Spurs showcase newcomers Van Exel, Finley, Oberto

Spurs showcase newcomers Van Exel, Finley, Oberto

Web Posted: 10/23/2005 12:12 AM CDT

Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b...r.39d0832.html

If there was any question as to whether the Spurs' newcomers would be ready to immediately contribute, it might have been answered Saturday night.

Michael Finley, Nick Van Exel and Fabricio Oberto combined for 35 points off the bench as the Spurs lost to the New York Knicks 96-90 at the SBC Center.

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 21 points in 30 minutes.

Oberto (10 points, six rebounds) brought the crowd — and his teammates — to their feet with a between-the-legs pass to Finley, who was standing behind him in the corner. Finley made the open jump shot for two of his 15 points.

Van Exel (10 points, four assists) later threw a wrap-around pass to Oberto, who laid the ball through the rim as he was fouled.

Despite their influx of talent, the Spurs showed they haven't lost their willingness to share the ball. On one fourth-quarter possession, they made seven passes until Oberto sprang free for a layup.

"We are all starting to play better together," Manu Ginobili said. "We still need to get to know each other better, but we are making some progress. We're on the right track."

Lineup change?: Nazr Mohammed missed the game after flying to Kentucky a day earlier to be with his wife, who is ill. He also missed three games from Oct.12-15 after the birth of his son.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Mohammed's absence and preseason struggles — he got lost in some of the team's sets during Thursday's victory against New Orleans — means it's "up in the air" as to whether he or Rasho Nesterovic will start the Nov.1 opener.

"Nazr's had kind of an up-and-down camp," Popovich said. "He's just had to make sure everything is OK at home. He's missed a decent portion of what he didn't get last year, even though he played pretty well for us in spurts in the playoffs last season. He's just behind a little bit."

Because Mohammed joined the team midway through last season, the Spurs were hoping to use the preseason to get him more acclimated to their offense.

His absence "affects everything," Popovich said. "His familiarity with what we're doing, getting the system down. Come playoff time, you make so many adjustments that everything isn't exactly what you did in training camp. If you didn't have training camp, you don't have the base.

"Sometimes he was on the fly trying to do something in the playoffs that he hadn't practiced very much. Considering that, he did a heck of a job."

Ginobili OK: Ginobili played despite having to leave practice a day earlier after he was kneed in the left thigh. "Nothing serious," he said.

Homecoming: Malik Rose wasn't the only Knicks player glad to be back in San Antonio. Sam Houston graduate Steven Barber is trying to make New York's roster.

Knicks coach Larry Brown started Rose and Barber because of their local ties.

Rose received a loud ovation when he was introduced before the game. He committed a couple of early fouls, knocking Tim Duncan out of bounds and running over Bruce Bowen for a rebound, drawing laughs from both.

Barber, who worked out at the Spurs' practice facility for a week this summer, had seven points in 19 minutes. Rose had four points and five rebounds but missed all six of his shots.

Well-dressed man: Finley is regarded as one of the NBA's best dressers. But that doesn't mean he necessarily agrees with the league's new dress code.

"I can understand why the league is trying to do it, but I don't think clothes improve our image," Finley said. "You can put a monkey in a suit, and it's still a monkey."

Finley almost always wears a suit to games. When he was in the fourth grade, his basketball coach made him wear a tie.

"I had two ties, two shirts and two pairs of pants I just rotated," Finley said. "Any game we went to during the year, he said he wanted us to look like we're about business.

"College was a little tough because I couldn't afford it. But as soon as I got enough money to wear a suit every game, I did."

Finley's Chicago-based tailor, Willie Scott, has asked Finley to recommend him to any player in need of expanding his wardrobe to meet the dress code. Scott, coincidentally, used to play professionally in Ginobili's hometown of Bahia Blanca, Argentina. Ginobili was a ball boy for the team.

Overheard: Veteran official Luis Grillo, in calling a foul on Finley: "Finley, No.4, hit (Eddy Curry) in the head first, then flops." Said Popovich, "You've got to tell them he flops, too?"

The part about Nazr is very interesting to me. It seems like Rasho might be back as the starter once again.

