T Park
04-24-2007, 03:05 PM
Mailbag (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSa042306.webSpursMailbat.en.16db9e0.html)
Spurs Mailbag
Web Posted: 04/23/2007 11:11 PM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
We decided to go ahead and empty the Mailbag one last time before the playoffs pick up in earnest. As for the 746 of you who have emailed in the past few weeks to ask, “Can we beat Dallas?” you might want to start questioning whether the Spurs will be able to get out of the first round.
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Are you finally starting to see the light, Johnny? Can you now envision how the Spurs could beat Dallas in a 7-game series?
It's hard to imagine Dallas beating the Spurs in a 7-game series. Unless of course Duncan has a bad foot again like last year. Jackson, San Antonio
Of course, I can envision it. But I also frequently envision myself joyously living out the rest of my life next to Scarlett Johansson and, according to her representatives, that’s not going to happen.
I wouldn’t write off the Spurs in any series. I’d been impressed – surprisingly so – by how well they had played since the first week of February. But I’m also don’t going to look too far into the future with them suddenly needing to salvage a split at home just to avoid going to Denver down 0-2.
Just ask the Washington Wizards how quickly things can change. A month ago, they looked capable of challenging for one of the Eastern Conference’s top two playoff seeds. Now they’re starting the postseason without Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler.
I’ve never understood why people get so upset when a writer or broadcaster picks against their favorite team or doesn’t rank them appropriately in the weekly “Power Rankings” that have become all the rage.
This isn’t college football. The NBA championship isn’t determined by an opinion poll.
It’s played out on the court.
How good of a basketball player do you think Emanuel Ginobili can ultimately become?
Obviously, no one can legitimately question his effort, nor his creativity, nor his attitude or passion. He seems to have consistently improved his accuracy, especially beyond the arc.
How do the experts measure his progress on defense? Will the assessment of his greatness come down to clutch-time championship-level mindfullness? He may fault himself for the moments he has come up short in this area, which speaks to his character and unrelenting willingness to improve; but is his trophy case not a testament to his success in that regard?
I know it is hard to wrap ones brain around his value given the company he keeps on this squad; but for all the esoteric bench warmers thrown out as the secret answer to this title run, is there ANYONE on this team – mild-mannered hall-of-fame power forwards included – more of an X factor toward reaching this goal than Manu? Adam Gorelick, Miami
Congratulations, you won this week’s award for Most Thoughtful, Well-Written Letter. Of course, the fact that a) you called Manu “Emanuel,” and b) correctly used a word like “esoteric” makes me wonder if you wrote this a) while wearing a smoking jacket; b) with a brandy snifter in hand; or c) both.
As anyone who reads the Mailbag regularly knows, I already think Manu is pretty damn good – when he’s not going 4 for 15, that is. If he puts in another solid couple of years, I’d even argue he deserves to go into the Hall of Fame given his credentials with the Euroleague and Argentina’s national team.
I also don’t know how much better he’s going to get. I think he’s the Spurs’ best clutch performer in at least the last 20 years (I didn’t see enough of Ice in person to know how the two compare) and his defense and 3-point shooting have already noticeably improved. I guess the natural transition is for him to continue to add to his inbetween game to reduce the beating he takes at the rim.
But I wouldn’t call him the Spurs’ X-factor. I’ve always thought of an X-factor as someone who has the capability to play above AND below his current level. Someone like Robert Horry or Francisco Elson.
With Elson you never know whether he’s going to get three fouls in two minutes or pull down eight, nine rebounds and block a couple of shots.
I agree with you in that Parker is a good, young PG. Yet, it is hard to believe that there is no other guard in the League like Speedy Claxton, who knew what it took to win a playoff series ... as a team.
But I have no shame in admitting I don't like TP's selfish play. One thing that has made the Spurs great has been their team spirit, which sets an example worldwide.
Who would be an acceptable back up to TP to you? Gabe, Sacramento, Calif.
From where I sit, Jacque Vaughn has looked more than acceptable the past month. And it doesn’t hurt to have someone as skilled as Beno as an insurance policy.
For the first time since Speedy left, I don’t consider backup point guard a position of concern for the Spurs as they start the playoffs.
What horrible offense has Jackie Butler committed that Pop won't even let him play in the final minutes of a 30-point blowout? Robinson, Tucson
Surprisingly, coaches aren’t notified before the game whether their team is going be involved in a 30-point blowout. As a result, they usually set their roster with the 12-best players they have available. On the Spurs, Jackie is No. 15.
So, when the Spurs were routing Golden State a few weeks ago, Jackie was forbidden from changing out of his sports jacket and putting on a uniform. But when the Spurs routed Seattle a few days later, Jackie was allowed to play because he was on the active roster.
If White can really pull off those dunks that Finley describes, I think he just might be my new hero. That is Insane!!!
