Around this time a year ago the Spurs were swallowing an embarrasing first round exit at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. Getting beat in the first round is definitely demoralizing when you factor having the best record in the Western Conference and obvious championship aspirations to go with it. Many were wondering if this was the last run for the Big 3. Would Parker be traded? Was Duncan too old? Was Ginobili too fragile? Would the Spurs as a whole survive a fast-paced 66 game season?

Those questions were quickly answered, especially after the All Star break. Tony Parker was not traded and he masterfully ran the show for the Spurs en route to a league leading offense (2nd in points and among top 5 in offensive effeciency). Tim Duncan took a few sips from the fountain of youth and played solid in the second half of the season. Manu Ginobili, although hurt during the regular season, went into the playoffs rested and got through the first round healthy for the first time since the Spurs’ 2007 playoff run. And the team as whole. with key additions and youth, once again obtained the best record in the West.

The STARTERS

Tim Duncan – 14.3 pts 8.8 rbs 1.7 blks in 30 mins a game

Remember that song by Cher, “If I could turn back time”? It seems Tim Duncan looked in the closet and pulled out the 2005 version of himself. The jumper, the drive and the moves on the block have been pretty consistent. But the defense is what’s been outstanding; holding Al Jefferson (in some ways a younger version of himself) has been impressive. Contesting shots, bodying him up on the block and not biting on fakes has made Tim Duncan a monster on defense.

Kawhi Leonard 7 pts 3.3 rbs 40% from 3 pt range in 20 mins a game

I expected Leonard to get a few starts in the regular season but getting minutes in the playoffs would be hard to come by. I was wrong and Kawhi started the second half of the season on into the playoffs. Offensively, game two was his best outing when he scored 17 points. Defensively he has been matched up against Josh Howard most of the time. How did he fair? He held the one time All Star to under 4 points and 29% shooting from the field for the series.

Boris Diaw 5.5 pts 4.8 rbs 60% fg in 24 mins a game

Diaw was definitely a “forgotten man” as the great Marv Albert would say. Cast away in Charlotte and not getting along with the coach, his contract was bought out. With a little coaxing from his best bud Tony Parker he signed with the Spurs and worked his way into the starting lineup. Diaw although not very tall has the “girth” to defend post players and has Lamar Odom like skills on offense. He layed low in this series by simply playing solid and effecient. He shot well, defended well, and currently for the playoffs is the Spurs 2nd best rebounder after 4 games.

Tony Parker 21.3 pts 6.5 ast 50% fg in 33 mins a game

Parker was by far the driving force in the first two games. After being outplayed by Mike Conley last season, Parker took on a bigger challenge in Devin harris. Harris, although having trouble adjusting to the flex offense in Utah, is still as quick (maybe slightly quicker) than Parker and has at times gotten the best of parker on the court. Parker torched Harris and also held him to 13 pts and under 4 ast a game. Harris also shot a poor 40% from the field. Stopping Parker’s penetration was impossible in the first two games and as for the games in Utah, Parker made jumpshots and key plays when needed.

Danny Green 8.5 pts 4 rbs 1 blk in 25 mins a game

Danny Green was another surprise starter going into the playoffs. Offensively, Green did a decent job of scoring by hitting a few open 3s and making plays off the dribble. Defensively, Green did his best Bowen impression and was a pest to Utah’s 3rd leading scorer Gordon Hayward. He held Hayward to 7 points shooting only 18% from the field. The Bowen effect was definitely in play; Hayward is probably still having nightmares about being defended by Green.

The BENCH

Stephen Jackson 10 pts 3.8 rbs 53% from 3 pt range in 25 mins a game

The Prodigal son returned. Whenever you trade a guy who goes into hiding during crunchtime (Jefferson) for a guy who says “I still make love to pressure” and is familiar with Spurs basketball, your in pretty good shape. During the playoffs Jackson stepped up his game defensively by defending Paul Millsap when the Jazz went with their big frontline, and offensively by going 31% from the 3 pt range in the regular season to 53% in the playoffs.

Tiago Splitter 8 pts 3.7 rbs in 15 mins game

The injury bug bit Tiago Splitter a bit and he had to miss game two because of a bruised hand. However, Splitter came back strong in games 3 & 4 scoring ten points in each game. Splitter’s length gives Coach Popovich a reliable back up to Duncan and the option of running the twin tower lineup that fans have been begging for.

Manu Ginobili 8.5 pts 3.5 rbs 4.5 ast in 25 mins a game

Ginobili for a while couldnt throw a beach ball in the ocean, but it really didn’t matter because games 1 & 2 were blowouts. In game 4 Ginobili got on track by pouring in a series high 17 points and hitting a couple of 3s in the process. But game 3 was really where Ginobili showed his value. His shot still wasn’t falling but Ginobili stayed relevant and active by handing out ten assists with only one turnover off the bench.

