Spurs Mailbag: How can anyone make sense of the Western Conference anymore?

[Bruno]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/b....2f3c826b.html


Web Posted: 03/20/2007 11:03 AM CDT
Johnny Ludden
Express-News Staff Writer


So I’m sitting in the press room at the AT&T Center Saturday night, wondering, among other things, why a global communications company would ever decide to pay millions to sponsor a building that can’t provide a functioning wireless system, when the score from the Denver-Phoenix game scrolls across the bottom of the TV.

Nuggets 131, Suns 107.

I point this out to our NBA writer Mike Monroe, who then says, "I’m telling you the Nuggets are TOUGH! No one is going to want to face them in the playoffs!"

This makes me start laughing. For it was only eight days earlier when I was sitting in the same chair in the same inept workroom (did I mention you also have to hunt to find a working telephone line), that Monroe told me, explicitly, there was no way the Nuggets were going to make the playoffs.

Their closing schedule was too tough, he said. And they didn’t play enough defense. And Carmelo Anthony was upset at George Karl for calling him out publicly.

I think Monroe even wrote a column saying as much.

Of course, Monroe also called me that week to say he thought the Spurs were going to catch Phoenix for the Western Conference’s No. 2 seed. By Friday, he had reversed course in his Internet column, writing, "...since there is an even bigger gap between the second-place Suns and third-place Spurs, don't expect that order to change, either."

Now, I could continue to poke fun at Monroe for his waffling (and an increasingly large portion of my workweek has become devoted to doing just that). But, I actually feel for him.

How can anyone make sense of the Western Conference anymore?

At the start of last week, Dallas was riding a 17-game winning streak and everyone was questioning whether they would ever lose again. Then they lost at Golden State and at home to Phoenix.

That, in turn, made the Suns the conference’s residing juggernaut. Until, of course, they got waxed by Detroit and Denver.

The Spurs, meanwhile, came coasting into Milwaukee on the heels of a 13-game winning streak, prompting this paper to run a graphic suggesting they could extend said streak to 20 games. The Spurs responded by losing to the Bucks, then followed that with their first home loss to Boston in 17 years.

Utah, which had been nipping at the Spurs’ heels, didn’t pick up a single victory during a four-game trip through the Eastern Conference.

In the meantime, those down-and-out Nuggets caught fire – and they weren’t alone. The Los Angeles Lakers, whose seven-game losing streak had many wondering if they were about to freefall out of the playoffs, regained the services of Lamar Odom and Luke Walton and beat Portland and Minnesota with Kobe Bryant totaling 115 points.

I’ve long thought there are three things that determine success in the NBA playoffs: Is the team healthy? Is it playing its best at the end of the season? And, how well does it match up with its opponent?

This is why you can sometimes throw playoff seedings out the window. Do you think the Spurs were happy to play a Sacramento team that surged into the playoffs last season? When they knew they would have trouble handling Bonzi Wells?

As of Monday morning, the top-seeded Mavericks were in line to face Golden State, which has already beaten them twice and is coached by Don Nelson, who should know a few things about their personnel.

The Suns were slotted to face the Nuggets, who just ran them over, signaling, perhaps, that Anthony and Allen Iverson are beginning to mesh.

For now, that leaves the Spurs with the Lakers, who, in addition to having beaten them twice, appear to be regaining their health. Oh, and they also possess a fairly talented big-game performer.

With the Jazz facing Houston, that should make four entertaining series out West.

But don’t get too excited. With the way things have gone the past two weeks, come Sunday, Monroe will be waxing breathlessly about the Hornets.

Let’s take a look at this week’s mail…

Do you think the loss of Jimmy Chang has contributed to the Spurs’ struggles?
– DA, San Antonio

I’m glad you called it a "loss" because that, my friends, is exactly what this was, and the Spurs franchise will forever be the poorer for it.

For those of who don’t know who Jimmy Chang is, well, you should be ashamed to call yourself a Spurs fan. I’d even be willing to argue you’re not a fan of the human race.

Jimmy, for the unenlightened, was the Spurs’ interpreter for Chinese center Mengke Bateer during the 2002-03 season. He was much more than that, of course. I happen to believe he was the glue that held that le team together, the person most responsible for transitioning the David-AJ-Tim championship era to that of Tim-Manu-Tony.

