Game Blog: Spurs vs. Rockets - Preseason

[meta2007]

15: 14

[meta2007]

no manu?

Duncan is on fire tonight! 10 pts already.


26: 22

[loveforthegame]

Rockets are getting too many offensive rebounds.

[T Park]

lol

its preseason. Settle the hell down.

[loveforthegame]

Not worried about the rebounding, just making an observation.

Mahinmi had a nice minute stretch to finish the 1st quarter. 17 foot jumper at the top of the key. *edit* Yahoo changed the layup to Elson.

[meta2007]

31: 24 end of 1st

[Spurs Brazil]

Tonight: Spurs vs. Houston Rockets
FIRST QUARTER: MORE LINEUP SHUFFLES

The Spurs are starting Tony Parker and Brent Barry at guard, Michael Finley and Tim Duncan at forward and Matt Bonner at center. Duncan had 10 points in the first quarter to lead the Spurs to a 31-24 lead.

I know everybody entered the AT&T Center tonight looking forward to that Matt Bonner vs. Yao MIng matchup. As you might expect, it was actually Duncan and Yao playing defense on each other to start the game. Even though the Spurs always refer to Duncan as a forward, there's no question he's the best center on the team when he plays near the basket.

Duncan and the Rockets' Tracy McGrady were piling up the points early. Both were already up to double figures with a little less then two minutes left in the first quarter. McGrady had 11 of the Rockets' first 22 points.

PREGAME

Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto will not suit up. Earlier we got word that Tim Duncan was not expected to play, but he is in uniform.

An hour before the game, Ginobili is out on the court wearing jeans and a polo shot. He is standing near center court talking to fellow Argentinians Oberto and Luis Scola.

It's that time of year when you need to look who runs out there and check the names off the roster. Once the regular season starts, the teams will turn in their active roster an hour before the game.

Duncan walked out to shoot about 50 minutes before game time. He started by shooting six free throws -- and made all six. He is hitting 76.2 percent of his free-throw attempts (16 of 21) in the preseason.

The Spurs have three days off before they open the season at home Tuesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. Tuesday's game is scheduled for 7 p.m. -- most of the home games the rest of the season will be at 7:30.

Between now and Tuesday, the Spurs will have to trim their roster to 15 players from the current 16.

- posted by Joe Alexander, MySanAntonio.com
http://blogs.mysanantonio.com/weblogs/spursworld/2007/10/tonight_spurs_vs_houston_rocke.html

[T Park]

Finley playing decent.

Mahinmi sounds good as well.

Elson again, looks good. Unreal with this guy.

All in all sounds decent so far.


Guys like Finley have to hate preseason games like this. :lol

[GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI]

Scola with 12 points 8 rebounds with 8 minutes left in the 1st half

[T Park]

Finley

4-7 2-4 threes 10 points pickin up where he left off in the playoffs :smokin


Too bad this game doesn't count.

[Spurs Brazil]

Finley on fire!

12pts

[Mr. Body]

Scola with 12 points 8 rebounds with 8 minutes left in the 1st half
\Of what game?

[loveforthegame]

Somebody light a fire under Finley? He had no rebounds or anything and was 1-3 when he went to the bench. He's come in and grabbed a couple rebounds, dished an assist and went crazy on offense.

[meta2007]

Bonzi is always good when he plays against spurs!

[T Park]

Bonzi is always good when he plays against spurs!

whoopdie doo.

[Spurs Brazil]

Halftime

Spurs up 54-48

[remingtonbo2001]

Good to hear. Let's keep up that boring basketball!

[ChumpDumper]

So no Bowen and TMac only has 13 points on 15 shots?

:tu

[mystargtr34]

Its early in the morning here, so dont take my word, but i think i read in espn play by play that Matt Bonner blocked a 4 foot jumper from Yao.

Duncan and Yao going one on one, Duncan's forcing Yao out hes hit 4 17 foot jumpers..... 6 boards 4 assists and a couple blocks.

Bonner needs to keep Scola off the O glass, but Scola hasnt done anything else.

Ian looks good, he likes that 17 foot jumper, a block and a couple boards.

DW needs a big second half for us :)

[loveforthegame]

Who's been guarding TMac: Barry or Finley? They started and I imagine Udoka saw some time on him as well.