Judging from the article, it looks like this talented kid just needed the right environment and influence to flourish. Can we anticipate a future starter to take over Bowen's position/role? Kaz, New York
I feel I have legit question's that are not going to make you hang your head in shame and answer them out of pity! What chance does James White have at making the playoff roster?
I haven't seem him play so I am forced to draw conclusions on box scores (going of his recent game against Golden State), and what beat writers are writing. Have you seen him play?
If so, do you see any Devin Brown or a little Stephen Jackson in him? What I mean is a surprise player that performs well enough to earn minutes and can significantly contribute to the teams goal. Chris, San Antonio
I just saw the Spurs destroy the Warriors in person. (I only get to see my Spurs twice a year out here).
Since it was a blowout I got to See a young kid, No. 33 James White. He looked pretty good to me and got up and down the court very quickly, and took good shots.
Who is this guy, and how did the Spurs get him? Heath, Oakland, Calif.
What does Pop envision White's role will be if he progresses?
Will he be the heir apparent to Bruce as the lock-down perimeter defender? If not, is there anyone playing oversees that may fill the role? Richard Blasco
You knew this line of question would start pouring in. I fully realize that it's only one game and garbage time against a very weak opponent. However, I was very, very encouraged to see James White, not only inserted into action, but contribute in such a positive fashion.
He looked very, very comfortable out on the floor. He was aggressive offensively, ran the floor well, made some nifty moves and made his FTs. While he didn't do everything well and seemingly needs work defensively, he demonstrated the type of athleticism that is devoid of this team.
Having said all that, what were the opinions of the coaches on White's NBA debut? Do you think he'll see more play time the remainder of this season and perhaps even the playoffs?
Even though it's early, do you think the Spurs brass are encouraged enough of what they've seen of him in practice to allow him to develop with this team? Lon Beard
Confession: After writing a couple of weeks ago about the NBA’s 13-man playoff roster, a league official (who reads the Mailbag solely to see me make fun of Monroe) e-mailed to say teams, for the first time, are allowed to carry up to 15 players in the postseason. Only 12 will be active per game, of course, but the active roster can change night to night.
So … James White will be available to play in the playoffs. As will Jackie Butler and Melvin Ely.
As a result, I was expecting that 17 seconds after Sunday’s loss I would receive the first of several “Why in the (bleep) is Pop not playing Jackie?” emails.
As for James, I think it’s a little too soon to project him as the “heir apparent to Bruce as the lock-down perimeter defender.” But Pop obviously has liked what he’s seen so far.
Here’s what Pop had to say after I asked him about James’ first performance in Golden State:
“You could tell that he wasn’t intimidated by anything. He played pretty freely and made good basketball decisions. That’s good.
“After sitting for a whole year, you might think a guy might go out there and just be a wild man, rushing shots, traveling, throwing passes in the stands, going too fast, whatever. But he didn’t do any of that. He played like he fit, which I thought was impressive for a young guy sitting the whole season.
“He comes early every day. There’s no complaint there. He gets along great with his teammates. They enjoy him. He allows himself to be the rookie and be treated like a rookie by his teammates. He’s been good.”
(Side note: We keep track of how many page hits each online story generates. A good number for our site is 3,000-5,000 with the Spurs and Aggies typically occupying most of the top-10 spots. But my James White story a couple weeks ago produced a staggering 73,000 page views. The only comparable stories in our site’s history involved weeping religious statues and a tree that people thought leaked holy water. As much I would like to submit this as evidence that, among Spurs fans, James White is as popular as Jesus, ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons apparently has a larger following than both. By providing a link to the James White story on his basketball blog, Simmons single-handedly doubled our annual online ad revenue.)
If the Spurs don't win another title in the Duncan era, what will be their legacy considering they couldn't do it back to back? Ryan Flores, Corpus Christi
Their legacy would be that they won three championships in seven years. That’s not a dynasty, but pretty damn good for a franchise that had won consecutive playoff series just once before Duncan arrived.
With a supposed “deep” draft class this year, and an increase of quality players, two questions: (1) do the spurs have a first-round draft pick this year, and (2) if they do then who do they choose amongst Aaron Gray, Tiago Splitter, or Arron Affalo? Robert, Pasadena, Calif.
If he’s available, I’d love to see the Spurs draft Arron Afflalo.
He's only a junior but I think he'll come out- he almost did last year. At 6-5, 215, he's rugged, a great mid/long range shooter, a superb perimeter defender, very mature and willing to take the big, tough shot. I think he'd be a great understudy for injury-prone Manu, especially as Bowen/Finley/Barry age before our eyes.
I don't think he'll be around where the Spurs will be slotted in the late 20s of the first round but if they could find a way to trade for a spot in the mid-late teens, I think he could still be on the board. I haven't been this enthusiastic about a gettable draft pick since ’03, when we didn't move up to get David West and passed on Josh Howard.
