San Antonio Spurs

[tackielarla]

---

Raptors come out on top in battle of ad-libs
Jeff McDonald

TORONTO — When Toronto's Roko Ukic drove for a go-ahead basket with 20.9 seconds to go in Wednesday game, it seemed the Spurs finally had the Raptors right where they wanted them.

Proud owners of nine victories this season by three points or less, the Spurs seemed poised to add another last-second celebration to their highlight reel.

Then, the script went in for a rewrite.

Down by two on the game's final possession, the Spurs came out of a timeout and could not convert.

The play was designed to go backdoor to Manu Ginobili, or to let Tim Duncan work one-on-one in the post. Duncan shipped the ball to Michael Finley, who had an open look at a 3-pointer but bobbled the ball.

Void of options, Finley tossed it to Tony Parker, who had all of three seconds to try to make lemonade. He had to force a jumper over Jermaine O'Neal that was no good, giving Toronto the 91-89 victory.

“They played great ‘D' on the play, and Jermaine contested it,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That one didn't have a chance, really.”

The game essentially came down to a tale of two broken plays.

With 49.9 seconds to go, Ukic made something out of nothing, driving on Parker, pulling up on Duncan, and sinking an improbable 7-foot floater to give the Raptors the lead.

“The play got busted, and he couldn't make the pass the way we wanted to,” Toronto coach Jay Triano said. “At that point, we were in a situation kind of like the Spurs were (later). We took their first option away, and now you kind of ad-lib on the fly.”

O Canada: Matt Bonner is hoping his next trip to Canada comes with a little less governmental red tape. Bonner has applied for Canadian citizenship, in part to make the border-crossing easier when he visits his in-laws.

Bonner's wife, Nadia, is from Toronto.

“I feel like I'm part Canadian,” said Bonner, who spent the first two seasons of his NBA career in Toronto. “It just feels right.”

Bonner, who hopes to become a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada, submitted his paperwork several months ago. He hasn't yet heard of the status of his application.

“It's in Canada's hands now,” he said.

He can relate: Spurs guard Roger Mason Jr. said he could relate to Ukic's big night. Afforded more playing time with starting point Jose Calderon injured, Ukic set a season high in points (22) in part because he set a season-high in minutes (29).

Mason, likewise, enjoyed a career year in Washington last season as a fill-in for injured star Gilbert Arenas.

“For a rookie point guard, he took some big shots and made some big shots,” Mason said. “It's like that sometimes. When guys are injured, you don't look over your shoulder. You just go out and leave it out there.”

[MalditohoN]

well i think the spurs vs top teams of the nba play very well but when they are up against mediocre teams they are like playing on experimental plays.

[Nutley]

worst case scenario....no worries give it to Matt BONNER! funny player but very effective.i so like him a lot.

clutch time Roger Mason Jr.

[tackielarla]

5 Reasons the Spurs Don't Need a Trade
By: Alex Raskin

Besides Tim Duncan, do you know which current San Antonio Spur was drafted the highest?

If you just blurted out, "Kurt Thomas!" you should probably tone it down because most of your co-workers are looking at you now.

Anyway, you're right. Thomas was drafted 10th overall by Miami in 1995 after leading the country in scoring and rebounding at TCU. After that, the next highest draft pick was Michael Finley who was taken by Phoenix 11 picks after Thomas.

In fact, a brief look at San Antonio's roster resembles a "Who's Who" of late first round and second round picks – and those are just the guys that were drafted. Bruce Bowen, Fabricio Oberto, Ime Udoka and Malik Hairston all went undrafted but have managed to become contributing members of the team anyway.

Yet, as we approach the February 19th Trade Deadline, we hear more and more rumors suggesting the Spurs are in the market for a big name.

Vince Carter, Brad Miller and even Rasheed Wallace have seen their names tossed into trade discussions concerning the Spurs. Fueling the fire is the fact that there are so many movable players and contracts on the Spurs' roster. So, is San Antonio really going to pull the trigger on something big?

Don't count on it. Here are five legitimate reasons the Spurs can stand pat:

Who needs Vince Carter when you have Matt Bonner?

Matt Bonner was supposed to be a throw-in when the Spurs dumped Rasho Nesterovic's contract on Toronto in June of 2006. What San Antonio ended up with was Robert Horry's eventual replacement.

