Mills to join Spurs

Patrick Mills (#8) could give the Spurs immediate help at the point.

This article is cross-posted at Spurs World.

Patrick Mills has signed a contract with the San Antonio Spurs and could join the team within a week, pending the resolution of work visa issues.

“We had previously noted that Mills’ delay was a result of government work visa issues, so this should have been expected” said agent Aaron Goodwin.

Mills, 23, an Australian national who could be in line for immediate minutes backing up Tony Parker, is eager to resume his NBA career.

The former Portland Trail Blazer who last played in China during the NBA lockout, averaged 5.1 points and 1.5 assists in limited minutes during his first two NBA seasons in Portland. He is also a member of the Australian national basketball team coached by Spurs assistant Brett Brown.

Viewed league-wide as somewhat of an undersized combo guard, the 6-foot Mills would nevertheless be a welcome addition in San Antonio, where the Spurs are thin at the point guard spot since T.J. Ford suffered a career-ending neck injury earlier this month.

The Spurs’ point-guard needs increased in Wednesday’s win over Minnesota, when Parker left before halftime with a tight hamstring.

Mills’ deal with the Spurs, believed to be good for two years, is contingent on him clearing all legal hurdles. Mills is already listed on the Spurs roster, but cannot participate in team activities until his visa issue is settled.

“Hopefully it can be expedited,” Goodwin said. “It shouldn’t be longer than a week.”

Getting Mills should be a welcome change for Parker, who have logged a lot of minutes since Ford’s retirement.

While Gary Neal and Manu Ginobili did a decent job to spell Parker, having another natural point guard to bring up the ball and set up some plays while Tony is resting could give the Spurs some edge in the post season.

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.

Parker returns, lead Spurs over Wizards

This article is cross-posted at Spurs World.
 
After a one-game absence, Tony Parker scored 31 points in his return to the starting lineup to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 112-97 victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday night.

Tony Parker scored 31 points, leading the Spurs to victory over the Wizards.

Parker, who missed Friday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers with a strained right quadriceps, hit 13-of-18 shots and had seven assists.

Tiago Splitter scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds of the bench, while Tim Duncan added 14 points and nine boards in 28 minutes of action.

DeJuan Blair had a double-double finishing with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

The Spurs extended their winning streak over the Wizards to 12.

Washington has lost nine of its last 11 and fell to 3-15 on the road.

JaVale McGee led the Wizards with 21 points and 15 rebounds, and Jordan Crawford added 19 points.

Before the game, veteran Spurs point guard T.J. Ford abruptly retired following the latest scare to his surgically repaired spine, which once sidelined him for an entire NBA season.

Ford was injured on March 7 when Knicks guard Baron Davis elbowed him in the back, knocking him to the ground. The 28-year-old Ford didn’t move for several minutes and wobbled while being helped off the court.

After trailing by as many as 18 points in the second quarter, Washington cut the deficit to nine in the fourth but could get no closer.

The Wizards’ defense offered little resistance in the first half, as the Spurs took a 63-49 halftime lead while scoring 44 points in the paint. San Antonio hit 28 of 45 shots and had assists on 23 of those baskets.

Manu Ginobili returned to the starting lineup, but went to the locker room with what appeared to be leg cramps midway in the third quarter. Ginobili finished with eight points and seven assists in 20 minutes of play.

The Spurs will wrap up their seven-game home stand on Wednesday night when they host the Orlando Magic.

Spurs’ Ford retiring

This article is cross-posted at Spurs World. 

San Antonio Spurs backup point guard T.J. Ford abruptly retired Monday following the latest scare to his surgically repaired spine, which once sidelined him for an entire NBA season and hampered the dazzling promise that made him a college star.

Spurs' T.J. Ford chose to retire after his latest injury at the age of 28.

Ford told reporters that lying motionless March 7 on the court against the New York Knicks wasn’t the first time it had happened, and he decided to walk away while he still had a chance. He was playing just his 14th game in an injury-prone season when Knicks guard Baron Davis elbowed him in the back, knocking him to the ground.

