San Antonio Spurs

[tackielarla]

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Spurs' Mahinmi gets the best of Thabeet in summer league finale
Jeff McDonald

LAS VEGAS — Midway through the third quarter of the Spurs' summer league finale Sunday night, Ian Mahinmi found himself posting up Hasheem Thabeet, the Memphis Grizzlies' 7-foot-3 human flyswatter from Connecticut.

Out on the perimeter, one of Mahinmi's teammates chimed in with some helpful advice.

“Bust him!” he hollered. “Bust him!”

Promptly, Mahinmi did, corkscrewing around Thabeet to finish a layup over his opponent's long, flailing limbs.

It wasn't the first time Mahinmi had taken the draft's No. 2 overall pick to school during the Spurs' 76-75 loss to Memphis at UNLV's Cox Pavilion. In one of his best all-around games of the summer, Mahinmi finished with 15 points, much of them coming on aggressive drives at Thabeet, and grabbed nine rebounds.

“I like to compete,” Mahinmi said. “When I play against someone like that, I like to go at him and see if he can guard me.”

Thabeet couldn't. At least not consistently and at least not without fouling eight times.

The former UConn All-American created more questions than answers for the Grizzlies with his uneven summer league play.

Thabeet finished with nine points and grabbed five rebounds, numbers that were actually better than his averages coming in. He is a project, which is not something a team wants to hear about a high lottery pick.

But Sunday's game also said something about Mahinmi. In the past, the knock on Mahinmi has been an aversion to contact.

There was no such knock Sunday. Mahinmi charged Thabeet almost from the jump.

“He was certainly aggressive,” said Spurs assistant Don Newman, who coached the summer league team. “Here's this guy perceived as one of the top guys to come out, and Ian was up to the challenge. That's what you want to see.”

Mahinmi went at Thabeet and drew back-to-back fouls on the Spurs' first two possessions. Moments after that, he spun past Thabeet for a driving hook shot.

Using his explosive first step, Mahinmi went to the line eight times, making seven foul shots. His activity wasn't limited to offense, either, as Mahinmi also logged four blocked shots.

“He's pretty big, and he's got long arms,” Mahinmi said of Thabeet. “It was hard to get my shot way up there. It's good to play against those kinds of players.”

Sunday's game was supposed to feature the much-anticipated rematch between Thabeet and Spurs rookie DeJuan Blair. As an All-American at Pittsburgh last season, Blair made his name busting Thabeet.

Instead, Blair sat out the second night of a back-to-back. He left Thabeet-busting duties to Mahinmi.

Blair did give Mahinmi some advice.

“He told me to go at him and get into his chest,” Mahinmi said. “He likes to jump, so pump-fake and all that. It was good advice.”

Asked afterward how well his new Thabeet-busting protégé had taken his advice, Blair grinned like a proud papa.

“Look at the numbers,” Blair said. “Just look at the numbers.”

It was a significant achievement for Mahinmi, who had hoped to use the summer to show the Spurs he can be a useful big man in a rotation that also will include Tim Duncan, Blair, Antonio McDyess and Matt Bonner. Mahinmi missed all but one game last season dealing with a nagging ankle problem.

Mahinmi is already under contract for the upcoming season, but the Spurs must decide by Oct. 31 whether to pick up his option for another season.

He is only 22, same as Thabeet. And he appears to be more ready for prime time than Thabeet.

“We wanted him to come out this week and show us what he could do,” Newman said. “I certainly think he helped himself.”

That's all Mahinmi wanted out of nine days in Las Vegas. Closing it with a Thabeet-busting was only icing on the cake.

“I like to compete against the best, and he's one of the upcoming best,” Mahinmi said. “I told myself to be aggressive from the start, and we'll see what happens.”

[Silver_Surfer]

aw noon sad, daghan na gyud noon nabuhat si parker sa spurs nga naka luwas nila... it's just my opinion ra toh akoa...



let's just hope Manu Ginobili will be in full strenght this coming season, with no injuries gyud bah... cge mo champion gyud sila basta puros sila in very good condition... since the David Robinson era, i always love the spurs... pag ka wala sa chicago bulls kay sila na gyud ako g focus kung naay duwa sa basketball tv...