I don’t think it’s a reach to say that no one ever enjoyed a more meteoric rise through the NBA than the esteemed Jimmy Chang. Not even Sam Presti.

When the Spurs opened training camp in the fall of 2002, Jimmy was either attending college in California or taking a break from school. I don’t remember which. (I’ve never been able to tell whether Jimmy is actually doing ANYTHING or just taking a break from it.)

Jimmy’s sitting on his couch watching ESPN when a report about the Spurs trading for Mengke Bateer flashes on the screen. When it comes to life-changing moments, this was the equivalent of Jimi Hendrix picking up a guitar for the first time or Ben Franklin deciding to go fly his kite in an electrical storm.

A huge NBA fan, Jimmy figures the Spurs might need an interpreter. So he picks up the phone, dials information, gets the team’s main office number and calls. After selecting the prompt for the company directory, he punches in P-O-P-O-V-I-C-H.

Sure enough – and I will forever be amazed by this – Jimmy gets dumped into Pop’s personal voice mail and leaves a message offering his services. A couple days later he gets a call back from the Spurs. They bring him in for an interview and the next week he’s flying on their charter and has his own room at the Four Seasons in New York while they play the Knicks in an exhibition game.

When the Spurs won the championship, Jimmy was pictured, along with the players, on the Wheaties box. From the seat of his couch to the front of a Wheaties box in nine months. That’s progress.

(Jimmy, by the way, promptly went out and bought seven cases of the cereal.)

There are some of us who wonder if Jimmy even knew Mandarin. If Bateer spoke three words of English before joining the Spurs, I think he might have known four after leaving the team.

But in my nine years as the Spurs beat writer, there wasn’t a better locker room to cover than the one that season. Kevin Willis, Speedy Claxton, Malik Rose, Steve Kerr, Danny Ferry, Manu, Bruce, Tony, Tim, Steve Smith, Bateer, Stephen Jackson – everyone seemed to enjoy each other. And they all knew their roles, Jimmy included.

Whenever Kevin Willis didn’t know a play during practice – which was often – he would subtly push Bateer onto the court in his place. And when Bateer subsequently botched the play, it was Jimmy who would get blistered by Pop.

After Pop delivered one of his famous "are-you-living-in-phone-booth?" rebukes, Jimmy asked me for help.

"Pop says I am living in a phone booth. What does that mean?"

"It means he isn’t happy."

"Well, you try translating Fist Up and Fist Down into Mandarin. It isn’t easy."

Bateer didn’t play much, but when he got into a game in Minnesota late in the season and quickly picked up a foul, Jimmy almost drew a technical for jumping out of his seat in protest.

When Pop decided to sit most of the regulars in the final game before the playoffs, Bateer finally got an extended run. Jimmy stood in front of the bench, shouting instructions as Pop walked down to talk to another player.

P.J. – as only P.J. would do – tells Jimmy to go ahead and sit in Pop’s chair. So Pop turns around to sit down, sees Jimmy in his place and ... bursts out laughing.

Anyway, the Spurs decide not to bring Bateer back after the season and come to the (in my opinion, illogical) decision that they no longer need a Chinese interpreter. Jimmy’s magical run is over.

Since then, I have argued the franchise has been plagued by the Curse of Chang. And the Spurs aren’t alone.

Toronto signed Bateer and Jimmy (by then they were a package deal) prior to the 2003-04 season, but traded them to Orlando in January. Their coach at the time, Kevin O’Neill was fired at the end of the season. Coincidence? Only now have the Raptors begun to recover.

The Magic made the mistake of immediately waiving Bateer. Have they made the playoffs since? I think not.

As for the Spurs, all I can say is they won one championship in Jimmy’s lone season. They’re 1 for 3 without him.

Jimmy is back in California. I think he did some work with 7-foot-8 center Sun Ming Ming, but is otherwise finishing his degree and, like most sports-loving college students, trying to make a living selling tickets and playing poker. It’s a long drop from his charter-flying, championship-ring days with the Spurs, which is why I hope he doesn’t become the Todd Bridges of Chinese interpreters.

I know this much: The 2008 Olympics are in Beijing, and if I’m USA Basketball, I’d already be on the phone with Jimmy.