[Spurs Brazil]

SECOND QUARTER: FINLEY TAKES OVER

Michael Finley scored 12 points in the second quarter to carry the Spurs to a 54-48 halftime lead over the Houston Rockets on Friday at he AT&T Center.

Francisco Elson made a basket at buzzer at the end of the first quarter and Darius Washington opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer to put the Spurs up 34-24.

Finley got hot after that:
- 9:27: made a 3-pointer
- 7:33: hit a jump shot
- 6:42: his second 3-pointer
- 6:07: driving basket
- 4:45: another jump shot that gave him 14 points and put the Spurs in front 50-36.

[meta2007]

Scola is getting hot!

[Spurs Brazil]

Udoka 3333333

Spurs up 70-58

[mystargtr34]

Scola is getting hot!

lol

[mystargtr34]

Ian drew a foul on Yao :)....1 of 2

[smrattler]

Scola finally hit two jumpers when Bonner ignored him on back to back trips. Pop called a timeout.

FINALYY the Spurs on TV. Geez, didn't think I was going to see these guys till Tuesday.

No Manu, no Oberto and no Bowen and we were hitting in the mid 60s% for most of the first half.

Ian playing with Elson on some stretches. I guess Ian is a PF? He's gotten so much bigger on his upper body since we drafted him and he's STILL the skinniest guy out there.

Scola = Weak

[infinite styles]

Scola finally hit two jumpers when Bonner ignored him on back to back trips. Pop called a timeout.

FINALYY the Spurs on TV. Geez, didn't think I was going to see these guys till Tuesday.

No Manu, no Oberto and no Bowen and we were hitting in the mid 60s% for most of the first half.

Ian playing with Elson on some stretches. I guess Ian is a PF? He's gotten so much bigger on his upper body since we drafted him and he's STILL the skinniest guy out there.

Scola = Weak

What channel are they on?

[Spurs Brazil]

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/10/fullj.getty-77040716ce001_houston_spur.jpg

[meta2007]

We need to kill Bonzi! :ihit

[ChumpDumper]

Eh, it's our scrub lineup against most of their starters. No worries.

[Spurs Brazil]

THIRD QUARTER

Brent Barry was up to 13 points and played point guard late in the third quarter as the Spurs finished the period with a 75-71 lead.

The Spurs scored the first six points of the second half on jumpers by Francisco Elson, Michael Finley and Matt Bonner.

There has been a lot of talk about the Spurs' point guard position. A lot of the banter started when Tony Parker sat out the first preseason games and Manu Ginobili started in that spot. The impressive play of rookie Darius Washington added to it. Barry got into the point guard mix Friday night, running the offense for the last 3:50 of the third quarter.

A worthless obervation: the Rockets' Chuck Hayes has at least two hitches in his free-throw stroke. He still made both when he went to the line late in the quarter.

[smrattler]

Lol, Houston announcer, he was serious, not kidding when he said:

"Bonzi at the buzzer! Bonzi is now 3 for 3 behind the arc and... I'll have to look it up but I that may be a career record for Bonzi."

Pre-season career record? WTF????

[smrattler]

What channel are they on?

I'm in Dallas with NBA league pass. It's on the Fox Sports Southwest Houston edition.

[Admidave50]

3 pt at the buzzer by bonzi is a dagger!

[infinite styles]

I'm in Dallas with NBA league pass. It's on the Fox Sports Southwest Houston edition.

Oh Well.

[mystargtr34]

Marcus Williams sighting?

For those watching the game....Ian is 1-6, is he taking jumpers?

[Admidave50]

hehe Elson posting Scola!

[smrattler]

Ian's gotten trapped under the basket and not strong enough to overpower guys twice, missed a little crazy hook on Yao in the 1st half. He did hit a silky smooth jumper his first coupe of minutes when I thought he was Elson (until I saw Elson there too and he made Ian look skinny).

[smrattler]

Damn, who is that blonde they keep showing dribbling the ball on the sidelines? Playing with Coyote now. Nice legs.

[ChumpDumper]

Anyone looking at the box score needs to realize that garbage time started for the Spurs shortly after the start of the third quarter. I really haven't seen any non-rotation guys playing for Houston yet.

