Spurs Waive Curtis Jerrells

The Spurs waived Curtis Jerrells today, bringing down the roster count to 16.

Jerrells showed what he can do during the camp and played well in the preseason. But not good enough to make the roster. He played against tough competition (Hairston and Williams for the final spot). Also, the signing of Keith Bogans before training camp may have hurt his chances to make the team.

Waiving Jerrells was no surprise (with all due respect). Malik Hairston has been solid and George Hill has shown that he is capable of running the team.

The Spurs still need to make one more cut or maybe two before the regular season starts, depending on how many players Pop wants to keep.

I think Williams is on his way out, an arrangement to play in Europe could be done if Pop decides to limit the roster to 14. This will leave an open roster spot for flexibility.

In my opinion Malik Hairston should make the team, his defensive skills and hustle is hard to ignore. He is probably one of the Spurs' better perimeter defenders right now.

I would want the Spurs to keep a 15 man roster. Bogans deserves a shot even though he has been a disappointment so far. If the Spurs felt the need to improve, they can still make a roster move just around the February deadline if they have to...

Related Posts:

• Spurs Final roster spot maybe left open
• Spurs Camp: plenty of options
• Spurs Waive Jerrells - 48 Minutes of Hell
• Spurs Waive Jerrells - Project Spurs

The Young Duncan...

I was thinking of writing another post when I happen to see this pic. It's nice to see Duncan showing great emotions during his younger years in college.


Will we see some of this in the coming season? Maybe or maybe not... Anyway the Spurs won today beating Kevin Durant and the Thunder 119-102.

Here's a nice game recap by Lauri and another by ATS of Pounding the Rock.

Hope you guys liked the Duncan pic and the game recaps by my friends at PtR.

Here are some videos from the Thunder and Spurs game. Enjoy!

Key additions, will help in Spurs' success

With only 2 preseason games left, the Spurs are happy to have a healthy team. Ginobili and Duncan are getting back into game shape, Parker's ankle is completely healed, DeJuan Blair's ACL-less knees are strong enough to help him grab those boards. Jefferson is getting to his comfort zone, McDyess looked steady as ever and Coach Pop is getting intense with the Spurs practices as he prepares the team for the regular season.

This is probably one of the most exciting season for the Spurs. Even Tony Parker is eager to see the Spurs' new look roster which includes newcomers Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, Theo Ratliff, Keith Bogans and rookie DeJuan Blair.

Parker said. "The next game is going to be pretty good to see where we're at."

With a lot of new additions and tremendous upgrade in talent, it's easy to say that the Spurs are back in title hunt. At least on paper, I would certainly agree.

But some people (or most depending on whom you ask) are quick to react and say that Jefferson is past his prime, His athletic ability diminished and that he will have trouble guarding big time players like Kobe, LeBron and D-Wade. While in McDyess case, they'd say that he's simply too old to be able contribute to the Spurs title hopes.

Well in my humble opinion, the Spurs are pretty much in good shape right now. When they made the trade for Jefferson, they didn't expect him to provide 20 points and become Bowen's replacement as the team's defensive stopper. They simply expect him to be an additional threat on offense, play some defense and provide athleticism at the 3 spot.

His performance this preseason is not quite impressive. But it's encouraging, specially in his last game where he showed what he can do on offense.

In McDyess, the Spurs finally got another big that can really play next to Tim Duncan. While age is a factor, it's important to note that Dice does not rely much on his athleticism. He plays with his smarts and basketball instincts, the aspects of his game that I really like are his reliable mid range jumper and his box-out mentality. And he works hard on every play.

What about Blair? So far the guy has been very impressive. He can definitely rebound and score, a hard worker and a quick learner. More importantly he enjoys playing, his passion for the game is evident, and he has the right attitude. That's not to mention the he is quickly becoming a Spurs fan favorite.

While Ratliff and maybe Bogans to a lesser extent are good additions. Ratliff can still defend, His shot blocking ability is still there and his presence on the Spurs' locker room together with Dice and TD will help the young bigs develop and learn faster.

And unpopular this may seem, but I'm giving Bogans a little more time. Some guys can quickly adjust to the system, for others it takes a while. He's an NBA veteran that has proven to be dependable backup. If he can get back to that, it would definitely boost the Spurs' depth at the 3 and 2 spots.

I'm not saying that the Spurs success mainly rely on these guys. It still begins and ends with the 'Big three'. But there is no doubt in my mind that with these key additions, the Spurs' chances of winning the title this coming season has improved a whole lot.