Gary Neal / Matt Bonner / Dejuan Blair

All three helped the cause, Neal and Bonner by shooting over 50% from 3 pt range and Blair by filling in for the injured Tiago Splitter in game 2 where he recorded 10 pts & 7 rbs. Bonner really battled defending the physical frontline of  the Jazz while still hitting a solid percent (50%) from 3. Neal being thrust into the backup point guard role has done a decent job of running the team and has contributed offensively like expected (8.3 pts 56% 3 pt fg). Blair is the surprise, after lossing his starting job and place in the rotation Blair came in with a mature, professional attitude and took care of business whenever his number was called. The Spurs bench as a whole dominated the Jazz. Lets hope the that continues on to the next round.

As ESPN’s Skip Bayless put it during the 2005 NBA Finals, “No Manu No Win.” He said this after Manu got a bruised thigh during a collision with a Piston player in game 3 of the 2005 finals . ‘No Manu No Win’ would seem the popular opinion in the media and amongst Spurs faithful. You know the history, ankle surgery 2009/Broken nose 2010 playoffs/broken arm 2011 playoffs and now broken hand 2012. Nagging here, a tweak there, a snap here and eventually a loss of games for the Spurs.

However, it seems the Spurs have managed to survive without him and backup playmaker TJ Ford. The Spurs have gone 8-6 without the Services of Ginobili and Ford, while that’s not great, what’s impressive is the play of some other Spurs.

To start, what do the Spurs lose without two of their playmakers? 21.6pts / 6.8ast / 5.2rbs. That’s kinda hard to replace. What have the Spurs done to survive? Well besides run Tony Parker into the ground, three other young Spurs have answered the bell. Lets look at them.

Tiago Splitter – 9.6 pts / 5 rbs in 20 mins a game since Manu injury.

The numbers don’t look like much but they’re impressive considering how he is doing it. Outside of Tim Duncan, the Spurs have made it a point to acquire “floor spacing” bigs. Bonner, McDyess, and Kurt Thomas come to mind. What they haven’t had is a back to the basket big. Splitter in limited minutes (20) and attempts (5.6 fga) per game has become the Spurs second lowpost player. Points like that from a big man is very important because it takes pressure off the guards, and works the opposing defense in ways that a guard can’t. His stamina seems low, but hopefully the Spurs training staff can work on that. It is essential that the Spurs go to him early and often which means he will need more minutes and definitely more attempts. Having two lowpost players can do some real interior damage to the opposing team. Just look at the Lakers, and most recently the 2011 Grizzlies that beat the Spurs in the first round last year.

Danny Green – 8.7pts / 1 blk / 1 stl in 24 mins since Manu injury.

Danny Green has scored pretty well, but as the stats show above, defense is where he really helps the Spurs. He did a good job on prolific scorers Monta Ellis and Joe Johnson just to name two. He isn’t afraid to stick his nose in for a key rebound and plays tight perimeter D in addition to making plays for his teammates on offense. Since the loss of Bowen, the Spurs perimeter D has been like the turnstiles in the old hemisfair arena. If a player wants to get somewhere on the court, he does easily. With Danny Green the effort has been there and the results as well. He fights over screens and will come up with key steals and blocks. Looking forward the Spurs will need that effort from him come playoff time if Jefferson goes into hiding.

Kawhi Leonard – 8pts / 5rbs in 26 mins game.

Who knew what to expect from Kawhi, he was simply a rookie that did well in college. So was Sam Bowie, Greg Oden and a few other busts. Well, Kawhi earned Pop’s trust and eventually worked his way into the starting lineup at shooting guard for some out of all positions. Kawhi plays good defense and uses his athleticism and freakishly long arms to also grab a ton of contested rebounds. He’s not a great shooter or post player, but does have a knack for cutting to the basket and getting points in unusual fashion (ala former Spur Walter Berry). His versatility to play positions 2-4 will give the Spurs an edge defensively.

Last, let’s look at an unsung hero – a polarizing figure – Tony Parker. You either love him or hate him. And when I say you, I mean Spurs fans oddly enough. Parker is kinda like Tim Tebow (without the sideline hymns and the funky throwing motion). Their are things he does well and things he doesn’t. Tebow is known for running instead of throwing the ball at the QB position. Parker is known for scoring well and being an average playmaker compared to his fellow upper-class point guards.

Tony Parker – 19 pts / 8 ast in alot of minutes since Manu injury.

We’ve seen Parker have games where he racks up assists, but he does it running around with the ball looking for three point shooters. This year there has been more motion offense and Parker has simply made good decisions without doing alot of dribbling. Add to that Parker and Splitter have made each other’s life a lot easier with the pick and roll, its almost like Ginobili/Blair part 2. Parker has also looked to establish Splitter on the low-block making things easier for him, since he doesn’t have to run around and burn energy. He also is averaging only 2 turnovers for his 8 assists a game. Parker’s increased court awareness has really helped the Spurs to survive without Manu.

