Manu20
10-05-2005, 03:27 PM
Spurs 2005-06 Season Preview
http://www.nba.com/preview2005/sas.html
Season Outlook:
Tim Duncan might be the best player on the planet. Luckily for the San Antonio Spurs, he doesn't act like it.
Coach Gregg Popovich treats his San Antonio superstar no differently than any other player on the team. It's why players love playing for "Pop" and it's why Duncan and the Spurs carry themselves with a humility they'll need this season. For so many champions, the trap of assuming wins and taking teams for granted can be easily fallen into. For their opponents, the chance to dethrone the champ only serves as a source of motivation.
Such complacency doesn't fit the character of this champion, and it's why the organization has built such a successful program, winning three titles in seven seasons. Popovich knows the season is a marathon, not a sprint, so he'll likely try to preserve Duncan for the playoffs again rather than wearing him down during the regular season. Last campaign, Duncan posted a career-low in minutes (33.4 mpg), which gave him a fresher body on which the Spurs relied upon in the playoffs.
To help relieve Duncan, the Spurs signed Fabricio Oberto, Ginobili's teammate on the Argentine national team. The 6-10 Oberto was generally considered to be one of the best pivots in European basketball. He averaged 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in Spain last season, and can play both the four and five spots.
Duncan will also get support from Nazr Mohammed beginning in training camp for the first time. Last season, Mohammed didn't arrive until late February, when a trade for Malik Rose brought him to San Antonio. By the playoffs, Mohammed established himself as the Spurs' starting center.
Given the improvement of the team's roster, it's plausible the Spurs could do something that even they have yet to accomplish: Win back to back titles.
They may already have won three NBA championships, but they certainly operate with the hunger across the organization — from the front office to the sidelines to the court — of having never won one.
Blue Chip Recruit
Michael Finley must have felt like a high school senior all over again. After being waived under the amnesty clause by the Mavericks, the Chicago native was recruited by a plethora of NBA teams. Ultimately, he was persuaded by the overture of the Spurs, who sold him on the chance to win the first title of his NBA career.
In acquiring Finley, the Spurs beefed up a perimeter that already included All-Star Manu Ginobili and Brent Barry at shooting guard and defensive stopper Bruce Bowen at small forward.
Finley was the second-leading scorer on a Dallas team last season which finished one victory shy of matching San Antonio's 59-game win total for the third-best record in the league, so he will command minutes and shots. He adds a dimension that Bowen lacks — the ability to score off the dribble — but might be better suited for the two spot because of his frame. Barry and Ginobili could see more action at backup point guard as a result.
Despite the uncertainty of how Finley's presence will be accommodated, there's no question about the end result. The rich got richer, and it could be scary to watch the Spurs' cash in on their fortune.
Coach's Corner
X&O STRENGTH
Good Lord… You add Finley to that offense and Van Exel … If he just gets 7 or 8 minutes during the course of the game of the best of Van Exel and 10 minutes of the best of Finley to go with the World Champs. The best thing about their defense is that they play it every night, every game for 48 minutes. They’re as tough on the last play of the game as they are on the first. It’s constant. It’s very simple. It’s a good, solid team defense based on good scouting reports. If they’re going to double, they do it with intelligence and at the right time, and the other three guys will be in the right spot.
X&O WEAKNESS
The only weakness they could have is within themselves… if players aren’t happy. That’s why Popovich is the right guy for the job. He has the best chance of any coach in the league to keep 12 guys of that caliber happy.
COACHING PHILOSOPHY
They work off of Tim and then spot up. He’s going to draw a crowd and that’s the bread and butter for them. They have Ginobili to go one-on-one and penetrate. They are a tough team to scout because the first thing you say is “We have to stop Duncan.” You think everything’s going to go through Duncan, but it doesn’t. There are some nights that Tim may be down the line as far as touching it. If they’re out and running, they may run off 10 points without him touching the ball. They can just get it and go.
-- Bill Fitch (courtesy of National Basketball Coaches Association)
Scouting Report
"What they did wasn't very sexy but, they really, really got better in my opinion ... The addition of Finley was huge ... Most important pickup in my opinion is the (Fabricio) Oberto kid ... He's such a solid post player ... He's thrown in there with Duncan -- opposing teams are going to have major problems ... He is so sound fundamentally, rebounding-wise ... He'll play with a broken nose and two broken hands, he doesn't care ... He is a tough, tough kid ... I'm really impressed with them, if I had to grade them it'd be an A-plus, plus -- I love their depth ... You got your additions with Van Exel and a few other guys, like Udrih ... It's kind of scary, in my opinion."
