San Antonio Spurs official thread
- Thread starter savage
- Start date
Damn.... They didnt choke, Memphis just punked them. They were stronger, younger,faster,bigger, and meaner. Spurs have been called old for like the last six seasons, but their execution and defense was good enough to overcome the younger aggressive teams. Not anymore though, just never got anyone to replace Bowen. Jefferson is a fuckin flame thrower, he fooled Pop real good gettin outta that first contract LOL.
I agree OG..... we got beat in so many ways against the Grizz but we need a big man to compliment Timmy in the middle.... Antonio McDyess did one heck of a job but wasnt effective enough and towards the end wore down and Blair was ineffective due to his height. We need a younger center with size who can take control in the middle of the paint just like Timmy did for thr "The Admiral" in his later years
Report: Spurs willing to trade Parker to get into the lottery
John Krolik
Jun 21, 2011, 9:47 PM EDT
9 Comments
San Antonio Spurs v Atlanta Hawks Getty Images
Here’s an absolute shocker of a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
NEW YORK – The San Antonio Spurs are engaged in discussions about trading point guard Tony Parker to secure a high pick in Thursday’s draft, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The Spurs have talked to teams in the lottery, including the Toronto Raptorsand Sacramento Kings, who hold the fifth and seventh picks, respectively. The Kings are determined to get a frontline point guard, and have also talked with the Denver Nuggets about Raymond Felton.
It’s unclear who the Spurs would prefer to take if they acquired a high lottery pick.
This is shocking, to say the least. The 29-year old Parker averaged 17.5 points and 6.6 assists last season, and shot 52% from the field while doing so. If Kyrie Irving, the projected #1 overall pick in the draft, can produce like Tony Parker has, I’m sure a lot of teams would be happy with that. And even though the Spurs did lose in the first round, they did win 61 games last season, and Parker led the team in minutes played.
Still, Parker is nearing 30, he does heavily rely on his speed, and the Spurs appear to be looking to get younger. And as Wojnarowski mentioned in his article, Parker didn’t play well against Memphis, and said that he didn’t think the Spurs would be title contenders for much longer after the playoffs were over. Still, this would be a very, very, very aggressive and high-risk move from the Spurs, especially with this year’s draft class considered to be one of the weakest in recent memory.
The Spurs built a modern dynasty by making unconventional moves (and drafting Tim Duncan #1 overall), but this would be one of the boldest trades in the history of the franchise if it did go down. For a draft nobody seems to be all that excited about, there sure has been a lot of excitement surrounding it.
John Krolik
Jun 21, 2011, 9:47 PM EDT
9 Comments
San Antonio Spurs v Atlanta Hawks Getty Images
Here’s an absolute shocker of a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski:
NEW YORK – The San Antonio Spurs are engaged in discussions about trading point guard Tony Parker to secure a high pick in Thursday’s draft, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
The Spurs have talked to teams in the lottery, including the Toronto Raptorsand Sacramento Kings, who hold the fifth and seventh picks, respectively. The Kings are determined to get a frontline point guard, and have also talked with the Denver Nuggets about Raymond Felton.
It’s unclear who the Spurs would prefer to take if they acquired a high lottery pick.
This is shocking, to say the least. The 29-year old Parker averaged 17.5 points and 6.6 assists last season, and shot 52% from the field while doing so. If Kyrie Irving, the projected #1 overall pick in the draft, can produce like Tony Parker has, I’m sure a lot of teams would be happy with that. And even though the Spurs did lose in the first round, they did win 61 games last season, and Parker led the team in minutes played.
Still, Parker is nearing 30, he does heavily rely on his speed, and the Spurs appear to be looking to get younger. And as Wojnarowski mentioned in his article, Parker didn’t play well against Memphis, and said that he didn’t think the Spurs would be title contenders for much longer after the playoffs were over. Still, this would be a very, very, very aggressive and high-risk move from the Spurs, especially with this year’s draft class considered to be one of the weakest in recent memory.
