Bruno
10-25-2006, 03:01 AM
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA102506.01C.BKNspurs.udrih.30a490d.html
Web Posted: 10/24/2006 10:41 PM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
Beno Udrih was back on the court Tuesday. Now the Spurs want to see if he can stay there.
Udrih participated in his first contact practice since injuring his right hamstring three weeks before training camp. The coaches were glad to see Udrih stayed on the floor for the duration, considering the 21/2-hour workout was one of the Spurs' toughest of the preseason.
"I feel great," Udrih said. "I think a couple more practices, and I'll be there."
The Spurs aren't ready to declare Udrih their backup point guard yet. They want to see how he recovers from his first practice and if he can continue to show the same effort for the rest of the week.
Though Udrih's conditioning isn't where it needs to be yet, he's confident he'll be ready to contribute, if needed, by the Nov. 2 season opener in Dallas. He hopes to get his first minutes of the preseason in Friday's final exhibition game against the Mavericks.
"I've been running, but that doesn't get me in as much shape as playing basketball, being on the court, playing defense, making all the sudden moves," he said. "I'm going to work hard and try to show every practice that I deserve that backup point guard position."
The Spurs planned for Udrih to take over that role this season until he hurt his hamstring while running sprints three weeks before training camp. He said he tried to come back two weeks later but tweaked it again.
Since then, Udrih has been relegated to working with the strength and training staffs on the sideline while his teammates practice. Coach Gregg Popovich expressed frustration early in camp over Udrih's absence by calling him the team's "fourth point guard."
If filling the starting center position is the biggest question hanging over the team, finding a backup for Tony Parker is next in line.
While Udrih was out, the Spurs used Jacque Vaughn and Brent Barry. Vaughn has been inconsistent while trying to learn the system, and Barry has looked best at off-guard. As a result, Udrih might still be the team's best option — provided he can stay healthy.
"The most frustrated was me," Udrih said. "I wanted to be out there. But you can't do nothing about it. When you get hurt, you get hurt."
Udrih said he was still a little nervous about re-injuring the hamstring until he went to the team's practice facility Monday with his father and a friend to play some one-on-one. On Tuesday, he participated in all of the team's drills, its three scrimmage sessions and completed all the conditioning work.
Udrih said he'll need some time to adjust to the new ball — "When you're trying to pass," he said, "it sticks on your hand" — but he shot fairly well and made a few hustle plays. The coaches, however, tempered their praise, wanting to see how he performs the rest of the week.
"I thought he looked good," Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer said. "But he's still a little rusty on where to be and with his conditioning.
"We want to see if he can be sharp in a competitive kind of way, where he always knows the game situation, where he's not always making a mental mistake or lazy mistake."
The Spurs don't doubt Udrih's talent. He needs to get tougher defensively and be better prepared on a night-to-night basis, but he plays with a good pace, passes well and is a steady shooter.
In addition to assessing whether Udrih is capable enough to begin the season as the backup point guard, the Spurs also have until next Tuesday to decide whether to pick up the fourth-year option on his rookie contract. If not, he'll become a free agent at the end of the season.
Provided Udrih doesn't have any significant setbacks, the team is expected to pick up the option, which costs only $1.75 million. Even if the Spurs later decide to trade Udrih, teams would value him more if they know he'll be under contract next season.
"We haven't talked about that yet," Udrih said. "I like playing for the Spurs and, of course, I want to stay here.
"But I'm just thinking about getting back in shape and doing my best on the court in practice."
Notebook: The Spurs are the favorites to win the NBA championship this season in the league's annual general managers survey.
Twelve of the 28 general managers who participated in the poll selected the Spurs to win their fourth title. Dallas, which beat the Spurs in last season's Western Conference semifinals and lost to Miami in the NBA Finals, finished second with eight votes. The defending champion Heat received four votes.
The Mavericks were picked to win the Southwest Division over the Spurs.