In a few Weeks we’ll see what the Spurs have in them as they continue to try and win on the road without their big gun in a rapid, shortened season.

By Mason Pitluk

On a night when the Spurs got off to a fast start, things turned awfully bad really quick. After jumping out to an early 7-0 lead, San Antonio quickly found themselves down 25-35 entering the second quarter, a quarter which would see starting shooting guard Manu Ginobili fracture the fifth metacarpal in his left hand. This injury is devastating for both the Spurs and their star lefty who, as Tony Parker pointed out post-game, “was playing at an All Star level.” There will be plenty of time to discuss Ginobili’s injury in depth (as I plan to do soon in my next article), so let’s focus on last night’s contest alone, and what, beyond the loss of Ginobili, is worth noting.

Road Woes

A very brief look at the Spurs’ five games this season will reveal a pretty black and white blueprint for Silver & Black success; stay in San Antonio. In three home games this year the Spurs have blowout victories over their two toughest opponents thus far, the Grizzlies and Clippers, as well as the Utah Jazz, while their two road games have both ended in blowout losses to the Rockets and now the Timberwolves. Needless to say, if the Spurs can’t find a way to start picking up victories away from home they could be in danger of being out of playoff contention by the time Manu returns.

DeJuan Blair’s Defense

Throughout his time in San Antonio the biggest hole in DeJuan Blair’s game has been his defense. So far this season Blair has looked improved on both ends, especially offense, but last night he got torched. Kevin Love absolutely abused Blair on pick and pop three pointers, particularly in the first quarter, time and again receiving ample space to shoot from Blair, even after knocking down three after three. Blair’s help defense was also noticeably off last night. Much like taking a bad pursuit angle in football, Blair kept trying to meet driving guards around the free throw line, rather than lower in the paint, and more often than not was blown by as Ridnour, Rubio, or some other Minnesota guard finished easily at the rim. Obviously, listed very generously at 6’7’’, no one expects him to be a shot blocking force, but Blair has to position himself better to at least be able to contest shots as they go up. Overall, DeJuan had a really rough game, going 2 of 9 from the field for just 6 points to go along with only 3 rebounds in 28 minutes. For the Spurs to be successful Blair must continue to improve defensively, return to rebounding the ball at the high rate he had in his first two seasons, and continue along the offensive pace he set in this season’s first few games.

The Timberwolves Shooting

aka “Dr. K. Love (Or: How We Learn That Some Nights Teams Are Just On Fire and Win the Game)”

Minnesota ended the night shooting an amazing 58% from the field and 57% from three, but those numbers are misleading; the T-Wolves actually shot the ball way better. With about half the third quarter gone, the Timberwolves were still above 70% shooting from the field. Entering the fourth quarter Minnesota had hit 11 of 14 three pointers, a whopping 79%. No, these aren’t typos. Wesley Johnson, for example, had been averaging just over 5 points per game on 31% shooting. Last night he went 6 of 6 for 14 points. Overall as a team, the Spurs weren’t playing defense that terribly*. The younger Wolves, who were noticeably more energetic despite beating Dallas the night before, simply shared the ball to perfection. Playing the exact sort of balanced, pass-first, efficient and effective offensive that new coach Rick Adelman is known for, the home squad bombarded the visiting Spurs with bucket after bucket. When a team is playing that lights out, chances are they’re going to win, and unlike last year when Minnesota twice surrendered big leads to San Antonio, the Timberwolves never really let the Spurs back in it as they coasted to a 106-96 win.

It’s certainly great to have Basketball back in SA. After the billionaires and millionaires finished dividing the spoils (Or lack thereof they claim) we get to see the big three in action again. Let’s take a look see at this first week where the Spurs went 3-1, and let me tell you there are some bizarre numbers that pop out.

Starting Unit

DeJuan Blair (16 pts/7 rbs) is having a very good start to the season. Although the jumpshot isn’t there and the free throw shooting is a work in progress, he has played solid. Blair on offense is finishing better around the rim and is figuring out how to use his body in the post more. He also has added the “floater” to his offensive arsenal. On defense he is doing a little better job of moving his feet and taking charges, but there is still work to be done in that area. Rebounding has steadily gone up as well.
Richard Jefferson (11 pts/47% 3pt fg) is hitting his jumper like he did last season, but if there is something I really like about Jefferson it’s that he is taking shots with guys in his face. Confidence has always been an issue since RJ has been wearing the silver and black, but so far this season he has been more aggressive taking jumpshots and has had less mental lapses during games.

Tim Duncan (9 pts/6 rbs) has gotten his butt kicked by father time it seems. He is kind of slow on defense and is not the leading shot-blocker for the Spurs thus far (a role he’s had since ……………?????? yeah, that long). In all seriousness though, Duncan has played more of a supporting role, allowing Blair and Splitter to do the heavy lifting for now, which is probably fine with him since the Spurs are winning by comfortable margins. He’ll definitely come around when he is needed.