One thing that the Spurs should focus on besides being healthy, is team chemistry. While the talent in the Spurs lineup is pretty obvious, getting the players in the same page so to speak takes a little while.

As Coach Pop would say it,"the chemistry between the new Spurs and old Spurs — the learners and returners, is still a work in progress."

The road to success takes time, it's a process. The Spurs are smart enough to know this. A championship team is not built over night, you need to take steps on the right directions to attain your goal.

For now, as the season approaches; being healthy and having 'new weapons' to throw at the oppossing teams should be enough. The Spurs are in the right path, one step at a time and they'd get there...

Related Post:

• Spurs Reloaded!
• McDyess will fit in nice!
• Blair Dominant in Spurs Victory
• The other new Spurs

Spurs beat Cavs in Pre-season tune up

Tony Parker scored 22 points, dished out 7 assists and had 3 rebounds. Tim Duncan added 13 points, 9 boards and 1 block, all in the first half. And the San Antonio Spurs beat the Cavaliers 105-98.

LeBron James who isn't quite over the flu, scored 22 points in his return to the Cleveland lineup after staying home sick for the last game. Though not completely healthy, James said he still felt pretty good after going 7 of 14 from the field and grabbed 6 rebounds.

He and two teammates was tested positive this week for Influenza A. James spent two days this week just lying in bed.

"I'm down probably 20 percent of what I know I'm capable of playing at," James said.

Mo Williams scored 15 points and had 6 assists for Cleveland, while Shaquille O'Neal finished with 8 points and 13 rebounds.

Spurs center Antonio McDyess had a solid game with 8 points and 4 boards, George Hill was again impressive scoring 13 points, handing out 3 assists, grabbing 2 rebounds without a single turnover.

It's noteworthy that 11 of his 13 points came from the free throw line indicating that he attacked the rim and attracted contact with regularity.

DeJuan Blair had 7 points and 2 boards in just 10 minutes of action. While Malik Hairston added 11. Richard Jefferson and Manu Ginobili didn't play for the Spurs.

Jamario Moon scored 12 points and Russell Robinson had 11 for Cleveland.

Both teams used this game to have a longer look at their new additions, the Spurs gave Bogans and McDyess a little more playing time. While the Cavs gave more minutes to Shaq, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. So it's not a clear indication on who has the upper hand when the regular season starts. But still, it feels good to get the win...

Game Highlights...

Spurs getting ready for the start of the season

After four preseason games, the new look Spurs have shown us a glimpse of what to expect. DeJuan Blair is quickly learning the system and has been impressive, George Hill is proving to be a capable backup point. Ian Mahinmi has finally found a little rhythm, McDyess has been steady and looked like a Spur for years, Jefferson is getting to his comfort zone, and Hairston and Williams is battling it out for the final spot.

More importantly, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili looked healthy. Coach Pop mentioned before that he will use these preseason games to evaluate the new comers and camp hopefuls. But as the start of the NBA season approaches, Popovich will turn his focus on getting the team ready for the regular season, beginning tonight with the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"In the beginning, it goes from evaluation, of both talent and conditioning, towards execution by the end of the preseason," Popovich said. "By then, the evaluation is done, and you know who's going to be in your rotation, for the most part. You've got to get people ready to play the first game, conditioning wise."

If that's the case, we should expect more playing time from our starters in this game. While this game still doesn't count, it's very important to see how will the new lineup play out against some tough competition.

Like the Spurs, the Cavs also had an off season overhaul of sorts. They are tougher upfront after getting Shaq and Leon Powe, then they improved their depth by adding Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon.

Even if this is only a preseason game, I hope to see TD-Dice-Parker-Manu-RJ together on the floor. It would be a joy to watch, last game we saw the value of having an athletic wing in Jefferson, McDyess is still has that reliable mid range shot and rebounding instincts and Manu is slowly becoming Manu again.

Ian, Hairston, Haislip, Bogans and even Williams should also be given minutes because it will help the coaching staff in deciding who will eventually make the Spurs' rotation. Blair and Hill are given, they could definitely contribute right away.

Ian, Haislip and Bogans are all included in the lineup but how can they help is still a question mark (specially Keith). Although Mahinmi has shown improvements and Haislip had his moments.

And lastly, with Hairston and Williams on the bubble; the Spurs should finally decide. Or as Pop suggested they may leave the final roster spot open. Personally, I want Hairston to get that final spot.