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

The part about Nazr is very interesting to me.It seems like Rasho might be back as the starter once again.

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:pctoss

:hat
:drunk

I'd give myself another kluby, but it was too easy a call.

Oberto could be starting as well

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Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Mohammed's absence and preseason struggles — he got lost in some of the team's sets during Thursday's victory against New Orleans — means it's "up in the air" as to whether he or Rasho Nesterovic will start the Nov.1 opener.

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Rasho is built for the regular season. People during the playoffs forget that they are managed so differently than the regular season games. Also, with the additions of NVE, Finley, and Oberto, the Spurs need guys on the floor who know the system and Rasho definitely does.

Did you see Rasho go up aggressively for the dunk and take the foul? Making the 2 previous free throws helped a lot. He also TOOK and made a big basket late in the game, which was nice to see, especially when he had missed his other two shots. Rasho is playing well.

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Originally Posted by Sense

:pctoss

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If Rasho is playing better than Nazr, shouldn't he start?

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Originally Posted by Kori Ellis

The part about Nazr is very interesting to me. It seems like Rasho might be back as the starter once again.

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Maybe just a ploy to try to get his trade value up?

Start Rasho

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Originally Posted by Sense

:pctoss

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So you'd rather see Nazr start despite the fact that everybody agrees he's not playing well right now?
Way to be a fan of the team :tu http://spurstalk.com/forums/images/s...mirolleyes.gif

I guess this puts to rest all the Rasho being traded rumors.

It's one thing to understand the system better than sombody else, it's quite another to actually perform in it. As long as we see aggressive/active Rasho, I think he'll start. If he regresses like he did last year to the point that he's playing like he's too intimidated/scared to step up and be an active part of the team on both ends of the floor, we'll see more Nazr and Oberto.

It's a shame about Nazr missing so much of the preseason. Given the flashes of promise he showed last year, I was looking forward to seeing how he could play in the offensive and defensive systems with a full camp under his belt to better familiarize himself with their intricacies.

Rasho definitely looks good and I don't see any reason why he can't start and be effective. The only problem I see is that he is being more aggressive, which is a good thing, but it's going to get him into foul trouble more quickly. I thought Oberto looked good. He seems to be acclimating quickly. His free-throw shot is smooth.

Angel and I can show Rasho a little finese .... :lol

It is great to hear that THE MAN is getting in there and being alittle more aggressive....I am loving it!!!! It seems there will be some tweaking for the players to get their game, Nazr has time still. I do hope Nazr's wife feels better soon and congrtas on the new addition to their family.

Best wishes for Nazr's wife. I hope she feels better real soon.

I like Nazr over Rasho for starting at center. I don't think that Nazr does to well off the bench compared to if he is starting. Rasho on the other hand gives you the same if he is comming off the bench or as a starter.(not much) I don't see Oberto starting anytime this year unless there is an injury to Nazr.

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"Nazr's had kind of an up-and-down camp," Popovich said.

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:lol

This is working out exactly how I expected. The negative PR machine is churning and the Spurs will rally the fans behind the idea of letting Mohammed walk at the end of the season. Once the Spurs don't like you anymore or they realize they can't keep you, they'll float all kinds of negative stories to get the average fan on their side. See what they did to Malik Rose, Derek Anderson, Antonio Daniels, Avery Johnson and others.

With Mohammed in the "doghouse", that'll give Rasho a chance to start. That allows the Spurs to raise his value and ultimately trade him. Then they'll go with Oberto as the starter with Mohammed still "troubled". Mohammed will end up playing minutes in the playoffs, but by then his stock will be so low that the Spurs can either re-sign him cheaply or let him walk without any fan uproar.

Man, this Spurs franchise is a machine. They have this city and 99.9% of their fans in the palm of their hand.

Unluckily for them, some of us have cracked the code.

:smokin

timvp, with such paranoia, you should be posting in the political forum! :lol

I think the Nazr vs Rasho competition is extremely close, duh, each having different strengths and weaknesses. Neither has the talent to be anything but a "hustle" role player, and I think Rasho is gonna win the hustle contest. I've seen Nazr caught too many times in no-man's-land spectating shots rather than crashing the boards, and that has nothing to do with being new to the Spurs. A role rebounder who doesn't reflexively crash the boards on every shot ain't playing his role. That said, he's a better rebounder than Rasho.