Tony Parker (13 pts/6 ast) has been solid. His assist numbers are the same as always, but how he is getting them is what impresses me. In years past, the floor would be spread and he would do a lot of dribbling in an effort to get to the paint for a score or an assist for a spot up 3. This year he has been allowing the motion of the offense to develop while he waits for the perfect opportunity to pass to an open player all while he is standing at the top of arc. With Parker this opening week it has been to play smarter not harder.
Manu Ginobili (19 pts/54% 3pt fg) has come out firing and putting teams in the torture chamber (as Sean Elliott likes to say). His shot is on, he’s driving well and his play making is still great, just ask Dejuan Blair. As Manu goes so do the Spurs. His inspiring play fuels the team, as we have seen in game 1 and early in game 2 as he lead the charge in delivering a stunning blow to the heavily favored Clippers. Unlike Duncan, who will pick up the slack as the season goes on, Ginobili will eventually get tired and will need someone from the likes of Anderson or Neal to step up during this fast paced season. That way he’ll have legs left for the playoffs.

THE BENCH: The good, the bad and the ugly

Center, Tiago Splitter is undoubtedly the good (7 pts/6 rbs) finally getting meaningful minutes. Impressive about Splitter is his footwork on defense and his ability to stay in front of his man. Last season Splitter showed his ability to take charges, and that trend has continued this season. What nobody expected was for Tiago to be the teams leading shot-blocker at any point in a season where Tim Duncan is on the team. Splitter has averaged almost 2 blocks a game. Let’s see how long this continues.
Forward, Kawhi Leonard has been a good acquisition for the Spurs. For two seasons the Spurs haven’t had a backup for the sometimes lackluster Richard Jefferson. Kawhi has averaged 6 pts/6 rbs playing behind RJ. The great thing about Leonard is that he is athletic and a good rebounder, which at times allows Coach Pop to play him at PF and not get burned.

Guards, TJ Ford and James Anderson we can say are the bad (or fair). Ford has shown that he has a much easier time being a setup point guard than Parker. However, while he does a good job passing the ball, he also tends to pass up shots and turn the ball over by jumping in the air to pass. James Anderson has played with confidence, but his shot hasn’t fallen as much as he’d like and at times it seems that defense isn’t a priority to him.

Forward, Matt Bonner is obviously the ugly. We know he is a poor rebounder, but averaging 20 minutes a game, being third tallest player on the team, and being next to last in average rebounds at a whopping 1 per game is beyond bad. Bonner’s three point shooting, his and Pop’s usual alibi for his poor rebounding and defense, is fading so far. He has shot only 38% from deep. While that may seem high, it doesn’t look very impressive when you factor in last season where he led the Spurs and the league in 3 Pt FG% and grabbed a few more rebounds (3 per game). This year he already has 2 guys on his team ahead of him.

In what was supposed to be a big time early season test for the new look Los Angeles Clippers, the hometown San Antonio Spurs completely humbled the visitors 115-90. Second year star Blake Griffin posted impressive numbers of 28 points and 9 rebounds, but was mostly embarrassed on the defensive end en route to a shockingly poor -37 plus/minus. Overall, the Spurs looked very much like a well-oiled machine on the night, where as Los Angeles looked very much like a squad that still has plenty of questions left to answer after acquiring Chris Paul just two and a half weeks ago. While it should come as no surprise that the accomplished squad with the intact core K’O'ed the hastily assembled young guns, the extent of the beat down still surprised many. How the Spurs were able to pull off the victory was a testament to perhaps basketball’s two most important factors; defense and efficiency. Here’s a look at those two aspects and one more that helped shape last night’s game.

Offensive efficiency:

Last night the Spurs shot an excellent 56.3% from the field and turned the ball over 15 times, with the starters combining for just 6 turnovers all night. Most impressively, the Spurs made over half their three point attempts, going 10/19, and made every single one of their 15 free throws. That’s right, the Spurs went 100% from the stripe. Our starters dominated, posting a plus/minus average of +18.4. The individual play of four particular starters stood out, especially in terms of how efficiently they played last night. Manu Ginobili once again led the Spurs with 24 points, going 6/10 from the field, 5/8 from three, and 7/7 from the line. Tony Parker shot an excellent 6/9, working for his shot all night long and setting up teammates when it wasn’t there. In the end, TP ended up with 9 assists in 26 minutes, and only turned the ball over once. DeJuan Blair absolutely abused Blake Griffin on the offensive end. Granted, he didn’t offer much resistance against the superstar defensively, but any night Blair can post 20 points on 10/15 shooting San Antonio will gladly take it. Lastly, Richard Jefferson was an absolute marvel against the Clips, facing off against his would-be replacement, Caron Butler, and totally outshining him. Going 8/9 from the field (3/4 from three), Jefferson looked like he couldn’t miss, and to be honest I don’t even remember the one time he did so. Finishing with 19 points to go along with his 14 on Monday, Jefferson is having the exact start to the season Spurs fans were hoping for…though maybe not expecting. The Spurs had 27 assists on the night and ultimately just looked like a team that has few kinks left to work out early on in this strange season. Clippers coach, and former Spur, Vinny Del Negro summed up San Antonio’s performance on the night while simultaneously pointing out exactly what separates our squad from his in his post-game comments.  The Spurs  “shot it really well tonight,” said Del Negro, “They hit some tough shots when they had to. But you expect that. They have been together for awhile.”

