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Duncan, according to Popovich, is in the best shape of his career and eager to win a fifth ring.
this is the best thing i have heard all summer.
Spurred into action
Time to ante up in San Antonio
By Peter May
The Boston Globe
For years, the San Antonio Spurs were the avatars of economy and frugality. They’d somehow find a way to win - or at least compete - and do so while keeping their payroll under control. There may have been one crossover into Luxury Tax Territory a few years back, but it was small and short-lived.
Now, all that is gone. Like Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson and Bob Dylan going electric in 1965, this cons utes a certifiable shocker. The Spurs are spending. They are doing so knowing the consequences and risks. They will be big-time luxury tax payers and, according to coach Gregg Popovich, it simply had to be this way.
“I didn’t think it was going to work any other way,’’ the Spurs’ hoops boss said last week while on the road to his vacation abode in Maine. “We could have waited until next summer and seen if LeBron [James], [Dwyane] Wade, and [Chris] Bosh all decided to come join us. But I had trouble seeing that happening.
“Our time is now. Timmy [Duncan’s] time is now. He has three years left on his contract. Something tells me that you don’t have to be too smart to figure out that the next three years are probably going to be better than the three after that.’’
Toward that end, the Spurs have made some changes, and according to Popovich, “If we can stay healthy, we are back in the championship talk.’’ They added Richard Jefferson via trade, signed Antonio McDyess as a free agent (along with Theo Ratliff), and drafted burly DeJuan Blair in the second round.
The additions of Jefferson and McDyess pushed the Spurs well over the tax limit (almost $9 million, according to one account) and required some arm-twisting of longtime owner Peter Holt.
“We told him that if we were going to compete, we had to go over the [tax threshold]. He did not like that answer,’’ Popovich said. “But he also said, ‘I don’t like it, but I understand it, so go out and do what you need to do.’ ’’
Jefferson is the biggest of the new arrivals, a scorer, a wing player who still has a few hops left. Popovich got to know Jefferson during the 2004 Olympics (as did Duncan, a US teammate) and looks forward to having the ex-Net, ex-Buck on the team.
“He’s a grown-up. He doesn’t have to be developed,’’ Popovich said. “And personality-wise, he fits. He has a great sense of humor. You can coach him and he can respectfully talk back to you. Timmy enjoys him.’’
McDyess is also a grown-up. “He’s Kurt Thomas, but a better scorer,’’ Popovich said.
As for Blair, the rebounding machine from Pitt, Popovich said, “He’s going to play right off the bat for us. He can rebound. I’m not going to teach him how to shoot threes. We know what he can do.’’
But just as crucial is the return to health (and good form) of the Big Three. Duncan, according to Popovich, is in the best shape of his career and eager to win a fifth ring. Manu Ginobili, who has been hurt in each of the last two postseasons, is healthy. Popovich said “my heart sunk’’ when he heard that Tony Parker had hurt an ankle while playing for France.
“It makes me sick,’’ he said. “There’s nothing you can do about it. It’s frustrating. But it’s a minor sprain. From what we read, it could have been a whole lot worse.’’
Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili all were big players in the last three San Antonio championships (2003, 2005, 2007). Another was 38-year-old Bruce Bowen, who went to Milwaukee in the Jefferson trade. The Bucks waived him at the end of July and he is a free agent. Might he be part of another Spurs run, albeit in a subordinate role?
“I’ve given him no such indication,’’ Popovich said. “He might come back with the right team in the right situation, but it’s probably not going to be San Antonio.’’
Popovich still puts the Lakers on top in the West, but the reconfigured Spurs have him energized as he prepares for his 13th full season as the main man in San Antonio.
“I’m really excited,’’ he said. “If we had come to training camp with the same group we had at the end of last year, everyone would have gone into major depression. I would have been saying, ‘follow me,’ and turned around to find nobody there. It was time to change the music and I think we’ve done that.’’