After seeing him grow and be patient with the Spurs system; I became a fan. His professionalism, hard work and dedication to defense is very Spur-like. But that's just me, hopefully all things will fall into place.

As the Spurs prepare for the start of the season, we should all be excited. After all that wheeling and dealings; it's obvious that the Spurs are going "all in". It could be argued that this is perhaps the most talented Spurs lineup during the Duncan-era, but that's secondary.
This year, the Spurs wants it; Duncan would loved to reach title number 5 first... And this may sound a broken record, but if healthy and everybody's role snug into place; the Spurs will definitely give it a hell of a fight...

Clippers defeats the Spurs behind Griffin's 23

In the end, it's all about defense. DeAndre Jordan had a great defensive play in closing seconds blocking Curtis Jerrells' layup attempt that would have given the Spurs the lead, then hit two free throws with 5.1 seconds left. He had 15 points and 8 rebounds.

While Blake Griffin took care of business on the offensive end, scoring 23 points and grabbing 7 rebounds to lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 93-90 preseason victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night.

Griffin scored 10 points in the first quarter and had 13 in the third. The Clippers outscored the Spurs 29-26 in the fourth quarter behind 13 points from Al Thornton.

Richard Jefferson, had his most productive game in the preseason, scoring 15 points in 16 minutes, all in the first half. Marcus Williams also had his best game so far. He finished with 11 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds.

Jefferson is getting comfortable with the system saying "I came into a situation where a lot of guys already have known the system for a long time, My job is to learn the system and figure out how it all fits for me. Once I can figure that out, I can be more aggressive. It's almost like I am a rookie again, but the more I get to play, the more aggressive I can be."

DeJuan Blair had a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards, George Hill chipped in 13, Ian Mahinmi had 7 points and 5 boards while Malik Hairston had another good all-around game for the Spurs, scoring 9 points, dishing out 5 assist with 2 steals and a rebound.

Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan and Antonio McDyess also played for the Spurs. Manu had 8 points, 3 assist and 2 rebound. Tim added 6 points, 5 boards, 2 dimes, 1 block and a steal. And Dice had 4 points, 4 boards and 3 assists. Tony Parker did not play at all for the Spurs.

Eric Gordon, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman sat out for the Clippers.

It was a preseason game, but it was very close and competitive down the stretch. Execution, hustle and pressure comes into play. The Clippers made a great defensive stop in the end, the Spurs played well but it wasn't enough.

Overall, a great win by the Clippers and a good learning experience for the Spurs young guns...

Game Highlights...

Spurs will play the Clippers next

The Spurs will hosts the Clippers at the AT&T center in their fourth preseason game tomorrow, game time is at 7:30 Spurs time! I'm not really good at pre-game previews so I'm leaving that to my friends at Pounding the Rock!. Interesting matchups that I'd like to see is Blair vs. Griffin, Hill going up against Gordon and Ian Mahinmi and DeAndre Jordan battling it out in the middle.

This should be fun to watch, the Clippers have a young core of Blake-Gordon-Thornton-Jordan while the Spurs would certainly go with their new additions and their young guns. I hope Haislip plays this time and Ian, Hairston and Bogans gets extended minutes.

What makes this game more interesting is the fact that Blair seemed excited to play against Griffin. He says he is looking forward to the potential matchup with Blake Griffin, the former Oklahoma All-American. Not because Griffin was the top pick in the June draft in which Blair fell to 37th, but because it gives the two a chance to rekindle a friendship spawned during the draft process.

Blair said, "I can't wait to see him, I haven't seen him since the draft. I talked to him in the summer and told him congratulations. He's a good person, and I hope everything works out for him."

So Blair is a nice guy off the court. But when they start playing, even if it's just a preseason game; DeJuan will play his game, not to show off. But to learn the system more and make himself a better player. And also to remind everyone what they've been missing...

Spurs' Final roster spot maybe left open

As of this writing, I read a news that Dwayne Jones was waived by the Spurs, that makes our roster count, down to 17. Two more cuts and we have our final roster, but here is an article by Mike Monroe that suggests the Spurs will probably leave the final spot vacant.

Popovich said, "The way we look at it, (not filling the final spots) is most likely, unless somebody shows you that you are crazy to cut them because they have played so damn well."

"There's got to be one or two guys show us we're crazy to cut them. If they play that well, we're going to have to keep one or two more bodies than we probably had planned on.”