Defense:

Coming into the game, the main question was whether San Antonio’s thin frontcourt could keep up with the dynamic athleticism of Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, and the Lob City Clips. Fortunately, that question was answered not through individual efforts, but a stifling brand of team defense that never allowed the Clippers to get hot and gain momentum. Very few highlight plays were allowed by the Spurs D, and likewise San Antonio allowed few easy buckets. On the night, San Antonio held L.A. to just 39.2% shooting, and though they forced only half the turnovers they did against Memphis, the Spurs never allowed the Clippers to get comfortable on offense. This fact is best represented by Paul’s numbers, as the superstar floor general went a disappointing 3/10 from the field for just 10 points to go along with 9 assists in 36 minutes.

Minutes:

Spurs fans will be happy to see that no member of the big three played over 27 minutes, and neither, for that matter, did any other starter. Overall, ten Spurs played somewhere between 18 and 27 minutes, a stat that not only bodes well for the depth of the squad, but also sets us up nicely heading into tonight’s game against the Houston Rockets. Blow out wins are nice, but they are especially nice on the first night of back-to-backs, and Coach Popovich has to hope more games in this condensed season will see a similar distribution of minutes.

Last night I had the good fortune to get a last minute invite to the Spurs season opener against the Memphis Grizzlies. Beaten down by a long week of work and illness, followed by a long weekend of good times in my hometown, tied up with previous plans in place and faced with a daunting, late-night drive back to Austin ahead of me, I naturally jumped at the chance. The people of San Antonio were more than ready for the return of their Spurs, and, needless to say, the stadium was rocking from the tip. The Spurs rode the home crowd through an offensively offensive first quarter to a one point halftime deficit, before completely locking down the Grizz in the third, building a big lead, and finishing the night with a 95-82 victory and a 1-0 start to the season. Rather than further recap the game in length, this article will focus on a few individual Spurs of interest, and what we can take away from their performances on opening night.

Manu Ginobili (by far a team high +17 when on the floor) – What can be said about San Antonio’s fearless Argentine that hasn’t been already? A classic performance from Manu, as, once again, he did it all last night. I remember one point, very early on in the game, I looked up at the score board to check Manu’s stats. So amazed was I with his heart and hustle, I simply had to check, and what did I see? 0 points, 0 fouls, 2 assists, and 1 rebound. Not the type of line that most players would be satisfied with, even in the first quarter, but, at that point, Manu had to have already taken two charges, drawn at least three offensive fouls of some kind in total, and gotten at least one of his three steals. Manu was the heart and soul of the team last night, and if he has many more games like this 24 point, 5 rebound, 4 assist, 3 steal, 1 block performance, the Spurs should be in for one heck of a season.

Kawhi Leonard – Leonard made his NBA debut last night, and the nerves were obvious. In his first trip to the line Leonard missed two free throws, and, later on, got his “Welcome to the NBA” moment via a Rudy Gay strip and steal that led to a monster dunk from the Memphis forward. Leonard simply couldn’t get anything going offensively at first, and yet his impact was impossible to miss. Unable to hit a shot from the field, Leonard helped his team with a flurry of hard-nosed rebounds and steals, using those legendary massive hands to wreak havoc on defense and poke away the ball time and again. Leaving the game I honestly thought Leonard had more steals than the two in the box score, but such is the disruptive force of Leonard’s style of play. An offensive rebound and put back led to one of Leonard’s two field goals, but it was the other that truly impressed. In the Spurs highlight of the night, Leonard drained a corner three after a behind the back dish from Ginobili following the veteran’s sick crossover and split of two defenders. There was an audible “ooo,” from the crowd, and the pressure was definitely on the rookie to make the shot, and after he once again rose to the occasion  for the Spurs (preseason game winner, anyone?) the stadium rewarded him with perhaps its biggest roar of the night. When it was all said and done, Leonard finished with 6 points on a disappointing 2 of 9 shooting, 6 rebounds (4 offensive), 2 steals, and an assist in just 14 minutes.