Duncan, according to Popovich, is in the best shape of his career and eager to win a fifth ring.
this is the best thing i have heard all summer.
I love hearing this. They obviously expect him to come in and contribute right away. I don't expect he'll see much of the dog house if at all.
There's no reason to be in CIA mode anymore. If they wanted him back he'd be here already imo. Sounds like he'll retire unless the perfect situation comes up. The writing is all but on the wall that it won't be in SA.Another was 38-year-old Bruce Bowen, who went to Milwaukee in the Jefferson trade. The Bucks waived him at the end of July and he is a free agent. Might he be part of another Spurs run, albeit in a subordinate role?
“I’ve given him no such indication,’’ Popovich said. “He might come back with the right team in the right situation, but it’s probably not going to be San Antonio.’’
Good article Thanks for posting. The boston globe is more of an insider to the spurs community then the express lol.
duncan228, can you PM me the larger version of this picture, please?
At least Popovich did not say something like
"We love our boys in silver and black."
or
"Silence does not mean inactivity."
Check your PMs honestfool84.
I agree, it certainly seems that way. Disappointing for those of us who wanted him back, but it's good to have a little less speculation, I suppose.
While I realize that the Spurs will likely take more of a team-approach to try to shut down big scorers, rather than the Bowen-on-Kobe approach of yesteryear, I still think the absence of Bowen puts a lot of pressure on Jefferson, Ginobili, and perhaps Hairston to step up their individual defensive games, so that double teams can be fewer and further between.
Thats good to know. It's pops way of doing things and Bowen deserves nothing but the honest truth.The Bucks waived him at the end of July and he is a free agent. Might he be part of another Spurs run, albeit in a subordinate role?
“I’ve given him no such indication,’’ Popovich said. “He might come back with the right team in the right situation, but it’s probably not going to be San Antonio
Great article
Very good news about TD but Pop killed any hope to see Bruce back
LOL @ a Boston source having so much informative quotes from the Spurs..
I think Peter May covered the NBA as well as the Celtics. He may have wider resources than just a beat writer.
Are any teams actually courting Bruce? I'm not sure anybody wants him at this stage in his career.
really?
-Bowen won't back, we'll miss him.
-Jefferson and Blair will play significant roles in the coming season.
-Duncan is in the best condition.
Everything seems right but I still have a bad feeling. Maybe that's just because we are too close to another Championship.
Last edited by Riverwalkman; 08-16-2009 at 02:20 AM.
great article, especially considering the source....
a choice pop quote...putting to bed the bowen hopes.
Thank god. Look, pop has had enough trouble with over-playing vets...now that he is finally showing he is quitting that habit, we should encourage him.
I am hopeful this season goes better than last, that everyone is healthy, and we give the lakers our best shot.
Completely agree, it's really sad to see but it's good that they're laying it on the line. I really want him back still.
Been looking for this for a while. Fukken saved.
many of us, including me, hope that Bowen will be back because of what he represents for this franchise.
but even bball wise, i just don't see any defender on this team better than him. i think it's a mistake not to take him for the vet min (if it's possible considering the rules).
Our best wing defender could be RJ, but it's still a bet considering he wasn't very concerned and focused on defense the last seasons. If RJ doesn't work very well at our best wing defender, it will be manu or mason. and i think that's not good. Bruce is a sure thing on defense.
What Mars said, plus Pop isn't scape-goating Bruce. How in the world do you get that out of what he said? It was a business decision and was handled professionally by everyone involved.
Bruce will hopefully retire and come back and work in the booth with Sean. That would be a funny pair.
i would love that. they'd be throwing towels at each other all day
Very nice read.
It's still too early to say whether or not Bowen will be back. Anyone that asks about him will probably get the same answer every time. Because of the trade, I doubt that anyone in the Spurs organization is going to give any sort of indication toward bringing back Bowen until he comes out of our locker room in a uniform.
I think that there is still a good chance that he could be brought in after the season starts if our backup SF situation starts looking questionable.
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