like is important for people to catch on more quickly and play basketball instead of doing things wrong and not knowing something," explained Coach Popovich. "We'll try to keep it as simple as we can for as long as we can for those guys."
"We've got basically the same team with some new guys that are younger," pointed out Ginobili. "We got Tiago. We're healthier. RJ is adapted to the team. So I'm optimistic. I think we're going to have a better, stronger start than last year and that's going to help us. We can beat anybody. Nobody is that much better than us."
5) Richard Jefferson Spent All Summer Working On Being A Better Fit
Surprisingly, Richard Jefferson's decision to opt out of a contract that would have paid him $15 million this season was not about getting away from the Spurs at all costs. He really struggled in the silver and black, having one of the worst years of his career. Opting out was all about getting some long-term security, though, and once he came to terms with the Spurs he got right to work with the coaching staff.
"I spent a lot of time with Coach Popovich and assistant coach Chad Forcier," revealed Jefferson. "All those guys helped me quite a bit just to understand (the system). I knew going in after last season what I wanted to work on this summer. They made it easier, gave me direction and confirmed what I already knew.
"Now I have a better idea of what coach wants in the system. That's everything. I don't think there's a situation in life where the second time you do something you feel more comfortable. You have a lot more confidence in everything you're doing because you know what's expected, the pace of things and the direction. You slide in and fit in better."
There is nowhere for Jefferson to go but up in his second year with the Spurs. He worked too hard this offseason and is too talented of a basketball player to not have a big year.
6) There's A Sense Of Urgency
Tony Parker caused a little bit of controversy this offseason when he said in an interview with a French newspaper that he felt like this was potentially the last chance the big three had to make a championship run. Speculation started running wild that he said that because he planned to play elsewhere after the end of the season, but that theory is incorrect.
"I really feel like (this is our last run as the big three) because of Timmy's age," said Parker. "It wasn't because of my contract. It's going to be tough. It's a long season, Timmy's 34 going to be 35. That's why I feel like it's our last chance because once Timmy's gone it's going to be really tough."
Coach Popovich is also on the record saying that they really want to maximize the last few years with Duncan because he's someone who is going to be sorely missed once he's gone. Three years removed from their last championship, everyone is really anxious to get back to the top and get Tim one for the thumb. The Los Angeles Lakers are considered a lock to make it to the Finals from the West for the fourth-straight year, but don't sleep on a veteran-laden Spurs team that is motivated, hungry and looking to capitalize on the slight opening left in their championship window.
By: Yannis Koutroupis
Hoopsworld
The San Antonio Spurs are one of the tougher teams in the league to project how they are going to do. They have enough talent to compete for a championship, but they're not the youngest team and injuries have consistently been an issue since their last title run in 2007. Here are six other things that need to be taking into consideration when talking about the 2010-2011 San Antonio Spurs.
1) Tony Parker's Contract Isn't A Distraction
Yes, All-Star point guard Tony Parker's contract expires at the end of the year, but don't mistake the San Antonio Spurs with franchises like the Cleveland Cavaliers or Denver Nuggets that let their players' upcoming-free-agent status turn into an absolute circus. They handle situations like this a lot differently and will not have Parker's distract them at all from what they're trying to accomplish this season.
"He's going to approach (his contract situation) professionally," stated Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich very clearly. His number one interest is to make our team as good as he possibly can. There's no other approach that I think he'd even think about."
"I've been here for 10 years now and I've said several times I want to say," added Parker. "Pop and R.C. (Buford) know I'm not going to do anything crazy. We always have great, mature conversations. I'm happy to be here. I'm not going to create something like (in Denver). I'm motivated. I worked hard this summer. I'm ready to go."
The Spurs and Parker both have a mutual interest in working out a long-term agreement. The Spurs took care of Manu Ginobili with a three-year $49 million extension last April and will likely make Parker a similar offer that he can't refuse. The idea of being a free agent is intriguing to Parker, but he understands with so much uncertainty surrounding the new Collective Bargaining Agreement that it's in his best interest to work a deal out before the summer.
2) Tim Duncan's Still One Of The Best
The Big Fundamental is going into his 14th season and is now 34 years old. Yet, retirement couldn't be further from his mind.
"I'm going until the wheels fall off," responded Duncan when asked if he had a timetable for how much longer he would be playing.
Even with plenty of mileage on his legs Duncan continues to be one of the league's most productive big men. Everything the Spurs do offensively starts with him as the base and that won't change this year despite many people's belief that he's on the decline. The numbers say otherwise, though, as Duncan led the team in points, rebounds and blocks once again last year.
