Jimcs50
10-31-2004, 01:41 PM
Sharpened Spurs have edge
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
RESOURCES
Why San Antonio froze during last year's Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers remains something of a mystery. The Spurs went ice cold from the field and allowed the Lakers to win four consecutive games.
But no one in the Spurs' franchise panicked in the offseason. They kept the core of their team intact and added Brent Barry to the mix, proving just how close they feel they are to winning another NBA championship.
"I think (Barry) is going to raise the basketball IQ of our team," coach Gregg Popovich said. "He passes well, throws it ahead on the break and understands our defensive principles already. We look to Brent to play an all-around game and just basically make everybody better."
With the latest addition, it's difficult to find weaknesses in the Spurs' roster. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen and Rasho Nesterovic again will anchor the squad.
"We just hope that we can stay healthy and continue to play as well as we did last season," Popovich said. "Hopefully the new guys will take care of some deficiencies we had both at the free-throw line and from the field shooting-wise."
The Spurs were last in the league in free-throw percentage last season, hitting a franchise-low 68.1 percent. They also hit only 35.8 percent of their 3-pointers during the regular season and 30.6 percent in the conference semifinals.
The Spurs hope Barry can make an instant impact beyond the arc. He was the league's second-best 3-point shooter last season, shooting 45.2 percent. But the pressure of lifting the offense won't rest solely on his shoulders. Duncan won't let defenses focus only on Barry when he steps outside.
The team also made it a priority to resign Ginobili, who spent the offseason leading Argentina to the gold medal in the Athens Olympics. He has emerged as a rising star in the league and will be looked upon to pick the team up on both ends of the floor.
In only two seasons, Ginobili has become a proven passer, defender and scorer. The quick shooting guard averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season.
"Manu is more of a slasher and very, very athletic," Popovich said. "Brent we think of as more of a perimeter player in the sense that he is a shooter, where Manu is more of a scorer."
Barry should help make things happen for his teammates. He will stretch defenses and has the ability to find the open guy. Last season with Seattle, Barry averaged a career-best 5.8 assists, along with 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Even though Barry has struggled throughout the preseason, hitting only three of 16 (.188) 3-point attempts in his first four preseason games, few worry that the slow start will continue. Barry has averaged 40.7-percent from 3-point range during his nine-year career.
"Once you get to a different team with different players, you have to adjust," Ginobili told the San Antonio Express-News. "You can't expect Brent to have a great game right away, or Beno (Udrih). They need (time) to try to understand our system. They're adjusting."
Udrih, a rookie from Slovenia, has been a pleasant surprise in training camp but has been limited by a bruised knee. The Spurs hope he can return to the floor soon to back up Parker at point guard, allowing Barry to come off the bench and spend most of his time at the two and three positions.
"I think as many people missed on (Udrih) as they did on Tony Parker when they let him slide a couple of years ago," Popovich said. "The kid is really clever. He's a real point guard. He can deliver the basketball; he's a good shooter. He can shoot it from 3 and in. He's not real strong, and it'll take some time for him to develop that and understand the game. But he really knows how to play basketball, and right now we're kind of excited about him."
Regardless of how quickly the newcomers adjust, the Spurs will lean on Ginobili and Duncan the entire season. Duncan maintained his dominance in the West last season by averaging 22.3 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 blocks.
But Duncan's ability to raise the level of play in his teammates is more important than any statistic. That intangible has hardly gone unrecognized by an organization that hopes it made the best move this offseason by hardly making any moves at all.
By MEGAN MANFULL
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle
RESOURCES
Why San Antonio froze during last year's Western Conference semifinals against the Los Angeles Lakers remains something of a mystery. The Spurs went ice cold from the field and allowed the Lakers to win four consecutive games.
But no one in the Spurs' franchise panicked in the offseason. They kept the core of their team intact and added Brent Barry to the mix, proving just how close they feel they are to winning another NBA championship.
"I think (Barry) is going to raise the basketball IQ of our team," coach Gregg Popovich said. "He passes well, throws it ahead on the break and understands our defensive principles already. We look to Brent to play an all-around game and just basically make everybody better."
With the latest addition, it's difficult to find weaknesses in the Spurs' roster. Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen and Rasho Nesterovic again will anchor the squad.
"We just hope that we can stay healthy and continue to play as well as we did last season," Popovich said. "Hopefully the new guys will take care of some deficiencies we had both at the free-throw line and from the field shooting-wise."
The Spurs were last in the league in free-throw percentage last season, hitting a franchise-low 68.1 percent. They also hit only 35.8 percent of their 3-pointers during the regular season and 30.6 percent in the conference semifinals.
The Spurs hope Barry can make an instant impact beyond the arc. He was the league's second-best 3-point shooter last season, shooting 45.2 percent. But the pressure of lifting the offense won't rest solely on his shoulders. Duncan won't let defenses focus only on Barry when he steps outside.
The team also made it a priority to resign Ginobili, who spent the offseason leading Argentina to the gold medal in the Athens Olympics. He has emerged as a rising star in the league and will be looked upon to pick the team up on both ends of the floor.
In only two seasons, Ginobili has become a proven passer, defender and scorer. The quick shooting guard averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season.
"Manu is more of a slasher and very, very athletic," Popovich said. "Brent we think of as more of a perimeter player in the sense that he is a shooter, where Manu is more of a scorer."
Barry should help make things happen for his teammates. He will stretch defenses and has the ability to find the open guy. Last season with Seattle, Barry averaged a career-best 5.8 assists, along with 10.8 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Even though Barry has struggled throughout the preseason, hitting only three of 16 (.188) 3-point attempts in his first four preseason games, few worry that the slow start will continue. Barry has averaged 40.7-percent from 3-point range during his nine-year career.
"Once you get to a different team with different players, you have to adjust," Ginobili told the San Antonio Express-News. "You can't expect Brent to have a great game right away, or Beno (Udrih). They need (time) to try to understand our system. They're adjusting."
Udrih, a rookie from Slovenia, has been a pleasant surprise in training camp but has been limited by a bruised knee. The Spurs hope he can return to the floor soon to back up Parker at point guard, allowing Barry to come off the bench and spend most of his time at the two and three positions.
"I think as many people missed on (Udrih) as they did on Tony Parker when they let him slide a couple of years ago," Popovich said. "The kid is really clever. He's a real point guard. He can deliver the basketball; he's a good shooter. He can shoot it from 3 and in. He's not real strong, and it'll take some time for him to develop that and understand the game. But he really knows how to play basketball, and right now we're kind of excited about him."
Regardless of how quickly the newcomers adjust, the Spurs will lean on Ginobili and Duncan the entire season. Duncan maintained his dominance in the West last season by averaging 22.3 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 blocks.
But Duncan's ability to raise the level of play in his teammates is more important than any statistic. That intangible has hardly gone unrecognized by an organization that hopes it made the best move this offseason by hardly making any moves at all.