Spurs sign players to fill holes, accept roles

[Jimcs50]

Spurs sign players to fill holes, accept roles
By David DuPree, USA TODAY
SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs do things the old-fashioned way — simply, directly, openly and honestly. That approach has enabled the franchise to sign players who could have received more money elsewhere but enthusiastically picked the Spurs with the promise of a chance to play and a good shot to win a ring. In 2001, the Spurs signed forward Bruce Bowen. Two seasons ago, they got forward Robert Horry and center Rasho Nesterovic, and last season it was guard Brent Barry.

Michael Finley turned down a bigger salary and starting role with Phoenix, Minnesota, Miami and Chicago in order to sign with the Spurs.
By Doug Sehres, AP

The Spurs, who host the Denver Nuggets tonight (8 p.m. ET, TNT), scored another coup this season by signing free agents Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel, former All-Stars who took less money and lesser roles than they could have landed elsewhere. The Spurs have won two of the last three league les and three of the last seven, and all their top players have returned.

"I guess our sales pitch is just straightforward honesty about what the situation is," says coach Gregg Popovich, who said he didn't even try to sweet-talk Finley and his career averages of 19.0 points and 5.1 rebounds. "I told him, 'If you come with us we want it to be for the right reasons and do it the way we do it. If you don't come, you don't come.' "

The Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls tried to woo Finley with twice the money the Spurs had to offer and with promises of a starting position. But it wasn't a hard decision for the swingman, who spent the last nine seasons with the Dallas Mavericks.

"When you look at this team from afar, you assume they are doing something right because everything is always falling into place for them, on and off the court," says Finley, 32. "You want to be a part of that."

There are many factors that make the Spurs so alluring. (Related item: Spurs have international flavor)

"It starts with the front office and then trickles down to the coaching staff and then the players," says Van Exel, a 13-year veteran guard.

Says Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, a TNT studio analyst: "I've always said the Spurs have one of the great owners (Peter Holt) and great management teams, (general manager) R.C. Buford, and of course, Popovich. They remind me of the Lakers when we were winning championships back in the 1980s. They just play the game and play to win. How can you not want to be a part of that?"

Having perennial All-Star Tim Duncan and his reputation as one of the most affable NBA players doesn't hurt the Spurs' appeal.

"How could anybody not want to play with him?" says TNT studio analyst Charles Barkley. "He makes everything easier for everybody."

Duncan is the only Spur to play on all three championship teams and was voted the NBA Finals MVP all three times. He was also the league's most valuable player in 2002 and 2003 and was second in the balloting in 2004 (to Kevin Garnett). Duncan finished fourth last season even though he missed 16 games because of injury.

"The common denominator in all of this is Tim Duncan," Popovich says. "Obviously, it begins with him."


Change in cir stances appreciated

Finley was acquired mainly because of his outside shooting.

He was available because the Mavericks took advantage of a one-time amnesty provision that allowed them to avoid luxury taxes on the $51.8 million they owed him over the next three seasons by releasing him; he became an unrestricted free agent. He is still guaranteed the money from his Mavericks' contract, plus the $8.67 million he will get from the Spurs over the next three seasons.

Van Exel, with career averages of 15.1 points and 6.9 assists in 34.3 minutes a game, fills one of the biggest voids the team had — backup point guard. Starter Tony Parker has struggled at times, especially in the playoffs. Last season's backup, rookie Beno Udrih, made bad decisions, and Popovich was reluctant to use him in critical situations.





Nick Van Exel provides the Spurs with a cruicial piece of thier roster: A backup point guard.

Finley and Van Exel say the transition from star to role player is going to be easy.

"I always watch champions in the locker room throwing champagne on each other and celebrating," says Van Exel, who has yet to make it to the NBA Finals. "It always gives me goose bumps to see people that happy and that joyous, and I just want to taste it. I want to win a ring.

"That's all I want. That's all Mike wants. I think both of us have proven over the years that we're unselfish players, no matter what other people say."

Finley echoes Van Exel's sentiments. "I knew what I was getting into. I knew my role."

Buford says it doesn't surprise him that many free agents mention the Spurs as a team to consider.

"For the most part they appreciate the cir stances that they will be afforded in San Antonio," he says. "It's a place that gives them an opportunity to succeed, and we provide them with an atmosphere of being around good teammates who live up to a standard and enjoy playing together."

Depth an advantage to treasure

Although Finley, whose defense is not his strong suit, and Van Exel, known to be wild at times, might not appear to be typical Spurs, neither did the much-maligned Glenn Robinson when he was signed last season. But Robinson had no trouble fitting in. Popovich has known Finley and Van Exel for a long time and has no doubts they will fit in just fine, too.

"For them it was all about wanting to win," he says. "A lot of guys talk that talk, but when decision time comes, that's not what they do. There will be nights when they feel they should have been out there longer, but these guys know me enough to know that whoever is playing well that night, and if the matchups call for it, that's who's going to be out there on the floor."

The Spurs can put a second unit on the floor that, as a starting five, could probably get another team into the playoffs: Van Exel and Barry at guards, Finley and Horry at forwards, Nesterovich at center.

"I think last year we were pretty deep, but this year is special," says starting guard Manu Ginobili. "Not many teams have ever been as deep as we are. Everything is going to depend on how smart we are to use that."

That won't be a problem, according to Horry. "We don't have any ball hogs on this team," he says. "That's the only time you really get in trouble."

Which apparently is a small price to pay if the Spurs are interested in a player.

"If the Spurs want you," Barkley says, "you'd be a fool not to want them, too."

[Notorious H.O.P.]

Rasho will be happy to find out that DuPree has him above Oberto in the depth chart. Maybe he can flip him a couple of bucks to write some fluff pieces about him and talk to Pop about regaining his starting job on a permanent basis.

Barkley is right on the money though. If the Spurs want you is because they think you have what it takes to play a valuable role on our team, hopefully toward an eventual championship. And it makes recruiting awfully easy.