I really don't care who wins the most minutes, just whoever helps the Spurs the most.

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Originally Posted by timvp

:lol

This is working out exactly how I expected. The negative PR machine is churning and the Spurs will rally the fans behind the idea of letting Mohammed walk at the end of the season. Once the Spurs don't like you anymore or they realize they can't keep you, they'll float all kinds of negative stories to get the average fan on their side. See what they did to Malik Rose, Derek Anderson, Antonio Daniels, Avery Johnson and others.

With Mohammed in the "doghouse", that'll give Rasho a chance to start. That allows the Spurs to raise his value and ultimately trade him. Then they'll go with Oberto as the starter with Mohammed still "troubled". Mohammed will end up playing minutes in the playoffs, but by then his stock will be so low that the Spurs can either re-sign him cheaply or let him walk without any fan uproar.

Man, this Spurs franchise is a machine. They have this city and 99.9% of their fans in the palm of their hand.

Unluckily for them, some of us have cracked the code.

:smokin

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I'm glad they have the time to smear players while trying to win championships. :rolleyes

What an incredibly stupid list of statements. The negative PR machine has a life of its own, and it's mainly the fans' reaction to the players, not to things the organization says about the players.

Malik wasn't the same after signing a big contract, and there was STILL a huge outcry when the Spurs traded him. The Derek Anderson trade was a huge black eye for the team, so it seems odd that they would have orchestrated such a fiasco. The only reason the Spurs didn't get rid of Daniels earler is because he was friends with Duncan, and the Spurs started AJ for years while everybody else said he couldn't play.

If they are a machine because of the above, they are a rather inept and lucky machine.

Maybe Pop's just trying to light a fire under Nazr. He's made critical comments to the press about Parker before and I don't think Parker's about to get dumped. Fact is Nazr has to improve or he isn't worth keeping anymore than Oberto's making and maybe not that much.

Dude missed most of camp and didn't look all that great when he did play.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

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Originally Posted by timvp

:lol

This is working out exactly how I expected. The negative PR machine is churning and the Spurs will rally the fans behind the idea of letting Mohammed walk at the end of the season. Once the Spurs don't like you anymore or they realize they can't keep you, they'll float all kinds of negative stories to get the average fan on their side. See what they did to Malik Rose, Derek Anderson, Antonio Daniels, Avery Johnson and others.

With Mohammed in the "doghouse", that'll give Rasho a chance to start. That allows the Spurs to raise his value and ultimately trade him. Then they'll go with Oberto as the starter with Mohammed still "troubled". Mohammed will end up playing minutes in the playoffs, but by then his stock will be so low that the Spurs can either re-sign him cheaply or let him walk without any fan uproar.

Man, this Spurs franchise is a machine. They have this city and 99.9% of their fans in the palm of their hand.

Unluckily for them, some of us have cracked the code.

:smokin

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or maybe some fans like to live in the past and dont see the decline of players but make all kinds of excuses as to why players are moved. Malik Rose, Derek Anderson, Antonio Daniels, Avery Johnson...with the exception of AD the rest of those players were declining and too expensive. Please tell me you dont think any of those players were worth their salaries. Dam Timvp you have really lost you objectivity. But then again maybe you didnt have any to begin with.

I expect pathetic statement like yours today from a immature person like mouse but I thought you were better than mouse. I guess mouse is just rubbing off on you.

Last night was my first live game of the new season. I thought:
Fin shot too much from outside (in fact most of the Spurs didnt take it to the rim enough);
NVE looks even slower than I thought he would;
Barry also got beat on defense alot;
Oberto looked good but allowed too many easy layups;
Tim wasnt really into the game but seemed to wanna take on Malik one on one;
Malik is even more out of control as a Knick than he was as a Spur

Can't you just admit that Rasho has played better than Nazr- that Rasho has had a good training camp and Nazr's hasn't been as good as was hoped- and that Rasho has earned his starting job back. There is a reason why Rasho with one less year in the league has started in twice as many games as Nazr has.