[cxtknight]

aw noon sad, daghan na gyud noon nabuhat si parker sa spurs nga naka luwas nila... it's just my opinion ra toh akoa...



let's just hope Manu Ginobili will be in full strenght this coming season, with no injuries gyud bah... cge mo champion gyud sila basta puros sila in very good condition... since the David Robinson era, i always love the spurs... pag ka wala sa chicago bulls kay sila na gyud ako g focus kung naay duwa sa basketball tv...

hehehe mvp gud....tony p mayneeeeeeee

[Royal_Flush]

zzzzzz.... pero nindot ila rookie! am sure ma superstar to 3-4 yrs after..

[cxtknight]

zzzzzz.... pero nindot ila rookie! am sure ma superstar to 3-4 yrs after..

3-4 yrs pajud? dugaya pa oe heheh

[tackielarla]

Ime Udoka looks for the right fit after contract with Spurs expires
by Geoffrey C. Arnold
The Oregonian

This summer will likely be a season of change for Ime Udoka.
Three weeks into the summer free-agent season, Udoka does not have a contract. But Udoka's agent said the former Portland State star could know where he will play next season by the end of the week.

"We're talking to a lot of teams," agent Mark Bartelstein said, though he declined to name the teams. "I think within the week, there's a really good chance we'll probably do a deal."

Udoka completed his two-year contract with San Antonio and would have liked to stay with the team, but the Spurs have yet to offer him a new contract. That puts Udoka on the free agent market after an inconsistent year last season, though there's still a chance he could return to the Spurs.

"We'll see what teams step up and make an offer," Udoka said. "Whoever comes up with the best offer and the best situation, that's what it will come down to."

Udoka's production dropped off last season compared with his first season with the Spurs. The 6-foot-5 swingman's minutes declined to 15.4 minutes a game -- down from 18.3 minutes during the 2007-08 season. With less playing time, his numbers dropped in every significant statistical category last season compared to his first season (2007-0 in San Antonio.

Udoka, who played one season in Portland before signing with San Antonio, hoped his contract season would be good, particularly after Manu Ginobili was sidelined for the first 12 games of the regular season while recovering from off-season left ankle surgery. But it was Roger Mason, not Udoka, who took advantage of Ginobili's absence and gained the confidence San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich and earned extra minutes.

Udoka played sparingly in December, but his minutes gradually increased for the remainder of the season. Udoka played better toward the end of the season, but when the Spurs were eliminated in the first round (their earliest exit since 2000), changes were inevitable.

"I had an inconsistent year and our team had an inconsistent year," Udoka said. "When you get (knocked) out in the first round, changes are gonna be made. That's just part of the deal, especially for a franchise like San Antonio, where championships are expected."

The Spurs biggest move of the summer was acquiring Richard Jefferson in a trade that sent Kurt Thomas and Bruce Bowen to Milwaukee. Jefferson plays small forward, the same position as Udoka.

"I'm not sure what my percentage is in coming back," Udoka said. "The (trade to acquire) Richard Jefferson -- I kind of saw what direction they were going in."

Udoka, knowing he could be parting from San Antonio, hired Bartelstein, a high-profile agent, to represent him. Bartelstein replaced Udoka's former agent Erin Cowan, who remains a close friend. Bartelstein said Udoka's versatility and "team-first" attitude are positive attributes.

"He's a terrific defender and he brings great toughness to a team. His character is a huge piece of who he is. He's a guy you can play 30 minutes a night and he'll help you win big games like he did with San Antonio," Bartelstein said. "He can play a more limited role, and he's still gonna be a terrific teammate. There are a lot of things he can bring to a team."

Udoka said Mason suggested Bartelstein would be the right agent for him, because he specializes in representing players who are not necessarily stars.

"His track record is proven -- a guy who is able to find mid-level guys good deals," Udoka said. "He looks for certain types of clients and I fit that mold."

Udoka has dialed back his usual off-season conditioning program, making sure he remains injury-free during the negotiating period. Meanwhile, he is keeping himself occupied with his Portland-based AAU basketball team that will compete in Las Vegas this week and preparing for his week-long basketball camp, scheduled to begin August 3 at Portland State University.

