SacBee: Kings misfire late again

http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/1403529.html

By Sam Amick

The final minute showed that the Kings' owners aren't the only ones waiting and watching.

As the team's mascot spun the crank on an old-fashioned alarm in the center of the Arco Arena floor on Sunday night, the announced crowd of 11,699 refused to be impressed by a tie score. Most cheered halfheartedly, and few stood, as if the onus of proving one's self was a prerequisite for support.

The Kings' 90-88 loss to San Antonio was far from enough to inspire confidence in the masses or the front office, as the Kings lost a second consecutive home game since co-owner Joe Maloof questioned the job being done by second-year coach Reggie Theus.

More than that, they did it in a fashion that surely will raise eyebrows from within.

Just as Friday's opponent, Phoenix, had been without a two-time MVP (Steve Nash) and a one-time Sixth Man of the Year (Leandro Barbosa), the Spurs were at a similar disadvantage with absences from injured point guard Tony Parker and reigning Sixth Man of the Year Manu Ginobili. The Kings knew the feeling, as two main pieces of their core (Kevin Martin and Francisco García) remained out because of injuries.

And just as defending the three-point line and giving up too many turnovers had been points of emphasis in Maloof's media tour, the Kings finished with 18 giveaways (for 18 points) and allowed the Spurs to hit 9 of 20 from three-point range.

Duncan – so often the reason for open outside looks as the Kings pinched defensively to assist – was just enough in the Spurs' second win in a row. With 15.4 seconds left, he crashed through Kings guard Quincy Douby and hit the 20-point mark on a running right-hander from the left side to put San Antonio ahead by the final margin.

The Kings didn't have a basket in the final 2:30, including their final opportunity when Theus' continuing intent to show confidence in the team's youth didn't pan out again. Douby, who missed an 18-footer at the end of regulation against Phoenix, airballed a three-pointer at the buzzer after coming off a Brad Miller screen atop the key. The Kings airballed their last two attempts, as Miller came up empty with 4.9 seconds left from the right wing.

"On the last play, it was set up," Douby said. "We didn't have a lot of time left, so we needed some screens. I was open. I felt it leave my fingers, and it wasn't a good shot.

"Coach is showing a lot of confidence in me. The one against Phoenix I definitely felt should have gone in. This one, there wasn't a lot of time. I'm just looking forward to the next game."

Rookie Jason Thompson couldn't convert when Theus called his number late, either, as his spin move around Fabricio Oberto in the post and eight-foot attempt fell awry with 32.9 seconds left. Swingman John Salmons had 31 points on 10-of-13 shooting but just two fourth-quarter attempts (both successful). The Kings hit just 5 of 18 shots in the fourth quarter.

The Kings' avoided the Spurs' various traps and defensive roadblocks early to build a 23-15 first-quarter lead.

Salmons' maneuvering led to 10 of his 16 first-half points in the first quarter, and a 15-6 rebounding advantage came mostly because every player in black outside Duncan was being outworked in the paint.

But 10 Kings turnovers by halftime meant the Spurs would recover, and a 6-of-20 shooting effort in the opening period by San Antonio didn't last. Midway through the second quarter, a Duncan chip shot was followed by a Michael Finley three-pointer and layup to give the Spurs a 7-0 run and their first lead, 34-33. An off-target Spencer Hawes hadn't helped matters, as he missed all three of his second-quarter shots and was 1 of 5 for the half. The Spurs – whose 15 first-quarter points were a season low for a Kings opponent in one period – led 43-42 at halftime.

It appears the Kings will have to continue without Martin and García for the immediate future. While Martin (sprained left ankle) had been hopeful of playing on the two-game trip Tuesday in Memphiscq and Wednesday in New Orleans, that does not appear likely. García, whose strained right calf has been far slower to respond than originally expected, has yet to practice or run consistently. His conditioning will be an issue as well, as he has been out of commission since Oct. 18.

Express News: Bonner's 3-pointers spark Spurs' decisive late charge

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

By Mike Monroe - Express-News

Don’t ask Spurs coach Gregg Popovich what prompted him to give forward Matt Bonner a healthy dose of playing time in Friday’s game against the Houston Rockets at the AT&T Center after keeping him chained to the bench in the previous two games.

Popovich isn’t in the habit of explaining his personnel decisions.

After his most productive game of the season, though, Bonner is apt to get another early call in Sunday’s game at Sacramento.