My question is about Luis Scola. I assume you know he’s playing great and became the Euroleague all-time scorer. Any inside news of his possible arrival to NBA?
– Juan S. Boscardin, Rosario, Argentina

I’d be surprised if Luis isn’t in the NBA next season. I can’t say whether it’s going to be with the Spurs, but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, particularly if Robert Horry decides to retire.

I asked one Spurs official the other day if signing Luis would be an option this summer. His response: "Absolutely."

The buyout clause in Luis’ contract with Tau Ceramica – the same clause that made it next to impossible for the Spurs to sign him two summers ago – has dropped to a little more than $3 million.

As a result, interest in Luis from other NBA teams picked up around the trade deadline. I expect there will be a few more queries this summer.

To his credit, Luis hasn’t let his frustration from being stuck in Spain – "being stuck in Spain," of course, is relative; having visited there two years ago, I can assure you that if Vitoria or Malaga or Barcelona ever landed an NBA team, my resume would be on the desk of every newspaper editor in that country – affect his performance. He’s still one of the best players in Europe, and while being one of the best players in Europe doesn’t always translate into success in the NBA (see Jasikevicius, Sarunas), I’m already on the record as saying I’d take my chances with any member of Argentina’s national team.

I can't wait to see how bad the Spurs get out rebounded by a bunch of high-school kids tonight. My prediction is 47 to 41.
– Ray, Farmington, N.M.

I received this email a few hours before the Spurs tipped off against the Celtics. Ray knows his stuff. High Schoolers 46, Spurs 39.

Are the SPURS players and coaches reading this BLOG? They need to because they could learn something new for the betterment of the team.
– Doris, Killeen

Having authored this Mailbag for nearly six months now, I can promise you there hasn’t been a single thing in here that’s been for the "betterment" of anybody, particularly me.

In your opinion, do you think that Michael Finley regrets coming with the Spurs now that Dallas is the No. 1 seed in the NBA?
– Erica, Corpus Christi

First off, Fin didn’t have a choice in leaving the Mavericks. They waived him. (They’re also still paying him a nifty $34.7 million for this season and next. In case you’re wondering, the buyout packages newspapers are offering these days aren’t nearly as generous.)

Second, being the No. 1 seed doesn’t guarantee squat. Just ask Detroit. Or the Spurs. Or Phoenix.

What you could question is whether Fin regrets not signing with Miami prior to last season. Or even Phoenix.

I haven’t asked him, so I don’t know for sure, but I’d bet, publicly, he would say no. I wouldn’t blame him, however, for second-guessing his decision.

That said, I think I’ve been around the guy long enough to know this much: Every time Fin steps on the court he thinks he’s going to win. And if that’s the case then he shouldn’t have any reason to think (yet) that he’s going to leave San Antonio without a championship ring.

How come Pop is not using Butler at all? He is a big man that help in defending big scorer like Nowisnki.
– Virgilio, Pittsburg, Calif.

First off, Dirk is German, not Russian. His last name is spelled Nowitzki.

Second, we’ve already discussed several times why Jackie isn’t playing.

Trust me on this one: A lumbering center is going to stop Dirk.

The Spurs don't have to look anywhere else to find someone to guard Dirk. Why not let Duncan guard him and create a rivalry like Bird vs. Magic?
– Citra, Bogor, Indonesia

The Spurs aren’t concerned as much about creating rivalries as they are winning games.

The problem with having Tim guard Dirk is it exposes him to foul trouble. I, at least, wouldn’t want to risk having my best player spending much of the game on the bench.

You’ll see Tim defend Dirk some in the fourth quarter, but even then I’m not sure that’s a matchup in the Spurs’ favor. Dirk is too good, too far away from the basket.

When does Duncan visit Taiwan?
– Soun Pan, Taichung, Taiwan

Unfortunately, I don’t think Taiwan is on Tim’s immediate itinerary. But if it is, I’m recommending he take Jimmy.

Why the time change for the games? Last year they started at 7:30, now at 7. I find myself rushing to the games getting there late, missing the intro. What was the purpose?
– Chito Flores, San Antonio

The official word from the Spurs when they announced the change was that their season-ticket holders wanted an earlier start time so their children could attend the games.

I found this humorous because only a year earlier a high-ranking team official told me there was almost NO way they could ever start games at 7 p.m. because too many of their fans wanted to go home first after work and wouldn’t be able to make it back in time for tipoff.