"It is what it is," said Duncan of his doubters. "I've been in the league a long time. I heard the same thing with David Robinson. I used to tell him 'I can't believe people would say that about you'. Now it's me."
Duncan is fully healthy, well rested and in great shape after dropping a few pounds this offseason. Expect more steady production from the All-Time great who continues to defy age.
3) The Bench Is Better
The Spurs saw their season end in disappointing fashion last year as they were swept by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the playoffs. In the past Coach Popovich was one of the few coaches that had the answer for Phoenix's up-tempo attack, but last year they turned the tables on him.
"I took away from that series that we needed a better bench," Popovich assessed.
Improving the bench was the primary focus of the Spurs this offseason and they did so with the addition of two rookies in Tiago Splittler and James Anderson. Splitter, one of best big men not to be in the NBA over the past three years, comes over with a lot of experience with the potential to provide meaningful contributions right away. Anderson may need a little bit more time to find his comfort zone, but he's an explosive offensive player that may be the best shooter from the 2010 draft class. The Spurs also signed free agent sharpshooter Gary Neal after his strong performance for their Las Vegas Summer League team.
Then of course there are the reserves who return from last year: George Hill, DeJuan Blair, Matt Bonner and Alonzo Gee. The Spurs have seen a lot of growth from them and are expecting the second unit as a whole to be much more reliable in 2010-2011.
"The second unit guys have been great," said Manu Ginobili. "George Hill, Gary Neal and Alonzo Gee, they play confident. George may start and I could come off the bench. He was great all season long last year. He's healthy, doing fine and is more mature. DeJuan is 21 now and he also understands the league and knows Pop better. Tiago too. We're in a good spot. We've got a young, talented and hungry group."
4) Chemistry Will Be Improved
Throughout their championship years one of the biggest advantages that the Spurs had was their chemistry. They kept their core intact, made minor changes around them and usually had very little trouble getting everyone on the same page. That wasn't the case last year as camp featured several new faces. This year there are only a couple new guys that figure to be a part of the regular rotation, which allows the coaching staff to get into more of the advanced aspects of the game rather than focusing on the basics.
"I think being a little bit more common-denominator like is important for people to catch on more quickly and play basketball instead of doing things wrong and not knowing something," explained Coach Popovich. "We'll try to keep it as simple as we can for as long as we can for those guys."
"We've got basically the same team with some new guys that are younger," pointed out Ginobili. "We got Tiago. We're healthier. RJ is adapted to the team. So I'm optimistic. I think we're going to have a better, stronger start than last year and that's going to help us. We can beat anybody. Nobody is that much better than us."
5) Richard Jefferson Spent All Summer Working On Being A Better Fit
Surprisingly, Richard Jefferson's decision to opt out of a contract that would have paid him $15 million this season was not about getting away from the Spurs at all costs. He really struggled in the silver and black, having one of the worst years of his career. Opting out was all about getting some long-term security, though, and once he came to terms with the Spurs he got right to work with the coaching staff.
"I spent a lot of time with Coach Popovich and assistant coach Chad Forcier," revealed Jefferson. "All those guys helped me quite a bit just to understand (the system). I knew going in after last season what I wanted to work on this summer. They made it easier, gave me direction and confirmed what I already knew.
"Now I have a better idea of what coach wants in the system. That's everything. I don't think there's a situation in life where the second time you do something you feel more comfortable. You have a lot more confidence in everything you're doing because you know what's expected, the pace of things and the direction. You slide in and fit in better."
There is nowhere for Jefferson to go but up in his second year with the Spurs. He worked too hard this offseason and is too talented of a basketball player to not have a big year.
6) There's A Sense Of Urgency
Tony Parker caused a little bit of controversy this offseason when he said in an interview with a French newspaper that he felt like this was potentially the last chance the big three had to make a championship run. Speculation started running wild that he said that because he planned to play elsewhere after the end of the season, but that theory is incorrect.
"I really feel like (this is our last run as the big three) because of Timmy's age," said Parker. "It wasn't because of my contract. It's going to be tough. It's a long season, Timmy's 34 going to be 35. That's why I feel like it's our last chance because once Timmy's gone it's going to be really tough."
Coach Popovich is also on the record saying that they really want to maximize the last few years with Duncan because he's someone who is going to be sorely missed once he's gone. Three years removed from their last championship, everyone is really anxious to get back to the top and get Tim one for the thumb. The Los Angeles Lakers are considered a lock to make it to the Finals from the West for the fourth-straight year, but don't sleep on a veteran-laden Spurs team that is motivated, hungry and looking to capitalize on the slight opening left in their championship window.