Tiago Splitter – With Tim Duncan in foul trouble all night, Splitter played 33 minutes, tied with Tony Parker for the most on the team, and was a really big part of the Spurs’ victory. Offensively, Splitter left a lot to be desired, shooting 2 of 7 from the field with both buckets coming off of nice assists. Defensively, Splitter was a force. Splitter was a huge part of a Spurs defense that forced Memphis into committing 24 turnovers, and held Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph to a combined 23 points and 12 boards. The Brazilian big man finished the night with 2 steals and 2 blocks to go along with his 5 points and a solid 8 boards.

Richard Jefferson – The embattled RJ did exactly what the Spurs needed him to on opening night. After an offseason which saw him narrowly escape the amnesty axe, Jefferson came out last night like a professional and dropped 14 points on a solid 5 of 11 effort from the field, including 3 of 7 from behind the arc. Most impressively, with the big three on the bench for a stretch in the second quarter, Jefferson scored two or three buckets while he and the Spurs reserves regained the lead.

James Anderson – A lot of people in the Spurs fan base are expecting a lot of things from the second year Anderson after his rookie campaign was cut short by injury. Anderson got 21 minutes in the opener, getting a nice 9 points on 4 of 9 shooting, though he went a disappointing 1 of 5 from three point range. What impressed me most about Anderson wasn’t apparent in the box score. From the minute he stepped on the court until the end of the game, Anderson was ready to shoot. The former Big 12 scoring champ was fearlessly looking for his shot all night long, yet he played within himself throughout the game and very rarely forced it.

Matt Bonner – Oh dear. Where to begin? Bonner had one of those incredible absentee performances that, especially upon seeing how many minutes he was out on the floor later, truly boggles the mind. In 28 minutes (fifth most on the squad), Bonner managed to grab exactly ZERO rebounds, while scoring three points on 1 of 6 shooting (1 of 5 from downtown), getting two assists, and posting a donut in every other statistical category. How this line is possible for a 6’10’’ man in 28 minutes of play is entirely beyond comprehension, though one thing that is easy to understand is the soon to be reignited vitriol sputtering forth from many Spurs fans toward the Red Rocket.

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.

Let’s be honest, there are few among us who actually care what’s in the new collective bargaining agreement; we’re just happy it’s in place. That said, if you really care about the league, you should care about the new CBA, because the details of the deal will determine how the league functions for at least the next six years. It’s no secret that Spurs owner Peter Holt participated heavily in discussions throughout much of the negotiating process. Holt is among the least wealthy owners in the league (which makes his aggressive spending these past couple years all the more commendable), and the hard-line stance taken by the league in negotiations was largely on behalf of small market owners like Holt. Dan Gilbert of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Michael Jordan of the Charlotte Bobcats, for example, were also prominent, hard-line voices in the discussions. As such, it should come as little surprise that, though not quite as extensively as the Holts, Gilberts, or Jordans of the league may have wanted, the new CBA is undoubtedly a victory for the owners, and for small market franchises like our San Antonio Spurs. So how, exactly, will this new agreement effect our ball club? Let’s take a look.

Basketball Related Income:

The biggest obstacle in negotiations was the division amongst players and owners of the so-called BRI, or basketball related income. To keep it simple, look at BRI as basically just the I; the term essentially encompasses nearly all of the income the league generates in a given season. This division of revenue was especially complicated by two factors. First of all, the league famously argued from the onset of negotiations that, over the last three years combined, the owners collectively lost over a billion dollars. These losses were the impetus for the hard-line stance taken by the league. In the eyes of the owners, the new CBA had to invoke drastic change in order to restore conditions of profitability. Secondly, the last CBA gave players 57 percent of the BRI. Basically, last time around the players negotiated one hell of a deal, which meant they would have to make some serious concessions for the owners to be happy. Unfortunately for the players, this is exactly what happened. Over the course of the new CBA, players and owners will split revenues more or less right down the middle, a change that should certainly see more teams out of the red and more teams with money in their pockets.

How this affects the Spurs:

For smaller market clubs like San Antonio, this is just what the doctor ordered. Barring gross mismanagement or a drastically serious backlash from fans, the post-lockout landscape should allow every team to make money, meaning less financially flush clubs, like our Spurs, will have the ability to spend, and no excuses not to.

The Luxury Tax:

The league and the owners desperately wanted a hard cap in the new CBA, but ultimately the owner’s were not able to fully protect themselves from, well, themselves ($80 million over five years for Rudy Gay, for example). Settling instead for substantially harsher luxury tax penalties for those who spend beyond the salary cap, the owners will now seriously have to think twice when considering spending past what the league allows, while the players can claim a victory which allows for the possibility of teams contributing towards player salaries past a certain fixed point. It is important to note, though, that the new luxury tax rates won’t kick in for three years.

How this affects the Spurs:

In the long term, this news is fantastic for small market teams like San Antonio who can’t afford to keep up year after year with the overspending of rich, large market clubs like the Mavericks or Knicks.

