Chris Paul is a drama queen
I'm not sure if he could play that much. I'd like to see how Pop rotates his talents.You forgot Blairs line:
23 points 15 rebs 4 arms ........... in 20 minutes.
I don't remember if Duncan said anything about it after the game. I'll look through my stuff. On the court Duncan says "Calm the down" to Paul after a Bonner/Paul run-in.
We are forgetting one imprtant player, Roger Mason Jr.
Cant wait to see his quick release late game back-breaking shots.
Go Spurs Go!!!
Excuse me?
WTF
Spurs fans don't like Paul, I think Duncan doesn't like him too. Both are from Wakeforest, but totally different personalities.
Hornets by 12
The Spurms suck big !
Yup suck ass es
Your username is Spurm, right?
and I thought you Orlando fans should hate Lakers.
looks who's back
New Orleans (0-0) at San Antonio (0-0)
Game info: 8:00 pm EDT Wed Oct 28, 2009
TV: ESPN
By Matt Beardmore
With Tim Duncan’s career quickly approaching the finish line, the San Antonio Spurs may have acquired the right pieces for another championship run with their star center.
Coming off their longest summer break since 2000, the Spurs open their season Wednesday night, when they host a New Orleans Hornets team that’s also looking to bounce back from a first-round playoff exit.
Duncan, a four-time NBA champion, begins his 13th season following a disappointing 2008-09, when San Antonio was eliminated by Dallas in five games. Duncan, slowed by tendonosis in his right quad toward the end of the season, averaged 19.8 points and 8.0 rebounds in that series as the Spurs failed to reach the Western Conference semifinals for the first time since 1999-2000.
“It’s very logical, it’s very real. I’ve got a couple years left on my career, and hopefully I can end it strong,” Duncan, 33, said during training camp. “I know the window for me is closing.”
In a somewhat surprising move, the Spurs acquired forward Richard Jefferson from Milwaukee in June for Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas and Fabricio Oberto.
Jefferson has $29.2 million left on the final two years of his deal.
“The face of the league has changed significantly over the last two years,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “We’ve hung in there as long as we can, and this year we’re going to have to spend money like some other people.”
San Antonio also signed veterans Antonio McDyess and Theo Ratliff in the offseason to bolster its frontcourt.
With teams possibly fearful of his two reconstructive knee surgeries, Pittsburgh forward DeJuan Blair fell to No. 37 in this summer’s draft, where the Spurs gladly selected the All-American forward that led the nation in offensive rebounds last season with 5.6.
“It’s no secret there are medical issues. Obviously that was a deal that didn’t work in DeJuan’s favor,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said. “But we’re the fortunate recipients of that.”
San Antonio is hoping Manu Ginobili’s injury woes are in the past, after injured ankles forced him to miss 38 games and the playoffs in 2008-09.
Ginobili enters the final year of his contract.
His backcourt mate, Tony Parker, injured his right ankle over the summer while playing for the French national team, but the three-time All-Star is healthy after posting career highs with 22.0 points and 6.9 assists last season.
While Hornets point guard Chris Paul looks to follow up what was arguably his best season - he averaged a career-best 22.8 points with league highs in assists (11.0) and steals (2.8) - he knows New Orleans is not among the favorites to come out of the West after its first-round playoff exit to Denver in the spring.
“It’s nice to fly under the radar,” Paul said. “A couple years ago, when we had a successful season (a franchise-record 56 wins), we flew under the radar, so I’m excited about that again this year.”
Paul, who finished fifth in last season’s MVP voting, won’t have Tyson Chandler to pass to this season after the Hornets traded the center to Charlotte for Emeka Okafor.
“What we’ve done is we’ve changed things - intentionally - because sometimes we have to break out of what’s comfortable in order to grow,” Hornets general manager Jeff Bower said. “Adding Emeka to our team forces us all to make changes and forces us all to take steps to move further.”
Okafor, who averaged 13.2 points and was fifth in the NBA with 10.1 rebounds in 2008-09, has never played in a postseason game, but with Paul running the Hornets’ attack, Okafor begins his sixth season with a renewed sense of optimism.
“(Paul is) one of the premier point guards in the league, and having a good experienced point guard makes all the difference in the world,” he said. “So I’m very interested to see how that dynamic works.”
Hornets coach Byron Scott, beginning the final year of his contract, is looking for increased production from third-year forward Julian Wright, who will likely move into the starting lineup in place of Peja Stojakovic, whose chronic back problems limited him to 61 games last season.
“(Julian) has to be ready to take the next step,” Scott said. “The opportunity is going to be given to him now. If he doesn’t take it, it’s all on him.”
All-Star forward David West scored a career-best 21.0 points per game with 8.5 rebounds in 2008-09. He averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 boards as the Hornets and Spurs split four games last season.
New Orleans has lost three straight and nine of 10 in San Antonio.