"I always want to give back to the community," Udoka said. "And it helps take my mind off the basketball business for a little while."

[tackielarla]

Hairston may have staying power
Jeff McDonald

LAS VEGAS — For a player who appeared in all of 15 NBA games last season, Spurs swingman Malik Hairston certainly saw his name in the newspaper a lot.

Most of the time, it appeared in the transactions section.

Over the course of Hairston's rookie season, the Spurs waived him twice, re-signed him twice, recalled him from the NBA Development League once and assigned him there twice.

“I don't think I ever moved around so much in my life,” Hairston said. “I know where home is, though.”

Home, Hairston hopes, is in San Antonio.

The Spurs re-signed Hairston again on July 8, with designs on giving him every shot of making the team's opening day roster.

Between a stellar season in Austin, where he dominated the D-League between NBA call-ups, and a productive run at the recently completed Las Vegas summer league, Hairston seems on track to make good on that opportunity.

He was the Spurs' best shooter in Vegas, averaging 13.6 points while hitting 52.8 percent from the field, and did enough of the little things — read: guarding people — to give himself a chance to emerge from training camp with an NBA job.

“He's starting to understand who he is and where he fits,” said Spurs assistant Don Newman, who guided the summer league team. “You want to see a guy who knows the game. So far, he's proven he does.”

Summer league was kind to a number of Spurs players. George Hill solidified his standing as the Spurs' No. 2 point guard. Rookie DeJuan Blair proved he could bang and rebound with professionals. Ian Mahinmi, the team's 22-year-old enigma of a center, showed he might have a place in the Spurs' rotation yet.

Perhaps no Spurs player improved his stock more than Hairston. An athletic slasher who initially caught the Spurs' eyes due to his abilities as a perimeter defender, Hairston arrived in Las Vegas a remade man.

“He's getting to the rim, and he's reading the defense,” said Quin Snyder, who coached Hairston in Austin and helped out in Vegas. “He's scoring in a number of ways. He's being versatile. That's important.”

With a solid summer, Hairston has positioned himself to earn minutes behind Richard Jefferson and Michael Finley on the wing, and has greatly reduced the chances the Spurs will bring back free agent Ime Udoka.

Next up, training camp.

Originally obtained in a 2008 draft day trade with Phoenix — the same swap that gave the Spurs the pick they used to take the ballyhooed Blair in this year's draft — Hairston was the last cut in last year's camp.

The Spurs re-signed him Dec. 22, and he bounced between San Antonio and Austin before being waived again April 8 to create roster space for Marcus Williams, another former second-round pick whose career path has paralleled Hairston's.

All along, Hairston made fans in the Spurs' front office. Despite the serial waiving of him, the team still wanted to keep Hairston in the pipeline.

“They told me I was always in their plans,” Hairston said. “They just wanted to see me grow. There just weren't minutes up top (in the NBA) for me to get playing time.”

Hairston used his time in Austin wisely, working to add a catch-and-shoot element to his drive-heavy arsenal.

He averaged 22.9 points in 30 games and was selected to play in the D-League All-Star Game. He had to decline, however, due to a prior commitment. The game coincided with his short shift with the Spurs.

Hairston hopes all of that helps lift him to a more permanent place in the Spurs' plans. He is under contract heading into fall camp, but his deal will not become fully guaranteed unless he makes the team.

And as Hairston learned from his yo-yo rookie season, nothing is ever really guaranteed.

“I feel like I'm going to have a great opportunity,” Hairston said. “I'm going to do everything I know I can do, and hopefully it works out.”

[cxtknight]

up up tony p mayneeeee

[tackielarla]

Blinebury: Spurs Ready To Go Again
By: Fran Blinebury

It's an old story.

Actually, that's exactly why it gets re-circulated like the stale air inside a plane cabin.

The San Antonio Spurs are too old, too worn out, too broken down, too yesterday's-news to still be contenders for the NBA title.

It was the story that grew wobbly, aging legs again last spring when the Spurs were knocked out in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2000 and the only time in Tim Duncan's career when he was healthy enough to take the floor.

