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I agree with Pop. Right now Dallas is the best team... Its a good thing that they are considering a trade to improve the team... pssst. Maggette...
Such is life for the Spurs these days. Given a rare opportunity to practice Tuesday, they pushed back their scheduled workout two hours because of the icy conditions, met at their facility in the early afternoon, then realized if they stayed much longer, they'd have to hold a slumber party.
Coach Gregg Popovich canceled practice and sent the players home before most had a chance to break a sweat. He also scrapped this morning's shootaround.
For a club that's been inconsistent in both production and lineup, the on-off-on-off workday fits well with the rest of the season. With any luck, the roads, and possibly even a few of the Spurs' shooters, will thaw out before the team has to report to the AT&T Center for tonight's game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
"It's a tough time right now," said Tim Duncan, and he wasn't referring to the temperatures.
Given that Kobe Bryant and teammates arrived in town safely Tuesday, the Spurs will have to work out their problems on the court. Among their troubles is figuring out who belongs on the court and when.
Popovich said he's still mixing and matching combinations to find a rotation. Injuries to Francisco Elson and Matt Bonner have complicated the issue.
Elson, at least, appears to be on his way back. He was cleared Monday to participate in non-contact workouts, and team officials don't think it will be too much longer until he's upgraded to the active roster.
"We're so up and down right now," Duncan said. "It's a juggling act. We have Francisco go down, and then we start kind of getting a lineup set, and Matty goes down.
"So on top of trying to find lineups with the new players we have, we're starting to lose players. Hopefully we can get healthy, and (Popovich) will have all the options he needs."
With Elson and Bonner out and Jackie Butler struggling to play his way into shape, let alone the rotation, the Spurs went small for stretches of Monday's loss to Chicago, especially after Fabricio Oberto picked up a couple of quick fouls.
"It puts a lot of pressure on Robert (Horry) and Fab, both minutes-wise and production-wise," Popovich said. "We were really torn between going small and trying to squeeze it out of the bigs. So we're kind of in a flux situation because we haven't worked very much with a small lineup.
"We're in a little bit of a different mode right now, trying to retool."
The Lakers have had to do the same after losing two starters. Two days after the Lakers erased an 11-point first-half deficit to beat the Spurs in Los Angeles, forward Lamar Odom sprained his right knee. Center Kwame Brown, who has given Duncan trouble, has been sidelined all month with a left ankle sprain.
Still, the Lakers have stayed in the hunt for one of the Western Conference's top four seeds, improving to 10-7 without Odom after beating Miami on Monday.
"It shows how valuable their system is and how well everybody fits into that system," Popovich said. "Depending on the system to pull you through and not making shortcuts really helps a group."
Los Angeles often plays small and fast and — at least when healthy — has the type of athletic personnel that has often frustrated the Spurs this season. In last month's meeting, the Spurs wilted under the Lakers' pressure defense.
Spurs officials continue to look for a trade to upgrade their athleticism on the perimeter. In the meantime, Popovich seems unsettled on how to divide minutes between Brent Barry and Michael Finley.
Finley played 24 minutes to Barry's 18 in Monday's loss, but most of Barry's time came in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. Finley made just 1 of 6 3-point attempts — the Spurs were 6 for 23 — and is 2 of 16 in the past six games.
Popovich said he would like to settle on an eight- or nine-man rotation, preferably by the All-Star break. That's not too unlike previous seasons.
What's different, however, is that the Spurs can no longer say they're at the same level as Dallas and Phoenix, who have distanced themselves as the Western Conference's elite.
"At this point, Dallas is the best team in the league, without a doubt," Popovich said. "Phoenix is playing great basketball. Those two teams may never lose again the way they're playing.
"The idea is to try to be as good as those teams are come playoff time. We'll see what happens."
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I agree with Pop. Right now Dallas is the best team... Its a good thing that they are considering a trade to improve the team... pssst. Maggette...
Ploto is that Bled in your avatar?
WAWAWIWA. They realized that they need a trade. That is something new for the Spurs.
Lets trade Beno, Barry and perhapse Finley.
Get Maggette!
Understatement of the year.
Just ing get Maggette.
If someone was paying me $2M per year to play the game of basketball you can bet your McNuggets my ass would be in shape.Jackie Butler struggling to play his way into shape, let alone the rotation
I'm miffed at how some people can ruin such great gifts they've been given.
ploto, your choice of bolding and underlining makes you so transparent.
The last time he stepped on the court I thought he looked about 25-30 pounds under his listed weight of 265. Is he still poorly conditioned?Jackie Butler struggling to play his way into shape, let alone the rotation
What I'm more concerned about is his lack of involvment during those limited minutes. Is that a result of lost confidence, lack of ability, or him just not getting enough time on the court to make a definitive answer to this question?
This would be a good thing if both were playing great....unfortunately that's not the case. If you have two, over-the-hill shooters that are getting you marginal gain on any given night, the obvious thing to do is TRADE ONE!In the meantime, Popovich seems unsettled on how to divide minutes between Brent Barry and Michael Finley.
EDIT: That might also solve the rotation issue Pop is having.
Nice story.
Troll editing.
I don't give a about settling on a rotation. Eric Williams is closer to a big than Finley or Barry and produces when he's on the floor. Play him.
Can't feel too sorry for the Spurs. They lost Elson and Bonner for a wee amount of time?
Look at the casualties around the league. Look at Seattle. Chris Paul went down. Lakers have been without Odom for a while. It could be a of a lot worse.
A non-article.
I agree with you concerning Williams. Every time he is in the game he produces so why not play him. It's not like we're playing well and don't want to disturb team chemistry..
It does not bode well, though, for Williams if Pop is talking about an 8 or 9 man rotation by next month. Then again, it does not bode well for Bonner, Oberto or Vaughn probably then either. And it definitely appears that Butler will be a total non-factor this season.
Yes it is.
Unfortunately no ice skating on it this year because of record breaking high temperatures.
And your need to follow me around the forum and respond to my posts makes you transparent.
That's why it's there in my avatar.
I'm not following you around you stupid b*tch. You posted an article by Johnny Ludden. I read it. Am I not allowed to read your posts now because you have delusions of grandeur? If you had just posted the article, that would've been fine, but I you always have some underlying agenda and it's really annoying.And your need to follow me around the forum and respond to my posts makes you transparent.
QUOTE=spurschick]I'm not following you around you stupid b*tch. You posted an article by Johnny Ludden. I read it. Am I not allowed to read your posts now because you have delusions of grandeur? If you had just posted the article, that would've been fine, but I you always have some underlying agenda and it's really annoying.[/QUOTE]
If the Clippers do in fact want the Spurs' first round pick, then I say pass on Maggette. You people think they just want Beno + Barry? You're wrong. They want a pick too.
Such a beautiful place. I can't wait to go.
Has it ever crossed your mind that I know exactly what I am doing and that I know exactly how to pull certain people's strings. I can predict specific people's reactions almost to the detail. I especially enjoy when people show their true nature and start to cuss at someone on an internet forum like it really matters to the other person what they say to them or about them. It's fun seeing just how riled up some people get.
Rasho sucks.
Wow... I didn't realize you were so cool. My bad. I had know idea that you had gone on a posting hiatus to really hone your amazing skills, just so you could come back and push my buttons. I feel so honored. Why don't you go away for a few months again, then come back and impress us more with your talents.
This is why I love spurschick..she's got cahones!!
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