Bonner played 19 minutes and 37 seconds in the Spurs’ dramatic, 77-75 victory over the Rockets, and that included some key time in the fourth period. he made two 3-pointers in the final 4:20, when the Spurs reeled off 12 unanswered points to complete a comeback from a 14-point deficit for just their second home win of the season.

“Matt did a fine job,” Popovich said. “He was aggressive offensively. He focused well on defense and helped us win the basketball game.”

Mahinmi to Austin: The Spurs finally got one of their injured players cleared to begin five-on-five drills, but help for their shorthanded roster remains a few weeks away.

Power forward-center Ian Mahinmi has been assigned to the Spurs’ NBA Development League team, the Austin Toros. The right ankle he sprained in September is finally healed to the point he can begin contact drills.

Mahinmi will use his time with the Toros to get in basketball condition and complete the rehabilitation process on his ankle.

The Toros are in training camp, undergoing two-a-day drills.

“He’s going to practice once, instead of twice a day,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, “and scrimmaging on a limited basis to begin with. But at least he’s out on the court, doing something.”

“He’s got to get in shape and get his rhythm back. He’s going to play, and that’s better than having him sit on the bench up here, that’s for sure.”

There is no timetable for Mahinmi’s potential return to the Spurs roster.

The 22-year-old big man from France split time during his rookie season between San Antonio and Austin, but spent the bulk of the season in the D-League. He averaged 16.8 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 46 games with the Toros in 2008.

Laugh lines: Asked what former Spur Brent Barry brought to the Rockets when he signed a free agent contract with them this summer, Rockets All-Star Tracy McGrady didn’t hesitate before blurting, “Humor. A lot of humor. He keeps us laughing.”

Barry was suited up for Friday’s game, but Adelman said he was unlikely to play because of a sprained right thumb.

Barry wasn’t even able to be a stand-up comic Friday because of a touch of laryngitis.

McGrady said Barry’s real value to the Rockets has been his leadership.

“He’s a guy who knows the game,” he said, “and he’s been on championship teams. He knows where the ins and outs are.”

Express News: Late surge propels Spurs past Rockets

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

By Mike Monroe - Express-News

Spurs rookie George Hill just enjoyed the game of his fledgling NBA life.

He had 17 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 77-75 comeback victory over the Houston Rockets, who came into the AT&T Center on Friday night with the best record in the Southwest Division.

Then Hill, suddenly a starter by default, got to his locker after a long shower and discovered his first NBA paycheck.

Peeking inside the envelope, he let out a low whistle.

“We get one of these every two weeks, Roger?” he asked teammate Roger Mason Jr.

“Yes, George,” Mason said, “and you earned that check tonight.”

Payday rarely has felt better for the Spurs (3-5), who finished the game with 12 unanswered points. The Rockets (5-4) didn’t score in the final 4:43.

Without a basket through the first 4:40 of the fourth quarter, they had trailed the Rockets by 14 with 7:37 remaining. But defensive effort reminiscent of their championship runs kept them from falling farther behind. Then, timely 3-point shooting got them to a crunch time situation in which they out-executed the Rockets at both ends of the floor.

Tim Duncan’s driving hook shot with 59.7 seconds remaining gave the Spurs their first lead of the second half, 76-75, and they followed with three defensive stops to ice the game.

Houston’s Ron Artest launched a 3-point attempt just before the final buzzer, and when it skidded off the back rim, the Spurs raced off the court in celebration mode endorsed by their head coach.

“I was really impressed with the 48-minute effort the guys made,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, “especially being down 14 and not really caring who’s playing the game, and trying to give their best. So they deserve to enjoy themselves tonight.”

The Spurs came into the game averaging only 94.3 points per game, and Popovich had no  idea where he might find additional offense.

Hill was the unlikely source of enough offense to augment Duncan’s steady production.

Learning on the fly, the rookie on three occasions took the ball straight at 7-foot-6 Rockets center Yao Ming, scoring over a defensive presence he said he dared not fear.

“You can’t be scared of nobody,” Hill said. “He’s a great player, but you have to play. That’s the only way I can make something happen, because he’s going to be there all night.”

Popovich noticed.

“What’s impressive about George is he’s starting to figure out how to be aggressive on a consistent basis and he’s learning a new position,” Popovich said. “For a rookie to be doing that under these circumstances is pretty impressive. He’s got a great demeanor about him and a fine mental toughness.”

The Spurs got another offensive jolt from unexpected territory. Forward Matt Bonner, who had not played a minute in the previous two games, got an early call from Popovich on Friday. He responded with 11 points in 19 minutes, 37 seconds, making three of four 3-point shots.