[smrattler]

Williams bailing us out with a jumper, nice. Then he travels. :(

Udoka with a nice pull up.

[Admidave50]

Is the hot blondie an wnba player? nice ballhandling

[ChumpDumper]

Williams steal to DW for a basket!

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Darius is filling up the stat sheet :tu

[smrattler]

Williams with the long arms getting the steal and feeding Washington. Nice D!

Scola with the turnover, heheh.

I'm calling it now. Oberto is not it, Mr. Bonner is THE Scola stopper. No kidding. Scola can't post him up, Bonner muscles him around. He's a crazy looking lumberjack.

[smrattler]

Is the hot blondie an wnba player? nice ballhandling

I have no idea. Hot legs though!

[loveforthegame]

Washington having another strong game.

Williams showing a little something. A little too late?

[ChumpDumper]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20071027/capt.81a7d6dacdee41e4a6a3fde4ef9779ba.rockets_spur s_basketball_txds101.jpg

:smokin

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

Rockets PG rotation: 36 minutes, 6 points, 6 assists, 3 turnovers.

Washington: 15 minutes, 11 points, 5 assists, 1 turnover.

[Admidave50]

Nice D by Udoka! He really looks like TP on TV, he must grows some hair.. lol

[mystargtr34]

Surely they have to sign Williams, he has held his own against every teams rotation more or less, plus hes 3 years younger than Beno

[Admidave50]

http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20071027/capt.81a7d6dacdee41e4a6a3fde4ef9779ba.rockets_spur s_basketball_txds101.jpg

:smokin

wow already on the web! viva internet

[FirebatMIV]

I want to see Ian, Marcus and Darius on the Toros this year.

[mystargtr34]

Bonner said get that weak rice out of here

[whottt]

C'mon Ian...3 more points and a rebound so you can outplay Scola too...



Just wait till the league gets enough film of Scola to know his moves...then you're really going to see ineffective...

Right now Scola has the advantage because his offensive game is extremely refined...I know he's still been sucking...but he hasn't yet begun to truly suck. That'll happen about a third of the way into the season when his polish is no longer an element of surprise.

[Holt's Cat]

Scola's ok. Yet another 4 man who does his best work 20 feet from the rim for the Rockets. A solid player, but no big loss. SI thinks he'll be the ROY.

:guffaw

[mystargtr34]

Yao has some ugly undies on..sorry

[T Park]

A solid player, but no big loss

Spurs front office wins out again.

[T Park]

:lmao @ Matt Bonner outplaying Scola.

:lmao @ Ian Mahinmi a 20 year old kid who just learned how to play ball what 8 years, is almost outplaying him.

Classic.

[ChumpDumper]

Scola's ok. Yet another 4 man who does his best work 20 feet from the rim for the Rockets. A solid player, but no big loss. SI thinks he'll be the ROY.

:guffawI'd still rather have Hayes.

[meta2007]

I think Scola is nervous tonight.

[whottt]

Nice to see Washington have a strong game :tu


He's needed to follow up his breakout game...

[Holt's Cat]

That's the 5th time Bonner has blown by Scola tonight.

[T Park]

:lmao @ Yao getting owned by Matt Bonner.

Damn Bonner and Elson have come to camp playing well.

Nothing but good comes from that :smokin

[whottt]

How in the fuck are you Austinites watching the #$#$% game?

[T Park]

I think Scola is nervous tonight


Lets say he is.

WTF is gonna happen to him in the playoffs?

Pulla McNabb and spew on the court?

[CubanMustGo]

Washington 5-5, 5 dimes, 1 TO.

Bye Bye Beno. Just do it FO. Spend the $$.

[T Park]

Nice to see Washington have a strong game

Nice observation.

This really really puts hardcore pressure on Pop and beno's butt buddy RC and hopefully they make the decision to keep him.

[Spurs Brazil]

Ime wth 6rebs

[T Park]

Just do it FO. Spend the $$.


Find a team that wants his slug ass and your prob good.

[smrattler]

Ian!!!!!!

[Spurs Brazil]

Ian and one!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[smrattler]

Outmuscled Scola for hte ball, spun from 20 feet and blew by him and over Hayes... NICE!

[T Park]

Bonner 12 points 6 rebounds

Scola 10 points 7 rebounds

:lmao and Scola can't hit threes like the rocket either.