The Spurs have two players with partial guarantee, Williams and Hairston. Before training camp starts, I wrote an article about the Spurs' roster situation. At the time, I thought that the Spurs will probably choose between Williams or Hairston. And now the Spurs are thinking twice or maybe thinking ahead.

Leaving the last roster spot available is actually not a bad idea; in the past the Spurs have used it to make some additions or roster changes right around the trade or free agent deadline. Roster Flexibility is a good thing. And in my opinion, that option is mostly needed by the Spurs this year. Mainly because we haven't seen how the current roster will play out. So if things don't go well (crossed fingers), having a free roster spot certainly helps.

I'm not saying that the camp hopefuls are bad. In fact I'm hoping that the Spurs will finally decide to give Hairston the nod. He's showed that he can play defense and provide some offense too. In the first three preseason games at least, I think he's played better than Bogans.

So why am I pushing for the Spurs to sign Hairston? If I think roster flexibility is good? Well, The Spurs essentially has two expiring contacts when the February trade deadline comes Ratliff and Bogans, four if you include Bonner and Mason. So even if the Spurs chose to fill in the last roster spot there is still some wiggle room if they have to. (I'm not suggesting the Spurs to trade all of them maybe one or two as the need arises)

Last season they waived Pops Mensah-Bonsu to acquire Gooden, This season the same thing could be done. The Spurs front office is smart so I trust them; but as a fan, I see Hairston as one important piece maybe the final piece to the Spurs championship puzzle this year. He has worked hard for it and I think he's earned it...

Blair Dominant in Spurs Victory

Rookie DeJuan Blair is slowly putting the league on notice. First he showed that he can rebound (actually he can grab those boards!); next he proved that he can be effective in limited minutes. Today, he just displayed his offensive repertoire. No it's not a statement game; far from it. But if you're a Spurs fan, it's another reason to get excited. Remember, most teams past on Blair on draft night. Then he said this "All the teams that didn't pick me I'm gonna make you regret it". This is just a preseason game, but it's now clear that Blair is for real. (Click here for Game highlights!)

Blair led the Spurs to victory over the Miami Heat scoring 28 points on 11 of 13 shooting adding 4 boards, 4 assist and 2 steals. He scored 15 of his points in the final quarter, including a nifty basket inside with 1:02 left as the Spurs erased an 11-point deficit over the final 12 minutes.

Coach Pop said some nice things about Blair. "He's a real mobile, agile player, even though he's got the girth that he has, It's a heck of a gift."

Ian Mahinmi played well too scoring 9 points, grabbing 3 rebounds and blocking 3 shots. George Hill added 12 points, Michael Finley scored 10, Curtis Jerrells had 9 and Malik Hairston had a good all-around game scoring 6 points, dished out 5 assists, grabbed 4 boards and added 1 block and a steal for San Antonio, which played without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

Daequan Cook scored 20 points, Mario Chalmers added 17, Michael Beasley had 16 points and 6 rebounds and Udonis Haslem finished with 10 and 6 for Miami. The Heat were without Dwyane Wade, Quentin Richardson and Jermaine O'Neal.

"It's just hard work and my teammates trusting in me and just trying to adjust to the system," Blair said. "I'm not showing it, but it's a problem for me. Adjusting to the system is kind of hard, but I'm getting it."

"He's a character guy. He's a quality guy," Popovich said. "He's a hard worker and obviously, he has a passion for the game."

It's a nice come from behind victory, and Blair's great game makes it sweeter...

The Spurs will host Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers on their next preseason game.

Related Post:

• "The One Big Addition": DeJuan Blair
• Ian Mahinmi: It's time for you to show up...
• Spurs Camp: Plenty of options
• New look Spurs Cruise past Olympiacos
• Rockets beat the Spurs in Pre-season Opener
• PtR Preseason Quick Cap: Spurs 95, Heat 93

Game Highlights...

Spurs visits D-Wade and the Heat

It's their third preseason game. This time the Spurs will travel to Miami to visit Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat. Game time is Tomorrow October 11 at 6:00 PM ET. This game should be nice to watch even for a preseason game, there are interesting matchups to look forward to:

Shooting Guards

Dwayne Wade
Will he dominate? And once again carry the offensive load for the Heat? It will be interesting to see how he reacts against the new look Spurs defense.


Richard Jefferson
Although he's a Small Forward, he actually starts at the 2 spot (at least in these preseason games) so he will have to guard Dwayne Wade. Does he have the athletic ability and strength to keep D-Wade in check? I guess we have to find that out.


