Hoopsworld: Ranking the Western Conference

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9604

Included for the quick Spurs mention at number 2.

Hoopsworld: There has to be more

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=9607

By: Yannis Koutroupis Last Updated: 7/27/08 4:45 PM ET | 222 times read

As tough as the Western Conference was this past year, it may be even tougher come next season. At the top of it right now is still the Los Angeles Lakers, who represented the conference in the NBA Finals this past season, and have a healthy Andrew Bynum returning. Knowing that the Lakers are about to get one of the best big men in the league back, teams have looked to improve. Longtime conference powerhouse the San Antonio Spurs may be falling behind.

The Houston Rockets added some much needed shooting and depth to their roster, while the New Orleans Hornets picked up proven winner James Posey to help add some leadership to their young squad. The Blazers were already overflowing in young talent, but are close to drowning in it now with Jerryd Bayless, Nicolas Batum, and Rudy Fernandez added to the fold.

The San Antonio Spurs have been fairly active themselves this summer. On draft night they tried hard to move their first round pick, but ended up going with George Hill from IUPUI to backup Tony Parker. Once they were allowed to talk to free agents the Spurs immediately went for a home run in Corey Maggette. Considering the difficulty the Spurs had scoring last season and their lack of depth Corey just made perfect sense. Unfortunately for San Antonio, Maggette took a five-year deal from the Golden State Warriors worth nearly double what the Spurs could have offered.

Rather than getting caught up in trying to get restricted free agent J.R. Smith, who they have coveted for years but had little chance to get this season, the Spurs lured Roger Mason away from the Washington Wizards. Mason is coming off of a career year with the Wizards in which he averaged nine points a game. From there the Spurs re-signed their own free agent Kurt Thomas in a smart move that became a necessity once Tiago Splitter, the Spurs' first round pick in 2007, signed an extension with his current team overseas. The last move the Spurs made was signing Anthony Tolliver from their summer league team. Tolliver is a 6'8 shooter from Creighton that has yet to suit up for a regular season NBA game.

Roger Mason, Kurt Thomas, and Anthony Tolliver are all good signings. All three players fit a need for the Spurs. Mason will certainly be a part of the rotation, and Thomas may start. Tolliver's role with the team may be minimal, but he's a guy who can hit shots off the bench. The only problem with these signings is that there doesn't appear to be anything else following them.

With the Spurs over the cap and being very wary of the luxury tax their hands are really tied in what they can do. Right now the only way for them to add another major piece would be through trade, but that's tough to envision. The only players that could warrant something in return for the Spurs are the Big Three (Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili), and they aren't going to break that up anytime soon. They also have very little to offer in expiring contracts.

Aside from a few more training camp signings and the possible return of Robert Horry and/or Michael Finley this may be the 2008-2009 San Antonio Spurs.

Tony Parker, Tim Duncan, and Manu Ginobili automatically make them contenders, but their health becomes more vital than ever this season. With Tim Duncan nearing the end of his prime and both Ginobili and Parker playing in the Olympics that is a scary thought.

In year's past we've been trying to figure out ways how the Spurs could not win the championship. This year though we may struggle to find ways they can win it all. The Western Conference has become too good and the Spurs have simply come back to the pack with their mediocre offseason.

The Spurs made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last year before losing to the Lakers in five games. They nearly were eliminated the round before by the New Orleans Hornets, who gave them all they could handle in a seven-game series. Looking at how much better everyone has gotten, it's hard to like the Spurs chances to get that far again - unless of course there is more.

If the Spurs are going to continue this dynasty and be championship contenders, there has to be.

Express News: Let’s count ways we’ll miss Horry

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Page_2_-_Richard_Oliver_Olivers_Twist20080728.html

Let’s count ways we’ll miss Horry
Richard Oliver: Oliver's Twist
Express-News

I’ll miss Robert Horry.

Not because he’s a great quote, though he is. Not because he’s had his heroic moments, though he has. Not because he treats the common fan with a modicum of respect, though he does.

No, I’ll miss Horry because when the going gets tough, he goes and gets nasty. And the Spurs need that.

The headline example, of course, is the notorious moment two seasons ago when the warhorse forward hip-checked Phoenix guard Steve Nash, causing the Canadian to animatedly flop into the AT&T Center scorer’s table as if downed by a sniper.

Another might be the crunching pick set on New Orleans’ David West and his sore back last year, a forearms-to-the-kidneys move described by one blogger as “cunning and cold-hearted.” West went down in a writhing heap, and our man Horry strolled away with the casual ease of a man checking his petunias.

Those were telling moments, to be sure, but another from last year’s postseason was arguably the most hard-hitting argument for keeping Horry on site.

