Spurs: Filling The Gaps
By Sam Reinhart
FullSportPress
http://www.fullsportpress.com/artman...cle_1521.shtml
Who would have thought ... Michael Finley a Spur? But what was once a far-fetched scenario has become reality this summer.
Under the league's new CBA, the Amnesty Rule (a clause purportedly agreed upon to draw attention away from the fact that the Lakers will never be a marketable franchise for the foreseeable future) each general manager was allowed to waive one mistake without having to pay the luxury tax on the contract. Derek Anderson's knees, Doug Christie's wife, Brian Grant's hype, Reggie Miller's contract, and Michael Finley's loyalty highlight the list of Amnesty Clause casualties.
But what does this mean for Spurs fans?
It means that, first and foremost, the Spurs are now officially ESPN's Favorite Bandwagon Pick. It means a second chance for those who refused to acknowledge last year's championship to jump on board and go buy a Manu Ginobili jersey. It means an opportunity for all the radio personalities (and I use that term loosely) to talk about a sport not involving steroids or Bret Favre's fourth last season. But more importantly, it means the Spurs get to be the favorite ... again. Well, at least until Miami makes another move.
Simply put, no team can match the Spurs punch-for-punch over the course of 48 minutes. Except maybe the Pacers, but in a more literal sense. I'm talking about the Artest incident. At the Palace? You get the point. Anyways, as has been repeatedly jack hammered into our frontal lobe by sportscasters nation-wide, the Spurs are now not only the championship's front-runners, but also Nielsen's surrogate mother. To end the playoffs with anything but a win would be a travesty of epic proportions. Or maybe this is just a cover up.
Yes the Spurs signed Finley. Yes the Spurs signed Van Exel.
Yes the Mavericks will be wetting their collective pants four games a year.
Yes the Spurs are one of the few teams who apparently desire any tangible form of success after May.
The big story this off-season is not how the Spurs vastly improved at every possible position, or how Kwame Brown has found another fan base to disappoint, it is how blatantly irresponsible the other 29 general managers have become. Someone needs to remind them that the NBA is not a game of Hearts -- the object is NOT to score fewer points than your opponent.
Case in point, the Phoenix Suns. While the future contractual extension of one, Amare Stoudemire, is of grave financial concern, the former status of Joe Johnson was decidedly more immediate. With a few quick pen strokes, the Suns could potentially have relieved (most) all defensive concern in the frontcourt. But instead? They gave Johnson a free pass to Atlanta, while nearly simultaneously removing Quentin Richardson from active duty and replacing him with Tim Thomas and Bob Marley, minus the athleticism. Hey, if it isn't broken, like it wasn't for all of last season and the majority of the
playoffs, do not fix it. Or in the Suns' case, nuke the current situation with a New York bomb and call yourself a franchise still on the upswing.
Or ponder for a moment the Seattle SuperDuperRayAllens. Nothing says "Jerry West" like paying maximum dollars to your star and then letting his coach slip off to Portland.
Of course, this only makes sense because now head coach Bob Weiss - whose lone qualification is that he attended college at Penn State - steps into a fantastic situation, which no longer has the services of Jerome James or Antonio Daniels. And starting Nick Collison is only slightly better than playing with four men. But I digress.
The point of the off-season is to improve your team, not to exponentially, systematically destroy everything you have previously paid so much to achieve. It is amazing how many analysts are saying the Spurs are the most dominant they have ever been; that they improved beyond San Antonio's wildest dreams.
They aren't, and they didn't. The Spurs went out and did what was expected of them during the off-season doldrums. Instead of revamping their bench and significantly altering their athletic lineup, or throwing all managerial principles out the window, Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs simply filled in the gaps. It is not their fault if their opponents only created more.
© Copyright 2005 FullSportPress.com
i would arguee that cavs were also a team that closed gaps pretty efficiently this summer and should start receiving dividend next season.
I am still not convinced but i think sacramento did a fairly honest job also.
Houston solved half of its problem but it now is a couple of summer they make the right moves...now they need a backcourt and they would be scary...wait they already are...
YEah, I think Cavs could come out of the East, if not this year, then next year. The big question is, how long will it take them to develop team chemistry. Because with Lebron, Hughes, Z, Donyell...the talent is THERE. They're young, more talented and athletic than the Pistons or the Heat, or the Pacers, but it may take them a couple years to gel.
I predict in 2006 - SPurs v.s. Pistons in the finals again.
In 2007, I predict SPurs v.s. Cavs.
"to develop team chemistry"
Do they have a coach/staff that can create the chemisity and coach them all the way?
Cavs are not all that loaded with talent, nor team playoff experience (no dues paid), and a rooke head coach this year, and sop re coach next year (if he survives his rookie year). Cavs are 4 years away from winning the EC, and may lose LBJ along the way.
Do you guys know who this Sam Reinhart guy is? Do you guys know how serious his writing is taken? Not that I disagree with what he said, but to leave a mistake like "TIM Thomas" instead of "KURT Thomas" in the article perhpas says something as to how serious his opinion is taken.
Cavs are definitely much better.
I don't think they are THAT talented or athletic. But, they are definitely a much better team than they were last year on paper, and I will suspect they make a strong playoff push this year.
He's a poster on the forum. A 18-year-old kid just starting out. So ease up.
By the way, the Kurt/Tim thing has already been edited in the original article.
I wasn't trying to come down hard on the guy. I didn't know he how old he was or if the article was for a legit subscription or website. That's why I asked. And, you can see I wasn't critiquing the rest of the content. I was just curious.
i thought it was a decent
I was impressed at the very first reading, but knowing it's written by a guy who is just starting is pretty awesome!!
I liked his conclusion very much. Some experienced writers can't come up with such a statement.Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs simply filled in the gaps. It is not their fault if their opponents only created more.
Keep it up man..!!
Great job Sam. Ya did good kid. As usual.
Very funny.
Who does Sam post as?
SamR
Good Job Samr!
this guy writes better then most journist and he is only 18 and not getting big bucks to do it
so ease up on him
alot of journist get there facts wrong
really good article
Heh, thanks for the compliments, guys.
Yeah, I want to major in journalism in college, and this stuff tends to look good (thank you, once again Kori!).
Sorry about the Thomas mistake. I knew which guy it was, I just slipped up on the first name. Oops.
*edit* This is actually my second time, after Kori did both myself and two of my students a HUGE favor with this one
Yes the Mavericks will be wetting their collective pants four games a year.
my favorite line. I guess mouse will have to wear Depends on those 4 game days
I love Samr's work. Keep it up
I remember the other article as well, both very good.
Well done.
Good job kid from an old man who is a washed up/wannabee writer on another site!
Rummp
I bet you thought this was an article on dentistry.
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