If you look at the box score, for about the same minutes, Fin took twice as many shots as either Brent or Nick. I bet Pop just wants to Michael to get comfortable, and won't let him take that many shots during the season.

timvp laid out the plot. Soon enough we will be hearing about how Mohammed doesn't say hello to his teammates in the lockerroom or double parks his ride at the SBC Center.

Mohammed the Malcontent™ has begun.

Rasho pwns you!

All coaches and GMs spin things. Why ignore the obvious, though? Nazr has missed a lot of time with the birth of the baby and now his wife's health. A lot of critical practice time that Nazr needs to absorb and practice the schemes. Being on the sidelines due to injury is one thing, but being totally away from practice and out of earshot or eyesight is clearly another.

Nazr needs to keep his teammates trust on his defensive assignments and he needs to improve his ability to catch even the easiest of passes on the first try.

You don't need reasons to jettison a guy if you can replace him with better skills or abilities.

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Originally Posted by Solid D

All coaches and GMs spin things. Why ignore the obvious, though? Nazr has missed a lot of time with the birth of the baby and now his wife's health. A lot of critical practice time that Nazr needs to absorb and practice the schemes. Being on the sidelines due to injury is one thing, but being totally away from practice and out of earshot or eyesight is clearly another.

Nazr needs to keep his teammates trust on his defensive assignments and he needs to improve his ability to catch even the easiest of passes on the first try.

You don't need reasons to jettison a guy if you can replace him with better skills or abilities.

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And this has always been the standard to which others (Rasho) have been held in this forum, so why not Nazr?

And just to avoid future misunderstandings - if Nazr comes back strong and shows on the floor he deserves to start, then he should start. As for the spin conspiracy, even if it's true (which I doubt), does anybody here thinks it would be done for any other reason than the benefit of the team/club?

So we have a guy whose wife had a baby and is ill and he's a chump because he's missed some of training camp? Come on.

Yes, the Spurs are spinning like clockwork. Why can't they just come out and say, 'hey, we want Oberto to start because his contract is a fraction of Radoslav's and what Mohammed's will be'? This isn't hard. That never seems to be enough for Pop. He has to make the guy sound bad to the public.

"for any other reason than the benefit of the team/club"

no. I think Pop's "invisible hand" in improving the club is as honest as it is ruthless, but it's not perfect.

Malik would still be here if the hustling, spark-plug Malik of 02/03 had repeated, maybe even improved, himself in 03/04/05. He didn't, so he's gone.

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Originally Posted by Slomo

As for the spin conspiracy, even if it's true (which I doubt), does anybody here thinks it would be done for any other reason than the benefit of the team/club?

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

That never seems to be enough for Pop. He has to make the guy sound bad to the public.

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I guess I shouldn't have asked...

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

So we have a guy whose wife had a baby and is ill and he's a chump because he's missed some of training camp? Come on.

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Did I miss where anyone called him a chump?

Shouldn't fans of the team be happy to see Rasho playing well- or do you dislike him so much that you want him to play poorly so you can be right?

He has come in and shown he wants to play, he wants to contribute, and he has worked hard to try to win his starting job back while still having the team first, I will do whatever the coach asks me attitude he has always had. He hasn't had a chip on his shoulder and acted pissed about the summer of trade rumors. An aggresive Rasho who plays to the best of his abilties will always be better than Nazr for this team. As for Pop's comments about Nazr, they are simply truthful. He hasn't looked particulary stellar even before he missed the time. He got clearly outplayed by both Rasho and Fabricio in the scrimmage at the end of the week in the Virgin Islands. I think it is funny- people thought it was great that maybe Oberto would come in here and replace Rasho for a cheaper price, but are up in arms at the thought that he could instead replace Nazr at a cheaper price.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

So we have a guy whose wife had a baby and is ill and he's a chump because he's missed some of training camp? Come on.