My questions: Have you heard any rumblings about him from Spurs management? Does the team have any pieces it could deal along with a first-round pick that could realistically get them up high enough to snag him? Andrew, Los Angeles
What do you think the Spurs first priority in the offseason will be? Also are there any specific players in the upcoming draft that the Spurs have their eye on?Josh, San Antonio
I’m starting to get a lot of draft questions, so I’ll let you in on my secret method of evaluating prospective players the Spurs might take:
1) Make a list of every draft-eligible player born in the United States.
2) Burn it.
That should leave a pool of about 30-50 Serbs, Slovenians, Frenchmen, Spainards, Argentines and maybe even a Paraguayan or two to choose from.
(Speaking of which, why is Pat Burke the only player in the NBA who has an Irish passport? You can’t tell me the Emerald Isle isn’t a hotbed for basketball. Even Mario Elie played professionally in Ireland. Can you imagine Mario in an Irish pub after a loss? “I’m so sick of these corporate, sweater-wearing $&@! Is it that hard to grab a $#&% rebound? And, hey, how about giving me my $#@&! Guinness? You don’t need to pour the damn thing for a half $@*# hour! It’s $@*# beer!”)
In truth, the Spurs aren’t anti-American when it comes to the draft. They’ve tried to trade up to take a handful of U.S.-born players the past few years, but haven’t been able to make a deal. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict they actually choose a card-carrying American this summer.
BUT, I have no clue who it will be. And I don’t think I will. A few years ago, I got tipped off a couple weeks before the draft that the Spurs were hot after Nenad Krstic. So, I wrote it.
New Jersey, however, took Krstic a few picks before the Spurs. The Spurs obviously were not pleased with this and insinuated my story had turned the Nets onto Krstic. I, of course, found this extremely humorous.
I had a hard time picturing Rod Thorn leaning over his computer and shouting, “The Spurs want this Serbian kid who’s 7-feet tall, so let’s go ahead and dump all the scouting we’ve done for the past year on everyone else and take him before they can!”
(Back in those days Rod would have had to spend a good six hours or so hunting for the story once he got to mysa.com. Then he would have had to wait 45 minutes for the page to load. By then I’m thinking he would’ve just head-butted the monitor and called it a night.)
Anyway, as a result of this, the Spurs have since been “less obvious” with their draft intentions, giving guys aliases, working out players they have no interest in taking, passing on Josh Howard, etc., etc.
It used to be you could call up a handful of agents and player personnel guys from other teams and get a group of guys the Spurs likely had interest in. But with the Spurs now usually picking at the end of the first round – or not even at all – it’s all just a crapshoot.
(By the way, our former NBA writer Glenn Rogers, made two of the greatest mock-draft predictions I’ve ever seen when he correctly guessed the Tony Parker and Luis Scola picks. I’ll forever be amazed by this.)
So, if you can’t tell by now, I absolutely hate the draft. It’s the worst night of the year for me. I sit around for three hours waiting for the Spurs to make their pick then have seven minutes to write a 600-word story about someone I’ve never heard of. Good times.
Last year was the best. The Spurs didn’t choose until No. 59 then immediately traded the foreigner they did take.
I don’t even know why Spurs fans bother watching the draft. It’s such a letdown.
When will we receive the Leandro Barbosa draft pick of Phoenix? Is it top-70 protected for 850 years or what?!
By the way, I beg Spurs officials to sign Luis Scola next season. He is the best player in Europe and turned last week the best scorer even of the Euroleague. This player deserve the respect of the team that drafted him.
If the Spurs want to make a great coup in this year draft, convince Nicolas Batum to declare himself for the draft early and pick him in late first round. He is seriously the next great French player. Emmanuel, Paris
OK, it's been well-chronicled now that Barbosa is becoming a star that the Spurs drafted him, and then traded him to Phoenix for a conditional choice (and yes, like many teams, we passed on Howard!).
Looking at draft history – the pick we got for Barbosa ended up with the Knicks – D. Lee, another gem! My question – what did we ultimately get for the guy? Nothing? Jim, Houston
The pick the Spurs received in the Barbosa deal did go to New York, which allowed the Spurs to shed Malik Rose’s contract and pick up Nazr Mohammed, who contributed to the team’s 2005 championship.
If you want to give the Spurs some credit – or perhaps you just want to call it dumb luck – the $800,000 or so they saved not using the pick helped sweeten their offer to Robert Horry. And Horry, as most know, eventually made a few shots to win them a title.
I was going to ask to please hold off the Barbosa/Howard complaints – I’m running out of way to answer the same questions – but then the Spurs lost on Sunday. If they go down again Wednesday, I figure we’ll be deep into the Age Vs. Athleticism Debate by the weekend.
The Spurs went small in last season's playoffs and lost. This season, all this season, they've had that problem with the incredibly disappearing centers.