The Spurs’ basketball operations department pushed for a 7 p.m. start time because it would allow the team to fly out earlier after the game on those occasions when it had a back-to-back scheduled. The downside, of course, is that the AT&T Center has often been far from full at tipoff for weekday games.

Just a hunch, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Spurs went back to a 7:30 tip. That’ll upset me greatly. I’ve enjoyed having an extra 30 minutes to blow deadline this season.

When does Melvin Ely start?
– M. Oldmen, Dortmund, Germany

Not too long before Jackie does.

I admit Francisco has been up and down (mainly down of late), but there are a few people ahead of Melvin in the rotation that should first be given a crack at starting.

Do the Spurs own one of the Bucks’ draft picks in this year’s draft? I thought the Spurs traded their draft pick last year for this year’s pick.
– JR, San Antonio

You are correct. The Spurs traded last-season’s second-round pick for a second-rounder in this summer’s draft.

The pick the Spurs gave up was No. 59. The one they’ll get from the Bucks should be noticeably higher in what figures to be a deeper draft. So, in other words, losing in Milwaukee last week wasn’t all bad for the Spurs.

There’s a slight chance the Spurs could have three second-round choices, in addition to their first-rounder, this summer: their own, Milwaukee’s and possibly Chicago’s.

The Spurs traded Erick Barkley and $1 million to Chicago prior to the 2002-03 season in a move that helped them avoid paying the luxury tax. In return, the Bulls agreed to send the Spurs their 2007 second-round pick – provided it fell between Nos. 54-60.

That means the Spurs will only get the pick if the Bulls finish this season with one of the seven-best records. As of Monday, they had the league’s eighth-highest winning percentage.

This was a one-and-done deal, so if the Spurs don’t get the pick this season, it won’t roll over.

Do you think the Spurs could be better, if they hang on to Leandro Barbosa, drafted Josh Howard and brought in Luis Scola?
Other things bugging my mind like trying to get Diaw when he was available. Note that Diaw and Barbosa are now helping the Suns and Howard is a big piece of the Mavs’ quest for first le.
– Arnold Pineda, Hong Kong

Note also that Barbosa, Howard and Diaw all came out in the 2003 draft, so the NBA probably would have frowned upon the Spurs trying to take the three of them with a single pick.

The Spurs actually had hoped Diaw would fall to them at No. 28, but Atlanta took him at 21. The mistake, and it seems like we discuss this every week, was then passing on Howard and, to a slightly lesser extent, Barbosa, to clear cap room for their run at Jason Kidd.

I thought the Spurs should have made more of an effort to acquire Diaw when it became clear the Hawks had soured on him, but it’s understandable to not get too excited about a guy who can’t get minutes in Atlanta.

Another thing to remember: Just because Diaw flourished playing under Mike D’Antoni and alongside Steve Nash doesn’t guarantee he would have done the same with the Spurs.

F. Elson and F. Oberto use to make some pretty jump shots from the top of the paint zone (especially Oberto). Are you aware if is part of the game plan that they don't use that shot almost any more, or it's just a lack of confidence of the guys?
They can bring us a little more scoring, and maybe open some more room to TD if they start making those. I'm not hoping to see the Oberto festival we saw with the Suns in the early season, but four or six extra points would be enough.
– Consiglieri, Rosario, Argentina

I think Pop would actually like to see Francisco take that shot more often when it presents itself. I know when he missed one from above the key the other night against Boston, Pop was quick to tell him it was still a good shot.

Fab also can be a little tentative, almost like he’s trying to finesse the shot instead of just shooting.

I have a cold. Do you think if I fly down to San Antonio and watch a home game that I will get any better? Oh, and eat a quesadilla at Casa Dora's!
– Mark J, Denver

I swear I don’t make this stuff up.

I can only assume this is an old Denver buddy of Monroe’s. In which case I understand completely why he doesn’t make sense.

When the Spurs do not play well, I feel blue. What happened to their intensity and aggressiveness?
– Christine Martin, Baltimore

Maybe they’re also feeling blue. Major League Baseball has its steroids issue; the NBA is bracing for a melancholy epidemic.