Yes, the Spurs are spinning like clockwork. Why can't they just come out and say, 'hey, we want Oberto to start because his contract is a fraction of Radoslav's and what Mohammed's will be'? This isn't hard. That never seems to be enough for Pop. He has to make the guy sound bad to the public.

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Who said he's a chump? A baby, wife's illness, or even Ramadan hunger are all things that coach Pop understands are life things that need appropriate attention. Nazr hasn't made bad decisions but these things have kept him from learning the system the right way. Now he's behind.

Nazr needs to put in extra time to catch up now or the Spurs will need to get someone in there who can do a good job. Nazr may still get a 2nd ring, don't worry.

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/hsc1313l.jpg

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The part about Nazr is very interesting to me. It seems like Rasho might be back as the starter once again.

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Rasho starts and gets traded within a month, tops.

Mark it down.

Mohammed and Radoslav are gone within a year. Mark that down.

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Originally Posted by Slomo

And this has always been the standard to which others (Rasho) have been held in this forum, so why not Nazr?

And just to avoid future misunderstandings - if Nazr comes back strong and shows on the floor he deserves to start, then he should start. As for the spin conspiracy, even if it's true (which I doubt), does anybody here thinks it would be done for any other reason than the benefit of the team/club?

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Again, the team will jettison a player because of his contract and try to make him out to be a malcontent in the process. This isn't a conspiracy, it's reality.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Again, the team will jettison a player because of his contract and try to make him out to be a malcontent in the process. This isn't a conspiracy, it's reality.

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Maybe or maybe not. Malik wasn't made out to be a malcontent, was he? Yes, the salary commitment was part of the decision and Malik didn't always stay on Pop's good side, but he wasn't a malcontent in Pop's eyes.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b....e4178275.html

Though the trade also sheds more than $21 million in future payroll for the Spurs, Popovich called the decision to part with Rose his toughest in the 11 years since he took over as the franchise's general manager.

"I have a big empty spot down there right now," Popovich said. "It was odd coming to practice without him. I'll always miss him.

Seems like Oberto had a good night. Maybe the Spurs should start with Rasho and give Nazr more time to get accustom to the system the Spurs run since he has been out for family issues. Oberto seems like a solid back up but we are going to need Nazr this season. Next season maybe Nazr will sign with another team and we can bring in Luis Scola. Trading Rasho right now is out of the question.

Oberto isn't as long as Nazr or Rasho, but he is really skilled, really smart and he can do many positive things as one of the Bigs. He has a certain flair and creativity in the post. It's a luxury to have so many different types of Bigs, good for different looks on the floor.

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Originally Posted by Aggie Hoopsfan

Rasho starts and gets traded within a month, tops.

Mark it down.

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Spurs don't make trades in November. :rolleyes

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Again, the team will jettison a player because of his contract and try to make him out to be a malcontent in the process. This isn't a conspiracy, it's reality.

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The Spurs never once tried to make Rasho out to be a malcontent- actually, there are some who wished he would get a little pissed off.

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Originally Posted by ploto

Spurs don't make trades in November. :rolleyes

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Actually, nobody makes trades in November. It's practically unheard-of.

Pop said hes missed time and had an up and down camp.

How is that "spinning" its the truth.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Mohammed and Radoslav are gone within a year. Mark that down.

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I don't entirely disagree with your point. I don't like it, but it's definitely possible.

I do disagree with the idea of making the player to be a malcontent just for some pervert pleasure that Pop or anybody else gets out of it. They will spin informations in the media, but for a purpose (motivate a player, make his price drop, make him sign with the team isntead than wiht a competitor....) - and as much as I (or you) dislike that, you have to agree that it's usually advantageous to the team.

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Originally Posted by ploto

Also, with the additions of NVE, Finley, and Oberto, the Spurs need guys on the floor who know the system and Rasho definitely does.... Rasho is playing well.

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How will they ever learn "the system" if they are not on the floor for considerable periods of time? Rasho did not learn "the system" by sitting on the bench for long stretches.

Having said that, I do agree with you that he is playing better right now than he did during the second half of the season last year. Wonder what's up with that? (Fear of being traded?)

Wow, this thread is great reading for an old X-files fan. . .