[ChumpDumper]

Washington 5-5, 5 dimes, 1 TO.

Bye Bye Beno. Just do it FO. Spend the $$.True. Send Beno and his salary in cash out for an exception. It will be worth it.

[Holt's Cat]

Scola is a turnstile on defense. Washington deserves to make the team for giving a damn, first and foremost. Maybe by Beno's 3rd NBA stop he will figure that out.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

I want to see Ian, Marcus and Darius on the Toros this year.

I'd like to see Darius on the Spurs, actually.

[T Park]

What team would be stupid enough to trade for him though?

Question

[T Park]

Maybe by Beno's 3rd NBA stop he will figure that out.


Beno = Cory Alexander

but less on the court.

[yavozerb]

Scola cannot even stop Williams...Enough said!!

[T Park]

Scola is a turnstile on defense

I remember that being the one thing that you guys commented on him, after seeing games in the olympics and europe.

His rebounding seems decent though.

Although he had 4 in the first quarter.

[smrattler]

Ian with the block! Then Scola cleans it up when Ian left. That's pretty much the only way he can score on either Bonner or Ian, if they leave. He's opportunistic, like Oberto but more sweaty.

[FirebatMIV]

Marcus Williams AND1!

[whottt]

How in the fuck are you Austinites watching the #$#$% game?





*Crickets chirping*


What channel is it on? Stop holding out!

[ChumpDumper]

I'm not watching it.

[smrattler]

It's Fox Sports Southwest, but the Houston one. If you have NBA league pass you can see it.

[mystargtr34]

Scola putting the team on his back down the stretch.

3 points and 2 bards in the last couple minutes.

:D:D

[CubanMustGo]

O hell, I put the hex on Washington.

Sorry.

[T Park]

like Oberto but more sweaty.

If what these guy say is true, the way he sounds, I think I'd rather have Oberto.

Oberto is at least decent on defense.

[whottt]

Scola is a turnstile on defense. .


Well..if anyone can fix that it'll be Adelman.

[smrattler]

Scola gets a layup in crunch-time... I mean, uhm, garbage time.

Annoucners "Wow, Scola with a great move (looked pretty basic). I mean, that guy has his own style, you can't really say he plays like anyone."

I guess they haven't seen Oberto play.

[Holt's Cat]

Scola had maybe the most underwhelming double double in NBA history in this game.

[T Park]

Prediction.

Washington gets cut.

its a friggen gut feeling.

[whottt]

He's not as good as Oberto...his rebounding being matched up against a 120lb 20 year old aside...

[FirebatMIV]

You know what I'm looking forward to?

Someone making a Scola thread because he "went off" for 14 pts and 10 rebs vs. the Spurs B team.

[whottt]

You know what I'm looking forward to?

Someone making a Scola thread because he "went off" for 14 pts and 10 rebs vs. the Spurs D-League team.

Fixed

[ChumpDumper]

Boxscore sniffers are going to blow major chode when they see Scola's line.

[yavozerb]

Whats funny is the Scola fans will shouting about he well he did, little do they know it was against the toros team of Mahinmi, Williams, Washington

[loveforthegame]

Please let Washington make the team.

What a time for Williams to show some stuff.

[T Park]

Well..if anyone can fix that it'll be Adelman.

:lol

exactly.

thats why I don't understand everyone being freaked out over Houston.

Yeah they will improve on offense, their rebounding may stay the same.

That defense though is gonna stink. I mean, look at the 06 Kings for example.

[FirebatMIV]

Whats funny is the Scola fans will shouting about he well he did, little do they know it was against the toros team of Mahinmi, Williams, Washington

It was that team in garbage time.

[smrattler]

And that was the whole 4th quarter.

[Cherry]

Scola is learning a new system in a new league. Not bad for a preseason game in his rookie year.

[T Park]

I think all the freaking out over Scola going to Houston can calm down.

He will help, hes a decent player, but not the player they NEED.

If they got an Oberto type player, thats when I would be worried.

[yavozerb]

It was that team in garbage time.
washington 27 minutes
Mahinmi 25 minutes
Williams 15 minutes

Alot of garbage time!!