So explain to me how the Spurs are going to win the NBA championship going small again, because you know that as soon as the Spurs come up against a moderately athletic frontline, Elson and Oberto are going to be sitting on the bench? So explain to me how the Spurs are going to beat LA with its frontline, Phoenix with Amare Stoudemire, who they could never contain, and then maybe Dallas, whose no-name centers can still outplay the Spurs? Explain that to me?Bonnie Foust, Boston
I think most people have complained that Pop went small last year too long against the Mavs in the playoffs. We've heard that complaint a lot.
But I always thought the biggest problem was we used Bowen on the wrong guy. I think Bowen might have been more effective guarding Howard and Stack and removing that third scorer instead of trying to slow down the top one.
Dirk is getting his 30 either way, but JHo and Stack might have a tough time getting their points with Bowen on them. Plus, putting someone bigger on Dirk would help in the rebounding (Dirk with a bigger body on him and Howard/Stack not out-sizing Manu/Fin).
With guys like Elson and Bonner now on the roster, do you see Pop staying bigger and trying to shut down that third scorer with Bowen? Also, shouldn't Manu be able to stay with Terry? I know Terry is smaller and that usually means faster, but Manu is a quick defender and Terry isn't AI or anything.
Having Manu on Terry when they go Harris/Terry should be really, really good for us I think. Or am I wrong?Mark P.
You mentioned in a response earlier that Bruce and Manu would be guarding Josh Howard depending on what Pop does with Dirk.
Is it really not that obvious? Stick Elson on him. He's 7 feet tall and athletic.
I mean, isn't that the primary reason we got Elson? To at least slow someone down like Dirk.Hudson./I>
How about Elson against Dirk? Elson like Dirk is also a 7-footer and has the speed to stay with Dirk.
And how come Pop can’t find a way to have Dirk play defense? Dirk is a super scorer but I bet you, he is a lousy defender. Virgilio, Pittsburg
My friends always trash Coach Pop when he plays small ball -- they claim that the mere presence of a big player helps more than another guard.
I say the coach knows what he is doing and our bigs can get in foul trouble (Elson) or are slow (Oberto). They say small ball lost us the playoffs last years. I say it kept us in.
So what's the whole deal with coach Pop and small ball? Josh, San Antonio
I felt going small against Dallas really hurt the Spurs last year. (Was that Bowen, Finely, or Ginobili helping Tim guard the basket last year?)
Miami stayed big, had O’Neal guarding the rim, forced some mid-range shots, had a strong rebounding presents, and pulled off the series. We traded baskets and relied on Tim for every big rebound.
Elson appears to be a reasonable answer to the Dirk puzzle, someone big enough to hopefully alter Dirk’s jumper and quick enough to not allow Dirk to completely blow by him off the dribble. Elson should allow Pop to keep his typical formula for success (two 7-footers, or at least Horry, guarding the rim a formula Avery has duplicated to perfection and seemingly exposed by posting Dirk at the free-throw line).
My question is, If Elson gets in foul trouble or proves ineffective, do you think Pop will resort back to a small lineup, or will he (should he?) counter with Horry or another big against Dirk?Giovanni, San Antonio
Do you think the Spurs will go small if we face the Mavericks in the playoffs this year?
It seems like Elson and Bonner have the ability to make the Mavs pay for playing small ball. Isn't matching small for small exactly what they want us to do?Patrick, San Antonio
I have come to realize there are two words in the English language that make Spurs fans froth like rabid pit bulls. The first is “Cuban.” The second is “small.”
I’m even willing to bet that if I go back and look at my old middle-school Texas history books, I’d find that the fall of the Alamo was due to William Travis’ and James Bowie’s bull-headed insistence of using a “small lineup.”
I naturally like to play the contrarian in this argument. I believe the Spurs’ small lineup helped keep them in the Dallas series more than it hurt them. I don’t think Rasho or Nazr would have had much of an impact (the Game 2 rout supports this theory) and Pop probably would have stayed big more often had Horry played better.
But I also think there were specific possessions near the end of a couple games when it made sense to get another rebounder on the floor. The Spurs didn’t, they lost and Rasho and Nazr left town as millionaire martyrs.
Pop has said he’s “fairly committed to staying big” this season. Here’s how I interpret that statement: “Look you morons, of course we’d like to play big. But that’s up to Francisco. If he can stay out of foul trouble for five freakin’ minutes, maybe we can keep him on the floor. But if he or Fab or Rob ain’t giving us anything then we’ll junk everything and go small. And, no, I’m not going to use Jackie to guard Dirk.”
I thought Francisco did a pretty good job with Dirk a week ago. “Pretty good” meaning he didn’t get lit up for 36 points. I also liked how Bruce took apart Jason Terry.
But this big/small debate isn’t an either/or proposition. The Spurs will continue to mix and match lineups depending on the situation. And if their big men can’t keep Nene off the boards, I think they might as well go small and get another shooter on the floor.