I don't know about the conspiracy theories - I do know that the Spurs can't afford to keep Rasho and Nazr. And that they've tried shopping Rasho, with no success, and that it seems Nazr's value is going to be too high unless they ship Rasho and someone else (appears it would have to be Barry - but I don't think they intend to lose Barry). And Nazr needed a training camp, and has missed a lot of it (due to things outside his control - I think Pop acknowledged that). So they are going to have to look at moving Nazr, since they can't afford him.

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Originally Posted by GINNNNNNNNNNNNOBILI

Maybe just a ploy to try to get his trade value up?

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Or downplaying NASR might be CIA Pop's ploy to bring his valued down so the Spurs can sign him when his contract comes up....or NASR is so dumb it really takes some work in preseason to get him to know where to stand...or... :rolleyes

Or...(this is after I read all the posts and realized conspiracy was in the air) did anyone notice the dreaded word "Showcase" in the title of this thread?

In journalese, when teams "showcase" a player, that means they're trying to pump up their trade value, doesn't it?

Hmmm...so the Spurs are 'showcasing' the three new additions, Oberto, NVE, and Finley so they can be traded immediately. :depressed

Come clean, Kori, the Spurs told you they wanna trade them, right. :lol :spin

^:lol

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Originally Posted by ploto

The Spurs never once tried to make Rasho out to be a malcontent- actually, there are some who wished he would get a little pissed off.

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Yeah, they made him out to be a big fat pussy. "Malcontent" is probably the wrong term to use to describe what the Spurs do to players they don't want to pay. 'Defective' might be the best descriptor.

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Originally Posted by Slomo

I don't entirely disagree with your point. I don't like it, but it's definitely possible.

I do disagree with the idea of making the player to be a malcontent just for some pervert pleasure that Pop or anybody else gets out of it. They will spin informations in the media, but for a purpose (motivate a player, make his price drop, make him sign with the team isntead than wiht a competitor....) - and as much as I (or you) dislike that, you have to agree that it's usually advantageous to the team.

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It's hard to ignore the pattern. It's also not like the truth is that shocking. It's a strange quirk of this front office, almost like Pop has to convince himself that he wasn't forced into making a decision that was based on financial/cap concerns.

Has Nazr been great this preseason?

Has he even had the opportunity?

Exactly.

So he should have a sick wife and a newborn held over his head?

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Has he even had the opportunity?

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The Spurs spent the entire first week of training camp working from the ground up- often twice a day- and Nazr was there. Pop said he has had an up an down camp-- not pre-season-- which leads me to guess he has not caught on as quickly as they had hoped and has not been impressive in practice. We have no idea what occurs at practice and what they go over and who gets what.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

So he should have a sick wife and a newborn held over his head?

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Maybe I missed it, but who's holding it over his head?

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

So he should have a sick wife and a newborn held over his head?

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So Rasho should have had his injury held over his head?

Difference here is Nazr has time to win his spot back.

Of course, it would only be for "showcasing" purposes right?

Out of curiosity - is there a reason that his family lives in Kentucky? I mean, that's fine, I know that happens frequently, but does he have other family there?

Perhaps he met her when attending the U of Kentucky.

I haven't said that he should have his starter's gig guaranteed. An injury is one thing. Being healthy and unable to participate in training camp because your wife is sick after giving birth is quite another.

Also, I like how Pop is now so suddenly concerned about training camp.

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An injury is one thing. Being healthy and unable to participate in training camp because your wife is sick after giving birth is quite another.

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Not really -- it's not like he ever played that much better than Rasho.

And really, how can anyone expect starting jobs to be guaranteed after Manu's benching two years in a row?

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Also, I like how Pop is now so suddenly concerned about training camp.

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Did not everyone in this forum say they thought Nazr would learn alot in a full training camp?

Pop cares a lot about training camp. He doesn't care about exhibition game wins or losses.

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Originally Posted by ChumpDumper

Not really -- it's not like he ever played that much better than Rasho.

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Pop cited his absence as a reason that Mohammed was in trouble. See the article in the inital post in this thread.

