Spurs of the Moment

In a move that came as a surprise to pretty much no one, the Spurs have waived Antonio McDyess. We kind of knew he was going to retire since last season, but it’s a little strange that it took this long for things to materialize. “Dice” was a decent big man for the Spurs over the last couple of seasons, but he’s been on a steady decline for years now and only averaged just over five points and five rebounds in his two seasons with the Spurs. This should clear the way for more playing time for DeJuan Blair and Tiago Splitter.

Speaking of which…

The Spurs lost to the Rockets in their first preseason game this past Saturday. Blair had 16 points and seven boards in 26 minutes while Splitter scored 13 points to go with three boards in 27 minutes. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker didn’t play in the contest, but recently signed point guard TJ Ford did play. He finished with eight points (1-of-5 from the field) and six assists in 26 minutes of action.

The Spurs became the first team to reach 50 wins this season by beating up on the poor, defenseless Cavaliers. Hey, somebody had to do it. George Hill (I told you he’d fill in nicely for Parker) led the team to a 109-99 victory with 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists. DeJuan Blair had a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. Tim Duncan only had to play 23 minutes but still scored 16 points along with six assists, three blocks, and four boards. Also, Gary Neal returned to score 14 off the bench.

The Cavs were led by the Man, the Myth, the Legend – Samardo Samuels. I don’t know either, but I wish the guy in my keeper league who picked him up would stop squawking about him already. Samuels had 23 points and 10 rebounds in his first start. Not bad, now let’s see you do it again. Former Spur, Alonzo Gee, had 18 points and seven rebounds.

Also, so much for the Spurs getting Corey Brewer. The Mavs are set to sign Brewer today. Frankenhead strikes again I guess. It won’t help them though – at least not against the Spurs. Feel free to get out of the first round this year though. And, in the words of Michael Scott , “Boom, roasted!”

It’s been a weird month and a half to say the least. Being unable to post about the Spurs going 23-3 has been a little disappointing, but I can’t be too upset – I meant they’re 23-3! Plus they’re on (another) 8-game winning streak. About 1/3 through the season and the Spurs have the best record, and they are doing it with basically the same team from last year. RJ adapted in a big way, Manu is playing like an MVP, Duncan is rolling along as usual, and even Parker has been decent in spite of the impending divorce. (The divorce sucks by the way… it’s always nice to see Eva in the stands if only cuz it keeps the camera from showing us random people who look like they aren’t sure how to cheer or if they even want to be at the game. Plus she looks better than a dude wearing a Duncan jersey.) Tiago Splitter and DeJuan Blair – the two players who were supposed to make a significant impact this year – haven’t really done anything special to be honest. I’m not worried though. They play their roles and that’s what matters now.

Around the League
The Celtics and Mavs actually look pretty strong this year and Miami is in the midst of a 12 game winning streak as well. I still don’t think the Miami Dwyane Wades can compete with the Celtics in the playoffs tho. Also, Orlando just beefed up big time with the acquisitions of Gilbert Arenas and Jason Richardson. They also brought back Hedo Turkoglu who I contend they never should have let walk after their NBA Finals appearance. If Miami doesn’t make a power move soon to shore up their interior defense then they will not have a chance in May.

The Spurs traded Curtis Jerrells to the Hornets on Monday, about a week after releasing Kirk Penney. On Tuesday they released James Gist. The Jerrells trade makes sense for both teams. New Orleans could use another backup for Chris Paul, and some added backcourt depth, especially with Marcus Thornton struggling and about to lose minutes to Marco Belinelli. Apparently Dell Demps, who left the Spurs front office this summer to become the new Hornets GM, liked Jerrells enough to swap a 2nd-round pick for him. As for Penney, well I guess he wasn’t impressive enough on defense. He can shoot, but the Spurs have shooters. It’s the defense that needs to be tweaked. I am a little surprised though – not that he was cut, but that he was first to go. Gist was never gonna make the team.  I was gonna look up his pre-season numbers but no one cares.