********************
Injury Report
NEW ORLEANS
· Emeka Okafor C - Oct 25: Day-to-Day
· David West PF - Oct 24: Day-to-Day
· Chris Paul PG - Oct 24: Day-to-Day
SAN ANTONIO
No significant injuries
Last edited by duncan228; 10-27-2009 at 12:17 AM.
he is not really an orlando fan that is only one of his many usernames, he is just another troll trying to get some attention, that type of post is all you are going to read from him
and I thought you Orlando fans should hate Lakers.
Hornets are doomed because their wings are terrible. All of them. Chandler/Okafor has nothing to do with it.
Okafor doesn't defend Duncan as well as Chandler does, but he still defends him fairly well..
Matchups against New Orleans are always tough due to Paul and especially West though, so we can never count them out..
This game will not come down to a buzzer beater. Jefferson trade>>>>Okafor trade
Blair signing >>>>> Okafor trade.
i also dont think it will be a cake walk first game with a fairly new lineup could easily be a nail biter
You know the season's really started when Louis is back.
I don't think it will be an easy one for the Spurs with all the new guys on the team. But on the other hand, Okafor has yet to play one single game with the Hornets, and I don't think he matches up well with Duncan anyway.
I hope we will see some Hill defense on Paul - I really think he could make life hard for sweet little Chrissy. West will still give us nightmares, though - maybe Blair could have some success against him.
Yeah, Paul would only average 25 pts and 13 asts against Hill.
Need to up those numbers if he doesn't want to keep losing by 58 points...
New Orleans is already in desperation mode and the first game has not been played. If any of the Spurs starters were in the same boat, Pop would hold them out until they were 100% ready. Not to jinx New Orleans, but that kind of player management is what can cause a guy like Okafor to have a season ending injury.
And big thanks to duncan228.
Wednesday: Hornet (0-0) at Spurs (0-0)
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN, KENS
Radio: WOAI-AM 1200, KCOR-AM 1350
STARTING LINEUPS
POS - SPURS - HORNETS
PG - 9 Tony Parker (6-2, 9th yr) - 3 Chris Paul (6-0, 5th yr)
Parker has green light to run Spurs' offense on his own
SG - 4 Michael Finley (6-7, 15th yr) - 24 Morris Peterson (6-7, 10th yr)
Popovich: "Finley hasn't lost even a quarter-step"
SF - 24 Richard Jefferson (6-7, 9th yr) - 32 Julian Wright (6-8, 3rd yr)
Wright replaces veteran Peja Stojakovic as starter
PF - 21 Tim Duncan (6-11, 13th yr) - 30 David West (6-9, 7th yr)
West was Hornets' No. 2 scorer in preseason, averaging 13.3 ppg
C - 15 Matt Bonner (6-10, 6th yr) - 12 H. Armstrong (6-11, 4th yr)
Armstrong is likely starter until Emeka Okafor is fully healthy
SPURS RESERVES
8 Roger Mason Jr., 6-5, 6th yr
20 Manu Ginobili, G, 6-6, 8th yr
3 George Hill, G, 6-2, 2nd yr
34 A. McDyess, C/F, 6-10, 15th yr
45 DeJuan Blair, F, 6-7, 1st yr
10 Keith Bogans, G/F, 6-5, 7th yr
42 Theo Ratliff, F/C, 6-10, 15th yr
1 Malik Hairston, G/F, 6-6, 2nd yr
28 Ian Mahinmi, F/C, 6-11, 2rd yr
22 Marcus Haislip, F, 6-10, 4th yr
HORNETS RESERVES
6 Bobby Brown, G, 6-2, 2nd yr
23 Devin Brown, G, 6-5, 8th yr
2 Darren Collison, G, 6-0, 1st yr
1 Ike Diogu, F, 6-9, 5th yr
4 Sean Marks, F/C, 6-10, 10th yr
41 James Posey, F, 6-8, 11th yr
9 Darius Songaila, F, 6-9, 7th yr
16 Peja Stojakovic, F, 6-10, 12th yr
5 Marcus Thornton, G, 6-4, 1st yr
50 Emeka Okafor, C, 6-10, 6th yr
COACHES
Spurs: Gregg Popovich
Hornets: Byron Scott
INJURIES
Spurs: None.
Hornets: Emeka Okafor (sprained toe) is probable.
PROJECTED INACTIVE PLAYERS
Spurs: Mahinmi, Hairston, Haislip
Hornets: Brown, Marks, Diogu
NOTABLE
Spurs lost last season's opener for first time since Duncan joined team in 1997 ... New Hornets center Emeka Okafor did not play a minute in preseason because of a sprained toe, but has declared himself healthy enough to suit up for tonight's game ... Tonight's regular season opener is Spurs' first home-to-road back-to-back set of the season, with a game in Chicago on Thursday night ... Spurs play three games in four nights to open season, with third game, against Kings, on Saturday at AT&T Center.
- Mike Monroe
*********************
Preview: Spurs vs. Hornets Slideshow
http://www.mysanantonio.com/slidesho...tml?c=y&page=1
Last edited by duncan228; 10-28-2009 at 01:31 AM.
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