Small Forwards

James Jones
A deadly spot-shooter from downtown, he could emerge with some value as a 3-point specialist if he's fully healthy this season.


Keith Bogans
Has not been impressive so far, but he can also shoot the 3 and play some tough D. Playing against Jones is something to look forward to.



Point Guards

Mario Chalmers
He's played reasonably well as the Heat's starting point guard. Some would say that the Spurs should have picked him up instead of Hill. But their averages last season is not a clear indication on who's the better player. Chalmers played 32 mins. per ball game last year compared to Hill's 16.5

George Hill
Last year, Coach Pop thought he wasn't ready (although I disagree, sorry Pop!). He played well in the playoffs series against the Mavs and has developed his game since. He was impressive during the summer league, and so far has been solid in his first two preseason games this year.


Power Forwards

Michael Beasley
He's a Power Forward in my opinion, and he can score and contribute in a variety of ways, provided that he's given more playing time. He was much more productive when he earned extended minutes averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 boards in 19 starts for the Heat last season.

DeJuan Blair
He's been great so far; a beast on the boards and has a good feel for the game. A hard worker with a great attitude. If he can continue what he does he could be Duncan's backup. (sorry can't get a small closeup picture of Blair)



Centers

Udonis Haslem
With Jermaine O'Neal out with an injury, he should start at center. Although under-sized, he's a hustle type of player with great rebounding instincts and a tough defender too.


Antonio McDyess
Some say he's too old to contribute. But this guy has averaged close to a double-double last year. And He's a perfect fit to the Spurs. I even call him San Antonio McDyess.



This game should be interesting to watch given the fact that, Miami will probably play all their starters (except Jermaine of course) in this preseason game. I expect the Spurs to limit the minutes of their starters, like the last time they played. I hope McDyess, Jefferson, Blair, Bogans, Mahinmi, Ratliff, Hairston and Hasilip to have more playing time. That way the coaches can have a better grasps on how they can contribute to the team (specially Ian, Malik, Bogans and Haislip).

It's all about evaluation, and it's just a preseason game, but I guess it's not bad to hope for another win....

New look Spurs Cruise past Olympiacos

In their second preseason game, the Spurs looked sharp early as they routed a visiting Olympiacos team 107-89. As expected, Tim Duncan and Tony Parker made their pre-season debut. It's the first time the Big three played together since Ginobili's season-ending ankle injury last April. George Hill continues to impress as he led the Spurs with 17 points 3 rebounds and 2 assist. Parker chipped in 12 points and 3 assist, Duncan added 10 points 5 boards 3 assist and 2 blocks and a steal, Manu had 7 points, 2 steals and dished out 5 assists. Jefferson scored 4 points and had 2 dimes. Schortsanitis scored 16 points and Josh Childress almost had a double double with 15 points and 9 rebounds for the Greek squad. (Game highlights at the bottom of this post.)

Duncan looked good in particular making all his six (6) free throw attempts despite wearing a brace.

"It feels pretty good," Duncan said. "I've gone through four or five braces throughout the summer, trying to find the right one, the one that feels good, and that's the one I came up with so far."

The Spurs outworked the Greeks and made it a one sided affair early on as they led 39-21 after one quarter of play. Roger Mason looked comfortable scoring 10 points on 4-5 shooting from the field including 2-3 from 3 point range. Blair had 9 points and 2 rebounds in limited minutes. Ian Mahinmi played fairly well, scoring 7 points and grabbing 2 boards in just 8 minutes of action. McDyess had 4 points and 5 boards, Matt Bonner and Theo Ratliff also played adding 6 and 3 points for the Spurs. While Von Wafer, Teodosic, Bourousis, and Linas Kleiza had 11, 9, 7 and 4 points for the Olympiacos squad respectively.

It's a pretty even match after the first quarter as the Greek team played tough, displaying their shooting touch and hustle. It's a good game overall!

Game Highlights!





It's just a pre-season game but it's a win nonetheless...

Spurs host Olympiacos: Big Three back in action

I was thinking of writing a preview of the Spurs preseason game against the Olympiacos Piraeus of Greece, but I don't really know much about the Spurs' next opponent. I'm expecting the Spurs rotation to be similar with the previous game. After all, Coach Pop himself told us that the first few games will be all about evaluation.