The 28-year-old Ford didn’t move for several minutes and wobbled while being helped off the court.

“I think I succeeded at beating the odds, of being the little guy, making it to the NBA and lasting as long as I did. I think I achieved a lot.”

“If it’s anybody else, it’s just a regular play,” Ford said at a Spurs practice before Monday’s game against Washington. “But because of me and my condition, a simple elbow in the back has a different outcome than hitting someone else in the back.”

Drafted eighth overall by Milwaukee in 2003, Ford also played for the Raptors and Pacers but never quite reached the potential that made him the Naismith and Wooden player of the year at Texas. He led the Longhorns to the Final Four as a sophomore, helping turn football-obsessed Texas into a rising basketball power that gave the program the profile to recruit stars like Kevin Durant and LaMarcus Aldridge.

But Ford was just 55 games into his rookie season when a collision with Timberwolves forward Mark Madsen changed his career. He landed hard on his tailbone after releasing a short jumper and instantly felt numb upon slamming to the ground. Trainers immobilized Ford’s neck and carted him off on a stretcher.

Ford underwent spinal fusion surgery and was sidelined through the next season. He returned to the Bucks in 2005 and was traded in 2006 to Toronto, where Ford began putting together his best seasons. He averaged 14 points and 7.9 assists in his Raptors debut, and his scoring average hit a career high of 14.9 points with Indiana in 2008-09.

But by the next season, at 26, Ford was already transitioning from a franchise point guard to a backup. He still took satisfaction in a career that was mostly played against the advice of doctors.

“I think I succeeded at beating the odds, of being the little guy, making it to the NBA and lasting as long as I did,” Ford said. “I think I achieved a lot. I know I didn’t have the career I anticipated and everyone anticipated, me having been the player of the year (at Texas). But I think I still had a successful career.”

Ford said he had no hard feelings toward the Knicks’ Davis for last week’s elbow. Davis said Monday that Ford was a “dear friend” and called him to apologize.

“I was just running in there trying to get the rebound and I thought he was a bigger dude. I didn’t even think it was him,” Davis said. “When I hit him and I saw it was him, I knew no good was going to come out of that.”

NBA players offered best wishes to Ford on Twitter. LeBron James, picked first overall the same year Ford was drafted, tweeted, “Man sorry to hear about my 03 draft classmate TJ Ford! Get healthy and hopefully see u back on the court someday!”

That isn’t likely, though Ford said he still wants to be around basketball.

“I don’t think anyone plans to retire early,” Ford said. “I was hoping I could get to that 34-36 age. It’s tough. I wasn’t planning on coming into this season retiring.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who signed Ford in December to be Tony Parker’s backup, said the team enjoyed having him around.

“I congratulate him on all that he has achieved as a player and fully support the difficult decision he was forced to make,” Popovich said.

Knocked out most of the year because of a nagging hamstring injury, Ford was averaging 3.6 points, 3.2 assists and 1.3 rebounds with the Spurs. For his career, Ford played in 429 games, averaging 11.2 points, 5.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.16 steals.

Source ESPN/NBA.

Spurs pounded the Knicks, Ford hurt again

This article is cross-posted at Spurs World.

Tony Parker scored 32 points and the San Antonio Spurs dealt Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks a third consecutive loss, 118-105 on Wednesday night.

San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili looked like his old self against the New York Knicks.

San Antonio pounded it on the inside, outscoring the Knicks 60-38 on inside points, on their way to a 54.1 percent shooting night.

Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili added 17 points apiece in Ginobili’s second game back after missing two weeks with a strained stomach muscle.

Carmelo Anthony led New York with 27 points.

The Knicks have lost six of nine, they bear little resemblance to their Lin-inspired resurgence before the All-Star break.

Lin came out of nowhere last month and delivered the Knicks the play-making point guard they craved for, but New York’s transition has been anything but seamless since Anthony returned February 20 after missing seven games, mostly because of a groin injury.