Mason’s defensive work on Houston’s Tracy McGrady in the final four minutes limited the Rockets’ top scorer to two shots, both of them well contested.

“No one person is going to stop a guy like T-Mac.” Mason said. “We all dug in, had great help-side defense and as a team we defended him.”

It was Duncan who had the biggest defensive play of the game, though. With 1.9 seconds remaining, his block of Aaron Brooks’ short runner on the left baseline preserved the Spurs’ lead. Mason tracked down the loose ball before it went out of bounds, forcing Brooks to foul him.

“This win is huge,” Mason said. “We felt like we gave one away in Milwaukee. Today we dug in. We missed some shots, but this team is not all about offense. It’s about our defense, getting stops and big blocked shots like Tim did, and getting loose balls and rebounds.

“Today, we scrapped for this win.”

And earned their paychecks.

Houston Chronicle: Victory slips out of hand

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/6113262.html

Duncan’s block preserves San Antonio’s comeback
By JONATHAN FEIGEN

SAN ANTONIO — Aaron Brooks saw a clear path to the rim and took off with the go-ahead basket and the rim in his sights.

The Rockets had blown every bit of a 14-point fourth- quarter lead with a dramatic collapse in the final minutes against a San Antonio Spurs team playing without Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. But in the final seconds, Brooks — playing with Rafer Alston serving the first game of his two-game suspension — had one more chance to save the Rockets before their collapse was complete.

There is, however, one Spur with all those championship rings still around. So with Brooks in full flight, Tim Duncan, whose drive had put the Spurs in front for their first lead of the second half, swatted away Brooks’ last-gasp layup with 1.9 seconds remaining, nailing down a 77-75 Spurs win Friday night to complete the Rockets’ longest road trip of the season with the worst of their three losses.

The Rockets had led by 10 with 4½ minutes left. They did not score again, missing all seven of their remaining shots in the Spurs’ 12-0 run to the win.

“We did not do anything in the fourth quarter offensively,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “We turned it over. We got drives to the basket we missed. They tightened their defense. We just didn’t execute.”

The Rockets did get one more shot at the win. After Spurs guard Roger Mason made one free throw with 1.8 seconds left, the Rockets set up Ron Artest a few feet beyond the 3-point arc. Artest had come back from his shooting slump, scoring 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting.

His line drive clanged away at the buzzer, but even with the Rockets going scoreless for nearly five minutes and coming seven points shy of the fewest they had scored in the season’s first eight games, their defense down the stretch might have been worse than their offense.

On the offensive end, they at least had a chance. Defensively, they broke down completely.

“We didn’t play any defense,” said Tracy McGrady, who made just two of 12 shots. “We were struggling offensively. One thing you can’t do is struggle defensively. They got to the basket a couple times, got easy layups, got a wide-open 3. We just broke down defensively.”

In the final 4:20, Rockets forward Carl Landry twice left Matt Bonner open for 3-pointers.

Point guard George Hill put in a layup. Duncan hit his runner over Yao Ming to give the Spurs their first lead since the first half with 59.7 seconds left, completing an 11-0 run in which the Spurs scored on five consecutive possessions, never taking anything but a layup, a free throw or wide-open 3-pointers.

“That’s what I told them afterwards,” Adelman said. “No matter what we’re doing offensively, you’ve got to continue to make stops. If you keep defending, it’s hard for them to catch up.”

Bonner hit his two 3-pointers when Landry stepped away from him to follow the point guard, rather than cut off the ball-handler and return to his man.

“If he makes the point guard veer out, he’s only two or three steps away from his guy,” Adelman said. “He showed flat both times and couldn’t get back in time.”

The Rockets, however, had their chances on the other end.

With the Spurs within 75-74 after Bonner’s second 3-pointer of the run, the Rockets stood around until McGrady clanged a jumper from 19 feet.

Duncan put the Spurs in front, and again, the Rockets did little until McGrady put up a shot, this time missing a runner in the lane with 46.8 seconds left.

The Rockets finally got a stop when Duncan, who had 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting, went back to the same drive with which he put San Antonio in front, but missed with 20.9 seconds left.

Hill fouled Brooks to stop the clock, but the Rockets set up a play in which Brooks was open in the corner and took off for the rim.

“I saw him (Duncan), but I didn’t think he was going to get there,” Brooks, who had 14 points and eight rebounds, said. “He made a great play and blocked the shot.