[Spurs Brazil]

FOURTH QUARTER: PRESEASON IS OVER

The young players got lots of action as the Spurs finished the preseason with a 99-92 victory over the Houston Rockets on Friday at he AT&T Center.

Three of the top Spurs - Manu Ginobili, Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto - got the night off. Two more - TimDuncan and Tony Parker - sat out the second half.

The Spurs opened the final period with a typical preseason lineup - Darius Washington and Michael Finley at guard, Marcus Williams and Ian Mahinmi at forward and Francisco Elson at center.

Mahinmi, who is likely to be one of the Spurs' key big men in the future, had an athletic three-ponit play with 3:02 left in the game that put the Spurs in frongt 96-88. Williams added another three-point play with 1:55 left.

Washington had 11 points and five assists.

The Rockets' Luis Scola, who at one time looked destined to be a Spur, had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

[T Park]

Not bad for a preseason game in his rookie year. Wait...

If the guy is nervous, like someone said he looks, in a PRESEASON game?

Then how the fuck is he gonna handle the nerves in the postseason?

Like his teammate Mcgrady and fold like a cheap lawnchair?

[smrattler]

I think Pop held out Oberto and Manu on purpose. They are going to freak Scola right out that first game.

[T Park]

Can't wait to get home and watch the tape, but from what it sounds like, Bonner, Washington, mahinmi, to an extent Williams, and others played well.

Bonner playing well against their starters is VERY encouraging.

[Holt's Cat]

Scola cannot play NBA defense. Of course, some of that can be made up for by having Yao inside, but not all. Matt friggin Bonner was toying with him all night.

Scola will be an ok player for them, but I see him more as a 7th or 8th man in the rotation.

[T Park]

Now the rest count.

Hopefully Udoka, Washington, Bonner,Barry, Elson, all bring what they brought in the preaseason.

If they do, they could win 64.

[Mr. Body]

Washington has to be on this team.

[T Park]

Scola will be an ok player for them, but I see him more as a 7th or 8th man in the rotation

Pretty much Matt Bonner without the 3 point shot.

[yavozerb]

The spurs bench looked very solid tonight!!

[T Park]

Washington has to be on this team.

If Washington doesn't make this team, it will be akin to choosing Derrick Dial over Raja Bell.

[smrattler]

Oh yeah, Fin was on freakin fire too. Cant forget to mention that. He looked awesome.

[Hemotivo]

If the guy is nervous, like someone said he looks, in a PRESEASON game?

Then how the fuck is he gonna handle the nerves in the postseason?

we'll see

[Cherry]

I think all the freaking out over Scola going to Houston can calm down.

He will help, hes a decent player, but not the player they NEED.

If they got an Oberto type player, thats when I would be worried.

It´s too early to say that.

[mystargtr34]

lol yeh Fin is the most up and down player in the league with his new role.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

LMAO @ someone giving Williams props for a three point play. He was a freakin' turnstile on defense. Luther Head was taking him off the dribble for layups.

[mystargtr34]

Lets not forget Duncan pretty much owned Yao in the first half :D

[smrattler]

TD finally broke out and made some shots. Nice rythm finally.

[T Park]

It´s too early to say that.

Pardon me, i forgot where he was from.

[T Park]

Lets not forget Duncan pretty much owned Yao in the first half

In other news, the sun sank into the west.

[mystargtr34]

LMAO @ someone giving Williams props for a three point play. He was a freakin' turnstile on defense. Luther Head was taking him off the dribble for layups.

Head scored a lay up (albeit an and one) and hit a jumper while Marcus was in the game... or were Elson and Mahinmi closing Luther down with their highly touted weak side defense and rotations when Luther was blowing by Marcus?

[Hemotivo]

Pardon me, i forgot where he was from.
no problem :p:

[mystargtr34]

So....anymore final predictions on Darius.

[T Park]

Gets cut because the Spurs are too stupid to get rid of shit fuck Udrih.

[E20]

Well, I'm glad the preseason is finally over. Now I can't wait for the season opener on Tuesday. I have been waiting all summer to see my Spurs play.

[Holt's Cat]

So....anymore final predictions on Darius.

Williams is a couple of years from being a NBA player, if ever. Beno will end up somewhere like Memphis eventually and will score enough points to fool fans into thinking he's worth a shit.