In a blowout loss at Phoenix, the Suns had several starters inexplicably on the floor while up by 24 with 3:38 left. Thus, when a ball headed out of bounds, the veteran leapt, snatched it and turned to rocket it off the leg of Amare Stoudemire.

It ensured a meaningless Spurs possession. But more importantly, it ticked off Phoenix coach Mike D’Antoni. His face scrunched like a constipated Shar Pei, he groused about the play until he was tossed with a couple of minutes left.

A couple of days later, when the teams continued the series in San Antonio, Horry folded his lanky 6-foot-10 frame over one of the folding chairs on the Spurs bench before the game. Did the team notice, he was asked, that the Suns had starters still on the court late?

Horry, a smile on his face, nodded. Why then, he was asked, didn’t he aim at a more painful target on Stoudemire’s person?

“I used to pitch in baseball,” Horry replied. “I could have.”

Indeed, had the situation called for it, he would have.

And the Spurs need that.

SportingNews: Spurs' Finley spurns European offer

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=438440

What, did you think foreign interest was limited to young, emerging NBA players shackled by restricted free agency?

Hold on a minute. There's some room for the elders in the Euro leagues. In fact, according to agent Henry Thomas, 35-year-old free agent (note: not restricted) guard Michael Finley of the San Antonio Spurs was not only contacted by a European team a month ago, but Finley turned down the offer.

"It's not something Michael wants to do at this point in his career," Thomas told Sporting News. "They were very interested in him, and they were impressed with his shooting ability and his experience. But he was not interested in going abroad."

Thomas would not name the team or league that was interested in Finley, but did say, "Well, it's one that has been in the news a lot lately."

That would be the Greek league, which saw one of its premier teams, Olympiacos, sign Atlanta Hawks swingman Josh Childress to a contract this week.

With Finley apparently out of the market for European offers, Thomas said Finley had no shortage of NBA offers. His first choice would be to return to the Spurs. Contrary to reports based on San Antonio's signing of guard Roger Mason Jr., Thomas said the Spurs are very interested in keeping Finley.

Speculation around the league, though, has Finley looking at league powers like the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics.

"There are other teams, championship-caliber teams that want Michael," Thomas said. "But he is not going to be in a hurry. If you know Michael, you know he is going to think about this very carefully and make the right decision for him and his family. He won a ring with San Antonio and he will never forget that. So, that will weigh into his decision."

Staff writer Sean Deveney covers baseball for Sporting News. E-mail him at sdeveney@sportingnews.com.

I won't say I told ya so, but...

http://www.nba.com/spurs/news/spurs_resign_kurt_thomas_080722.html

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs announced today that they have re-signed forward/center Kurt Thomas. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.
The 6-9, 235-lb Thomas joined the Spurs on 2/20/08 in a trade with the Seattle Sonics in exchange for Brent Barry and Francisco Elson . He appeared in 28 games for the Silver and Black, averaging 4.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 18.7 minutes per game. Thomas saw action in all 17 playoff games, averaging 4.1 points and 4.9 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per contest. The former Texas Christian University standout started the season with the Sonics where he played in 42 games, averaging 7.5 points and 8.8 rebounds.

For his career Thomas has played for six NBA teams (Heat, Mavericks, Knicks, Suns, Sonics and Spurs). In 817 career games he has averaged 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in 27.3 minutes.

Glad to see KT come back. Not only did the Spurs need to add an enforce to their frontline, but I'm interested to see what this guy can bring after a full training camp and season under the Spurs' system. Considering he's probably one of the most formidable big men left on the free agent block, glad to see his loyalty still lies with San Antonio.

No official link yet...

But sources indicate that the Spurs will resign Kurt Thomas later this afternoon.

Hopefully more info to come.

Express News: No surprise: Spurs' Ginobili to play in Beijing

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/No_surprise_Spurs_Ginobili_to_play_in_Beijing.html

No surprise: Spurs' Ginobili to play in Beijing
Mike Monroe

Confirming what the Spurs have felt certain would be the case, the Argentine Olympic Committee on Friday named Manu Ginobili one of the 12 players who will try to defend the basketball title Argentina captured in 2004.

Ginobili injured his left ankle early in the Spurs’ playoff run, jamming it badly during the first-round series against the Phoenix Suns. He had assured the Spurs he would only play in the Olympic basketball tournament, scheduled to begin Aug. 10 in Beijing, if he no longer experienced pain and swelling in the ankle.

Since returning to Argentina early this month, Ginobili has kept in daily contact with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, assuring him he has had “zero pain” in the ankle, which the Spurs re-examined on June 19.

The Associated Press reported that Ginobili has been playing more, without incident, in Team Argentina practices.

“I had been playing more the last few days and it had improved,” he told the wire service. “It feels great, and that makes me very happy.”

