Ludden: Spurs band together for another run

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In a season full of change, Tim Duncan and the Spurs are showing that a little continuity can still go a long way.

Spurs band together for another run
By Johnny Ludden, Yahoo! Sports

Tim Duncan smiles as he surveys the shifting NBA landscape. “New age,” he says, and if it sounds like he isn’t quite sure where he stands after all this tectonic movement, that South Texas clay beneath his feet seems as stable as ever.

He’d spent the summer like everyone else, watching and wondering what it all meant. LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami. Amar’e Stoudemire signed a $100 million contract with the Knicks. Carlos Boozer left Utah for Chicago. Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony even toasted their dream union.

“To each their own,” Duncan says, and he’s still smiling.

“Sometimes you take an easier route. But the easier route isn’t always guaranteed anything.”

Duncan won’t pass judgment, but perspective. There’d been a time when he, too, considered leaving the only NBA team he’d ever played for. He stayed, and the decision delivered three more titles. Continuity worked for him. Some 10 years later, it apparently still counts for something.

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Twenty victories and three losses into their season, the San Antonio Spurs own the NBA’s best record and the franchise’s greatest start ever. To anyone who had seen them a year ago – most of all themselves – this comes as some surprise. Then, they limped through the season’s first three months, preparing for a turbulent summer that threatened to scatter them. Manu Ginobili questioned whether he would return, and he was right to do so: The Spurs were wondering whether they should bring him back. Tony Parker was slowed by a foot injury and, at times, looked disinterested enough that the Spurs debated whether to trade him, going so far as to inquire about Paul’s availability.

Together with Duncan, they had made a nice run, sharing ownership of the previous decade with the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe it was time to start something new.

Or not.

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nice read

No one covers the Spurs better than Ludden. Props.

whatta go Tim :toast

I always look forward to these Ludden articles relating to the Spurs. Like it's been said before, he brings something more personal and maybe something we didn't know instead of the current hacks in the EN who just take post game quotes and right around them.

Anyway I like this line: "Nearly a week before Christmas, and the Spurs are looking down on the NBA. New age?
Or same old one?"

Quote:

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Duncan turns 35 in April and has one year left on his contract, which could be swallowed by a possible lockout. Spurs officials can envision him continuing to play on a short-term deal, and Duncan said he’d be willing to commit to something longer if he could guarantee his troublesome left knee will continue to hold up. But he can’t.

“I would love to play until the wheels come off, but that’s not how it goes,” he said. “I want to play at a high level and I want to be able to play well. If that’s not the case, then it might be better for me to walk away.”

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You know a lockout season does wonders for an old guy on shaky knees. If we lose basketball for a year, it will give his knees a lot of time to heal and probably give him an extra two years of play.

Another good one by Ludden.

That's Ludden for you.

Spurs nwo

Where's the I miss Ludden dog? :)

Great read, Ludden's always got the goods

yep. ludden is money

Fuck ya Ludden! Fuckin A!


"Get me a fucking bench." - Pop

Now this is intellectual property. Great read.

Awesome read! I think the spurs are going to still be contention in the next 5 years. then after that i don't know. But they have a great front office and they know how to put things together.

Spurs never say die. Spurs fight til the end. :toast

I think this is the best insight we have had, in quite some time, about what Pop and Tim might do after their contracts expire.

Nice article

Ludden >>> Woj.

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/pict...pictureid=1474

Great read

And very nice to know Pop extension is close

Good read



And I mean it this time

Fantastic article! Ludden does it again.

there are a lot of insights in this article

about pop contract, the internal debates about trading (ginobili, parker, paul..), and i loved the quotes of duncan and about him

spurs have the best human resource management I've seen in any company; )

We have a bleeping bench now.

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums...iss_Ludden.jpg

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Originally Posted by Slomo

http://www.cikava.com/gallery/albums...iss_Ludden.jpg

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It depends

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Originally Posted by Tim

“Sometimes you take an easier route. But the easier route isn’t always guaranteed anything.”

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Tell Lebron whats up Timmy

One more run. It kinda reminds me of what the Pats are doing in the NFL right now.

Get me a FUCKING BENCH!

pop is the man

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Originally Posted by Jason R

One more run. It kinda reminds me of what the Pats are doing in the NFL right now.

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I was just talking with my friend about how the two franchises have paralleled each other over the past decade.

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Originally Posted by Cane

Ludden >>> Woj.

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I think they're just different. Woj pours battery acid on people whereas Ludden is softer. They both love the Spurs though.

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Originally Posted by LoneStarState'sPride

I was just talking with my friend about how the two franchises have paralleled each other over the past decade.

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I know some people hate the perceived arrogance of the Pats, but in a lot of ways they really do mirror on another in their quests for excellence.

This article really interested me unlike a lot of the shitty media nowadays. Great read.

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Originally Posted by gospursgojas

Tell Lebron whats up Timmy

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You're such a dumbass.

Who would you rather play with Mo Williams and Anderson Varejao or Wade and Bosh?


Hmmmm tough one.

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NBA PM: Popovich Signing Extension?
By: Yannis Koutroupis
Hoopsworld

...According to Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports an extension for Popovich is all but a formality at this point. Within the last year the Spurs have also locked up star guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to long-term extensions and both of them wanted to make sure that Popovich would continue to be their coach.

"I kind of feel I have to commit to those guys," said Popovich.


...As long as Popovich is the coach the Spurs figure to be in pretty good shape, although they are undoubtedly going to take a step backwards once Duncan retires. Replacing Duncan is going to be far from easy because not only is he the greatest power forward to ever play the game, he's also the most ideal leader a franchise could ever want.

Duncan helped create a culture of hard work and dedication by giving it everything he had in every practice and game. Duncan's high level of commitment demanded that everyone else on the team do the same.


...Despite averaging career-low numbers across the board it's still clear that Duncan is a high-level player for the Spurs. He'll be at his best come playoff time when the team needs him the most. As for now, Parker and Ginobili will continue to carry the heavy load. They've done a great job so far, leaving a lot of reason to be optimistic about the post-Duncan era – especially now that Coach Pop has decided to delay his retirement.

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http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=18199

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Originally Posted by JMcDonald_SAEN

Ginobili says he did indeed seek commitment from Pop before signing extension. "He said he'd only be here 5 months, so I stayed," he joked.

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Originally Posted by Vito Corleone

You know a lockout season does wonders for an old guy on shaky knees. If we lose basketball for a year, it will give his knees a lot of time to heal and probably give him an extra two years of play.

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How about a lock-out shortend season?

Am I the only one that likes that idea?

:toast :toast :toast

Wow...We really tried to get Paul...

He is right about something; this season has been a surprise. Even for people (and there was a good amount of them around here) who were really optimistic about this year, the Spurs have exceeded expectations.

They brand of basketball is fun to watch and they are winning despite monitoring minutes. They still need a few things to happen in order to reach a title & it is a long season, but I am so thrilled with how things have played out to this point.

Damn, Ludden is good.

Some nice tidbits in there that I didn't know about. Great piece.

God I love this team.