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Can't wait to see the new and improved Fin. I'd follow his diet if I didn't like tex-mex and fried chicken and red meats so much.
Finley a lean, mean shooting machine
Bryan Chu
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a resounding message for his players at the end of last season.
Look into the mirror.
Michael Finley did just that.
“I didn't like what I was seeing,” Finley said.
Entering his 14th NBA season, Finley lost weight and improved his conditioning by reconfiguring his offseason regimen — perfect timing with the news of Manu Ginobili being out until December after having left ankle surgery.
Finley, 35, started working out just two days after the Spurs bowed out of the Western Conference finals. He went back home to Chicago and straight to Tim Grover, a sports enhancement specialist at Attack Athletics who has worked with the likes of Michael Jordan and Dwyane Wade. Along with pickup games, Finley went through muscle-activation training, massages and therapy to recharge his body. Grover noticed a dip in Finley's lateral movement, so they concentrated on the flexibility in his hip area to improve his mobility.
Physical fitness aside, Finley changed his diet completely. More salads, lean meat, fruits and vegetables. No fried food, desserts, sugary items and Tex-Mex, and limited red meat. Now, he eats 4-5 smaller meals per day.
Finley was 235 pounds at the end of last season and has now dropped to 220, the lightest he's been since his days in Dallas.
“I feel lighter, I feel better,” he said. “I just want to be prepared physically and mentally. Mentally, knowing that the opportunity of playing more minutes will be there, and I just want to be prepared at that task. Physically, I wanted to be in the best shape that I could be.”
The proof is in the pack, as in six-pack. Finley looks svelte and strong. Not bad for the 10th-oldest player on an NBA roster.
“Unbelievable,” said Grover of Finley's work ethic. “He is one of the strongest and most dedicated clients I've had.
“Right now his body compares to a 30-year-old. Barring any serious injury, he can easily give the team 30 minutes if needed.”
Though the younger perimeter players such as Ime Udoka and Roger Mason likely will see an increase in minutes with Ginobili out, it's also likely that Finley will fill a similar role to a year ago.
Last season, Finley started 61 of 82 games. He averaged 10.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 26.9 minutes. He was especially effective from deep, sinking 37 percent of his 3-pointer attempts, making 132, the second most in his career.
With Robert Horry not returning and Brent Barry signing with Houston, Popovich called signing Finley “very important.”
“Losing Michael would've really been a depreciation in corporate knowledge if you will,” said Popovich, who hasn't tabbed a starting lineup outside of Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. “His leadership on top of that is paramount to our success. He's a really respected player in the locker room also.
“His role will be the same. We want him to shoot the basketball and knock it down.”
Finley signed a two-year deal worth $5 million, with the second year at his option.
Nowadays, Spurs and old seemingly are linked. Finley, a two-time All-Star and 16.7-point career scorer, is one of those on the ancient end, but that doesn't seem to bother him.
“I don't compare myself to others,” he said. “I know how long I've been in the league when I look into the locker room and I see young guys coming into the locker room at 22. That's a reality check in itself.
“(But) coming into this season, with Manu going down, I'm trying to be more consistent. I have an opportunity to play a little bit, and hopefully I can take advantage of it.”
http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/s...g_machine.html
Can't wait to see the new and improved Fin. I'd follow his diet if I didn't like tex-mex and fried chicken and red meats so much.
I was thinking something similar, but I could probably suffer for a year if you offered me $2.5 mil.Can't wait to see the new and improved Fin. I'd follow his diet if I didn't like tex-mex and fried chicken and red meats so much.
this is extremely encouraging.
about finley, i mean.
That's the understatement of the year. Finley last year had the lateral movement of a dragster. Defensively he was helpless if anyone tried to drive around him because he could move side to side at all.Grover noticed a dip in Finley's lateral movement
He eventually adjusted and started to defend like a cornerback with limited speed ... he just backed way off and tried to keep everything in front of him. Too bad that doesn't work at all in the NBA, especially when playing for Pop.