The Amnesty Clause:

The buzz around negotiations was that Holt was amongst those leading the charge for the inclusion of an amnesty clause in the new CBA. The amnesty clause will function as follows; a one-time, take-it-or-leave-it option of the teams to waive any player on their roster at any point in the life of the CBA and have that player’s salary not count against the team’s salary cap. The player must still be paid, of course, but if they are resigned by another team, the team that originally waived them will only be responsible for the remaining difference between their old and new contracts. Lastly, only contracts signed prior to the lockout are eligible to be amnestied.

How this affects the Spurs:

If reports are true, and they certainly appear to be, the Spurs will be using their amnesty on Friday on Richard Jefferson, jettisoning the small forward after two terribly disappointing years in silver and black.

-Contributed by Mason Pitluk

With this lock-out I have had little motivation to talk basketball, but today I managed to dig deep and finish what I started and write for the people. I am excited because it now seems we’ll have a season afterall.

While we have taken a look at the Spurs defense and how it has declined over the years, we’ll now take a look at their offense which is very interesting. But before we take a look forward at some possible changes the Spurs may need to make, let’s take a look back, WAY BACK, to see how the offense has developed to where it is now.

To start this history lesson, we’ll look at the Spurs 1988-89 season – one of the worst seasons the Spurs have ever had (21-61 record). Whats interesting about that season is that two members of the Spurs current team were present and active for the Spurs then as well. Who, you might ask? That would be Gregg Popovich and RC Buford both serving as assistant coaches to Larry Brown back then.

The next season the Spurs made moves, plus got David Robinson, and were successful. However, there was one thing that always hindered the Spurs – their shooting. While Robinson and Sean Elliott both had range, Terry Cummings, Willie Anderson and Rod Strickland had iffy jumpshots. So although Robinson could torch anyone who was guarding him, the opposing team learned to cheat off players by double and triple teaming Robinson with Elliott being the only one that could make them pay on the perimeter.

Popovich saw this for three straight years, so when he finally got another gifted big man in Tim Duncan, he made sure that every season the Spurs had a plethora of shooters to space the floor for Duncan and to a lesser extent Robinson. Since the 2000-01 season, the Spurs have been one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the league.

There is a shocking similiarity to the Spurs 2000-01 season and that of last season. In both those seasons the Spurs led the league in 3-point FG%. Ironically enough, they did this using the same system. In 2000-01 Tim Duncan was unstoppable offensively, and David Robinson still had a solid game. What the Spurs would do is lineup high percentage 3-point shooters in the other three positions (SF – Danny Ferry, SG – Antonio Daniels, PG – Terry Porter).

In the 2001 playoffs the Spurs met up with a Los Angeles Lakers team that suprisingly beat them in four straight games. The Lakers exposed holes the Spurs had on both ends of the floor, especially offensively. With Robinson not having a great series and Duncan now being doubled aggressively,  the Spurs offense came to a screeching halt with Antonio Daniels being the only perimeter player to make plays and using a lot of energy to guard a young Kobe Bryant on the other end.

In the 2011 playoffs the Spurs had a similiar system, except slighty backwards. Instead of throwing it in the post, the Spurs relied on perimeter players to supply their offense. Tony Parker, and to a lesser extent Manu Ginobili, would drive the lanes and either score or kick out to high percentage 3-point shooters. With Tony Parker’s jumpshot being non-existent and Manu Ginobili playing with a bad arm, the Grizzlies halted what seemed to be an offensive juggernaut, and beat the Spurs in six games during the playoffs. Just like Antonio Daniels, Tim Duncan in a reverse situation was the only frontcourt player that was significantly productive on the offensive end and had to guard a prime Zach Randolph and a young Marc Gasol on the other end. Lack of movement on the perimeter was a big reason why the Spurs lost to the Lakers in ’01 and lack of post play was an additional reason the Spurs lost to the Grizzlies last season.

When he was in Utah, Jerry Sloan used a system called the Flex-Offense. Its a motion offense mixed with variables. Players would make certain cuts during the first run of a play, and if that didn’t produce a score they would repeat, but with the same players making different cuts. They had a nice mixture of low post up opportunities, elbow jumpshots, and 3-point shots. Sloan, with the way he ran his offense, was able to get the maximum offensive production out of players who really didnt seem all that capable (Matt Harpring, Ronnie Brewer). Everyone looked at the pick-n-roll between Stockton and Malone or Williams and Boozer. But the cutting, back picking, and pin downs that the Jazz regularly used is what gave the role players quality shots.

For everyone to thrive in the Spurs offense, a balanced offensive structure is needed. The flex-offense is exactly that, an offense which allows you to employ players with different/unique skill sets. In the Spurs system, 3-point shooting is vital to their success. Every high scoring role player outside the Big Three are high percentage three point shooters (Jefferson 44% / Neal 42% / Bonner 46%) except for Dejuan Blair, who may I add lost major minutes when the playoffs came around.

