Spurs Brazil
09-27-2007, 05:14 PM
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_23452.shtml
Spurs: Training Camp Preview
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By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Sep 27, 2007, 08:28
The theme of the Spurs' summer has been "Status Quo." They've made no significant moves and expect to be the favorites to win yet another championship heading into the 2007-08 season. How important will training camp be for a team that has been together for so long? Probably not too important. Gregg Popovich will make sure everyone's in shape, run through his old standard plays, which the guys know backwards and forwards, and get a good, long look at Ime Udoka. Beyond that, training camp will hold no surprises for the San Antonio Spurs.
C - Fabricio Oberto, Francisco Elson
Yes, the Spurs drafted the highly-touted Tiago Splitter with the 28th overall pick in the draft, but no, he's not coming to the NBA this season. Team USA's international scouts, led by former Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich, are very high on his future, but that's not the present for the San Antonio Spurs. Not this year. This year the Spurs will continue to tag team Oberto and Elson, who did well in the rotation last season. Robert Horry may also see spot minutes here.
PF - Tim Duncan, Robert Horry
Here, too, there's some crossover, with Oberto and Elson sometimes being used to spell Duncan, but what really matters for the Spurs is who starts. Despite the media's determination to overlook him, Duncan is the best power forward in the game - maybe the best ever. As his teammates take more and more responsibility for carrying the scoring load, Duncan's effectiveness has increased. His passing is as big a key to the Spurs' success as his low post dominance. If Duncan's healthy, it's easy to see the Spurs repeating as champs for the first time in their history.
SF - Bruce Bowen, Matt Bonner, Ime Udoka
Bruce Bowen may not have gotten the trophy, but in 2006-07 he was once again the best defensive player in the NBA. No one disrupts shots better. No one draws as much ire from his opponents. His deadly three-point shooting is important to the Spurs' success, but is a distant second to his ability to put a clamp on the top scorers in the league. Matt Bonner is likely to be his primary back-up. Despite his 6'10" frame, Bonner is a small forward through and through. He loves to shoot the three and has a strong mid-range game, as well. The Spurs have also added Ime Udoka, who is thought to be the heir apparent to Bowen. He has the long arms, the defensive tenacity, and shot better than 40% from three for the Blazers last season. He's still young, and unlikely to make a splash with the Spurs this season, but if he makes the most of brief stints he could earn some playing time.
SG - Michael Finley, Manu Ginobili, Brent Barry
If there's a question for the San Antonio Spurs this season it may be how much longer Manu Ginobili can be happy coming off the bench. He's certainly not complaining - Manu is happy to do whatever the Spurs need him to do to win another championship - but at the same time he's a superstar in his own right. Any other team would be starting him, not making him carry the water for an older player who can't contribute as a reserve. Michael Finley was miserably bad as a reserve last season, yet contributed decent numbers as a starter. He averaged 8.5 points and shot 35% from three-point range when he was coming off the bench, as compared to 11.4 points and 41% as a starter. Expect to see Finley continue to fall off, as older players do, and for Brent Barry to likely do the same. Between the two of them, the Spurs will have plenty to fill in around the brilliant play of Ginobili, who will get the lion's share of the minutes anyway.
PG - Tony Parker, Jacque Vaughn, Beno Udrih
The 2007 NBA Finals could also be called Tony Parker's coming out party. Much like Manu Ginobili two years before, a dominating Finals performance kicked off a summer in which Parker became elevated in the view of NBA fans across the globe - and got married. Some now call Parker the Spurs' best player, which is a great luxury for a team with another superstar in his prime. Parker's ability to shoulder a large share of the load could serve to extend Tim Duncan's career. Jacque Vaughn is in the twilight of his career, but he made some nice plays in the playoffs and seems to have pushed ahead of the younger and more talented Beno Udrih in the rotation. As long as Parker's healthy the Spurs are going to be tough, though Udrih and Vaughn could hold the fort for a limited period of time if a minor injury sidelined Parker. At the end of the day, the Spurs are quickly becoming Tony Parker's team, and they will go as far as he takes them. That could be just far enough.
Summary
This group of players has three championships to their credit, and there's every reason to believe that they'll be the last team standing this year, too. Obviously the Dallas Mavericks will have something to say about that, as they seem to be the only team that can consistently challenge the Spurs' superiority. The Suns may have a chance depending on how the Shawn Marion situation plays out, and Houston is certainly better with Luis Scola in the mix, but San Antonio plans to repeat for the first time and they've brought back the group that knows how to win titles. We don't bet on the NBA, of course, but if we did we could do worse than put our money on the black and white again in 2007-08.