The Spurs built a modern dynasty by making unconventional moves (and drafting Tim Duncan #1 overall), but this would be one of the boldest trades in the history of the franchise if it did go down. For a draft nobody seems to be all that excited about, there sure has been a lot of excitement surrounding it.
NBA sources say San Antonio has offered George Hill to Milwaukee (#10), Golden State (#11) and Utah (#12) in exchange for their pick.
http://twitter.com/#!/DraftExpress/status/83613173210550272
http://twitter.com/#!/DraftExpress/status/83613173210550272
As the Spurs explore trade possibilities involving Tony Parker, the team is believed to be hoping to unload the contract of Richard Jefferson in the process.
Jefferson was re-signed by the Spurs last offseason.
The Raptors and Kings are believed to be possible landing spots for Parker.
http://twitter.com/#!/STEIN_LINE_HQ/status/83534491301314561
Jefferson was re-signed by the Spurs last offseason.
The Raptors and Kings are believed to be possible landing spots for Parker.
http://twitter.com/#!/STEIN_LINE_HQ/status/83534491301314561
Spurs’ Leonard crams for NBA test
A month ago, Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard was sitting in the bleachers at San Diego State’s Viejas Arena, watching his former teammates beat Southern Utah in their season opener.
He only wished it felt like he had never left.
“The lockout was tough, not just on me but on every rookie,” Leonard said. “I was ready to get started in the NBA.”
After 150 days of labor limbo, Leonard’s education as an NBA player began, finally, with the opening of training camp last week.
Between now and the Spurs’ Dec. 26 regular-season opener against Memphis, the 20-year-old small forward will be asked to cram nearly six months of NBA 101 into a little more than two weeks.
Obtained in a draft-night trade that sent popular guard George Hill to Indiana, Leonard — taken 15th overall — arrives as the Spurs’ highest-drafted rookie since Tim Duncan went No. 1 in 1997.
Though coach Gregg Popovich has sought to tamp down expectations for Leonard, the Spurs clearly did not part with a key rotation piece like Hill to bring in a player they did not think could contribute soon.
“Kawhi is what we expected, in that we knew he was a hard worker; that he was a committed player; that he responded well defensively, and rebounding-wise,” Popovich said. “Already he’s a little more explosive than we expected — the stops and starts, that sort of thing.”
Even without the benefit of summer league, offseason workouts with the Spurs’ player development coaches or even a full training camp, Leonard — 6-foot-7 with catcher’s mitt hands — can be expected to quickly work his way into the team’s muddled small-forward mix.
For now, 31-year-old Richard Jefferson is the apparent starter, with the Spurs still chasing at least one veteran — Washington’s Josh Howard — on the free-agent market.
In terms of learning curve, Leonard already is five days ahead of fellow first-rounder Cory Joseph, the Texas point guard the Spurs took 29th. A native Canadian, Joseph has yet to practice while clearing up immigration red tape.
With the Spurs hoping to get younger and more athletic — not to mention more defensive-minded — on the wing, Leonard should find a role relatively quickly.
“He has a knack for the ball, you can already see it,” said second-year guard James Anderson, who trained with Leonard in Las Vegas during the lockout. “His defensive tools will help us out. His youth, getting out and running the floor, it will bring us more firepower.”
In two seasons at San Diego State, Leonard logged 40 double-doubles, second in school history behind Michael Cage. As a sophomore last season, he averaged 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds as a second-team All-American.
The most daunting obstacle standing between Leonard and early playing time is the calendar.
One week after draft day, the NBA locked out its players. For the first five months of his professional career, Leonard couldn’t contact his new coaches, get into his new locker room or draw a paycheck. If he ever regretted his decision to leave school early for a lockout, Leonard would never admit it.
“I got drafted 15,” he said. “That was my dream growing up.”