With Manu Ginobili injured and watching from the bench, the Spurs were no match for the Dallas Mavericks in the opening round and once again there were plenty of people ready to turn the page.

But here they are back with a summertime infusion of athleticism and veteran know-how to place themselves right back at the top of the heap as the team to beat in the Southwest Division and a worthy challenger to the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Coach Gregg Popovich and General Manager R.C. Buford – the best 1-2 front office combination in the league – are firmly committed to their core trio and figure they've still got enough left for at least one more run at the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

The Spurs went from relics to relevant in three quick moves that landed Richard Jefferson, DeJuan Blair and Antonio McDyess.

The Spurs made their boldest change by bringing in wing man Jefferson from Milwaukee. The arrival of Jefferson will not only lower the average age of the Spurs from something right below Social Security level, but should also allow them to get enough easy fastbreak baskets to take some of the burden off their half-court offense. That the Spurs only gave up the aging Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas along with the average Fabricio Oberto in the deal made it only more of a positive transaction.

Jefferson has the high-flying, fast-moving ability that the Spurs have lacked in their offense for years now. Too many of their games and too many of their offensive possessions were grind-it-out affairs that had the potential to bog down.

The next move was to lure the free agent McDyess to the Alamo City, where he'll fit in nicely to give San Antonio the rebounding and scoring punch needed off the bench, along with the potential to step into the starting lineup as needed.

The bonus addition came when Blair fell into the Spurs' laps in the second round of the draft. With the 37th pick overall, the 6-7 Blair – with an extra-long wingspan – is a high-energy type who can make things happen while gobbling up enough rebounds and loose balls to keep even the demanding Popovich happy.

Of course, the resurrection of the Spurs still centers on the three-headed monster of Duncan, Ginobili and Parker. The only question is whether Ginobili, 32, can return healthy following a season where injuries to both his left ankle and right leg limited him to only 44 games all season and kept him out of the playoffs.

So much of the Spurs' struggle last year was directly related to Ginobili's ability to be himself. He entered the season with a balky left ankle, having re-injured it at the Olympics in Beijing and everybody knew it was only going to be a matter of time before it took him out of the lineup. When he finally did get onto the floor, Ginobili was not able to cut and run and cause the havoc at both ends that elevates his game. When he injured his right leg and went to the sidelines for good, the Spurs knew their season was done and spent the rest of the schedule and the playoffs just marking time.

Now Ginobili is not only rehabilitated, but motivated to show the world and the Spurs that he can still be up to his old tricks. This is the last year of his contract ($10 million) and now he's got to prove it. The simple truth is the Spurs are still a good team without him, but can only reach the level of a real contender when he's weaving through traffic and working his magic.

At 33, Duncan has 12 NBA seasons under his belt, but was still good enough to earn All-NBA second team honors last season, played solidly in the playoff loss to Dallas and continues on what seems to be his inexorable march toward going down as the greatest power forward in the history of the game.

As long as his wheels are healthy, Duncan can still carry the Spurs on his back and take them deep into the playoffs, perhaps as far as to one more title.

The good news is that Duncan will have more than capable help this time around from the veteran McDyess, who isn't the high-flying, skywalker anymore, but still has the ability to take his man off the dribble and knock in the outside jumper. McDyess gives the Spurs the scoring punch that has been desperately lacking up front off their bench and his rebounding will help as well.

While Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Chauncey Billups and even the venerable Jason Kidd keep getting the due at the point in the Western Conference, Parker somehow manages to keep raising the level of his game with very few outside of San Antonio noticing.

Now entering his ninth NBA season, it's remarkable to think how far Parker has progressed since those early days when his main role was to be head coach Popovich's whipping boy. He's coming off a season where averaged 22 points, shot 50.6 percent from the field and dished out 6.9 assists.

The best part if you're the Spurs is that Parker is still only 27 years old and just entering what should be the prime of his career.

With Ginobili entering the final year of his contract, this season will go a long way toward determining the future track of the Spurs.

Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have been the core of the NBA's most successful franchise over the past decade and with the off-season additions that have been made, there's every reason to think they can be a real threat again. It's an old story. But not done yet

[cxtknight]

t0ny p mayneeeee