Jackson back in San Antonio

This article is cross-posted at Spurs World.

The Golden State Warriors traded swingman Stephen Jackson to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday for small forward Richard Jefferson, the rights to T.J. Ford (who announced his retirement earlier this week ), and a conditional first-round draft pick this year.

The Spurs are hoping that the veteran swingman responds to the challenge now that he is back in San Antonio.

San Antonio’s pick is lottery protected, but the Spurs are in second place in the Western Conference so that will probably not be an issue.

Jackson has averaged 10.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 26 games this season.

Jefferson on the other hand, has averaged 9.2 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 41 games with the Spurs this season. He could be in Bay Area in time for Friday night’s game against the Bucks, which will mark Ellis’ much-hyped, quick return to Oracle Arena.

In all fairness to Jefferson, he remained a professional even after he knew the Spurs wanted to amnesty him, and if not for his bloated contract, there  would have been no reason to move him.

Getting Jackson is not necessarily and upgrade, he is shooting a measly 28 percent from beyond the arc this season. But the Spurs, in effect, subtract a year of his salary by switching him for Jackson. Amnesty wouldn’t have been this financially effective.

However, playing for a veteran club that needs some scoring punch and a coach that can handle his mood swings; something tells me that he’s about to be on the upswing.

Spurs outguns Magic

 This article is cross-posted at Spurs World

Tony Parker had 31 points and 12 assists, and Tim Duncan had 21 points and 13 rebounds as the Spurs closed a seven-game home stand by defeating the Orlando Magic 122-111 on Wednesday night.

Tim Duncan held his own against Dwight Howard, as the Spurs defeat the Magic for the second time this season.

Jameer Nelson scored 25 points and had seven assists, while Dwight Howard had 22 points and 12 rebounds on the eve of the NBA trade deadline.

Parker whose averaging 29.8 points in his past four games, was serenaded by chants of “M-V-P! M-V-P!” in the closing minutes.

Magic spokesman George Galante confirmed that Howard informed the team before Wednesday night’s game against the Spurs that he will not waive the early termination clause in his contact, which would have guaranteed Howard sticking around at least one more season.

Howard said publicly this week he wants to finish the season in Orlando and encouraged the front office to “roll the dice” on re-signing him this summer. The Magic, however, are looking for stronger assurances they can realistically hang onto the NBA’s most dominant big man.

Howard did not speak to reporters before the game amid talk of him calling a team meeting earlier in San Antonio to discuss his future. Neither general manager Otis Smith nor team president Alex Martins made the trip to Texas.

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy batted down pregame questions about Howard’s meeting.

“I don’t even want to talk about it. It’s so tiresome,” Van Gundy said. “I’ve been dealing with this for three months. Nothing’s fresh to me. Talk to somebody else about it.”

Ryan Anderson added 19 for Orlando and Hedo Turkoglu scored 17.

The Magic are 28-16 and seven games behind first-place Chicago. Howard is averaging 21.2 points and a career-best 15.2 rebounds.

Manu Ginobili returned to the bench while recovering from a hip flexor, scored 14 points in 23 minutes. Tiago Splitter and rookie Kawhi Leonard had 12 points apiece and Richard Jefferson added 11 points.

The Spurs have their own trade-deadline decision to make — The abrupt retirement of T.J. Ford this week leaves San Antonio thin at the point guard position, and the adding another big man will probably help them in preparation for the playoffs.

The likelihood of a Spurs trade, however, is dim with the team already paying the NBA’s luxury tax.

The team’s best chance to improve their roster this season is to look closely on the waiver wire and perhaps snatch a player or two to give their lineup added depth.

San Antonio will return to action on Friday night when they visit the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.

Spurs whipped Bobcats

This article is cross-posted at Spurs World.

Tony Parker scored 15 points, and the San Antonio Spurs cruised past the Charlotte Bobcats in the second half for a 102-72 victory on Friday night.

Richard Jefferson scored 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the Spurs victory over the Bobcats.

The Spurs (25-11) bounced back from a rare home loss earlier this week against the Chicago Bulls to win for the 13th time in their last 15 games.

The Bobcats (4-30), who were playing San Antonio for the only time this season, have lost four straight and 20 of their last 21.