From a basketball perspective, Washington is the preferred choice among the 3. Given the cost of dispatching Beno, I think the odd man out is Williams, if the Spurs are willing to admit a mistake now.

Williams could be a NBA player one day, but he won't be a star. The Spurs had a more talented young swingman than him and they cut that guy earlier this summer.

So, we expect the Spurs to keep Washington and cut Williams. Which of course means they'll cut Washington and extend Beno's contract.

[Roxsfan]

Lol, Houston announcer, he was serious, not kidding when he said:

"Bonzi at the buzzer! Bonzi is now 3 for 3 behind the arc and... I'll have to look it up but I that may be a career record for Bonzi."

Pre-season career record? WTF????

dude, seriously shut up. They were just surprised b/c bonzi's game is not from beyond the arc and they WERE kidding. :rolleyes



Spurs looked good.

Rox looked horrible, absolutely horrible.

[wildbill2u]

That's the 5th time Bonner has blown by Scola tonight.
Bonner's known for his speed afoot. [sarcasm/]

[Hemotivo]

Given the cost of dispatching Beno, I think the odd man out is Williams, if the Spurs are willing to admit a mistake now.
The Spurs are the Champs, they can admit that!

[T Park]

The Spurs are the Champs, they can admit that!

This same front office in the past has not.

Sadly. At the cost of Raja Bell.

[macdude06]

Just got home from the game....washington plays with alot of heart...that kid is all over the place doing anything he can...he led the ball up court w/ poise and played d w a fire lit under him...pray he makes it

please tell me someone has seen hayes shoot free throws?? it looks like hes about to shoot then gets nervous and falls forward and throws it up?? disgusting

[T Park]

Williams could be a NBA player one day, but he won't be a star

Seals it for me. Cut Udrih.

[CubanMustGo]

Seals it for me. Cut Udrih.

Second.

[mystargtr34]

Not only the heart, but Washington has the potential to be a defensive stopper at the point also, he has a big body but hes also quick. One of the main plus points out of college was his desire and ability to play defense.

But then again, Marcus was Williams could handle the ball out of college.

[Roxsfan]

Just got home from the game....washington plays with alot of heart...that kid is all over the place doing anything he can...he led the ball up court w/ poise and played d w a fire lit under him...pray he makes it

please tell me someone has seen hayes shoot free throws?? it looks like hes about to shoot then gets nervous and falls forward and throws it up?? disgusting

It's called a hitch, its old news and the hitch is quicker than last year due to some summer work and they both went in the hoop(2 ft shots).

[mystargtr34]

sensitive

[macdude06]

It's called a hitch, its old news and the hitch is quicker than last year due to some summer work and they both went in the hoop(2 ft shots).

i was on the other end of the court and looked up and saw that and was like wtf??? i never said they didnt go in

whats the reason to stick yao down the court on free throws?? isnt he your best bet to get offensive rebounds on fgs??

[T Park]

Yeah Chuck Hayes is god, don't doubt him.

[ChumpDumper]

Chuck is a hoss. I'd tolerate his free throw shooting or just throw him in with Chip. No big deal.

[wildbill2u]

watched the game here in Houston and have some observations.

1. Mahinmi is further along than I thought. He played pretty damn well against Yao and that says something. Not afraid to put it on the floor and drive against these NBA vets. Defense wasn't bad with a couple of blocks and he Didn't foul as much as predicted from his press clippings and videos.

2. Spurs didn't have an inside game against Houston defense, even when Tim in the game. They shot the lights out from the outside but can't expect that every game. Houston defended well.

3. Washington hustled and played very good on both sides of the ball. Williams wasn't as bad as he's been portrayed--not great but he's a 33rd pick for God's sake. It's been so long since I've seen Beno play I can't ever rate him any more.

4. If Barry and Finley play as well all season, we are golden. Bonner and Udoka looked like solid energy guys. Give good depth on wings. If all these guys play like Spurs in a team concept, we could be awesome.

I would hate to be the coach making the cuts on this team. And it will be even tougher trying to ration out minutes. Unlike most years where the last few guys on the bench don't ever play, i could see our last couple of guys in the rotation for regular minutes for development. Our future is now in sight.