So get ready to commence frothing
Spurs Mailbag
Web Posted: 04/23/2007 11:11 PM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer
We decided to go ahead and empty the Mailbag one last time before the playoffs pick up in earnest. As for the 746 of you who have emailed in the past few weeks to ask, “Can we beat Dallas?” you might want to start questioning whether the Spurs will be able to get out of the first round.
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Are you finally starting to see the light, Johnny? Can you now envision how the Spurs could beat Dallas in a 7-game series?
It's hard to imagine Dallas beating the Spurs in a 7-game series. Unless of course Duncan has a bad foot again like last year. Jackson, San Antonio
Of course, I can envision it. But I also frequently envision myself joyously living out the rest of my life next to Scarlett Johansson and, according to her representatives, that’s not going to happen.
I wouldn’t write off the Spurs in any series. I’d been impressed – surprisingly so – by how well they had played since the first week of February. But I’m also don’t going to look too far into the future with them suddenly needing to salvage a split at home just to avoid going to Denver down 0-2.
Just ask the Washington Wizards how quickly things can change. A month ago, they looked capable of challenging for one of the Eastern Conference’s top two playoff seeds. Now they’re starting the postseason without Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler.
I’ve never understood why people get so upset when a writer or broadcaster picks against their favorite team or doesn’t rank them appropriately in the weekly “Power Rankings” that have become all the rage.
This isn’t college football. The NBA championship isn’t determined by an opinion poll.
It’s played out on the court.
How good of a basketball player do you think Emanuel Ginobili can ultimately become?
Obviously, no one can legitimately question his effort, nor his creativity, nor his attitude or passion. He seems to have consistently improved his accuracy, especially beyond the arc.
How do the experts measure his progress on defense? Will the assessment of his greatness come down to clutch-time championship-level mindfullness? He may fault himself for the moments he has come up short in this area, which speaks to his character and unrelenting willingness to improve; but is his trophy case not a testament to his success in that regard?
I know it is hard to wrap ones brain around his value given the company he keeps on this squad; but for all the esoteric bench warmers thrown out as the secret answer to this title run, is there ANYONE on this team – mild-mannered hall-of-fame power forwards included – more of an X factor toward reaching this goal than Manu? Adam Gorelick, Miami
Congratulations, you won this week’s award for Most Thoughtful, Well-Written Letter. Of course, the fact that a) you called Manu “Emanuel,” and b) correctly used a word like “esoteric” makes me wonder if you wrote this a) while wearing a smoking jacket; b) with a brandy snifter in hand; or c) both.
As anyone who reads the Mailbag regularly knows, I already think Manu is pretty damn good – when he’s not going 4 for 15, that is. If he puts in another solid couple of years, I’d even argue he deserves to go into the Hall of Fame given his credentials with the Euroleague and Argentina’s national team.
I also don’t know how much better he’s going to get. I think he’s the Spurs’ best clutch performer in at least the last 20 years (I didn’t see enough of Ice in person to know how the two compare) and his defense and 3-point shooting have already noticeably improved. I guess the natural transition is for him to continue to add to his inbetween game to reduce the beating he takes at the rim.
But I wouldn’t call him the Spurs’ X-factor. I’ve always thought of an X-factor as someone who has the capability to play above AND below his current level. Someone like Robert Horry or Francisco Elson.
With Elson you never know whether he’s going to get three fouls in two minutes or pull down eight, nine rebounds and block a couple of shots.
I agree with you in that Parker is a good, young PG. Yet, it is hard to believe that there is no other guard in the League like Speedy Claxton, who knew what it took to win a playoff series ... as a team.
But I have no shame in admitting I don't like TP's selfish play. One thing that has made the Spurs great has been their team spirit, which sets an example worldwide.
Who would be an acceptable back up to TP to you? Gabe, Sacramento, Calif.
From where I sit, Jacque Vaughn has looked more than acceptable the past month. And it doesn’t hurt to have someone as skilled as Beno as an insurance policy.
For the first time since Speedy left, I don’t consider backup point guard a position of concern for the Spurs as they start the playoffs.
What horrible offense has Jackie Butler committed that Pop won't even let him play in the final minutes of a 30-point blowout? Robinson, Tucson
Surprisingly, coaches aren’t notified before the game whether their team is going be involved in a 30-point blowout. As a result, they usually set their roster with the 12-best players they have available. On the Spurs, Jackie is No. 15.
So, when the Spurs were routing Golden State a few weeks ago, Jackie was forbidden from changing out of his sports jacket and putting on a uniform. But when the Spurs routed Seattle a few days later, Jackie was allowed to play because he was on the active roster.
If White can really pull off those dunks that Finley describes, I think he just might be my new hero. That is Insane!!!