Would you know who is in charge of selecting the music that plays when the players are introduced? And possibly, how much it would cost them to get some new music?
– Samantha, Corpus Christi

Is there any way you (or someone else) might get the ball rolling on actually having some of the cool stuff you talk about (AC/DC, Nazareth, etc.) played (selectively) at Spurs games?
– Joseph, Del Rio

Selectively? I’m hoping for a good, solid 2½ hours of AC/DC as soon as the game tips off.

In truth, the music the Spurs play during the game has been noticeably better this season. The game ops crew does a good job with what they’re allowed to use.

I’ll just be happy if the team ever votes to kill the "Y’all Ready for This?" intro. If you guys have any suggestions for replacements, I’ll try to post them here.

Tony is a great guard and does some amazing things on the basketball court, but wouldn’t you agree that this team would be better with a true point guard.
I bet you that Tony might of had 12 double-digit assist games all of last year. Playing alongside Manu, Barry, Fin and Bowen you would think he would average 10 assists a game.
– Christopher, Hermosa Beach, Calif.

I’m not sure about your last statement. I personally watched Bruce punt about four assists into the first row of fans Saturday night and Fin’s shooting prior to this month would have diminished even Steve Nash’s stats.

Yes, I agree there are times when the Spurs would benefit more from having a pass-first point guard. But which pass-first point guard? I also think the Spurs would be more productive with Dirk starting next to Tim, but that’s not happening.

If you’re asking me if I think the Spurs would be better with Jacque playing 33 minutes a game or Tony, I’m sticking with Tony.

I still think there are more than a few nights where the Spurs can’t live without Tony’s scoring. Tony needs to do a better job of recognizing when those nights are – and maybe he never will – but I also remember a stretch of games a month or so ago when he was one of the few guys who could actually hit a shot.

I paid close attention to the Tony Dilemma during Saturday’s game against Boston. Manu didn’t take his first shot until the ninth minute he was on the floor. Tony also was on the court for about the first six of those minutes.

So was Tony being selfish? Tony took just one shot during those six minutes – a layup in transition that he made.

By the way, you’re too generous. Tony had eight double-digit assist games all of last season.

Why has the return of Parker all of a sudden disrupted the whole flow of the Spurs?
Am I taking crazy pills here, isn’t anybody realizing that Parker is doing far more damage to this team. He can’t make a damn shot to save his life and who cares about his quickness, teams are going to clamp down on him once the playoffs start.
Parker is the demise of this Spurs team. His ego and selfishness are destroying this team.
It’s sad but true, I really hope not.
– Art Bautista, San Antonio

If you’ve already declared it’s true, then why are you wasting time hoping it’s not.

Your letter would have a little more credibility had you sent it after the Milwaukee game. Tony was awful that night, and he admitted as much afterward. None of the Big Three played well.

But I received this the day after the Boston game in which Tony scored 30 points on 14 shots while going 14 of 14 from the foul line. So to say he "can’t make a damn shot to save his life" ... well, yeah, I would question whether you’re taking crazy pills.

I think it’s a legitimate argument that Tony sometimes hinders the Spurs with his shot selection. I don’t think he does it as often as others think, but it’s a fair concern.

I do find it funny, however, there weren’t many complaints about Tony starting during the first eight victories of the team’s winning streak.

Why does Oberto get so much playing time when he does so little on the defensive end? He hustles, but he does not truly contribute defensively when he is out there.
– John, Austin

Define "much." Fab has averaged 13.6 minutes in the past 14 games, and that doesn’t include the Milwaukee game he missed with a bruised left thigh.

I don’t consider that a lot of playing time. If Francisco was playing better, you’d probably see even less of Fab.

Fab has his limitations, but given the right matchup, I still think he’s productive. I’ve seen a few opposing players get so fed up with his hustle they’ve decked him for an offensive foul.

No matter how you score it, that goes down as a turnover and a defensive stop.

The problem with the Spurs is that Coach Pop is not looking at stats.
There is too much pressure on Tim, Tony, and Ginobili cause the rest of the team is not scoring. Maybe, they are just too old and slow. No defense and no offense from the rest of the team.
– Ovidio Barbour, Kingsville

I’ll agree the Spurs’ supporting cast contributed to the team’s struggles during its January swoon. But here’s some stats from Thursday’s loss in Milwaukee you should look at:

Tim Duncan: 5 of 12 FG, 3 of 8 FT.

Tony Parker: 6 of 15 FG.

Manu Ginobili: 2 of 10 FG.