That means he will probably give more time playing to the Spurs' new comers and camp hopefuls. But surprise! Mike Monroe of San Antonio Express writes this nice piece about the Big three all playing in the Spurs next preseason game to be played at the AT&T center arena at 7:30 PM CT versus the Olympiacos Greek Team. Here is a great pre-game preview from my friends @ Pounding the Rock! (Thanks Tim C. & silverandblack_davis)

Manu Ginobili sounds excited when he learned that Tim and Tony will join him in their next preseason game. He said this "It's important for us to get to play again together, It's going to be a fun game. I really can't wait." Well if Manu can't wait, so are the Spurs fans. The prospect of Blair and TD playing together upfront should be a joy to watch. Seeing Tony and Manu on the backcourt should get us all fired up. But I expect them to get limited time, 10-15 minutes perhaps?

Coach Pop will probably give more playing time to Hill, Blair, RJ, Hairston, Haislip and Mahinmi. These players in my opinion are the players to watch (by the Spurs coaching staff) during this preseason. Hill, is showing signs that he can run the team well. Blair is a rebounding machine, something that the Spurs lacked last season. Jefferson needs floor time to get comfortable with his new teammates. And Hairston, Haislip and Ian will probably make the Spurs roster.

Giving them more playing time during these preseason games will give the Spurs coaches a better gauge on what to expect from these guys. This is just a preseason game, but it should be fun to watch! I hope the Spurs win this time. Not that it really matters, but it always feels good to win right?

Rockets beat the Spurs in Pre-Season Opener

The wait is over, the Spurs finally played. But they dropped their pre-season opener 99-85 against the Rockets. It's important to note that the Spurs played without Duncan, Parker, Finley, McDyess and Ratliff. While the Rockets played with Scola, Landry, Brooks and Ariza.

Matt Bonner played pretty well pumping in 14 points and 3 rebounds; George Hill was solid with 15 points, 4 assist and 3 rebounds as he played the most minutes for the Spurs (30 mins 26 secs. to be exact) and DeJuan Blair was great scoring 16 points, grabbing 19 rebounds (8 offensive) and handed out 2 assist. If this is a sign of things to come, then the Spurs will be very tough to beat when the games begin to count. (Video highlights at the bottom of this post!)

Even if the Spurs lost, I'm not too worried. It's their first game and It's the pre-season. Of course winning the game would be nice but at least the Spurs saw their new additions play. Jefferson scored 6 points in 15 minutes of action and Haislip had 7 points.

Important things to note: Hill looked comfortable at the point. Blair is a rebounding machine and knows how to use his body, Bonner looked like a rotation player for the Spurs, and Hairston wants that 15th spot badly and he could really contribute.

On the other hand, it seems that some Spurs needs more time to blend in. Haislip needs to cut on his turnovers, Ian must get tougher and smarter (enough with those fouls already). Manu needs to get his rhythm back and Bogans should relax and let the game come to him, same goes to Mason.

To be fair, the Rockets played well and hard as always. Carl Landry led them with 19 points, rookie Chase Budinger played a good all-around game. And Luis Scola, Brooks and Ariza; all played fairly well. They deserve to win.


Overall, it looked like the Spurs will have a great season. Considering the fact that they played without most of their starters, they still managed to stay in the game for three quarters. It's interesting to see how will they develop their team chemistry as the season goes along.


Related posts:

Spurs Game day Recap preseason opener

PtR Preseason Quick Cap

Blair impresses in preseason loss

Confidence Shows in Bonner's shot

Mahinmi must show his worth to the Spurs

Links from SPURS.COM, Pounding the Rock and San Antonio Express.

Game Video highlights:

Spurs Pre-Season Opener

Finally, we can have our first glimpse at our new-look Spurs. And since it's a pre-season game, most of our starters might play limited minutes or not at all. But just the same, Spurs fans should get excited to see how our new additions and young guns will pan out. I expect to see more minutes for Hill, Blair, Ian, Hairston, Jerrells, Dwayne Jones, Marcus Haislip, Williams, Bogans and maybe Jefferson or Mason. Game time is at 8:30 ET, while we wait for the game, please check out this nice pre-game preview from Tim C. at Pounding the Rock and this pre-game thoughts from Graydon Gordian at 48 Minutes of Hell.

We had a live chat during the game, unfortunately; the Spurs dropped their pre-season opener 99-85 against the Rockets, but it's a preseason game (although I liked the Spurs to win). The Spurs rested TD, Tony, Finley, McDyess and Ratliff. Blair was a beast, Hill looked solid, Manu is still out of shape and Bonner, and Hairston played pretty well.