Spurs aren't only team that got better
Mike Monroe
Hornets coach Byron Scott was in a courtside seat at a summer league game in Las Vegas in July, but paying scant attention to the action on the court while renewing acquaintances with credentialed friends.
Then, Spurs rookie forward DeJuan Blair muscled his way over and through two opponents, snatched an offensive rebound, pump-faked both foes off their feet and went to the far side of the basket for a soft reverse layup.
Scott's eyes opened wide, and then his jaws tightened just a bit.
“Those SOBs did it again, didn't they?” he said, shaking his head.
The SOBs referenced by Scott are R.C. Buford, Dennis Lindsey and Dell Demps, the Spurs' player personnel crew that has made a habit of finding useful draft picks at spots ordinarily relegated to marginal bench help.
If Blair, the 37th pick in the draft, pans out even half as productively as another Spurs second-rounder, Manu Ginobili, well, Buford and friends may have to be immortalized in bronze at the team's practice facility.
Blair's emergence in the preseason as a potential impact rookie provided further evidence that the Spurs made the greatest offseason improvement among the handful of teams considered legitimate championship contenders.
The biggest upgrade, of course, was at small forward, where Richard Jefferson instantly became the team's most athletic wing player since Ginobili arrived in the summer of 2002.
Adding Antonio McDyess, a second big with a reliable jumper, addressed another huge need. Signing Theo Ratliff and Keith Bogans showed a continued emphasis on defensive excellence. Having Blair drop into their laps in the second round was a bit of basketball kismet.
The makeover was mandatory after the first-round playoff ouster in April exposed them as ill equipped for future compe ion against Western elites that were longer and more athletic.
As significant as were the Spurs improvements, this is reality: Every other legitimate contender also got significantly better.
The 66-win Cavaliers landed former MVP center Shaquille O'Neal, still the NBA's biggest physical challenge.
The 2008 champion Celtics added Rasheed Wallace, one of the league's best interior defenders.
The Eastern Conference champion Magic countered the loss of Hedo Turkoglu with a trade that netted eight-time All-Star Vince Carter.
Most significantly, the improvement the Spurs made through major roster upheaval was countered by the single, subtle move the defending champion Lakers negotiated. Letting Trevor Ariza sign a free-agent contract with the Rockets freed a spot for defensive menace Ron Artest, a player capable of making the Lakers nearly unbeatable.
Artest has a downside, but when he is focused and happy, he is basketball's best perimeter defender. His history shows what happens when he is unhappy.
“If Ron is going to fit in and play a role, they're going to be tough to beat,” said Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas' 2007 NBA MVP. “If he's going to be unselfish and play the team role and just defend and do what he can do, to me, they're pretty damn good.”
Nowitzki agrees that the Spurs made the greatest upgrade in talent and depth over the summer, but believes the Mavericks matched them, improvement for improvement, and he's right.
Dallas added Shawn Marion, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, Kris Humphries and another rookie who, like Blair, has the potential to make an impact. Rodrigue Beaubois is a point guard straight out of the Parker mold: quick, impetuous and French.
The Spurs could go from 54 wins last season to 58 or 59 this season and still wind up second in the Southwest Division.
On paper, the Spurs have the deepest roster in club history, and perhaps the most athletic, but the games are played on hardwood.
“What matters is when the ball gets thrown up,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle. “I know (the Spurs) are going hard at it, and so are we.
“It's a long season and there's no accidents. In 82 games, you're going to find out who the better teams are.”
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