The Spurs were overwhelming favorites to win the championship in last year's survey.
Web Posted: 10/24/2006 10:41 PM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
Beno Udrih was back on the court Tuesday. Now the Spurs want to see if he can stay there.
Udrih participated in his first contact practice since injuring his right hamstring three weeks before training camp. The coaches were glad to see Udrih stayed on the floor for the duration, considering the 21/2-hour workout was one of the Spurs' toughest of the preseason.
"I feel great," Udrih said. "I think a couple more practices, and I'll be there."
The Spurs aren't ready to declare Udrih their backup point guard yet. They want to see how he recovers from his first practice and if he can continue to show the same effort for the rest of the week.
Though Udrih's conditioning isn't where it needs to be yet, he's confident he'll be ready to contribute, if needed, by the Nov. 2 season opener in Dallas. He hopes to get his first minutes of the preseason in Friday's final exhibition game against the Mavericks.
"I've been running, but that doesn't get me in as much shape as playing basketball, being on the court, playing defense, making all the sudden moves," he said. "I'm going to work hard and try to show every practice that I deserve that backup point guard position."
The Spurs planned for Udrih to take over that role this season until he hurt his hamstring while running sprints three weeks before training camp. He said he tried to come back two weeks later but tweaked it again.
Since then, Udrih has been relegated to working with the strength and training staffs on the sideline while his teammates practice. Coach Gregg Popovich expressed frustration early in camp over Udrih's absence by calling him the team's "fourth point guard."
If filling the starting center position is the biggest question hanging over the team, finding a backup for Tony Parker is next in line.
While Udrih was out, the Spurs used Jacque Vaughn and Brent Barry. Vaughn has been inconsistent while trying to learn the system, and Barry has looked best at off-guard. As a result, Udrih might still be the team's best option — provided he can stay healthy.
"The most frustrated was me," Udrih said. "I wanted to be out there. But you can't do nothing about it. When you get hurt, you get hurt."
Udrih said he was still a little nervous about re-injuring the hamstring until he went to the team's practice facility Monday with his father and a friend to play some one-on-one. On Tuesday, he participated in all of the team's drills, its three scrimmage sessions and completed all the conditioning work.
Udrih said he'll need some time to adjust to the new ball — "When you're trying to pass," he said, "it sticks on your hand" — but he shot fairly well and made a few hustle plays. The coaches, however, tempered their praise, wanting to see how he performs the rest of the week.
"I thought he looked good," Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer said. "But he's still a little rusty on where to be and with his conditioning.
"We want to see if he can be sharp in a competitive kind of way, where he always knows the game situation, where he's not always making a mental mistake or lazy mistake."
The Spurs don't doubt Udrih's talent. He needs to get tougher defensively and be better prepared on a night-to-night basis, but he plays with a good pace, passes well and is a steady shooter.
In addition to assessing whether Udrih is capable enough to begin the season as the backup point guard, the Spurs also have until next Tuesday to decide whether to pick up the fourth-year option on his rookie contract. If not, he'll become a free agent at the end of the season.
Provided Udrih doesn't have any significant setbacks, the team is expected to pick up the option, which costs only $1.75 million. Even if the Spurs later decide to trade Udrih, teams would value him more if they know he'll be under contract next season.
"We haven't talked about that yet," Udrih said. "I like playing for the Spurs and, of course, I want to stay here.
"But I'm just thinking about getting back in shape and doing my best on the court in practice."
Notebook: The Spurs are the favorites to win the NBA championship this season in the league's annual general managers survey.
Twelve of the 28 general managers who participated in the poll selected the Spurs to win their fourth title. Dallas, which beat the Spurs in last season's Western Conference semifinals and lost to Miami in the NBA Finals, finished second with eight votes. The defending champion Heat received four votes.
The Mavericks were picked to win the Southwest Division over the Spurs.
The Spurs were overwhelming favorites to win the championship in last year's survey.