“They came down and made some big 3s and got some big layups. Offensively, we didn’t answer. It was a bad loss.”

With the Brandon Roy game-winner in Portland to start the trip and with a blowout loss to the Lakers in the middle, there were other tough losses. This “bad loss,” however, was the worst, taking a solid win and turning it into a failure.

Yahoo: Spurs vs. Rockets Preview

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/preview?gid=2008111424&prov=ap

Game info: 8:30 pm EST Fri Nov 14, 2008 TV: SS
By Dan Pieringer

The offseason acquisition of Ron Artest gave the Houston Rockets a “Big Three” they hoped could contend with that of the San Antonio Spurs.

As the Southwest Division rivals head into their first meeting of the season, however, Houston’s trio clearly has the advantage over San Antonio’s injury-plagued nucleus.

Artest, Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming look to help the Rockets end a five-game road trip successfully on Friday night when they meet a Spurs team still trying to overcome the absences of Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

Houston acquired Artest in the offseason, hoping the volatile forward could help bolster the team’s defense and provide a third scoring option.

The transition hasn’t been entirely smooth for the Rockets (5-3), but they’re optimistic after Wednesday’s 94-82 victory over Phoenix. Though Artest shot 1-of-12 from the field, McGrady had 27 points and Yao added 17 and 15 rebounds as Houston bounced back from an embarrassing 111-82 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

“It’s a terrific win for us,” Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. “We stormed back and really controlled the tempo well the whole game and made shots. We moved the ball better, we got back defensively.”

While the Rockets are encouraged, the Spurs (2-5) can’t say the same after an 82-78 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday continued their worst start since they opened 2-13 in 1996-97.

“If we can hold somebody to 82 points, I’m thrilled. I’m jumping up and down,” said defensive-minded Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. “But we’re a little challenged offensively right now.”

That’s because San Antonio’s playing without two of its top three players in Ginobili and Parker, who have helped lead the Spurs to three NBA titles in the last six years.

Ginobili hasn’t played this season because he’s still recovering from offseason ankle surgery, and Parker will be sidelined about a month after spraining his left ankle in a loss to Miami last Friday.

Tim Duncan, the only healthy member of San Antonio’s vaunted trio, continues to deliver. He had 24 points on Wednesday, including 14 of the Spurs’ 19 points in the fourth quarter, and is averaging 25.3 points and 10.3 rebounds.

But the two-time MVP and 10-time All-Star can’t carry the team by himself.

“The whole thing is frustrating, however you want to look at it,” he said.

Decimated by injuries, the Spurs have turned to two relative no-names to start in the backcourt. Point guard George Hill, the 26th overall pick in June’s draft, has totaled 16 points and 6-for-15 shooting in his first two career starts.

“Any time you come in and you have a player like Tony go down, it’s always different, you can’t be a Tony Parker, but I think it’s just staying focused and doing what got me here,” Hill said.

Meanwhile, Roger Mason Jr., who’s made three straight starts at shooting guard, has averaged 13.9 points in his first seven games for the Spurs.

“He’s been of paramount importance to us because he’s really been a scorer for us,” Popovich said. “I think when we get healthy, his real value will show.”

The home team won each game as the Spurs and Rockets split their four-game series last season. Duncan averaged 19.0 points and 11.5 rebounds, while San Antonio held McGrady to 11.3 points per game and 27.1 percent (13-for-48) shooting from the field in three games.

Notes:

Rockets:

G-F Tracy McGrady scored 22 points in second half en route to a game-high 27 on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor. McGrady entered the night having scored a total of five points in his last two games, shooting 1-of-16. ... Houston PGs Rafer Alston and Aaron Brooks combined for 34 points on 15-of-24 shooting, with four assists, four rebounds and just one turnover.

Spurs:

The San Antonio Spurs suffered another setback at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday, and now have fallen to 8-11 against Milwaukee in the past nine-plus seasons. The Spurs have a .714 winning percentage against other teams in the league during that stretch. ? The Spurs allowed 31 points in the first half and 15 in the first quarter, both season lows, but still could not pull out a victory after a season-low 78 points. ... The four starters for the Spurs who joined F-C Tim Duncan on the floor Wednesday combined for 14 points.

