Spurs notebook: Horry says he wants to play another year

[THE SIXTH MAN]

Link (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA052007.03X.BKNspurs.notebook.3622d6d.html)

Spurs notebook: Horry says he wants to play another year

Web Posted: 05/19/2007 11:04 PM CDT

Johnny Ludden
Express-News

Robert Horry didn't think his 15-year NBA career was in danger of ending with his recent two-game suspension because he doesn't plan on it ending after this season.
After saying earlier in the season he was leaning toward retiring, Horry said Saturday he'd like to postpone those plans and return to the Spurs.

"I've already decided I'm coming back, hopefully," Horry said. "It all depends on what goes on here."

By that, Horry means it will be the Spurs' decision whether he returns. While he has one year remaining on his contract at $3.6 million, it is only partially guaranteed.

After a ragged regular season, Horry has again played well in the playoffs. He averaged 7.8 points and 3.6 rebounds in the first round against Denver and helped close out two of the games with clutch shots.

"I want to come back. Just leave it like that," Horry said. "I want to come back, but I have no guarantee I can come back here."

Quick turnaround: The Spurs didn't have much time to prepare for their series against Utah, but it's at least better than having to fly back from Sacramento and play an afternoon game the next day against Dallas.

That was the Spurs' predicament last season when they closed out the Kings and their opener against the Mavericks was scheduled for less than 48 hours later. NBA commissioner David Stern apologized, saying the Spurs shouldn't have had to play so soon after flying so far.

The Spurs were at least already home when they ended their second-round series against Phoenix on Friday. They met Saturday afternoon for a 30-minute film session and brief walk-through.

Utah has been off since ending its five-game series against Golden State on Tuesday.

"If we would have had anther 24 hours, or at least 12, it would have been different," Manu Ginobili said. "I think it's going to be kind of tough on us, but it is what it is and we've got to get ready for tomorrow and compete as good as we can."

Switcheroo: Jacque Vaughn serves the same role for the Spurs that he did in 1998 for Utah, when he backed up point guard John Stockton the last time the Jazz reached the Western Conference finals.

The biggest difference between Vaughn then and now is the reliability of his perimeter shot. After working with Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland all season, Vaughn has gained confidence in his outside shot.

"Chip's been tremendous — just to take small pieces of my shot and be able to look at it on photo and see differences that we've made thus far," Vaughn said. "The biggest thing has been accepting the ability to change. I've been in this league a nice amount of years, but I'm still learning and improving and I want to improve. Chip's been great at helping me take my game to a different level.

"I wish I'd run into him a little earlier, but I'm going to treasure his help and value him right now."



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Staff writer Mike Monroe contributed to this report.

[Trainwreck2100]

I want him back, mostly because I don't want a playoff performer on the Mavs team.

[whottt]

Yeah...it's not so much what Horry does when he's playing for you...it's what he does when he's playing against you.

Eff that. Unless someone can give a definitive expiration date on dagger ability, I don't want him giving guts to the Suns or Mavs...or Cavs, or whoever. Clutch is usually the last thing to leave the truly clutch, and let's face it, it doesn't take a ton of physical ability to do what Horry does...he's been slow as molasses for 10 years now. He was slower than Drob Drob's last year in the league.



Hopefully the Spurs will pick up the option...

And something I've noticed...Horry is not a guy that always plays better with an uncertain contract situation...at least one time, he played worse. Put the man's mind at ease so he can focus on, "the shot".

[missmyzte]

Are you kidding me?? I just knew he was going to do this, just can't hang it up.

[Tek_XX]

Horry can stay, but we need to get younger desperatly.

[Trainwreck2100]

I doubt he'll play for the suns whottt

[judaspriestess]

me thinks :elephant :downspin: :hungry:

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Play Bonner in the regular season, and spot minutes only for Rob. Groom his successor.

As for the Vaughn part of the article, I'd like to state that I met Chip Engelland and he is an awesome guy! Not only that, but he really knows his shit - just look at how he re-tooled Tony's technique, and the general improvement in Spur FT shooting since he arrived. Kudos, Chip! :toast

[shyne]

No way we better not let him go shit, I would give him a raise.

[SpursIndonesia]

With Horry on book, the front court roster next year -excluding SF spot- should be like this : Duncan, Elson, Oberto, Horry, Mahinmi, Butler. It's bye bye Bonner & Ely then.

[whottt]

I doubt he'll play for the suns whottt

LMAO good point...although we nearly signed Karl Malone, and whoever thought Finley would come here after the whuppins Bruce gave him?

