Spurs of the Moment

There are no more Spurs games until Friday, so for those of us in need of a Spurs fix, I give you another installment of “Odds and Ends”… enjoy.

“Jefferson might earn redemption in playoffs”:

“Anybody who watches the game with an intelligent eye can see I was doing a lot of things I had never done over the course of my career,” he says. “I’ve never guarded guys like LaMarcus Aldridge. I’ve never been a swing guy. I’ve never taken the ball out of bounds.”

Fair enough, and if it takes the Spurs an extra month to “turn it on” then so be it… so long as they make the playoffs. Besides, it’s always nice for a team to hit its stride right as the playoffs begin.

“The search for No. 13″:

There is possibility that the Spurs will bring back Dwayne Jones, the guy they waived in October who nearly signed with the Mavs about a week or so back.

“Mark Blount? Mike James? Larry Hughes? The Spurs are unlikely to pursue any of them.

So who gets the 13th spot? For the answer, look to Austin. The most likely scenario has the Spurs signing someone out of the Development League, just to satisfy the NBA’s roster requirement, and leaving him there.”

“Sign of decline: Michael Finley’s escape from fading San Antonio Spurs”:

“Clearly, Finley believes San Antonio has no realistic chance at a championship or even pushing deep in the playoffs. If he believed the Spurs had a chance, he’d continue sacrificing.”

This is pretty much along the lines of what I was thinking here when I said, “does this mean he, and maybe those who he seeks release from, don’t believe in the possibility of the Spurs going all the way this season? I will try not to read too much into that last part.”

“Celtics hope to get shot at Michael Finley”:

“A Celtics source confirmed yesterday the primary target is veteran swingman Michael Finley, who was bought out of his contract by San Antonio on Monday. Finley is expected to clear waivers tonight. The team also is interested, to a lesser degree, in free agent guard Larry Hughes.”

It’s looking more and more like the Celtics are going to be the ones that win (?) the Finley sweepstakes. I say good, let him go East where we don’t have to face him in the playoffs. Then again, with the way he is shooting this season, maybe I would like to see him in the playoffs.

“A Solid May Be in Order”:

“Finley deserves better. And should he come into that position, Donnie Nelson should sincerely rethink his stance on standing pat with his current roster. It has less to do with “mess[ing] with what [the Mavs] have,” or giving Finley actual minutes. But if Michael is faced with the reality of settling for a fringe playoff team that could use a veteran or free agent limbo, what’s the harm in using the final roster spot to bring Finley along for the ride? Nelson has already made it clear that he has no interest in signing D-League standout Dwayne Jones, or Timberwolves castoff Mark Blount. That’s fine, provided Nelson believes this team honestly has enough depth at center. But if the last roster spot is to remain open going into the playoffs, picking up Fin could be a nice gesture toward a franchise savior.”

Now that is an interesting take on the Finley situation. I personally don’t think it will happen, and Dallas would be better suited to pick up another big man. Also, let’s not forget that when the Mavs originally cut Finley he went south on I-35 to the Spurs – a Mavericks nemesis. Would it be nice of the Mavs? Yeah, sure, I get it. Would it be wise of the Mavs? Not really.