Richard Jefferson scored 14 points, including four 3-pointers and grabbed seven rebounds, while Tim Duncan had 14 points and eight boards for the Spurs.

Matt Bonner added 14 points, Kawhi Leonard had 10 and Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter chipped in nine points each off the bench.

Corey Maggette and Boris Diaw each scored 14 points for the Bobcats, who were held below 100 points for the 21st straight game.

San Antonio outrebounded Charlotte 55-37, with DeJuan Blair leading all players with 11 rebounds.

San Antonio, which was playing the second game of a seven-game homestand, never trailed after the first quarter.

The Spurs’ defense frustrated the Bobcats throughout the game, with Charlotte hitting only 31-of-83 shots. Starting guards D.J. Augustin and Gerald Henderson combined to shoot 5 of 21.

The Spurs led 51-41 at halftime behind Parker’s 13 points and Duncan’s 10 points and eight rebounds. San Antonio held Charlotte to 17-of-49 shooting in the half to help overcome 10 turnovers.

Charlotte started the game well and had a 16-12 lead in the opening period, but the Spurs went on a 11-0 run and led 29-20 after the first quarter.

Jefferson’s 3-pointer with 4:23 left gave the Spurs a 17-16 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish throughout the game.

The Spurs will be back in action on Sunday night when they host the Denver Nuggets.

Hot shooting extends Spurs’ win streak to 11

This article is cross-posted at Spurs World 
 
Playing without Tiago Splitter, Manu Ginobili and T.J. Ford, the undermanned San Antonio Spurs needed a spark to help them keep their winning streak going.

Matt Bonner's 20-points on 5-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc was key to the Spurs victory over the Jazz.

Behind 20 points and 11 rebounds from Al Jefferson and 16 points and 11 boards from Paul Millsap, the Utah Jazz did their best to halt the NBA’s hottest team.

They man-handled San Antonio on inside points 56-30 and 41-33 on rebounds.

But the Spurs won anyway, thanks to a 47.6 percent (10-of-21) shooting from behind the arc.

Matt Bonner made 5-of-6 three-pointers enroute to his 20 point performance, and Gary Neal added 14 points off the bench as the Spurs defeated the Utah Jazz 106-102 Monday night for their 11th consecutive victory.

A non-factor on the offensive end for most of the night, Richard Jefferson’s 3-pointer with 6.5 seconds left actually sealed the victory for the Spurs, who won their seven straight road win, improving their road record to 10-8.

Devin Harris scored 15 points for the Jazz (15-16), while C.J. Miles and Josh Howard added 13 points and 12 points respectively.

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 Reloaded!

The Spurs had an unsual offseason, they rolled the dice early getting Richard Jefferson in the process. Then they got lucky on draft night and snatched DeJuan Blair. They didn't stop there; they tried to steal Rasheed Wallace albeit with no success. But they moved on and added Haislip and McDyess respectively. Just when everyone think they are done with their offseason makeover, they acquired the services of Ratliff and if that's not enough just last week they shored up their backcourt with Keith Bogans for good measure. After all those moves, you would think the Spurs are building a roster of 20. But they do this for a purpose.

And the main reason is to win. Plain and simple that's been their goal in the past and that will never change. This team has valued winning more than any other team in the league. And this coming season is no exception. In 2008, they had their best shot of repeating but a lot of things happened; Manu not being 100%, the Game 1 collapse against the Lakers in the conference finals and some breaks (Fisher's Foul on Barry) that didn't went their way.

The following year they stayed put and added an important piece in Roger Mason. With a healthy 'Big 3', they know they can compete. But then again things didn't go their way; Manu was injured (again!) in the olympics. Tony hurt his ankle and even Duncan had his fair share of time off the court. That hurt the Spurs chances last year. They couldn't get in a rhytm, and don't have enough time to gel. Even the late addition of Gooden didn't help. In short when the playoffs came last season they weren't ready, not up to the task...

But it's NOT because of lack of focus or preparation; and it's definitely NOT because they don't have the will or the desire to win. They were just too wounded at the time. As Parker would say it "We don't have enough firepower to match up with them." But this coming season? It's a different story. The Spurs are definitely better. With the current lineup (yes, with Bonner), barring significant injuries; I like our chances... It could be argued that this might be the most talented Spurs roster during the Duncan era.

