Spurs of the Moment

I just felt compelled to touch on a few topics real quick…
A couple of weeks ago it was reported that Allen Iverson could be headed to China to play ball. Is AI’s ego really so out of control that he would rather play in China than be a backup in the NBA? If so, then all I can say is “Wow”… have fun in China sucka.

Greg Oden’s knee is still in shambles. I am gonna say that by roughly November 2012 we will all be on the same page about Oden being a bust.

I like the Golden State Warriors so I am delighted that Don Nelson has finally been relieved of his coaching duties. He seemed to be on a mission to ruin as many careers as possible while in Golden State. He ran off Baron Davis, feuded with Monta Ellis, inexplicably toyed with everyone’s minutes, possibly ruined Anthony Randolph (I think he’ll show and prove in NY tho, if the Knicks don’t trade him to Denver for Melo first), and basically started D-League teams half the time for no apparent reason other than he is a crazy old man.

LeBron is still an ass. Sorry, no link. I think the evidence is everywhere.

The NBA is making Technical Fouls even more stupid than ever. In an effort to eliminate any passion or emotional connection to the game at hand, refs will now be able to call techs on players for punching the air in frustration. I can only assume that glaring at a ref will now draw an automatic 20 game suspension. Atta boy, David Stern.

Ever wonder why Avery wasn’t missed in Dallas?

There was a rumor floating around in cyberspace this week about the Knicks possibly trading Wilson Chandler to the Spurs for their first round pick in 2011. Apparently the Knicks want to use the pick in a Melo trade. I’m down with both of those moves. There may be some truth to it.

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.

In the span of 24 hours, the Spurs went from beating an elite Eastern team in Boston in a blowout, to losing to the lowliest team in the league in New Jersey. I like to blame Keith Bogans, but when you lose to the freaking Nets there’s plenty of blame to go around.

The Boston Blowout: (Spurs over Celtics: 94-73)
Let’s go over the Boston game first… then maybe I will run out of steam and not have to rip the Spurs so much for losing last night. The Spurs handed the Celtics a 21-point loss on Sunday, their worst home loss of the season. San Antonio outscored Boston 33-17 in the 3rd and that was all she wrote. Amazingly, the Spurs had 16 turnovers to only 10 for the Celtics, but a rebounding edge of 48-37 (14-9 offensive) helped the Spurs take command of this game. Also, the Celtics flat out couldn’t shoot, going 37% in the game including 1-of-14 from downtown.

Manu Ginobili was brilliant as usual, dropping 28 points along with seven dimes, three boards, and a steal. He was the high-scorer of the game and played 36 minutes – in a blowout -we’ll get back to those minutes. Tim Duncan was kind of pedestrian in the box score with only eight points and nine rebounds, but he only had to play about 27 minutes. Richard Jefferson had one of his best nights with his first double-double in forever. He finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. He shot 6-of-11 from the field and played only about 29 minutes. March has been kind to RJ and the glass is starting to look half-full with him in a Spurs uniform. George Hill also finished in double-figures with 15 points, three boards, three assists, and three steals.

For the Celtics, KG had a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards, and Pierce led Boston with 18 points. Then there was Michael Finley. You remember him, right? He’s the old guy who lost his mojo then decided he was worthy of more minutes on a contender or something and requested to be released from the team about a month or so back. Well, he played 13 minutes, went 0-of-2 from the field and committed two fouls. Oh, and he had one rebound. Wow, how could we have let this guy go?

The New Jersey Debacle: (Nets over Spurs: 90-84)
Then, just when it seemed the Spurs were a team to be reckoned with, it all came crashing back down. Manu Ginobili, who played 36 minutes the night before, had to sit out this game with back spasms. When I first heard about him sitting out, I figured it was more precautionary than anything – and it probably was. Afterall, if there is a team to rest players against, it should be the Nets. Well, the Spurs were already down Parker, so sitting Ginobili meant there was no real playmaker in the lineup. The Spurs also lost Roger Mason in the first half to a sprained finger. He played only nine minutes, but was actually having a pretty good game when he was hurt. He finished with seven points on 3-of-5 shooting, making his only three-point attempt, and dishing out two assists. The Spurs still controlled the game until halfway through the 4th quarter, though. Then the Spurs fell victim to miscommunication and carelessness. The Spurs had 16 turnovers for the second straight game, while the Nets had only four. That pretty much neutralized the 53-43 rebounding edge the Spurs had, as well as the fact that New Jersey shot only 37.6% in the game. They ended up with three more shot attempts and four more free-throw attempts – speaking of which, the Spurs only shot 11-of-20 from the stripe compared to New Jersey’s 21-of-24. It all came down to the Nets wanting it more and taking this game more seriously. The NJ players stepped up and played with some pride while the Spurs simply went through the motions and got smashed in the mouth for it.

George Hill led all the Spurs with 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Tim Duncan had a double-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. He also had four turnovers though – see “4th quarter miscommunication”. Richard Jefferson had a nice game with 16 points, five rebounds, a team-leading five assists, and one block. Matt Bonner finished with 10 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one steal. DeJuan Blair also had a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist.

That brings us to Keith Bogans. When the two best backcourt players on the team are sitting out, this is the time to step up your game and carry some of the load. Instead of doing that, Bogans started the game, played 19 minutes, and finished with this stat line: One point, one rebound, three fouls, 0-of-2 from the field, 1-of-4 from the free throw line. Are you kidding me? Can someone check this guy for a pulse? A Heart? A Jump Shot? Something… please? That is ridiculous. I am not saying that Bogans lost the game single-handedly, but I am saying he should be forced to earn minutes behind Malik Hairston and not the other way around. Hairston, by the way, finished with four points on 2-of-4 shooting, and five rebounds in 26 minutes. No, he is not “the answer”, but it sure as hell isn’t Bogans. I just hope Popovich has seen enough so that we don’t have to endure KB in the playoffs.

By the way, I am also growing tired of Antonio McDyess’s so-so games since he went back into the starting lineup. It’s not a huge issue when the Spurs are winning, but I don’t know how much more I can watch him play 20 minutes or so and not break double-digits in scoring or rebounds. He’s had exactly two double-doubles this year, one in November and one earlier in March (against the Knicks). He has only grabbed double-digit rebounds one other time this month and hasn’t scored in double-figures at all outside of that Knicks game. This is not a matter of minutes, or playing Blair over him – Dice just needs to play better, period.

Ginobili To Test Free Agency
From the San Antonio Express-News, Ginobili is ready to test the free agent market this summer. If we lose him this summer then it will go down as strike two for the Spurs management (strike one being the Luis Scola misfire).

“I know I’m going to get a job,” Ginobili said Monday before sitting out the Spurs’ 90-84 loss at New Jersey with back spasms. “It doesn’t matter where or how. I’m not going to be unemployed.”

Spurs Sign Gee … Huh? Who?
This is also from the San Antonio Express-News:

The Spurs signed forward Alonzo Gee for the remainder of the season, bringing their roster to the NBA’s maximum 15.

Gee, a 6-foot-6 rookie from Alabama, became available after Washington declined to pick him up for the rest of the year after he completed the second of two 10-day contracts Sunday.

The Spurs sweetened their offer to Gee, who played for the team’s summer league entry in Las Vegas and spent most of the season with its Development League affiliate in Austin, by including a make-good offer for next season that would bring him to training camp.

Since Gee joins the roster after March 1, he will be ineligible for the playoffs.

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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Coach Popovich is suggesting a change with the D-League rules that is essentially robbing Ian Mahinmi of getting any shot at playing time.

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