That brings the total of Spurs players to 15, but Pop said he was thinking of cutting it to 13 earlier this pre-season. So who is left? Gary Neal, Bobby Simmons, Alonzo Gee, Marcus Cousin, and Garrett Temple. The Spurs could keep them all and just leave 3 on the inactive list or assign to the Austin Toros D-League team. However, if they cut two more than I would expect … crap I have no idea what to expect. I don’t even know if I have a preference for who they should keep except for Gary Neal who lit it up in the NBA Summer League. Incidentally, he is the only one who has a guaranteed contract, so I doubt that he’s in any danger. Temple’s chances improve with Jerrells gone, and since Parker was so injury prone last season I could see them hanging on to him. The rest I have no idea. Let’s just move on…

Tiago Splitter has yet to play a game for the Spurs, so Pop has declared DeJuan Blair the starting center for the Spurs opener. Also, the Spurs picked up the 4th-year option on George Hill’s contract.

Don’t look now, but Bobby Simmons has been seen in San Antonio attending the Spurs camp.

For those of you who don’t remember Bobby Simmons, allow me to recap for you. Bobby Simmons played for the Clippers and had a nice season in 2004-05 that earned him the Most Improved Player award and a nice contract from the Bucks the following summer. He had averaged roughly 16 points, six rebounds, and three assists and was on the verge of becoming a reliable contributor in the NBA as well as fantasy basketball. During the ’05-’06 season he struggled to put up the same numbers as they all dropped to roughly 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists per game.  Then he got hurt and missed the entire season in 2006-2007, came back the next season a shell of his former self, got traded and has been fading into obscurity in New Jersey ever since. I picked him up in a few fantasy leagues along the way in the hopes that he would get back to his playing level in LA, but it just never happened. I am convinced that it never will, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be a decent contributor. If nothing else he could spell RJ for five to ten minutes a game and give the Spurs a little offense. I’m not too sure about his defensive skills though, and that could make or break his stint with the Spurs before the season starts. Last season he averaged 5.3 points and 2.7 boards in about 17 minutes per game for the Nets, but I don’t expect him to get that kind of playing time in San Antone. I always liked him so I hope he still has something left, but I wouldn’t expect much even if he does make the squad.

Another player at camp, Kirk Penney, apparently averaged 24.7 points in the FIBA World Championships this summer. I had no idea who he was, and he never played against the US in the tourney, so I had to do a little research. The closest to NBA level talent he played against this summer was probably Spain and he scored 21 points. If he isn’t much more than a scorer then I am not sure how he fits, but we’ll see. I don’t expect him to make the cut to be honest.

Like we didn’t know this already. Well, maybe not all of us. There are some journalists, “experts”, and NBA enthusiasts who seem to think that Tony Parker wants to leave for NY or something. I will say this over and over just like I have been, the real issue at hand is how long Duncan can hold up. That’s what has Tony anxious, and that’s what pretty much everyone who has any interest in the Spurs is anxious about. Tony’s contract is up, but like Ginobili did last season, I expect Tony to go ballistic this year and get an extension. He had an off year with his injuries, but he will bounce back this year. And yes, he wants to be here:

“As we did last year, we were in constant communication with Manu’s people and I continue to have discussions with Tony’s representatives,” Buford said. “But I don’t know that means that Tony will be here if he plays well or if he doesn’t play well. He’ll have the opportunity to make an impact in that decision as well.”

Parker averaged 16 points last season; as an All-Star the year before, he led the Spurs with 22 points per game. He came off the bench throughout April after returning from a broken hand, but Popovich said Monday that Parker was a starter.

When Parker returns to All-star form, it won’t be a question of if he signs an extension, but when.

Here we go a-frickin-gain. I’m sure that people will not give this Tony Parker trade talk a rest until he signs a new contract extension (or gets traded). The latest buzz is courtesy of Yahoo! Sports and an article from the San Antonio Express News. In the SAEN article, found here, Tony Parker discusses this being the last year of his (current) contract and possibly the last chance he has at winning a title with Duncan and Ginobili. I think the sentiment is more a testament to Duncan’s age than anything. We know that Duncan is not going anywhere though, and Ginobili signed an extension at the end of last season.

Ginobili, too, went into the season on the last year of his contract. Ginobili, too, didn’t know if he would be back. The Spurs say everything is as fluid with Parker and that an extension is possible.

But everything else is also possible. If the Spurs don’t begin their season well, they will look to deal their most tradeable asset. And, when the season is over, they could lose Parker to free agency, no matter how well he plays.

I just don’t see how they let Parker go. What are they going to get back for him? Certainly not a better point guard, and they have talent everywhere else (although another small forward would be nice). The Spurs are in “Win Now” mode and getting some draft picks isn’t going to help them reach the promised land before Duncan’s knees give out. Then again, a lot does ride on how George Hill progresses again this year, not to mention the looming lockout.