Most people or so focused about the RJ or Dice acquisition. Some would even say that Jefferson is not worth it (although he's overpaid) and is already past his prime, and that McDyess is just too old to produce consistenly. But let me say this, they just don't get it! The Spurs doesn't expect a title by merely adding Jefferson, McDyess or Blair. They are just pieces to the Spurs' championship puzzle...

They quickly forget that we still have Finley, Mason and Hill. And more importantly we have a great Coach in Gregg Popovich who in my opinion is the best coach in the NBA today (sorry Phil). I would say that besides the 'Big 3' being healthy, the next most important thing going for Spurs is Coach Pop. The way he handles his players amazes me, I mean the guy has great influence to the Spurs team that it nearly takes his own personality.

Now, with so much at stake the Spurs needs to trust him even more. Yes we definitely have upgraded talent wise, but how are you gonna use that talent effectively and efficiently is the next step and it's a great challenge. Let me remind you that in San Antonio expections are so high; anything less than a championship is a disappointment. In last year's playoffs they were wronged or embarassed I guess, and so they've reloaded not to impress but to tell everyone that "Hey we're not done yet, we're just getting started. Just wait and see" We should expect a thrilling and exciting season... It's about to begin let's sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride...

Popovich "Getting Ready"

It's been a busy summer for the Spurs, with key additions like Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair, Theo Ratliff and Marcus Haislip it's almost like a 'new team', there is no doubt that the talent level on this team has been upgraded, probably more than ever before.

But even if it's certain that this translates to a better season, the expectation in San Antonio is to compete for the championship. Jeff McDonald of the Express-News writes this piece about Coach Pop getting anxious about the upcoming season. And who wouldn't?


Let's take a look at the new acquisitions and what they can bring to the table...

• Richard Jefferson, could serve as another offensive threat, he has an explosive drive to the basket that makes him earn more trips to the line. He is a good free throw shooter, can shoot the 3 consistently (close to 40% last season) and fills in the small forward position for a team that was lacking depth at the three spot. He also needs to prove that he is a decent defender (if not a good one), because the team gave up Bruce Bowen to bring him in.



• Antonio McDyess, He has a consistent jumper and plays hard defense which is perfect for the Spurs style of play (could we call him, San Antonio McDyess?...) Despite his lack of size, he has decent strength and athleticism and is also a fundamental, box-'em-out guy so he could provide rebounds. Some could argue that he might be too old but he manage to average almost 10 and 10 last season.



• DeJuan Blair, is a blessing (I mean 29 teams past on this guy!). And although he is undersized at 6'7", he is one of the best rebounders at the college ranks last year averaging nearly 12 per game, and almost half of it are offensive boards, which is always an advantage. And yes he has freakish wingspan (7'2"-7'4" I think?) with big hands, and is a "Space Eater".



• Theo Ratliff, is an outstanding shot blocker who gets off the floor quickly and with great timing to send back opponent releases. But does not do as well on the boards, partly because he struggles to establish position underneath. Offensively, he can hit a 15-footer from the free-throw area and will finish off feeds from teammates. He could only be used sparringly (because of age and previous injuries) and can be good mentor to Ian Mahinmi.
  
  
• Marcus Haislip, I think the Spurs took him mainly for his athleticism, he is a hard worker and impresses coaches with his hustle. He also has good range for a player his size and like Blair, has a chip on his shoulder. If he can be what I think he is, he could be a decent defender guarding the likes of Nowitzki, Lewis and Odom something that we lacked last season.
  

All this new players bring different dimension to the Spurs game and with a healthy BIG three and an even deeper bench that includes Hill, Mason, Finley, Bonner and maybe even Hairston, Mahinmi and Williams, the Spurs championship success for this coming season seems to be within grasps but as Timothy Varner puts it there is more work to be done...

And the man in-charge? Gregg Popovich, he knows more than anybody that this upcoming season could be the biggest challenge for him and the Spurs. Expectations are high, he even said that "We better damn win it! or I should probably be fired". He knows they've gotten better but he certainly knows success is not instant and for that, with still more than a month before training camp... He can't wait for the season to start, he is getting ready...