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And really, how can anyone expect starting jobs to be guaranteed after Manu's benching two years in a row?Did not everyone in this forum say they thought Nazr would learn alot in a full training camp?

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I didn't expect anything to be guaranteed. But I'd say that having to go home because your wife is ill after giving birth is not exactly something to be nicked for.

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Pop cited his absence as a reason that Mohammed was in trouble.

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Trouble? He has every opportunity to be showcased later.

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I didn't expect anything to be guaranteed. But I'd say that having to go home because your wife is ill after giving birth is not exactly something to be nicked for.

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And I'd say getting injured or having your teammate suck off the bench aren't the greatest reasons for being benched either.

Yet, there they are.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

I didn't expect anything to be guaranteed. But I'd say that having to go home because your wife is ill after giving birth is not exactly something to be nicked for.

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If he was playing in a manner that they were okay with, it wouldn't matter that he took some time off or why. Obviously they're seeing something they're not happy with.

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Originally Posted by Carie

If he was playing in a manner that they were okay with, it wouldn't matter that he took some time off or why. Obviously they're seeing something they're not happy with.

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I don't think they are displeased with what they've seen but the point is that last year he wasn't in training camp (he wasn't here yet) and so in the postseason last year, he was just winging it. He did fine on offense (outside over pumping) but was pretty bad defensively.

So this training camp was the time for him to learn all those things that he missed last year. Well now, because of the fate of his child's birth and consequently his wife's illness, he hasn't been here to learn anything.

As far as why he lives in Kentucky -- that's where he lives -- he went to school there, he has a home there, and his wife's family lives there I believe.

It's not unusual. Doesn't Bowen still have a home in Miami?

Am I reading this right? He wasn't able to learn the things he needs to improve his game (read: defense) during training camp. Basically, what I was trying to say (in reference to Marcus's post) is that they're not just not playing him simply because he wasn't in training camp, as a form of punishment or something. They're not seeing what they want from him. Had he improved his game (defense) his time away from camp wouldn't have been an issue.

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Originally Posted by ChumpDumper

Trouble? He has every opportunity to be showcased later.

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Ha. If it isn't trouble was is it?

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And I'd say getting injured or having your teammate suck off the bench aren't the greatest reasons for being benched either.

Yet, there they are.

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Neither is your contract, but we know how that works.

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Originally Posted by Carie

Am I reading this right? He wasn't able to learn the things he needs to improve his game (read: defense) during training camp. Basically, what I was trying to say (in reference to Marcus's post) is that they're not just not playing him simply because he wasn't in training camp, as a form of punishment or something. They're not seeing what they want from him. Had he improved his game (defense) his time away from camp wouldn't have been an issue.

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Oh, did Pop not say that?

Did he not say what, that Nazr wasn't being punished? Not being a bitch :) Just don't understand the question.

ignore him.

Hes got the blinds closed waiting for the black helicopters.


Mohammed has missed time, and the time hes been in camp maybe hes struggled.

Once again, if Pop says hes had an up and down camp, how is that not factual?

Of course, Stay Puff, Pop always tells the truth. I bet he chopped down a cherry tree when he was a kid too.

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Originally Posted by Marcus Bryant

Ha. If it isn't trouble was is it?

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Logic.

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Neither is your contract, but we know how that works.

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Yeah, Pop really said Malik was a piece of shit this time last year.

And I do have difficulty buying the "depress Nazr's market value" argument.

The biggest argument the Spurs make for signing players under market value is -- well -- signing players under market value. We can play the cheap management card all we want, but who besides Cablevision is not paying attention to the bottom line now and had that influence their moves accordingly?

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Originally Posted by ploto

the Spurs need guys on the floor who know the system and Rasho definitely does.
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WHATTTTTTTTTTTTTTT´SSSSSSSSSSSS

If This is correct his numbers are wrong

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Originally Posted by ChumpDumper

Logic.

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Pop apparently said that Mohammed's absence hurt him. See the article in the initial post of this thread.

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Yeah, Pop really said Malik was a piece of shit this time last year.

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Yeah, Pop wasn't trying to trade him. At this point it looks like Mohammed will walk ala DA.