The bottom line, however, is that this is all about Wins and Losses. If the Spurs struggle, then of course all bets are off, but after the injuries mounted, RJ struggled, Blair adjusted, and Mason fizzled out last year – the Spurs still finished well. I believe they’ll play much better this year with the Big Three taking some time off this summer, Blair and RJ more accustomed to the Spurs system, and the addition of Tiago Splitter and perhaps even James Anderson.

I can see the Spurs realistically winning the division, so don’t count on Tony getting traded anytime soon.

I can’t take it anymore. Even with the Fantasy Baseball Playoffs and the fact that football season has finally started and I am once again in an inordinate amount of fantasy football leagues (Eight to be exact – Money, IDPs, Keepers, Expert Leagues… you name it), I am anxious to focus on the upcoming basketball season. Let’s start today with a quick summary of what has happened and is about to happen in Spurs Land.

Last year we started the season with archaic has-beens like Theo Ratliff and Michael Finley, projects like Ian Mahinmi and Malik Hairston, and a deadly three-point shooter in Roger Mason. Oh yeah, and Keith Bogans (blech). None of them are in San Antonio anymore. Ratliff and Finley’s corpses were cast off mid-season, while Roger Mason’s jump shot and hopes for a lucrative off-season deal both died a horrible and unexpected death over an agonizing season of inconsistency.  Mason is now in New York where he will probably have much more opportunity to either find his jumper again or at least jack up tons of errant threes. Mahinmi was not retained and is now the problem of the Dallas Mavericks, and the promising Hairston decided he would rather play in Europe than watch his teammates play in the NBA. Oh, and Keith Bogans was allowed to leave (blech again).

Mid-season acquisitions Alonzo Gee and Garrett Temple are both still around as is Curtis Jerrells who was cut, then brought back later in the year.

The Spurs did mediocre in the draft by picking up James Anderson with the 20th pick and Ryan Richards at #49. I wasn’t a big fan of the picks (I liked Jordan Crawford, Dominique Jones, and maybe even Damion James better), but I am keeping an open mind.

Also added to the mix was Summer League sensation Gary Neal. And of course, the most unheralded major off-season acquisition, Tiago Splitter was finally brought to San Antonio from the Spanish League where he is the reigning MVP.

I’ll do some more analysis of the Spurs newbs in the coming weeks.

The NBA Preseason begins October 3rd, but the Spurs have their first game on October 7th @ Houston. Their first home game is October 9th vs Miami’s Dwyane Wade and Friends. The rest of the Pre-season schedule goes like this:
Oct 12 @ Clippers (in Mexico City)
Oct 14 @ Cleveland (at the U of Pittsburgh)
Oct 16 vs Vitoria (I believe that this is one of the 50 names for Tiago Splitter’s old Spanish League team)
Oct 18 vs Oklahoma City
Oct 21 vs Houston

The season opener is a home game vs the Indiana Pacers on October 27th.

Another guard is leaving San Antonio this summer. Keith Bogans has agreed to a 2-year, $2.5 mil deal with the Chicago Bulls. Bogans had a few solid games, but for the most part he never quite fit in and fell almost completely out of the Spurs rotation during the playoffs. He started 50 games last season, but only averaged 4.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. During the post-season, his playing time dwindled to less than seven minutes per game and he only scored five points total over 10 playoff games. He was supposed to be a defensive specialist, but never really had that kind of impact over the season. I thought last year that Bogans or Hairston would emerge as replacements for Bruce Bowen as defensive stoppers, but neither really did and now both are gone. The Spurs’s Malik Hairston signed to play in Europe. Free-agent Roger Mason agreed to a deal with the New York Knicks last week.

Finally a Knicks/Spurs rumor that not only seems plausible, but doesn’t involve Tony Parker being traded.

It looks like Roger Mason is on his way out of San Antonio soon as he is reportedly close to a deal with the New York Knicks. He even mentioned that is was a possibility on YouTube:

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The Knicks were trying to pry Shannon Brown away from the Lakers but Brown went ahead and re-signed with LA.

Roger Mason was awesome during the 2008-2009 season, at least until the playoffs. Last year he was beyond inconsistent and even asked for a trade at one point. I still like him tho, and I hope he bounces back from last year.

Good luck in New York, Mase.