The members of the team were announced after a 92-74 victory over Mexico in an exhibition in Mar del Plata, Argentina. Neither Ginobili nor Spurs center Fabricio Oberto, who has been bothered by a sore calf, played in the game.

Oberto, the starting center on the gold medal winning team in Athens, is also on the Argentine roster.

Argentina opens Olympic play against Lithuania. Also in Group A are Australia, Iran and Russia, along with one of three teams advancing from a qualifying tournament in Athens, Greece.

Express News: Spurs sure Manu will play

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_Ginobili_Olympics.html

LAS VEGAS — The official decision won’t come for another day or two, but the Spurs already know that guard Manu Ginobili will be suiting up for the defending Olympic champion Argentine basketball team in Beijing in August.

Spurs president of basketball operations and head coach Gregg Popovich — don’t make the mistake of calling him “Mr. President” if you don’t want to be yelled at — has been in daily cyber-communication with the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man Award winner. The e-mail he got from Ginobili on Wednesday left no doubt Ginobili will be playing in China.

“He played in his first full practice and said he had zero pain in the ankle afterwards,” Popovich said after watching the Spurs’ summer league team defeat the New York Knicks at Cox Pavilion here Wednesday afternoon. “So we know what the final decision is going to be. He’s playing.”

Ginobili’s jammed left ankle hampered him so severely during the Spurs’ playoff run, particularly in the Western Conference finals that Brent Barry, the former Spurs guard who will play next season for the Houston Rockets, quipped that the team had only “Ma” in the series, but not “Nu.”

An MRI test conducted by the Spurs medical staff on June 19, nearly three weeks after the Lakers eliminated the Spurs, revealed significant swelling remained in Ginobili’s left ankle.

After seeing those results, Popovich made it clear he would discourage Ginobili from playing in the Olympics unless the ankle improved significantly before the basketball competition in Beijing began.

The Spurs dispatched assistant trainer Chad Bergman to Argentina to supervise Ginobili’s workouts in advance of the Argentine team’s practices. Popovich trusts his ultra-competitive guard to protect the Spurs’ investment in his talent.

But he also understands how badly Ginobili wants to participate in Argentina’s defense of the gold medal it won in Athens four years ago.

And when the Argentine Olympic Committee announced that Ginobili had been chosen to carry the Argentine flag in the opening ceremonies?

“I knew it was all over,” Popovich said. “I e-mailed Manu something like ‘I’m sure that’s not going to affect your decision at all.’?”

The Spurs’ head coach is encouraged by Ginobili’s e-mailed assurances that the ankle feels strong, but he will be watching Argentina’s games in Beijing holding his breath.

“He said the ankle has felt great in his one-on-one workouts and in his personal training,” Popovich said. “He’s out of shape and says his calves are hurting from all the running he’s been doing, but the important thing is that he says the ankle feels good.”

An Argentine newspaper reports that Ginobili plans to test the ankle in game conditions next week when Argentina plays Spain in what is known in international basketball circles as a “friendly” game that will match the defending Olympic champs against the reigning World champs.

It likely won’t matter if Ginobili intends to limit his playing time in that one. If the game is close, count on his national pride to kick in during crunch time.

New ref bosses? An NBA insider whispered Wednesday that the league soon will announce that former referees Bernie Fryar and Joe Borgia will replace Ronnie Nunn as supervisor of referees.

Nunn has had the job since 2003, when he replaced Ed T. Rush.

He is expected to be reassigned to other duties.

The league is in severe spin control mode about its referees in the wake of the Tim Donaghy gambling mess.

Feel free to consider Nunn a scapegoat for the embarrassment the Donaghy incident has brought David Stern.

mikemonroe@express-news.net

NBA: Young Spurs Struggle, But Show Promise

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/spurs_youth_feature_20080715.html

Young Spurs Struggle, But Show Promise
By Ben Couch

LAS VEGAS-- Dribble. Penetrate. Recognize the roll a split-second late. Force a shuffle pass. Watch blown layup.
Repeat.

It was a sequence San Antonio Spurs rookie George Hill became all too familiar with during the team's 76-68 Tuesday loss to the New Orleans Hornets at the Thomas and Mack Center. And most often, Hill had been targeting big man Ian Mahinmi, who finished shooting 2-for-9 from the floor.

"Ian's a great player, and I think it was partly my fault for trying to get him the ball too late," Hill said. "It's a learning point. I've got to know when to make that pass and when to go finish it. "

Despite the bumbled connections throughout the Summer League contest, "Hill to Mahinmi" might soon be a frequent regular-season result for the Spurs. Hill, drafted No. 26 overall this year, and Mahinmi, finally expected to contribute after two years in France and one in the D-League, are key components of the Spurs burgeoning youth movement.

