Spurs of the Moment

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.

In what is sure to be one of the more bizarre subplots of this summer’s free agency, Richard Jefferson inexplicably opted out of the final year of his contract. The move will cost him $15 million dollars up front. As RJ tells it:

“I probably wouldn’t make 15 (million dollars) some place, but you could somehow recoup some of that over a multi-year deal and get some guaranteed money for the next few years.

“So you figure it out. If you’re able to get four years and 40 (million dollars by opting out) from someone, it’s like, ‘OK, I did lose out on 15 (million dollars). But I’m going to get basically a $25 million extension.’ Those are things that you think of at the end of the season.”

Wait, what? He thinks he is getting a four year 40 mil deal? From who? Is Isaiah Thomas a GM again? Ok, fine – so it’s entirely possible that he will get such a deal when the dust settles and either the Knicks, Nets, Bulls, Clips, or Heat  are clamouring to fill the rosters that they gutted in vain after no one signs there – after all, Drew Gooden is getting a 5-year $32 mil deal, and that was from the Bucks who no one is thinking about. (And quiet as kept, they are building a nice squad over there.) At any rate, the Spurs now have some wiggle room to sign someone more useful this summer, and for that we can thank Dick Jefferson.

Oh, and by the way, it’s not that I forgot about the draft, but after the Spurs picked James Anderson… well, I haven’t really known what to think of that – let alone what to say about it. My first thought was something along the lines of, “huh?” Then I figured he was meant to be RJ’s eventual replacement, but still, no one I know of had him pegged as a potential Spur, and even Bill Simmons said he figured Anderson for a bust. I guess the Spurs saw something there that the rest of us didn’t see. I’ll take another look at him later and post some thoughts.

I was hoping the Spurs would put the finishing touches on another Mavs implosion, but instead it was basically a blowout loss as the Mavs won 103-81. The Spurs had 18 turnovers – four from Ginobili. Also, the Spurs have shot in the upper 40′s all series, but had their worst night at 35.9% yesterday. I don’t see that happening again. Caron Butler showed a pulse which was interesting, and he finished with 35 points and 11 rebounds to lead all scorers… and rebounders for that matter. I don’t see that happening again either. Tony Parker led the Spurs with 18 points, but everyone else was “eh”. No point in looking at boxscores since Manu, Tim, Jefferson, and Hill played limited minutes as the game got out of hand. At least they’ll be well rested for the next game, of course so will Kidd and Dirk.

Now we must endure all the front-runners and fair-weather Mavs fans who 24 hours ago had to be talked off ledges but now insist that the Mavs will win in San Antonio and of course win Game 7. I don’t buy it, but I will admit that it’s possible. Anything is possible in the NBA except for speaking your mind after a game without a fine or getting that slum-lord Donald Sterling to sell the Clippers to someone who gives a crap about basketball. Other that that, pretty much anything.

It’s also possible for the Mavs to play like they did in Games 2, 3, and 4. One thing that does bother me is that the Spurs allowed some large leads in Games 3 and 4 that they had to overcome. As we saw last night, they can’t always bounce back. They need to come out swinging in Game 6, and Tim and Manu need to bring their best stuff.

As ESPN notes, Now It’s The Spurs Turn To Sweat:

A four-point game from Tim Duncan can be dismissed as an aberration. Especially when you win anyway.

What happens, though, when Duncan follows up the four points with a mere 11 points in what was supposed to be his bounce-back game?

The Spurs, though, will be facing undeniable pressure all their own to close the Mavs out at home Thursday night, after Dallas hit the visitors with an active and effective defensive display that led to numerous opportunities to push the ball, setting up Caron Butler to finally join this series at last with a career playoff-high 35 points.

The Dallas Morning News threw out some real numbers that are cause for concern:

For the second straight game, Tim Duncan looked every bit of his 34 years.

In two games since breaking his nose, Manu Ginobili has shot 6-for-23. And for the second time in this series, Richardson Jefferson’s performance was more bow-wow than wow.

Now will the Spurs join history as the losing end of one of the rare occurrences when a team blows a 3-1 lead? Or will they man up and boot the Mavericks out of the 2010 playoffs? We’ll find out tomorrow at 7:00 PM Central in San Antonio. In the meantime, if any of you Spurs fans need a little extra encouragement, check out this nice Chess Analogy to the Mavs-Spurs series from Pounding The Rock.

The Spurs have won seven of their last eight games and are on a three game winning streak again after that debacle against Cleveland. OK, so they only played the Clippers, T-Wolves, and Knicks, but as the Knicks showed our North Texas Nemesis, if you don’t come to play, there are no easy wins in this league – not even against the cellar dwellers.