Team Stat Leaders

Points
Tracy McGrady Hou 17.8
Tony Parker SA 27.4

Rebounds
Yao Ming Hou 9.9
Tim Duncan SA 10.3

Assists
Tracy McGrady Hou 4.9
Tony Parker SA 5.8

Express News: Spurs' Close Losses Becoming Trend

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

By Jeff McDonald

For several minutes after the Spurs' 82-78 loss Wednesday night in Milwaukee, Tim Duncan sat in stone silence at his locker, staring at the wall on the other side of the visitor's locker room.

The Spurs had soundly blown an 11-point lead in the final 13 minutes, giving up a 21-2 run that ultimately gave the game to the Bucks — and gave rise to an all-too-familiar sinking feeling.

Three of the Spurs' five losses this season have come by five points or less, a spate of close-but-no-cigar games that players are doing their best to shrug off.

“There's no time to sit and sulk about it,” Duncan said. “We've dug ourselves a hole, and every game counts right now.”

Two of the Spurs' losses weren't close — by 17 to Dallas and 16 to Miami, the night Parker went down. In the other three, the Spurs were in position to win or tie in the closing seconds.

In a five-point loss to Phoenix in the season opener, Tony Parker and Duncan both missed 3-pointers in the final minute that would have tied it. In a one-point loss at Portland, Michael Finley had a chance to win it with a clean look at a short jumper as time expired.

Then came the latest defeat in Milwaukee. After the Spurs had squandered their lead, they rallied. Duncan had a chance to tie the game with five seconds to go, but missed a short jump hook.

With Parker and Manu Ginobili both out with ankle injuries, victories will be precious for the next several weeks. They can't help but feel like they've squandered a handful of prime opportunities already.

“Even with those guys out, we feel like we've got a good team,” guard Roger Mason Jr. said. “I think if we can learn from these situations, we'll be good. If we let these situations go by and don't take anything from them, then it's doubly bad.”

Tolliver time: For the time being, it appears rookie Anthony Tolliver has supplanted Matt Bonner in the Spurs' rotation.

Tolliver, a 6-foot-9 forward-center from Creighton, has logged at least 20 minutes in each of the past three games. Bonner, who started three of the first four games, did not play against Milwaukee after logging a combined 42 seconds in the two previous games.

Though only 4 of 18 from 3-point range in that span, Tolliver has averaged 7.3 points and infused the Spurs' second unit with some much needed athleticism.

“I consider myself a hard worker,” Tolliver said. “To get on the court, I need to bring energy. That's what I've been doing, and they've rewarded me for it.”

Express News: Barry Recalls Final Shot In S.A.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Barry_recalls_no-callmissed_shot_before_first_trip_back_to_SA.html

By Mike Monroe

The last shot Brent Barry hoisted at the AT&T Center was no ordinary jumper.

What had the potential to be the biggest play of his four-year Spurs career instead became a nightmare that haunted Spurs fans for weeks.

Tonight, Barry returns to the scene of what the NBA admitted was a basketball crime, but this time in a Houston Rockets uniform. The Southwest Division-leading Rockets are to meet the Spurs at the AT&T Center for the first time since Barry signed a free-agent contract with them in July.

Through Houston's first eight games, the 36-year-old veteran has been in Rockets coach Rick Adelman's regular playing rotation, averaging 21 minutes a game on a team expected to challenge for the Western Conference title.

Barry may not be available for tonight's return to the AT&T Center, though. A sprained right thumb, suffered in the Rockets' Wednesday night victory over the

Phoenix Suns, may keep him on the sidelines. X-rays taken Wednesday were negative, but Barry said the thumb was swollen and sore on Thursday.

Regardless of his playing status, Barry knows memories will come flooding back when he walks in the Spurs' home arena.

“I've played on several teams in my career,” said Barry, now with his fourth NBA team, “and I've had the opportunity to return to places I had played for a few seasons, and always the first time you go back to that building, there is a different, strange feeling. Certainly, this arena holds a lot more favorable memories than any other. Even flying in (Thursday) afternoon, and being on a team plane that wasn't the Spurs' plane was interesting.”

His final AT&T Center memory, though, is one he would rather forget.

With the Spurs trailing the Los Angeles Lakers by two points in Game 4 of the 2008 Western Conference Finals, and with just 2.1 seconds remaining, it was Barry who freed himself for an in-bounds pass from Robert Horry.

As he wheeled for a shot from the 3-point line, Barry was jolted by Lakers point guard Derek Fisher, who knocked him off-balance. Falling to his right, Barry put up an awkward shot that could have given the Spurs a one-point victory that would have tied the best-of-7 series at 2-2.