Judging from the article, it looks like this talented kid just needed the right environment and influence to flourish. Can we anticipate a future starter to take over Bowen's position/role? Kaz, New York
I feel I have legit question's that are not going to make you hang your head in shame and answer them out of pity! What chance does James White have at making the playoff roster?
I haven't seem him play so I am forced to draw conclusions on box scores (going of his recent game against Golden State), and what beat writers are writing. Have you seen him play?
If so, do you see any Devin Brown or a little Stephen Jackson in him? What I mean is a surprise player that performs well enough to earn minutes and can significantly contribute to the teams goal. Chris, San Antonio
I just saw the Spurs destroy the Warriors in person. (I only get to see my Spurs twice a year out here).
Since it was a blowout I got to See a young kid, No. 33 James White. He looked pretty good to me and got up and down the court very quickly, and took good shots.
Who is this guy, and how did the Spurs get him? Heath, Oakland, Calif.
What does Pop envision White's role will be if he progresses?
Will he be the heir apparent to Bruce as the lock-down perimeter defender? If not, is there anyone playing oversees that may fill the role? Richard Blasco
You knew this line of question would start pouring in. I fully realize that it's only one game and garbage time against a very weak opponent. However, I was very, very encouraged to see James White, not only inserted into action, but contribute in such a positive fashion.
He looked very, very comfortable out on the floor. He was aggressive offensively, ran the floor well, made some nifty moves and made his FTs. While he didn't do everything well and seemingly needs work defensively, he demonstrated the type of athleticism that is devoid of this team.
Having said all that, what were the opinions of the coaches on White's NBA debut? Do you think he'll see more play time the remainder of this season and perhaps even the playoffs?
Even though it's early, do you think the Spurs brass are encouraged enough of what they've seen of him in practice to allow him to develop with this team? Lon Beard
Confession: After writing a couple of weeks ago about the NBA’s 13-man playoff roster, a league official (who reads the Mailbag solely to see me make fun of Monroe) e-mailed to say teams, for the first time, are allowed to carry up to 15 players in the postseason. Only 12 will be active per game, of course, but the active roster can change night to night.
So … James White will be available to play in the playoffs. As will Jackie Butler and Melvin Ely.
As a result, I was expecting that 17 seconds after Sunday’s loss I would receive the first of several “Why in the (bleep) is Pop not playing Jackie?” emails.
As for James, I think it’s a little too soon to project him as the “heir apparent to Bruce as the lock-down perimeter defender.” But Pop obviously has liked what he’s seen so far.
Here’s what Pop had to say after I asked him about James’ first performance in Golden State:
“You could tell that he wasn’t intimidated by anything. He played pretty freely and made good basketball decisions. That’s good.
“After sitting for a whole year, you might think a guy might go out there and just be a wild man, rushing shots, traveling, throwing passes in the stands, going too fast, whatever. But he didn’t do any of that. He played like he fit, which I thought was impressive for a young guy sitting the whole season.
“He comes early every day. There’s no complaint there. He gets along great with his teammates. They enjoy him. He allows himself to be the rookie and be treated like a rookie by his teammates. He’s been good.”
(Side note: We keep track of how many page hits each online story generates. A good number for our site is 3,000-5,000 with the Spurs and Aggies typically occupying most of the top-10 spots. But my James White story a couple weeks ago produced a staggering 73,000 page views. The only comparable stories in our site’s history involved weeping religious statues and a tree that people thought leaked holy water. As much I would like to submit this as evidence that, among Spurs fans, James White is as popular as Jesus, ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons apparently has a larger following than both. By providing a link to the James White story on his basketball blog, Simmons single-handedly doubled our annual online ad revenue.)
If the Spurs don't win another title in the Duncan era, what will be their legacy considering they couldn't do it back to back? Ryan Flores, Corpus Christi
Their legacy would be that they won three championships in seven years. That’s not a dynasty, but pretty damn good for a franchise that had won consecutive playoff series just once before Duncan arrived.
With a supposed “deep” draft class this year, and an increase of quality players, two questions: (1) do the spurs have a first-round draft pick this year, and (2) if they do then who do they choose amongst Aaron Gray, Tiago Splitter, or Arron Affalo? Robert, Pasadena, Calif.
If he’s available, I’d love to see the Spurs draft Arron Afflalo.
He's only a junior but I think he'll come out- he almost did last year. At 6-5, 215, he's rugged, a great mid/long range shooter, a superb perimeter defender, very mature and willing to take the big, tough shot. I think he'd be a great understudy for injury-prone Manu, especially as Bowen/Finley/Barry age before our eyes.
I don't think he'll be around where the Spurs will be slotted in the late 20s of the first round but if they could find a way to trade for a spot in the mid-late teens, I think he could still be on the board. I haven't been this enthusiastic about a gettable draft pick since ’03, when we didn't move up to get David West and passed on Josh Howard.