[Roxsfan]

i was on the other end of the court and looked up and saw that and was like wtf??? i never said they didnt go in

whats the reason to stick yao down the court on free throws?? isnt he your best bet to get offensive rebounds on fgs??

I really don't have suggestions on the roxs and how they can play better, I will let Adelman worry about that----all I saw was flashes of brilliance from several players and consistent dose of inconsistent defense and many turnovers.

[Roxsfan]

watched the game here in Houston and have some observations.


2. Spurs didn't have an inside game against Houston defense, even when Tim in the game. They shot the lights out from the outside but can't expect that every game. Houston defended OK.

.


FIXED

[T Park]

Spurs didn't have an inside game against Houston defense, even when Tim in the game

Oberto wasn't there.
Had he been there, Im sure there would've been some backdoor plays, and other trickery him and Duncan are known for.

[Hemotivo]

Oberto wasn't there.
Had he been there, Im sure there would've been some backdoor plays, and other trickery him and Duncan are known for.
yep

[some_user86]

Have the Spurs ever eaten a contract as large as Udrih's, when they were over the luxury tax?

I don't think so, and I suspect that they will keep Udrih in some small hope of trading him somewhere (no matter how small). I can imagine a scenario where some GM fools himself into being blinded by Udrih's talent (whenever he feels like displaying it) and young age and believe that he was just given a raw schtick with the Spurs. For god sakes, we were able to trade Malik's and Rasho's bloated contracts for servicable pieces. There are more than enough dumb GMs out there to make me believe that it is possible.

Meh. That's what I think. Beno's contract ain't getting eaten. But if the plan is to ultimately trade Beno, I think Washington is safe. We need another PG to not be solely dependant on Vaughn's creaky legs after Beno's gone. In other words, I am thinking bye-bye Williams.

[Roxsfan]

yep


yeah but, steve novak didn't play for us and don't get me started on francis and brooks :smokin










j/k

[T Park]

steve novak didn't play for us

I heard the sigh of relief from here when he was listed on the Not playing list :lol

[T Park]

Have the Spurs ever eaten a contract as large as Udrih's, when they were over the luxury tax?

The Spurs ate Ron mercer's contract I believe.

I remember them eating Cory Alexander's when he was on the rookie contract, and was just as underhwelming as Udrih.

[mystargtr34]

Parker Vaughn Washington
Finley Manu Williams
Bowen Barry Udoka
Duncan Bonner Horry
Oberto Elson Mahinmi

Perfect

[T Park]

Agreed 1000% :tu

[some_user86]

The Spurs ate Ron mercer's contract I believe.

I remember them eating Cory Alexander's when he was on the rookie contract, and was just as underhwelming as Udrih.

They were close to the luxury tax when those happened? I know they happened, but I can't remember if they were close to the luxury tax or not. If so, there is hope!

[Spurs Dynasty 21]

LOL @ Manu and Oberto not playing



obviously waiting for the Rockets matchup coming early in the season

[T Park]

They were close to the luxury tax when those happened? I know they happened, but I can't remember if they were close to the luxury tax or not. If so, there is hope!

I don't remember now if there was a lux tax when the Spurs had Alexander or not now..

[Mr. Body]

They were close to the luxury tax when those happened? I know they happened, but I can't remember if they were close to the luxury tax or not. If so, there is hope!

Eating the contract would have no impact on whether the luxury tax must be paid or not - the salary is guaranteed and so it's issue likey takes us over already. The question is whether they can afford a new contract for a year to Washington, which would cost double.

[T Park]

Yeah, if Holt could somehow muster eating that extra million, that would be nice.

[some_user86]

Eating the contract would have no impact on whether the luxury tax must be paid or not - the salary is guaranteed and so it's issue likey takes us over already. The question is whether they can afford a new contract for a year to Washington, which would cost double.

No, I still believe that Beno has a slight chance of being traded. Read my previous post about enough dumb GMs and all.

[CubanMustGo]

Yeah, if Holt could somehow muster eating that extra million, that would be nice.

Ya know, the Spurs have made how many extra millions making it to the Finals two of the last three/three of the last five years? Time for the FO to invest some of that money.

I try to stay off the HoltCatIsACheapBastard threads but enough is enough. It's time.

[whottt]

Oberto is going to own Scola's ass...at last, he'll have someone who isn't faster than he is to defend...