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The Spurs play the T-Wolves tonight and then the Clippers tomorrow in what Ginobili refers to as must-win games.

“Both are teams that don’t have a shot at making the playoffs, so they don’t have much to lose, and we do. It’s very important to keep our focus, play hard for 48 minutes”

Good point since after the Wolves and Clips our boys will be facing only two teams the rest of the month that are under .500 (Golden State and New Jersey), and the other eight teams they face later this month include the Magic, Lakers, Cavaliers, and Celtics – all elite teams in their conferences, not to mention division leaders.

Spurs’ Hill can’t think in terms of replacing Parker:

Hill expects the final 20 games to be educational. The lesson he learned on Wednesday, when the Knicks applied occasional double-team pressure: Be prepared for anything.

“They caught me off-guard,” he said. “I just wasn’t all there, but I know now what to do in that case. I’ll beat my man next time.”

There is also a nice feature piece on George Hill on NBA.com. As Ginobili points out:

“A year ago, you could tell that he was a rookie, maybe wasn’t up to the situation,” said Manu Ginobili. “But not now. Not anymore. He’s earned a lot of confidence from everybody. He’s guarding the best opponent, taking responsibility at the point when Tony’s not on the court.”

Speaking of Manu Ginobili, he says he is looking forward to playing in the World Championships. I hope that doesn’t mean we can look forward to him breaking down again next season.

I want one of these “Los Spurs” jerseys that the Spurs wore against the Knicks on “Latino Night”…

The Good News: The Spurs have won four straight games, are 36-24 (12 games over .500), and are in 7th place in the West still – 5.5 games ahead of Houston (9th) and Memphis (10th).
The Bad News: Tony Parker is out for the next six weeks with a broken hand.

That’s the short and sweet version of events, but I feel compelled to elaborate. Let’s start with the wins.

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Well, it seems the Spurs are not without hope… yet. The latest rumor has the Spurs offering Antonio McDyess for Tyrus Thomas of the Bulls. I find it hard to believe that the T’Wolves can’t/won’t trump anything the Spurs could offer, but the Wolves are the same team who drafted two point guards and signed another in the off-season. They are just a cut above the Clippers lunacy right now.

I like the old rumor that included John Salmons, but there is no mention of him or even Roger Mason being involved in any Chicago trade. The best trade scenario I see here, and that works on the ESPN Trade Machine, is McDyess, Bogans and Mason for Thomas and Salmons. That would be a really nice move, but I am not convinced the Bulls would do that. It depends on how much they like Salmons and how much they want to clear an extra $6.5 million from the payroll. The Bulls aren’t as brain-dead as the Clippers, but John Paxson is still the GM in Chi-town so I suppose it’s possible.

Unfortunately, there are still no known takers for Richard Jefferson. Maybe R.C. Buford should call the Clippers next.

First off, Mason’s agent is trying to clarify that Mase is not demanding a trade, but is simply “open” to one. The reason, of course, is due to minutes. I’ve been saying all year that Mason should start at shooting guard if not Ginobili, but Pop stubbornly stuck to Keith Bogans for several months. Now George Hill is starting next to Parker, and while he is getting better and is coming along defensively, he is still undersized and I don’t recall him hitting any game winners like Mase did several times last season. According to the San Antonio Express News:

“One league executive said he expects the Spurs to make overtures at the Miami Heat, who are shopping a number of players, including power forward Udonis Haslem and small forward Dorell Wright.”

My response: Huh? Read more »

The Spurs beat the Clippers 103-87. The Spurs led by as many as 25, only had seven turnovers, and held the Clips to 43.9% shooting. Once again, they did what they were supposed to do – beat a weak team, score over 100 points, shoot better than 50%, and rest Tim Duncan (he only played 25 minutes). I’m not impressed or thrilled by any means, but the lack of enthusiasm is better than being filled with bewildered disappointment. Let’s see how they finish the year before we get too excited.

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Matt Bonner broke a bone in his shooting hand in the Spurs’ 100-99 win over the Pacers. Unofficially, he is expected to miss about four weeks, but we should know more later today or tomorrow. Marcus Haislip is expected to be activated and hopefully help fill the void left by the Red Rocket. This could also open the door for more of DeJuan Blair who I mentioned last week was being severely under-utilized. That would make the most sense, and I really don’t see Haislip getting a ton of minutes… then again, they do play the Clippers next.

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