Spurs: Training Camp Preview
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Bill Ingram
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Sep 27, 2007, 08:28
The theme of the Spurs' summer has been "Status Quo." They've made no significant moves and expect to be the favorites to win yet another championship heading into the 2007-08 season. How important will training camp be for a team that has been together for so long? Probably not too important. Gregg Popovich will make sure everyone's in shape, run through his old standard plays, which the guys know backwards and forwards, and get a good, long look at Ime Udoka. Beyond that, training camp will hold no surprises for the San Antonio Spurs.
C - Fabricio Oberto, Francisco Elson
Yes, the Spurs drafted the highly-touted Tiago Splitter with the 28th overall pick in the draft, but no, he's not coming to the NBA this season. Team USA's international scouts, led by former Rockets head coach Rudy Tomjanovich, are very high on his future, but that's not the present for the San Antonio Spurs. Not this year. This year the Spurs will continue to tag team Oberto and Elson, who did well in the rotation last season. Robert Horry may also see spot minutes here.
PF - Tim Duncan, Robert Horry
Here, too, there's some crossover, with Oberto and Elson sometimes being used to spell Duncan, but what really matters for the Spurs is who starts. Despite the media's determination to overlook him, Duncan is the best power forward in the game - maybe the best ever. As his teammates take more and more responsibility for carrying the scoring load, Duncan's effectiveness has increased. His passing is as big a key to the Spurs' success as his low post dominance. If Duncan's healthy, it's easy to see the Spurs repeating as champs for the first time in their history.
SF - Bruce Bowen, Matt Bonner, Ime Udoka
Bruce Bowen may not have gotten the trophy, but in 2006-07 he was once again the best defensive player in the NBA. No one disrupts shots better. No one draws as much ire from his opponents. His deadly three-point shooting is important to the Spurs' success, but is a distant second to his ability to put a clamp on the top scorers in the league. Matt Bonner is likely to be his primary back-up. Despite his 6'10" frame, Bonner is a small forward through and through. He loves to shoot the three and has a strong mid-range game, as well. The Spurs have also added Ime Udoka, who is thought to be the heir apparent to Bowen. He has the long arms, the defensive tenacity, and shot better than 40% from three for the Blazers last season. He's still young, and unlikely to make a splash with the Spurs this season, but if he makes the most of brief stints he could earn some playing time.
SG - Michael Finley, Manu Ginobili, Brent Barry
If there's a question for the San Antonio Spurs this season it may be how much longer Manu Ginobili can be happy coming off the bench. He's certainly not complaining - Manu is happy to do whatever the Spurs need him to do to win another championship - but at the same time he's a superstar in his own right. Any other team would be starting him, not making him carry the water for an older player who can't contribute as a reserve. Michael Finley was miserably bad as a reserve last season, yet contributed decent numbers as a starter. He averaged 8.5 points and shot 35% from three-point range when he was coming off the bench, as compared to 11.4 points and 41% as a starter. Expect to see Finley continue to fall off, as older players do, and for Brent Barry to likely do the same. Between the two of them, the Spurs will have plenty to fill in around the brilliant play of Ginobili, who will get the lion's share of the minutes anyway.
PG - Tony Parker, Jacque Vaughn, Beno Udrih
The 2007 NBA Finals could also be called Tony Parker's coming out party. Much like Manu Ginobili two years before, a dominating Finals performance kicked off a summer in which Parker became elevated in the view of NBA fans across the globe - and got married. Some now call Parker the Spurs' best player, which is a great luxury for a team with another superstar in his prime. Parker's ability to shoulder a large share of the load could serve to extend Tim Duncan's career. Jacque Vaughn is in the twilight of his career, but he made some nice plays in the playoffs and seems to have pushed ahead of the younger and more talented Beno Udrih in the rotation. As long as Parker's healthy the Spurs are going to be tough, though Udrih and Vaughn could hold the fort for a limited period of time if a minor injury sidelined Parker. At the end of the day, the Spurs are quickly becoming Tony Parker's team, and they will go as far as he takes them. That could be just far enough.
Summary
This group of players has three championships to their credit, and there's every reason to believe that they'll be the last team standing this year, too. Obviously the Dallas Mavericks will have something to say about that, as they seem to be the only team that can consistently challenge the Spurs' superiority. The Suns may have a chance depending on how the Shawn Marion situation plays out, and Houston is certainly better with Luis Scola in the mix, but San Antonio plans to repeat for the first time and they've brought back the group that knows how to win titles. We don't bet on the NBA, of course, but if we did we could do worse than put our money on the black and white again in 2007-08.