At the same time, he'll be in demand, regardless of how well he fits the roster, just because other teams won't want us to have him.

[gtownspur]

Keep bonner, discard Elson.

[K-State Spur]

With Horry on book, the front court roster next year -excluding SF spot- should be like this : Duncan, Elson, Oberto, Horry, Mahinmi, Butler. It's bye bye Bonner & Ely then.

Unless I've missed something, I don't think you can absolutely count on Mahinmi being here next year. Plus, I would be mildly surprised if we don't try to move move one or two of those guys (for example, I'd only expect 2 of Elson/Oberto/Butler to be on the roster for the majority of next season).

[Trainwreck2100]

LMAO good point...although we nearly signed Karl Malone, and whoever thought Finley would come here after the whuppins Bruce gave him?

At the same time, he'll be in demand, regardless of how well he fits the roster, just because other teams won't want us to have him.


Seriously Cubes would probably pay him mad bucks, and it will still be in state, so i think the Mavs are his most likely destination if the Spurs cant keep him, and putting a player with balls on that team is a bad thing.

[whottt]

Are you kidding me?? I just knew he was going to do this, just can't hang it up.


Hey Misty...are you ever going to make a vid of Horry Spurs career like you did for his Laker career? Like the Horry saved the day one? LMAO. That's a great video(once you get past the fact he's got the wrong uniform on) ;).


I was going to post that Horry wanted to apologize to the Suns and their fans and the apology link was going to link to that video :lol

[Trainwreck2100]

Hey Misty...are you ever going to make a vid of Horry Spurs career like you did for his Laker career? Like the Horry saved the day one? LMAO. That's a great video(once you get past the fact he's got the wrong uniform on) ;).


I was going to post that Horry wanted to apologize to the Suns and their fans and the apology link was going to link to that video :lol


She can't make it till he's done with the Spurs though

[angel_luv]

Are you kidding me?? I just knew he was going to do this, just can't hang it up.


And I won't let him until you assure me you will continue to come visit even when Rob is no longer playing. :)

[K-State Spur]

Play Bonner in the regular season, and spot minutes only for Rob. Groom his successor.

I don't know if that works exactly because one of Horry's undervalued strengths is that he has been the Spurs second best defensive big man for crunch time over the past 4 years (although if Oberto keeps playing like this, he might make a case for himself). Bonner will likely never get there on that end of the floor. I think Pop would like to bring him back because he is a high energy player that can shoot a bit and justifies a roster spot for the long regular season. I'm just not sure that he can ever really fit into the role that Horry has occupied in playoff time.

[whottt]

She can't make it till he's done with the Spurs though



I want to do the apology thing before all the Suns fans crawl back in their holes though...it'll work better if he's in Spurs uni(and it has a nice clip of Horry planting Nash on his ass).

[missmyzte]

I made a video that included the Spurs, does that count? It's a "through the years" look from Houston to the Lakers through 2004 Spurs. It's a couple years old, obviously. And I left out his brief stay in Phoenix. :)

Angel - good news and bad news ... Good news - My sister-in-law is moving with the kids to San Antonio so if I want to see them, it's gonna be in SA. Bad news - I am, and always will be, a Lakers fan.

[angel_luv]

I made a video that included the Spurs, does that count? It's a "through the years" look from Houston to the Lakers through 2004 Spurs. It's a couple years old, obviously. And I left out his brief stay in Phoenix. :)

Angel - good news and bad news ... Good news - My sister-in-law is moving with the kids to San Antonio so if I want to see them, it's gonna be in SA. Bad news - I am, and always will be, a Lakers fan.


I have come to terms with you be a Laker fan. Nobody is perfect. :)
Next time you come to the arena, you'll have to talk to my manager. He is a Laker fan too and will probably give you dinner free just because you are. :lol

Great news about your sister-in-law :)

[timvp]

Horry is still the second best bigman on this team so it'd be a mistake to not pick up that option if he continues to play well in the playoffs. Horry is clutch and a basketball genius. Those two traits can last a while.

[SpursIndonesia]

Unless I've missed something, I don't think you can absolutely count on Mahinmi being here next year. Plus, I would be mildly surprised if we don't try to move move one or two of those guys (for example, I'd only expect 2 of Elson/Oberto/Butler to be on the roster for the majority of next season).

AFAIK, the Spurs don't easily discard a player with multi yrs contract after just one season, so i expect Elson & Butler to come back and atleast have the chance to prove their worth until next yr midseason trade window.