Everyone is saying it's Scola that's going to have the edge against Oberto...uh uh...Oberto gets by on his smarts...he'll have Scola figured out better than Scola will have him figured out....on D.

[Holt's Cat]

Scola can't defend. FIBA ball masks poor individual defenders.

[T Park]

FIBA ball masks poor individual defenders.

Very true.

oberto though, seems to have made the change quiet well.

[mystargtr34]

I would look like a good defender too if i had 21 covering me

[mystargtr34]

But seriously, Oberto has a very good b ball IQ, much like Scola.

The difference, Oberto was emphasised the defensive schemes and rotations and thus improved.

The only thing Adelman will be emphasising to Scola is running over the full court line to inbound the ball.

[coopdogg3]

If Ian is playing power forward they may wait before they send him to Austin. With Robert Horry out for a little bit, Ian may get some minutes. When Horry works his way back into the line-up, then Ian can be sent to Austin.

[timvp]

I wasn't too impressed with Scola but I wasn't expecting to be impressed. Every Argentine who has come to the NBA has started off slow. Ginobili hit like 25% of his shots in his first preseason. Nocioni was horrible to start off his rookie year. Herrmann was a deep bench scrub on the Bobcats. Oberto couldn't even get on the court. Delfino was bad. I see nothing to suggest that Scola isn't going to be in the same boat as all those guys.

But, if the pattern holds up, Scola is going to improve. Ginobili turned into a star. Nocioni is a player any team would love to have. Herrmann developed into a good player. Oberto became a starting center on a championship team. Only one who hasn't panned out is Delfino ... and Delfino is a prima donna cry baby who needs his birth certificate checked to make sure he's actually from Argentina.

Scola is probably going to suck early on and then end up being solid. That said, Scola got seven rebounds per game in preseason in 25 minutes. That's really good ... especially for a guy who supposedly can't rebound. He shot 53.6%. Can't knock that shooting percentage. 9.6 points in that limited amount of time is really good, too.

I know Spurs fans are really hoping the guy is a bust but I think it's way too early to claim that. Comparatively, he's actually off to a pretty good start.

[smeagol]

whottt and tpark turing the Scola hate up a notch

[picnroll]

whottt and T Park are desperate for Scola to be a bust. I haven't seen so much delusion since ducks last post on LeBron.

I'm sure Pop would love to have Scola but there was a price to be paid for fucking up on the Butler evaluation.

[Holt's Cat]

Scola can rebound a little and score a little. His J looks solid. Still, his defense is much worse than advertised. He looks like instant offense, for both the Rockets and their opponents. It's still a bad trade because the Spurs gave a rotation big to someone in their division for nothing, but the impact will be relatively minor.

[wildbill2u]

I think Scola is somewhat like Oberto--not the most gifted athletically, but has some skills and a good basketball IQ. He'll pick up a lot of garbage rebounds and manuver to get some easy shots. He missed a lot of short ones that I'll bet he makes on a regular basis.

He'll give up some points on defense and may get into foul trouble although those Euros are usually smart enough to stay in the game.

The question of his value will be whether his offensive skills outweigh his defense. liabilities. He'll probably play more minutes than Bonner because of the Houston PF situation vs. the Spurs but it will be fun to watch their respective contributions.

[Holt's Cat]

When understanding Spurs' personnel moves, first follow the money, but also keep an eye on the defensive abilities of the players involved. Scola's a turnstile on defense. His lateral movement and defensive rotations suck. The rotations can be improved, but I think he's really limited defensively. The Spurs went after Elson due to his athleticism, but he's somewhat challenged on defense. He also costs a little less than Scola. It'll be interesting to see how Splitters' defense is when he joins the team. I don't believe the decision was ever between Scola and Bonner.

[wildchild]

Oberto is going to own Scola's ass...at last, he'll have someone who isn't faster than he is to defend...

Yes! :lol


Everyone is saying it's Scola that's going to have the edge against Oberto...uh uh...Oberto gets by on his smarts...he'll have Scola figured out better than Scola will have him figured out....on D.

It wouldn't surprise me if Oberto guards Scola better than any other big in the league. He knows how to play against him because they both played in Europe and Argentina National Team a lot of time together.