The 2009-10 Utah Jazz (I used the 09-10 Jazz simply because trades and loss of coaches kinda changed their entire scheme in the 10-11 season) were a well oiled machined offensively and only had one player that shot over 40% from behind the arc (Kyle Korver 53.6%).

If Coach Pop can employ the use of a motion offense then the Spurs can be a high scoring team that is difficult to defend all around, as opposed to other teams keying in on their main weapon and iniatator of the offense – Tony Parker. Using this offense will allow them to use a big man that has post skills or is a solid defensive player next to Duncan.

The Season is just around the corner and many questions are still waiting to be answered. Will this be Tim’s last year? Are the Spurs going to make a major trade? Will it involve Tony Parker? Will their defense improve? Stay tuned as this season gives way to a Spurs team that is full of question marks. Whether they win or lose, however, let’s always keep in the mind the four championships that have been brought to the city and go down with the ship if this is it. But no matter what happens – GO SPURS GO – and I’ll talk to y’all again in late December… Maybe sooner if the Spurs make a major move.

Thus far, we have looked at the Spurs personnel and what they may or may not need to get to that fifth title. Now we’ll look at their defense overall.

DEFENSE – Since the 1989-90 season the Spurs have always received a high defensive rating (per 100 possesions). There have only been three seasons the Spurs ranked 10th or worse defensively since David Robinson’s rookie debut. The first was in 1992-93 (ranked 10th), a season in which they went through three coaches. 1996-97(ranked 29th), a season full of injuries and a significant coaching change which enabled the Spurs to get “Timmy” the following season. And finally, last season 2010-11 (ranked 11th), although despite the low rank in defense per 100 possesions, they had the 2nd best record in the league, but then were beaten significantly in the first round.

Since the drafting of Tim Duncan the Spurs philosophy on defense was pretty simple, run perimeter players baseline to Duncan or the second big (Robinson/Mohammed/Oberto) and force them into a difficult pass or shot attempt or best-case scenario, block the attempt and start the break. That philosophy got even better as the Spurs upgraded perimeter defenders like Mario Elie and Sean Elliott for quicker, younger players like Bowen and Ginobili.

Today things have changed drastically. Bowen is retired, Ginobili is older and carries a heavy load on the offensive end. As for Duncan, he is still effective on the court. However, he must do much more on the defensive end than ever. Why? Because the Spurs have done away with that 2nd big that would help Duncan defend the paint and get the boards. That’s really where the Spurs have declined. In years past, Robinson or Mohammed would have grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked  two shots all while Duncan got his usual 20 and 10. Even Oberto would grab his share of rebounds, and while he didn’t block shots he drew just as many offensive fouls.

Players at both the 4/5 positions are shorter, quicker and more athletic  these days. The Spurs have  changed with the times to try to match and still keep their defensive identity, and that hasn’t worked well at all. However, take a look at the Lakers who haven’t changed their sizable frontcourt tandem in 3 years. Whats the result? Two finals appearances and 2 championships. Note that the team that knocked them off had two 7-footers of their own.

Quick trivia…we all remember the twin towers, but does anybody remember the triple towers? In the 1997-98 season the Spurs had many injuries at the small forward position so Coach Pop enlisted the Triple Towers: Will Perdue at Center, David Robinson at Power Forward, and a mobile rookie named Tim Duncan at Small Forward. The result? Spurs went 17-5 when they played that lineup and held most of their opponents to under 40% fg and outrebounded them significantly.

The point? Yes, size matters, but more importantly size and mobility matter. Andrew Bynum, like Duncan, has no chance of guarding many of today’s power forwards, while Gasol (his defensive partner) does. Granted, he is tall and will get burned sometimes by some of the smaller, quicker forwards, but on those occasions that’s where help defense comes into play. They also have the luxury of bringing Lamar Odom (a hybrid 3/4 player himself) off the bench.

For the Spurs, Duncan has the mobility of a Center, PERIOD. Finding a tall or decent sized Power forward ( at least 6’9″) that can play 30 minutes a game and grab his share of rebounds (say 7 or 8), keep his man in front of him, and give them something significant on offense will do the trick. While Tiago Splitter might be that guy for good portions of a game (when they wanna role out the twin tower look), some of his weaknesses on offense might hurt the Spurs overall if he plays too many minutes with Duncan.

On the Perimeter the Spurs could use a defensive stopper. Kawhi Leonard has been said to be a promising defensive player and a solid rebounder, but the Spurs could use someone that is a little smaller and a little more mobile out on the floor.

For the Spurs defense to return to where it was a few years ago, they’re going to need two players. 1 – a mobile 4 that can rebound, defend, and and hold his own on offense. 2 – a perimeter defender who is young and athletic and has the lateral quickness (something Leonard may not have) needed to defend the 2′s and 3′s in the leauge. Next week we’ll look at their offense.