-- Western Conference scout
http://www.nba.com/preview2005/sas.html
Season Outlook:
Tim Duncan might be the best player on the planet. Luckily for the San Antonio Spurs, he doesn't act like it.
Coach Gregg Popovich treats his San Antonio superstar no differently than any other player on the team. It's why players love playing for "Pop" and it's why Duncan and the Spurs carry themselves with a humility they'll need this season. For so many champions, the trap of assuming wins and taking teams for granted can be easily fallen into. For their opponents, the chance to dethrone the champ only serves as a source of motivation.
Such complacency doesn't fit the character of this champion, and it's why the organization has built such a successful program, winning three titles in seven seasons. Popovich knows the season is a marathon, not a sprint, so he'll likely try to preserve Duncan for the playoffs again rather than wearing him down during the regular season. Last campaign, Duncan posted a career-low in minutes (33.4 mpg), which gave him a fresher body on which the Spurs relied upon in the playoffs.
To help relieve Duncan, the Spurs signed Fabricio Oberto, Ginobili's teammate on the Argentine national team. The 6-10 Oberto was generally considered to be one of the best pivots in European basketball. He averaged 14.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in Spain last season, and can play both the four and five spots.
Duncan will also get support from Nazr Mohammed beginning in training camp for the first time. Last season, Mohammed didn't arrive until late February, when a trade for Malik Rose brought him to San Antonio. By the playoffs, Mohammed established himself as the Spurs' starting center.
Given the improvement of the team's roster, it's plausible the Spurs could do something that even they have yet to accomplish: Win back to back titles.
They may already have won three NBA championships, but they certainly operate with the hunger across the organization — from the front office to the sidelines to the court — of having never won one.
Blue Chip Recruit
Michael Finley must have felt like a high school senior all over again. After being waived under the amnesty clause by the Mavericks, the Chicago native was recruited by a plethora of NBA teams. Ultimately, he was persuaded by the overture of the Spurs, who sold him on the chance to win the first title of his NBA career.
In acquiring Finley, the Spurs beefed up a perimeter that already included All-Star Manu Ginobili and Brent Barry at shooting guard and defensive stopper Bruce Bowen at small forward.
Finley was the second-leading scorer on a Dallas team last season which finished one victory shy of matching San Antonio's 59-game win total for the third-best record in the league, so he will command minutes and shots. He adds a dimension that Bowen lacks — the ability to score off the dribble — but might be better suited for the two spot because of his frame. Barry and Ginobili could see more action at backup point guard as a result.
Despite the uncertainty of how Finley's presence will be accommodated, there's no question about the end result. The rich got richer, and it could be scary to watch the Spurs' cash in on their fortune.
Coach's Corner
X&O STRENGTH
Good Lord… You add Finley to that offense and Van Exel … If he just gets 7 or 8 minutes during the course of the game of the best of Van Exel and 10 minutes of the best of Finley to go with the World Champs. The best thing about their defense is that they play it every night, every game for 48 minutes. They’re as tough on the last play of the game as they are on the first. It’s constant. It’s very simple. It’s a good, solid team defense based on good scouting reports. If they’re going to double, they do it with intelligence and at the right time, and the other three guys will be in the right spot.
X&O WEAKNESS
The only weakness they could have is within themselves… if players aren’t happy. That’s why Popovich is the right guy for the job. He has the best chance of any coach in the league to keep 12 guys of that caliber happy.
COACHING PHILOSOPHY
They work off of Tim and then spot up. He’s going to draw a crowd and that’s the bread and butter for them. They have Ginobili to go one-on-one and penetrate. They are a tough team to scout because the first thing you say is “We have to stop Duncan.” You think everything’s going to go through Duncan, but it doesn’t. There are some nights that Tim may be down the line as far as touching it. If they’re out and running, they may run off 10 points without him touching the ball. They can just get it and go.
-- Bill Fitch (courtesy of National Basketball Coaches Association)
Scouting Report
"What they did wasn't very sexy but, they really, really got better in my opinion ... The addition of Finley was huge ... Most important pickup in my opinion is the (Fabricio) Oberto kid ... He's such a solid post player ... He's thrown in there with Duncan -- opposing teams are going to have major problems ... He is so sound fundamentally, rebounding-wise ... He'll play with a broken nose and two broken hands, he doesn't care ... He is a tough, tough kid ... I'm really impressed with them, if I had to grade them it'd be an A-plus, plus -- I love their depth ... You got your additions with Van Exel and a few other guys, like Udrih ... It's kind of scary, in my opinion."
-- Western Conference scout