The team recently jettisoned Brent Barry (36) for Roger Mason (27), and forwards Robert Horry (37), Kurt Thomas (35) and swingman Michael Finley (35) are all free agents. Hill, who averaged 21.5 points and 4.3 assists for IUPUI last season, is making the difficult transition from college two-guard to professional point. Against the Hornets, he seemed comfortable bringing the ball upcourt, but often overpenetrated, which resulted in misses (0-of-10 FGs) or turnovers (five).

But he filled the stat sheet in other ways (seven rebounds, four assists), and impressed when defending against O.J. Mayo on Monday, hounding the Grizzlies star into a 5-for-17 showing. With improved decision-making, Hil's a likely candidate to spell Tony Parker during the season.

Underneath the basket, Mahinmi was active, grabbing nine rebounds (three offensive) and blocking a shot. He also got to the line seven times, sinking six free throws. As the Frenchman becomes comfortable with the American game's physical nature, he should avoid sequences like one in the third quarter, when he stole a pass at the top of the key (good), but heard footsteps on the break and bricked an indecisive runner instead of throwing down hard (bad). Even so, the Spurs coaching staff has recognized the progress Mahinmi has made since being drafted in 2005.

"It's great for coaches to see a player take advantage of a development opportunity and take advantage of the D-League," said assistant coach Mike Budenholzer. "He's gotten great coaching down there in Austin from Quinn Snyder. We've tried to use that to our best advantage to create a great opportunity and culture to develop in. He did well, and this is another part of his process."

Mahinmi admitted it's been tough having to work for three years to get in position to help the Spurs -- after being drafted, he wanted to join the team right away. Last year, he sandwiched a D-League stay with six games for the Spurs, but knows the D-League stay was beneficial. Mahinmi averaged 17.1 points and 8.2 rebounds in 45 games for the Austin Toros, and is looking forward to growing alongside the team's other young talent.

"We're doing it slowly, starting with defense, defense, defense," Mahinmi said. "Then we work on offense and do that. It's really, really slow -- we're taking it step by step -- but we're doing it good. And we really want to do it good."

Express News: Spurs' Hill experience low after starting high

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/basketball/nba/spurs/stories/MYSA.071608.1C_BKN_spurs_story.en.451f2e3.html

NBA: Spurs' Hill experience low after starting high

Web Posted: 07/16/2008 12:58 AM CDT

Mike Monroe
San Antonio Express-News

LAS VEGAS — The day after Spurs coaches gave first-round draft pick George Hill an A-plus for his defense on O.J. Mayo, Hill put a few substandard marks in his report card in the Spurs’ second game of the Las Vegas Summer League.

Hill did a pretty fair impression of Spurs defensive ace Bruce Bowen in Monday’s summer league opener against the Grizzlies. In his first game with the silver and black, Hill forced Mayo, the Memphis Grizzlies’ No. 3 overall pick of the 2008 draft, into tough shots that translated into 5-for-17 shooting and limited him to six free throws.

“He did just what we wanted him to do: made (Mayo) take tough shots and kept him off the free throw line,” said Spurs assistant coach Mike Budenholzer, in charge of the summer league squad. “It was an A-plus.”

Tuesday’s game against a New Orleans Hornets summer squad that included Julian Wright and Hilton Armstrong, two members of last season’s Hornets team that won 56 games, proved that Hill still has a lot of work to do to make the transition from being a scoring guard for IUPUI to being primarily a point guard in the NBA.

Hill took 10 shots in a 76-68 loss Tuesday night and missed all 10. He grabbed seven rebounds and had four assists, but committed five turnovers.

“If we’re true to our colors, at the end of the day, it’s defense that we think is most important,” Budenholzer said. “So the fact he has a lot of defensive skill is going to give him a lot of rope.

“That’s what summer league is for. You have to learn from games like he had tonight. Not every pro has been good in every summer league game he’s played, so this is a great chance for him to learn.”

Hill understands the challenge he faces with a major upgrade in the level of competition, compounded by the transition to point guard, one of the toughest positions to learn.

“Coming from a mid-major (college), and not really playing a lot of point guard, it’s going to be a learning experience,” Hill said. “My job in summer league was to come here and feel the vibe of the point guard position and learn from my mistakes.”

There were lessons aplenty in Tuesday’s game, which was choppy for both teams, start to finish.

“The toughest part is just when to pass and when to score, because I was mostly a scorer in college,” he said. “Sometimes I try to get into the defense, rather than let the game come to me. It’s going to be a learning point, and I’m ready to step up and take that challenge.”

For now, Hill is grateful that he had a chance to prove his defensive prowess to the Spurs coaches, including head coach Gregg Popovich, observing from the stands at summer league.

“You always accept that defensive challenge,” he said. “When Coach puts you on a great player like O.J. Mayo, it’s a chance to see where you are defensively.”