Oberto has shown what a yr of learning Spurs X&O can do for u, i don't really know about his contract situation though -IMHO this post season he truly earns his paycheck.

Mahinmi, i just hope this guy would get here as soon as possible, and AFAIK he doesn't have any contractual problem that could prevent him from signing with us earlier.

[whottt]

Bad news - I am, and always will be, a Lakers fan.


There's always hope if you can admit you have a problem.

[spurs1990]

Super-old frontcourt in '08...1 player under 30. Just wish they could balance it out some. I agree with the sentiment that Horry is worth keeping if only to prevent him from signing with Dal or Hou.

I'm amazed he's still going after being drafted before the Clinton presidency. Him, Shaq, Zo and Deke are the 4 horseman of the league.

[whottt]

If Danny Ferry could contribute to a title at the age of 38....


Even if Horry is the last guy on the bench...it's better than him being the last guy on someone else's bench.


The good news is that he doesn't seem to have a problem with a reduced role(not that he has ever complained about PT anywhere)...

I wonder how much this announcement is Horry trying to find out how pissed the Spurs are and worried about PR...and how much is him trying to capitalize on punking the Suns...


It does sound kind of like he's worried about his future with the team.

[K-State Spur]

AFAIK, the Spurs don't easily discard a player with multi yrs contract after just one season, so i expect Elson & Butler to come back and atleast have the chance to prove their worth until next yr midseason trade window.

Oberto has shown what a yr of learning Spurs X&O can do for u, i don't really know about his contract situation though -IMHO this post season he truly earns his paycheck.

Mahinmi, i just hope this guy would get here as soon as possible, and AFAIK he doesn't have any contractual problem that could prevent him from signing with us earlier.

Oberto has 1 more year left.

If Butler truly is on the Stephen Jax plan, that would see him starting to be implemented next season. With Elson/Oberto/Horry/Bonner(?) playing with and backing up Duncan, hard to find any minutes there.

I think it all boils down to Butler. If Pop's happy with his development this past year, I wouldn't be surprised to see the team look into moving Elson (possibly along with Barry as expiring contracts). If Pop doesn't think Butler improved this past year, we might cut bait there as he is still very young and probably has some value to at least a few teams.

With Mahinmi, it's more a question of "do we think he's ready? does he think he's ready?" than any issue with his overseas contract. I haven't heard anything definitive one way or the other. Neither coming or staying would surprise me, I just don't think it's a slam dunk that he'll be here next year (and I'm not sure that's a bad thing).

I would say this is all my own personal speculation, but....I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[Dex]

Horry will be a Spur next year. Book it.

Sounds like a guy who's just putting a little insurance on next season, via the media. Horry knows those comments will prompt the Spurs to think about his future, and I think it's fairly obvious that he wants to stay here. Especially as he's staring down his 7th title.

Just seems like another high basketball IQ move to me. By dangling that hook out there, it forces the Spurs to show interest. And it would be downright illogical to NOT to, as many have stated, so for some reason I'm only left to believe the number 5 will be occupied next season.

[ChumpDumper]

If Horry wants to play, it should be here. I can see the Spurs waiving and re-signing him for the minimum a la Brian Shaw if there is a luxury tax issue.

[Bruno]

Good news.
Waiving Horry will cost Spurs $2M, keeping him will cost $3.6M. Letting him go to save $1.6M will be stupid given how well he plays in these playoffs.

[venitian navigator]

Good news.
Waiving Horry will cost Spurs $2M, keeping him will cost $3.6M. Letting him go to save $1.6M will be stupid given how well he plays in these playoffs.

I also think we'll keep him, at this point...
For the rest, IMHO Elson and Mahinmi bring the some thing to the table...so, in case the french one comes here, the Dutch one will probably be traded.
Trade Elson along with someone else (Barry, Udrih...) could bring us something good...and I see the Clippers like a good partner (they need a fast and athletic center, they like Barry, they need a play to replace Livingston and an ancient Cassell).

[dav4463]

After the finals vs. Detroit....Robert Horry can be on my team as long as he wants.

[Texas_Ranger]

I for keeping him in the team. :)

[jmard5]

Switcheroo: Jacque Vaughn serves the same role for the Spurs that he did in 1998 for Utah, when he backed up point guard John Stockton the last time the Jazz reached the Western Conference finals.