"We thought enough about him that we didn't bring Robert (Horry) back," said Gregg Popovich. "We hoped he would take those minutes and use them wisely and help our team. I didn't realize he would be shooting the way he's shooting now. He's always been a hard-working kid, he hits the boards hard; but he's never been a pure basketball player in the sense of dribble, catch, shoot, pass, read the situation. He just does two things: He shoots the three and he rebounds. But he's absolutely added to his game. He's pump-faking and driving and making some good passes on the court. He's far-exceeded our expectations for the season."

The NBA's premiere New Hampshire-native, Bonner is sinking an outstanding 49% of his three-pointers and nearly 53% of his total field goals. The former Florida Gator ranks fifth in the NBA in True Shooting Percentage (an all-encompassing shooting percentage that includes two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws) while managing a 17.01 Player Efficiency Rating (the league average is 15). In his third year with the team, Bonner has flown under the radar everywhere but San Antonio.

"We're not surprised," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said of Bonner's success. "We knew that if he got the opportunity and a couple of feet to let that shot fly, he's going to make them. Now that he's even making them more… he's been more confident going to the rim, making a few dribbles and going up with it."

Against New Jersey, Tuesday, Bonner was 4-of-5 from downtown and had 22 points; and in the third quarter, Bonner was able to break open a close game by sinking three quick three-pointers on his way to a 15-point win.

"It's huge because he draws a lot of attention and the opponents start changing the defense they planned," Ginobili continued. "It's really important for us to find more room. Even today, me and Tony didn't have a great game, but with those shots he takes a lot of pressure off of us and that's great."

The biggest benefit of Bonner is that he's giving San Antonio's three stars (Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Ginobili) some room to work while making teams pay for their ignorance.

"I think people will start recognizing him and respecting him a little bit more," said Duncan. "I don't know how he continues to get the open shots that he does. I think we play well together. We use him as an advantage. When we can roll and drive with Tony and Manu and draw the defense, we get our shooters open and he's been making shots for us."

Because Roger Mason Jr. has become 'Big Shot Rog'

Another 28-year-old, Mason has been hitting three-pointers at nearly the same rate as Bonner (44.9%). Coming from the Washington Wizards, the former Virginia Cavalier is averaging 11.9 ppg and has hit four game-winning shots this season (most recently in an upset of the defending champion Celtics).

When asked for the reason he's been so successful in late-game situations this season, Mason responds with this: "Focus and I've been blessed to hit some big shots. My mom always said I'm a star to her. I look forward to those moments."

"We knew we were getting a good shooter," said Popovich. "I didn't realize that he was going to be this consistent when we got him. He was a 40% (three-point) shooter when we got him… So we knew he could shoot the three. That was one of the things that attracted us to him besides being a really good kid. We've known him over the years; he was a team player, a hard worker, a quick study. He's learned our defense pretty well."

But what really makes Mason a good fit for the Spurs is his confidence. Like the quiet cockiness of Duncan and Popovich, Mason believes in himself because he knows he has outworked his opponents.

"He's shot a gazillion threes, so he obviously has no conscience," added Popovich. "He's going to let it fly. He thinks it's going in every time and that's how we want him to be."

The Spurs' collective basketball IQ precludes them from needing a big-name scorer

Some teams don't put a lot of thought behind their system. If you happen to have one of the greatest living scorers, you may not need to play disciplined basketball. But for the Spurs (who have had seven different players lead the team in points for a game), intelligence reigns supreme.

Only 21.6% of San Antonio's possessions end in a turnover. That is good enough for second in the NBA. They also rank fifth in the NBA in Effective Field Goal percentage – which weights three-pointers – at 51.5. This suggests that the team is taking the right shots at the right time.

The best example of San Antonio's discipline comes from the number of personal fouls they've committed – 956. In fact, the Spurs have had the fewest number of personal and technical fouls (16) in the league this season. Meanwhile, the star-studded Suns and Celtics have combined for 147 technical fouls between the two teams.

"We're a bunch of boy scouts," joked Popovich. "We're boring. I want some guys with DUIs and stuff. Get a little personality and get a little press."

Popovich, very humorously, has pointed out the obvious. His team stays clean and never has to dig themselves out of a hole that they've dug. By keeping unnecessary points off of their opponents' side of the scoreboard, San Antonio has put less pressure on their own offense.

San Antonio has a near monopoly on playoff experience

Around this time of year, many general managers try and distinguish themselves by adding some experienced veteran to their team. Well, San Antonio can cross that off the "to-do" list.