My questions: Have you heard any rumblings about him from Spurs management? Does the team have any pieces it could deal along with a first-round pick that could realistically get them up high enough to snag him? Andrew, Los Angeles
What do you think the Spurs first priority in the offseason will be? Also are there any specific players in the upcoming draft that the Spurs have their eye on?Josh, San Antonio
I’m starting to get a lot of draft questions, so I’ll let you in on my secret method of evaluating prospective players the Spurs might take:
1) Make a list of every draft-eligible player born in the United States.
2) Burn it.
That should leave a pool of about 30-50 Serbs, Slovenians, Frenchmen, Spainards, Argentines and maybe even a Paraguayan or two to choose from.
(Speaking of which, why is Pat Burke the only player in the NBA who has an Irish passport? You can’t tell me the Emerald Isle isn’t a hotbed for basketball. Even Mario Elie played professionally in Ireland. Can you imagine Mario in an Irish pub after a loss? “I’m so sick of these corporate, sweater-wearing $&@! Is it that hard to grab a $#&% rebound? And, hey, how about giving me my $#@&! Guinness? You don’t need to pour the damn thing for a half $@*# hour! It’s $@*# beer!”)
In truth, the Spurs aren’t anti-American when it comes to the draft. They’ve tried to trade up to take a handful of U.S.-born players the past few years, but haven’t been able to make a deal. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict they actually choose a card-carrying American this summer.
BUT, I have no clue who it will be. And I don’t think I will. A few years ago, I got tipped off a couple weeks before the draft that the Spurs were hot after Nenad Krstic. So, I wrote it.
New Jersey, however, took Krstic a few picks before the Spurs. The Spurs obviously were not pleased with this and insinuated my story had turned the Nets onto Krstic. I, of course, found this extremely humorous.
I had a hard time picturing Rod Thorn leaning over his computer and shouting, “The Spurs want this Serbian kid who’s 7-feet tall, so let’s go ahead and dump all the scouting we’ve done for the past year on everyone else and take him before they can!”
(Back in those days Rod would have had to spend a good six hours or so hunting for the story once he got to mysa.com. Then he would have had to wait 45 minutes for the page to load. By then I’m thinking he would’ve just head-butted the monitor and called it a night.)
Anyway, as a result of this, the Spurs have since been “less obvious” with their draft intentions, giving guys aliases, working out players they have no interest in taking, passing on Josh Howard, etc., etc.
It used to be you could call up a handful of agents and player personnel guys from other teams and get a group of guys the Spurs likely had interest in. But with the Spurs now usually picking at the end of the first round – or not even at all – it’s all just a crapshoot.
(By the way, our former NBA writer Glenn Rogers, made two of the greatest mock-draft predictions I’ve ever seen when he correctly guessed the Tony Parker and Luis Scola picks. I’ll forever be amazed by this.)
So, if you can’t tell by now, I absolutely hate the draft. It’s the worst night of the year for me. I sit around for three hours waiting for the Spurs to make their pick then have seven minutes to write a 600-word story about someone I’ve never heard of. Good times.
Last year was the best. The Spurs didn’t choose until No. 59 then immediately traded the foreigner they did take.
I don’t even know why Spurs fans bother watching the draft. It’s such a letdown.
When will we receive the Leandro Barbosa draft pick of Phoenix? Is it top-70 protected for 850 years or what?!
By the way, I beg Spurs officials to sign Luis Scola next season. He is the best player in Europe and turned last week the best scorer even of the Euroleague. This player deserve the respect of the team that drafted him.
If the Spurs want to make a great coup in this year draft, convince Nicolas Batum to declare himself for the draft early and pick him in late first round. He is seriously the next great French player. Emmanuel, Paris
OK, it's been well-chronicled now that Barbosa is becoming a star that the Spurs drafted him, and then traded him to Phoenix for a conditional choice (and yes, like many teams, we passed on Howard!).
Looking at draft history – the pick we got for Barbosa ended up with the Knicks – D. Lee, another gem! My question – what did we ultimately get for the guy? Nothing? Jim, Houston
The pick the Spurs received in the Barbosa deal did go to New York, which allowed the Spurs to shed Malik Rose’s contract and pick up Nazr Mohammed, who contributed to the team’s 2005 championship.
If you want to give the Spurs some credit – or perhaps you just want to call it dumb luck – the $800,000 or so they saved not using the pick helped sweeten their offer to Robert Horry. And Horry, as most know, eventually made a few shots to win them a title.
I was going to ask to please hold off the Barbosa/Howard complaints – I’m running out of way to answer the same questions – but then the Spurs lost on Sunday. If they go down again Wednesday, I figure we’ll be deep into the Age Vs. Athleticism Debate by the weekend.
The Spurs went small in last season's playoffs and lost. This season, all this season, they've had that problem with the incredibly disappearing centers.