The biggest difference between Vaughn then and now is the reliability of his perimeter shot. After working with Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland all season, Vaughn has gained confidence in his outside shot.

"Chip's been tremendous — just to take small pieces of my shot and be able to look at it on photo and see differences that we've made thus far," Vaughn said. "The biggest thing has been accepting the ability to change. I've been in this league a nice amount of years, but I'm still learning and improving and I want to improve. Chip's been great at helping me take my game to a different level.

"I wish I'd run into him a little earlier, but I'm going to treasure his help and value him right now."

Ok, so he's got his shooting skills a work in progress. Just continue to hustle, a playmaker and less driving into the hoop.

[WalterBenitez]

I think Robert has a good chance in NFL, that blocks he gave to Nash was really good; or we could freeze him til playoffs time

[picnroll]

And I left out his brief stay in Phoenix. :)

That video would have to include the towel to Ainge's face for whottt's purposes. Maybe the leadoff even.

[violentkitten]

uh, you bring him back if he wants to be back

[Jimcs50]

The question is, can his hip take the punishment?

[Jimcs50]

Are you kidding me?? I just knew he was going to do this, just can't hang it up.


Horry is the Evander Holifield of basketball.

[exstatic]

The question is, who else of that quality and clutchness are you going to bring in on a one year deal at that price in order to not fuck up Big Plan '08?

If we were to win it this year, I'd feel a lot better about having Big Shot Rob in the holster when gunning for a repeat.

[Borosai]

Robert Horry must retire as a Spur... I can't imagine him in another uniform after donning the silver and black. That would be a shamockery.

[tmtcsc]

Elson has been terrible in the playoffs. He doesn't utilize the tools he has and is so under-weight that he can't get rebounding position or respond to more physical play.
It's so ridiculous when he over-exaggerates getting a rebound....WHEN NO ONE IS NEAR HIM.

Suckass.

[wildbill2u]

Mahimi is still a year or two away according to most reports--not fantasies. Butler will probably get his chance unless a trade comes along that demands him.

I don't see much change in the frontline except at SF where I hope they'll find a good young player to back up bowen.

Oberto has proved he's better than Elson. Time for Elson to move on.

[mattyc]

A 1 year deal doesn't hurt us one iota.

[boutons_]

Elson is the only Spur who shows total befuddlement by the game of basketball.

[samikeyp]

Yeah...it's not so much what Horry does when he's playing for you...it's what he does when he's playing against you.

If for no other reason...this is why you bring him back.

[michaelwcho]

Elson is the only Spur who shows total befuddlement by the game of basketball.
Might as well give him another year to see what he can do when he knows the system. These things take time.

[Chris]

Sign his ass now! :madrun

[my2sons]

Robert Horry must retire as a Spur... I can't imagine him in another uniform after donning the silver and black. That would be a shamockery.

This is one of the most ironic statements looking back at horrys career....

[my2sons]

as far as elson is concerned, barry looked lost his first year, fabs could barely get any playing time his first year, bonner shoots outside shots...players are lost in this system their first year. pop had to play cisco, and liked alot of what he saw, only the staff know how much he has learned and how much he can learn over the summer. true report cards historically come in the second year. given that evaluation, elson pretty much sucked this entire season, but again, i will leave it up to pops. as he's proven over and over and over...he knows best. how many people quit on this team long ago this season. spurs went from being old to being experienced. its amazing like a smart cia coach once said, its amazing how winning fixes things

[violentkitten]

yeah, if elson finally got spurs basketball he'd be a significant asset.

[The Truth #6]

I would like to have him for the playoffs but giving him time in the regular season only hurts the development of younger players such as Bonner and Butler.

If he retired and became an assistant coach I would be cool with that. If he played for someone else I would not be cool with that. I trust the Spurs to make the right decision...I think.

[SenorSpur]

Anytime I try to find reasons not to bring Horry back, I recall Game 5 of the 2005 NBA Finals versus Detroit. Horry has earned a lifetime pass to continue on playing with the Spurs. His veteran leadership, clutch shooting, perimeter defense and professional gamesmanship cannot be replaced. He may not be able to bring it every night, but as long as he wants to bring it - bring to the Spurs, baby. There is a home for you here.

The Spurs still need to infuse the team with 1 or 2 younger players. They will simply have to get younger at another position.

[x_roux_x]

With Horry on book, the front court roster next year -excluding SF spot- should be like this : Duncan, Elson, Oberto, Horry, Mahinmi, Butler. It's bye bye Bonner & Ely then.

Fuck butler