The Spurs players have played in a combined 846 playoff games. Their coach and best player have been together through four NBA titles. And most of all, adding an older player does not necessarily do anything for you in the playoffs. Sure, Wallace made a big splash when he went to Detroit, but most trades like this don't have a happy ending. Often times, teams send valuable younger players (like Devin Harris) away in exchange for older vets who cannot integrate themselves into a new system (like Jason Kidd).

Which brings us to the fifth and final reason the Spurs shouldn't be active at the deadline…

… San Antonio can win a title and keep their young talent

A rookie point guard out of IUPUI, George Hill has been a revelation while backing up Tony Parker. Like Parker, Hill was a late first-round pick that has blossomed into a solid contributor. He's averaged 6.6 ppg while playing 17.9 minutes per contest. He's also had a decent shot from three (35.3%) and has shown great promise as a playmaker and as a defender.

A good, young talent, Hill is the type of player that can contribute to a title-contender this season while still having the potential to develop into something more down the road. And Hill is just one of several players contributing in the backcourt.

"I think that's one of the strengths of our team," said Mason. "Our backcourt stacks up one-to-five with Bruce, George, Tony and Manu, we have as much depth as anybody. Definitely a good thing – and trade talk is just part of the business."

"You still have a lot of players that you can count on that are still learning how to play with each other," agreed Hill. "That's the main thing: to see that we're coming together as one. We're starting to get more familiar with one another and I think it's only going to get better."

San Antonio's depth has been a major strength all season. When Parker and Ginobili suffered injuries at the beginning of the year, Popovich had no trouble filling their minutes. In fact, by going 11 players deep, Popovich might be preventing further injuries to his starters. It's very doubtful that San Antonio would consolidate this team-wide depth into any single big-name player.

"We've done really well with moving guys in and out," said Duncan. "Some of the young guys have really panned-out for us – Malik (Hairston) stepping up from the D-League. Obviously, George is playing well and we have a gem in Roger. We need everybody to play. It's a long season and we need everybody to contribute and that will help us down the playoff run."

So, will the Spurs be making a big deadline trade?

It's doubtful. They have some trade chips – like the rights to Brazilian big-man Tiago Splitter – but have a long history of holding on to such players in hopes of developing those guys themselves.

That does not mean that Popovich is content with his roster. When asked if he was happy with his team, he replied, "I don't know if 'happy' is an adjective than many coaches use. You're never happy, you just try to make your team as good as you can make it. 'Happy' doesn't really enter into it."

Still, it's hard to see a major move involving the Spurs. The team has three deals this season for more than $9.9 million (Parker, Duncan and Ginobili) and no other player making more than $4.2 million. In fact, San Antonio has less than $33 million committed for the 2010-2011 season, so it seems unlikely that they would waste that cap space in a trade – in 2009. More likely, the Spurs can hold on to that money and invest in the star of their choice in a few seasons.

And, as Mason told HOOPSWORLD, "Half of the stuff that you read about isn't true, but there isn't anything you can do about that. We're focused on winning a championship with the guys that we have."

San Antonio, more or less, this is your team throughout the playoffs and that's a good thing.

_________________________________

Yeeeap! And I'm more than content with what we have. Believe!

[tackielarla]

[skyblue_lord]

bro kuhaon d ay na c Rasheed wallace bro sa iyo team .....

[tackielarla]

We'll all know by the 19th...

[MalditohoN]

wallace is not needed by the spurs by now... the spurs have many scorers (the big 3, bonner, mason), what they need is a defensive center. although wallace can play defense but he do a lot more on offense than on defense. why not pick someone like marcus camby, ben wallace. a center who is terrific on defense, that will lessen duncan's part on defense.

i trust the spurs decision on whatever it will be and i know it would be for the benefit of the team.

[tackielarla]

although wallace can play defense but he do a lot more on offense than on defense.

Two things...
1.) Thanks for being a Spurs fan.
2.) You on crack or something? Coz I'd love to try what you're smoking right now. (P.S. - It's a joke. )

Seriously, Sheed more on offense than defense? A perennial candidate on the NBA All-Defensive team? Dude's the perfect complement to Tim Duncan; a fantastic post defender that permits Timmy to guard the weakside. His height, athleticism, and long arms makes him significantly hard to post up against. PLUS, he's a dangerous perimeter threat that does not impede on Timmy's space down low AND can be a lowpost threat as well!

And oh, Marcus Camby and Ben Wallace are not available. The only center the Clips are shopping right now is Chris Kaman, who is not even HALF the defensive player Sheed is.

[MalditohoN]

ehehheheh........ well we just have to wait what will be the decision of the spurs... ikaw vote ka nga si wallace mapunta sa spurs?