Tell the Spurs to stop settling for three's and attack the rim.
Duncan need to take control of the game because Parker and Ginobili make too much mistakes, and please tell them Bowen is not a shooter.
He is a defender and need to start do his job.
And last thing tell them to make free throws please.
– Sherene, Jamaica

The Spurs stopped listening to me after I told them to do whatever it takes to sign Jason Kidd.

Holy cow, after reading the e-mails submitted by some of these people, I just want to commend you.
It can't be easy for you to keep a straight face. I just shake my head and laugh.
I find it funny that half of the e-mails are full of spelling and grammatical errors, and even more e-mails are full of basketball untruths and misconceptions. My suggestion to future e-mailers is to first learn how to form a sentence, and second, learn a little bit about basketball.
The Spurs are going to be just fine, so stop second guessing everything. I think they have proven that they know what they are doing.
Finishing No. 3 in the West wouldn't be so bad, you know. Just because the Mavs will finish first and the Suns may beat us and finish No. 2 doesn't mean the season is over for the Spurs. That's why they play the game, people.
So have a little faith, stop whining, and start cheering for your team.
– Amanda, Jacksonville, Fla.

A woman after my heart, though I do think a healthy dose of second-guessing can benefit everyone.

Example: Every week after finishing this Mailbag, I question my choice of careers

[Bruno]

I’d be surprised if Luis isn’t in the NBA next season. I can’t say whether it’s going to be with the Spurs, but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out, particularly if Robert Horry decides to retire.

I asked one Spurs official the other day if signing Luis would be an option this summer. His response: "Absolutely."

The buyout clause in Luis’ contract with Tau Ceramica – the same clause that made it next to impossible for the Spurs to sign him two summers ago – has dropped to a little more than $3 million.

As a result, interest in Luis from other NBA teams picked up around the trade deadline. I expect there will be a few more queries this summer.

Scola's saga : episode 532.

[sprrs]

isn't it top 9 protected?

Same thing I was thinking. I'd always assumed it was top-9

[Bruno]

isn't it top 9 protected?

He was listed as top9 protected on some websites (http://www.realgm.com/src_future_draftpicks.php ) but if Ludden says that he is top7 procteted, the pick is top7 protected. espn list it too at top7 proctected.

Spurs won't likely get the pick because Bulls are quite far from the 7th best team in the league (Cleveland) but it's not a big deal given that it's a very late second round pick.

[mardigan]

I wonder where Adande is?

[ShoogarBear]

Jimmy Chang was a god.

[AFBlue]

Jimmy Chang was a god.

I had his shoes....my God they were ugly...

[ducks]

The buyout clause in Luis’ contract with Tau Ceramica – the same clause that made it next to impossible for the Spurs to sign him two summers ago – has dropped to a little more than $3 million.

[ploto]

The official word from the Spurs when they announced the change was that their season-ticket holders wanted an earlier start time so their children could attend the games.

I found this humorous because only a year earlier a high-ranking team official told me there was almost NO way they could ever start games at 7 p.m. because too many of their fans wanted to go home first after work and wouldn’t be able to make it back in time for tipoff.

And who all said I didn't know what I was talking about??

[Fabbs]

My question is about Luis Scola. I assume you know he’s playing great and became the Euroleague all-time scorer. Any inside news of his possible arrival to NBA?
– Juan S. Boscardin, Rosario, Argentina

buyout in Luis’ contract with Tau Ceramica – the same clause that made it next to impossible for the Spurs to sign him two summers ago – has dropped to a little more than $3 million.

Can we assume this to be accurate?
Should the Spurs fork over 3 million now so he can possibly play in the 2007 playoffs?

[ducks]

spurs can not pay most of the buyout only 750,000.00 or only 500,000.00
the rest scola has to fork over
the poor guy who was dumb enough to sign the contract

[Fabbs]

spurs can not pay most of the buyout only 750,000.00 or only 500,000.00
the rest scola has to fork over
the poor guy who was dumb enough to sign the contract

Yes, i think we have established that. It's 500K
I mean give him a contract so he can pay it off himself. Give him a one year deal for 3 million. If he is all that, he will make more then enough next year to be back in black.

He can sleep in Manus guesthouse for now. Or maybe Manu can loan him a million so he can get a modest apartment in San An like the rest of us.