In place of a proper offseason with Spurs coaches, Leonard worked out with future teammates such as Anderson and Jefferson, grilling them on the basics of the playbook. He also watched film of Spurs games, hoping to pick up pointers by osmosis.
“I’m just trying to learn the offense so once I get in the game, I won’t be clueless,” Leonard said.
His NBA career delayed for 150 days, Leonard is glad to at last be on the court for his first training camp. His college career is over, but for Leonard, the education is just beginning.
“I watched these guys growing up, and now I’m on the court with them,” Leonard said. “I just try to have fun and open my eyes and ears so I can learn a lot.”
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/12/13/spurs-leonard-crams-for-nba-test/
A month ago, Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard was sitting in the bleachers at San Diego State’s Viejas Arena, watching his former teammates beat Southern Utah in their season opener.
He only wished it felt like he had never left.
“The lockout was tough, not just on me but on every rookie,” Leonard said. “I was ready to get started in the NBA.”
After 150 days of labor limbo, Leonard’s education as an NBA player began, finally, with the opening of training camp last week.
Between now and the Spurs’ Dec. 26 regular-season opener against Memphis, the 20-year-old small forward will be asked to cram nearly six months of NBA 101 into a little more than two weeks.
Obtained in a draft-night trade that sent popular guard George Hill to Indiana, Leonard — taken 15th overall — arrives as the Spurs’ highest-drafted rookie since Tim Duncan went No. 1 in 1997.
Though coach Gregg Popovich has sought to tamp down expectations for Leonard, the Spurs clearly did not part with a key rotation piece like Hill to bring in a player they did not think could contribute soon.
“Kawhi is what we expected, in that we knew he was a hard worker; that he was a committed player; that he responded well defensively, and rebounding-wise,” Popovich said. “Already he’s a little more explosive than we expected — the stops and starts, that sort of thing.”
Even without the benefit of summer league, offseason workouts with the Spurs’ player development coaches or even a full training camp, Leonard — 6-foot-7 with catcher’s mitt hands — can be expected to quickly work his way into the team’s muddled small-forward mix.
For now, 31-year-old Richard Jefferson is the apparent starter, with the Spurs still chasing at least one veteran — Washington’s Josh Howard — on the free-agent market.
In terms of learning curve, Leonard already is five days ahead of fellow first-rounder Cory Joseph, the Texas point guard the Spurs took 29th. A native Canadian, Joseph has yet to practice while clearing up immigration red tape.
With the Spurs hoping to get younger and more athletic — not to mention more defensive-minded — on the wing, Leonard should find a role relatively quickly.
“He has a knack for the ball, you can already see it,” said second-year guard James Anderson, who trained with Leonard in Las Vegas during the lockout. “His defensive tools will help us out. His youth, getting out and running the floor, it will bring us more firepower.”
In two seasons at San Diego State, Leonard logged 40 double-doubles, second in school history behind Michael Cage. As a sophomore last season, he averaged 15.5 points and 10.6 rebounds as a second-team All-American.
The most daunting obstacle standing between Leonard and early playing time is the calendar.
One week after draft day, the NBA locked out its players. For the first five months of his professional career, Leonard couldn’t contact his new coaches, get into his new locker room or draw a paycheck. If he ever regretted his decision to leave school early for a lockout, Leonard would never admit it.
“I got drafted 15,” he said. “That was my dream growing up.”
In place of a proper offseason with Spurs coaches, Leonard worked out with future teammates such as Anderson and Jefferson, grilling them on the basics of the playbook. He also watched film of Spurs games, hoping to pick up pointers by osmosis.
“I’m just trying to learn the offense so once I get in the game, I won’t be clueless,” Leonard said.
His NBA career delayed for 150 days, Leonard is glad to at last be on the court for his first training camp. His college career is over, but for Leonard, the education is just beginning.
“I watched these guys growing up, and now I’m on the court with them,” Leonard said. “I just try to have fun and open my eyes and ears so I can learn a lot.”
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/2011/12/13/spurs-leonard-crams-for-nba-test/