While I was against the re-signing of Finley, I'm starting to have hope. Looking at his numbers last year, you can almost see the wall he hit in the stats. He just stopped rebounding about half way through the season and never recovered. Early in the season, he was actually rebounding at a good clip and playing with energy.
If Finley became a bit nimbler in the offseason and the lost weight can help him stay spry, perhaps he won't be useless. That said, I still hope Roger Mason, Jr. is the opening night starter at shooting guard.
you wish they'd write stories like this about your precious, old shaq.
Surprising how 15 pounds can make a difference on your knees and ankles. Don't be suprised to see Fin doing a little more jumping than he has in recent years.
I was all for the Finley signing. I am glad he is at least putting in the work. That is all we can ask for.
I don't mind Fin being there if Mason is playing well and Fin just beats him out for the job, though.
If we can get 12 pts from Fin and Mason each that would be huge
If that can happen with Manu coming back full strength it would be more than that.
Hope he will be good as advertise
I meant in Manu's absence. One of their numbers will take a hit when he comes back. Manu will probably play around 28 minutes a game, leaving about 26 minutes (for different line-ups) for Finley and or Mason. It would be hard for both of them to maintain double digit scoring.
ewww!“His role will be the same. We want him to shoot the basketball and knock it down."-Popovich
don't hate me because Pop loves me-Finley
while Manu recuperate, pls give Mason equal minutes Pop.
82 games=Finley & Oberto
He's ready.Who knows 2008-09 might be another Finley's (3rd?) 82-game season with the Spurs
Last edited by milkyway21; 10-02-2008 at 02:59 AM.
Can anyone find a picture of him from media day?
Ah. In that case, I agree. 85+ points from TTM plus Fin and Mason is probably too much to ask for.
I wasn't too excited about bringing Michael back this season, but I have GOT to give him props for working his ass off in the off season. He has really made an effort to prepare himself to be able to contribute more this season. I hope this makes a huge difference to his game this year. Good stuff Michael.
Kurt is the one who needed to drop 20 - 30 pounds.
He's way too jiggly, sorta like the last time I saw Malik waddle up and down the court.
Aside from a defensive improvement, maybe we'll see good'ol Finley tomahawk on a drive. We can only hope. Good news.“Right now his body compares to a 30-year-old. Barring any serious injury, he can easily give the team 30 minutes if needed.”
double post
If Finley's minutes stay about the same, I can live with that. I believe we're in trouble if Pop elects to or has to play Fin more than usual. Let's all hope that Roger Mason can ramp up fast.
wasn't Finley always called the super pro, but this season for the first time in his career he starts to work to get his body in perfect shape?
wait there is something wrong about this.
it's great when he does it, but I don't see why the whole forum starts to rave and praise his work ethic, when in fact he carried 10 or more extra pounds last season.
athletes in almost any other sport will only deliver at best, when they are in the best shape possible. put 10 extra pounds on Michael Phelps and he won't win a single gold medal.
so ok, Finley learned that his mobility dropped to the level of a Hyppo last season and he decided to work harder. so obviously there was much room for improvement.
the Spurs waited till the end of August till they re signed him. I can very well see that they waited that long to see if Finley works on his body and I can very well see them ask him to do so, or they won't be interested. no matter what they call things now.
He listened to what Pop said, worked his ass off and earned a spot on this team. Seems praise-worthy to me. If you ask Fin why he didn't do this years ago, he'll probably tell you that's an excellent question.
As you get older the same things that worked in the past don't work anymore. When you are 25 you can eat whatever you want but then around 30 your body starts storing it, gradually a little more all the time, so you have to adapt, and it can easily catch you by surprise. It's easy to convince yourself that it's not happening to you or to just not realize it's happening because it's so gradual. Like I mentioned earlier, with the extra weight sometimes comes extra pain, and that contributes to the beating your body takes playing an NBA schedule. Finley shoots for two hours before almost every game, so there's not much sense in questioning his work ethic.
There haven't been many harsher critics of Fin around here than me, but if he's contributing now then that's all that matters. The combination of improving his quickness and strength and reducing his pain might even mean he starts playing defense again. He used to be a really good defender.
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