Barry's shot never had a chance. When no foul was called, the Lakers sprinted off the court with a 3-1 lead, certain they could close out the series at home in Game 5.

Spurs fans were outraged, and the next day, the NBA reviewed the play and admitted the referees had missed Fisher's obvious foul.

Barry's reaction to the NBA's admission of referee failure was the most memorable quote of the Spurs' playoff run: “I've got Doc Brown out front with the DeLorean,” he said before Game 5 at Staples Center, recalling the 'Back to the Future' film series about a scientist who turns an automobile into a time machine. “We're going to fire up the flux capacitors, go back in time and shoot a couple of free throws.”

Instead, the Spurs have been caught in a present tense that has been a whirlpool of negative feedback: They lost Game 5, Barry opted to become a Rocket, All-Star shooting guard Manu Ginobili's Olympic injury required surgery in September, and now All-Star point guard Tony Parker is out four weeks with a sprained ankle.

Since Barry's Game 4 miss, the Spurs have gone 2-6.

“Who knows what could have transpired,” Barry said of the foul that never was called.

Barry insists he and his teammates put the non-call behind them, even when the mistake was acknowledged.

“The game is the game,” he said, “and it was over and done with. We all just tried to move on and get ready for next game we were about to play.”

Tonight, the next game is Spurs vs. Rockets. It will be played, even if Barry isn't in uniform.

SI.com: Spurs' Ginobili 'getting better every day'

http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/nba_tracker/posts/23161

Finally, some good news for the depleted, struggling Spurs: Manu Ginobili is traveling with the team and progressing well -- perhaps ahead of schedule -- in his recovery from offseason ankle surgery, according to the San Antonio Express-News:

"I'm getting better every day," said Ginobili, who led the Spurs in scoring at 19.5 points per game last season. "But I still haven't practiced with the team or anything like that."

His rehab has progressed without setback. He can now plant and cut on the repaired ankle. The next stage will be to get him involved in some one-on-one and two-on-two drills.

After that comes conditioning work.

Officially, the timetable for Ginobili's return remains mid-December, with the hope he might be able to play earlier.

Asked Wednesday if there is a chance Ginobili might be able to suit up before the end of the month, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich did not say yes. But he also did not say no.

"I don't want to paint myself into a corner," Popovich said. "When he's ready, he'll play. That's the best way to put it."

RealGM: Steph Eyes Spot With Spurs

http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/55383/20081112/steph_eyes_spot_with_spurs/

If the New York Knicks part ways with Stephon Marbury, Marbury said that the San Antonio Spurs would be at the top of his list of preferred destinations, the New York Post is reporting.

"Who wouldn't want to play for San Antonio?" Marbury told The Post last night. "To play with Tim Duncan, who would complain about that? That's a great organization, they win championships. They have a nice system and I like (Gregg) Popovich as coach. I can play 1 or the 2. If I was a free agent, yeah."

Spurs general manager R.C. Buford has said he may look for a point guard after losing Tony Parker for a month.

Oh, God no.

I've heard of desperate times somehow relating to desperate measures, but I'm pretty sure Tim got his fill of playing with Marbury in Athens. And we all remember how that turned out.

FoxSports: NBA's Most Dominant Force? Injuries

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8789668/NBA%60s-most-dominant-force?-Injuries

Our next turn takes us to San Antonio, where losing two of the league's best players happens.

The proud Spurs began this season without marvelous Argentine two-guard Manu Ginobili, whose ankle buckled during an Olympic skirmish with Team USA. San Antonio promptly lost four of its first five games, and the only triumph required a 55-point, double-overtime effort against from point guard Tony Parker against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Parker encountered a high ankle sprain of his very own in the next game.

So the Spurs, who were defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday and are registered at 2-5, will rely on Tim Duncan and spot-up shooters to keep their chins above Western water.

Unfortunately, the defense that has helped define San Antonio has been as untidy as Coach Gregg Popovich's beard. Through seven games, the Spurs were 22nd in field-goal percentage defense. And now that Parker and Ginobili are temporary goners (Parker for maybe 2-3 more weeks and Manu until mid-December), the Spurs have nobody with the off-the-dribble shake to break down defenses and find those stand-still jump shooters.

Expect more touches than ever for Duncan, whose ability to inspire double-team tactics should lead to more pristine looks for welcome newcomer Mason (14 points per game).

With 75 more games to play, it seems silly to dismiss the Spurs. But with the stunt doubles at Duncan's side, staying alive in the West may depend on the training room and the ARP machine.