So explain to me how the Spurs are going to win the NBA championship going small again, because you know that as soon as the Spurs come up against a moderately athletic frontline, Elson and Oberto are going to be sitting on the bench? So explain to me how the Spurs are going to beat LA with its frontline, Phoenix with Amare Stoudemire, who they could never contain, and then maybe Dallas, whose no-name centers can still outplay the Spurs? Explain that to me?Bonnie Foust, Boston
I think most people have complained that Pop went small last year too long against the Mavs in the playoffs. We've heard that complaint a lot.
But I always thought the biggest problem was we used Bowen on the wrong guy. I think Bowen might have been more effective guarding Howard and Stack and removing that third scorer instead of trying to slow down the top one.
Dirk is getting his 30 either way, but JHo and Stack might have a tough time getting their points with Bowen on them. Plus, putting someone bigger on Dirk would help in the rebounding (Dirk with a bigger body on him and Howard/Stack not out-sizing Manu/Fin).
With guys like Elson and Bonner now on the roster, do you see Pop staying bigger and trying to shut down that third scorer with Bowen? Also, shouldn't Manu be able to stay with Terry? I know Terry is smaller and that usually means faster, but Manu is a quick defender and Terry isn't AI or anything.
Having Manu on Terry when they go Harris/Terry should be really, really good for us I think. Or am I wrong?Mark P.
You mentioned in a response earlier that Bruce and Manu would be guarding Josh Howard depending on what Pop does with Dirk.
Is it really not that obvious? Stick Elson on him. He's 7 feet tall and athletic.
I mean, isn't that the primary reason we got Elson? To at least slow someone down like Dirk.Hudson./I>
How about Elson against Dirk? Elson like Dirk is also a 7-footer and has the speed to stay with Dirk.
And how come Pop can’t find a way to have Dirk play defense? Dirk is a super scorer but I bet you, he is a lousy defender. Virgilio, Pittsburg
My friends always trash Coach Pop when he plays small ball -- they claim that the mere presence of a big player helps more than another guard.
I say the coach knows what he is doing and our bigs can get in foul trouble (Elson) or are slow (Oberto). They say small ball lost us the playoffs last years. I say it kept us in.
So what's the whole deal with coach Pop and small ball? Josh, San Antonio
I felt going small against Dallas really hurt the Spurs last year. (Was that Bowen, Finely, or Ginobili helping Tim guard the basket last year?)
Miami stayed big, had O’Neal guarding the rim, forced some mid-range shots, had a strong rebounding presents, and pulled off the series. We traded baskets and relied on Tim for every big rebound.
Elson appears to be a reasonable answer to the Dirk puzzle, someone big enough to hopefully alter Dirk’s jumper and quick enough to not allow Dirk to completely blow by him off the dribble. Elson should allow Pop to keep his typical formula for success (two 7-footers, or at least Horry, guarding the rim a formula Avery has duplicated to perfection and seemingly exposed by posting Dirk at the free-throw line).
My question is, If Elson gets in foul trouble or proves ineffective, do you think Pop will resort back to a small lineup, or will he (should he?) counter with Horry or another big against Dirk?Giovanni, San Antonio
Do you think the Spurs will go small if we face the Mavericks in the playoffs this year?
It seems like Elson and Bonner have the ability to make the Mavs pay for playing small ball. Isn't matching small for small exactly what they want us to do?Patrick, San Antonio
I have come to realize there are two words in the English language that make Spurs fans froth like rabid pit bulls. The first is “Cuban.” The second is “small.”
I’m even willing to bet that if I go back and look at my old middle-school Texas history books, I’d find that the fall of the Alamo was due to William Travis’ and James Bowie’s bull-headed insistence of using a “small lineup.”
I naturally like to play the contrarian in this argument. I believe the Spurs’ small lineup helped keep them in the Dallas series more than it hurt them. I don’t think Rasho or Nazr would have had much of an impact (the Game 2 rout supports this theory) and Pop probably would have stayed big more often had Horry played better.
But I also think there were specific possessions near the end of a couple games when it made sense to get another rebounder on the floor. The Spurs didn’t, they lost and Rasho and Nazr left town as millionaire martyrs.
Pop has said he’s “fairly committed to staying big” this season. Here’s how I interpret that statement: “Look you morons, of course we’d like to play big. But that’s up to Francisco. If he can stay out of foul trouble for five freakin’ minutes, maybe we can keep him on the floor. But if he or Fab or Rob ain’t giving us anything then we’ll junk everything and go small. And, no, I’m not going to use Jackie to guard Dirk.”
I thought Francisco did a pretty good job with Dirk a week ago. “Pretty good” meaning he didn’t get lit up for 36 points. I also liked how Bruce took apart Jason Terry.
But this big/small debate isn’t an either/or proposition. The Spurs will continue to mix and match lineups depending on the situation. And if their big men can’t keep Nene off the boards, I think they might as well go small and get another shooter on the floor.
So get ready to commence frothing