The Knicks are 2-5 with Anthony back in the lineup.

“You have to work through. But there’s no reason why it can’t co-exist,” D’Antoni said. “There’s no reason why everybody shouldn’t do well. We just got to find the right balance of everybody getting into their spots.”

Lin scored 20 points and had four assists, while Amare Stoudemire had 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Gary Neal scored 12 points and found his way back into the starting lineup as the Spurs ease Ginobili back into playing shape.

Manu played 25 minutes, shooting 7-of-10 from the floor and added a team-high six assists.

DeJuan Blair, Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter added 10 points apiece for the Spurs.

It was a convincing win for San Antonio, which had lost two of its last three at home after returning from the winningest nine-game road trip in NBA history, when the Spurs went 8-1 and quietly climbed to the second-best record in the West.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich didn’t stick around to see the end, getting ejected at the end of the third quarter following a heated exchange with officials over foul calls.

A scary moment came in the second quarter when Spurs point guard T.J. Ford lay on the floor for more than three minutes.

The Spurs said the veteran point guard received a stinger after getting elbowed in his back.

Ford appeared wobbly while being helped off the court and back into the tunnel. He didn’t return to the game.

Popovich named Coach of the Month, Manu could return on Friday

This article is cross-posted at Spurs World.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich was chosen by the NBA as the Western Conference Coach of the Month after leading the Spurs to an 11-2 record in February.

Gregg Popovich was named Wests' Coach of the Month for February.

During the month, Popovich led the Spurs to an 8-1 record on their Rodeo Road Trip, tying the league record for winning percentage on a nine-game road trip.

The Spurs had an 11-game winning streak that extended into the month, despite playing without Manu Ginobili and T.J. Ford for extended periods during the month.

It marks a record 13th month when Popovich has been selected as the NBA’s Coach of the Month, and broke the previous mark he shared with Pat Riley, who won the award on 12 occasions during his career.

Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra was honored as the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for February.

Meanwhile, Ginobili could be back in the Spurs lineup sooner than expected.

Popovich said that Ginobili will be a game time decision (via Spurs Nation) for Friday’s game against Charlotte as he recovers from a strained left oblique muscle.

The injury, which occurred February 18 against the Los Angeles Clippers, has caused Ginobili to miss the Spurs’ last four games after missing 22 games earlier in the season with a fractured fifth metacarpal in his left hand.

Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard missed Thursday’s short practice as he recovers from a minor strain in his right calf. He is not likely to play Friday against Charlotte, Popovich said.

Manu could be back in the lineup on Friday against the Bobcats.

“(Kawhi) got on a treadmill a little bit today,” Popovich said. “We scripted a little bit of offense, but there was no contact or anything.”

Danny Green also missed practice after banging through what he termed several formidable Chicago screens during the course of the game against the Bulls.

“His shoulder got a pretty good stinger,” Popovich said. “Nothing is dislocated, but he got a sprain and he didn’t practice today. He’s been working through the pain and we’ll see how he feels tomorrow.”

Gary Neal had no problems playing on a sore hamstring. He scored 13 consecutive points and 15 of his team-high 21 points in the fourth quarter to lead a late San Antonio rally that came up just short in the Spurs’ 96-89 loss to the Bulls.

Popovich said that Neal reported no lingering effects of the injury on the day after the game.

“No, he felt pretty good,” Popovich said. “He didn’t feel his hamstring at all. He did a great job last night, as a matter of fact.”

Popovich reported that Tony Parker “got a little dinged” at one point in Wednesday’s game but had no ill effects and should be ready for the Bobcats.

The Spurs are not expected to re-sign forward Eric Dawson, whose 10-day contract has expired. Dawson is expected to head back to Austin to join the Toros.

Splitter, Ford might return to action, Spurs still have a lot of work to do

This article is cross-posted at Spurs World

The San Antonio Spurs have outdid themselves during the first half of the season finishing with a 24-10 record, good for second-best in the West and TNT analyst Charles Barkley picked the Spurs over the weekend to win the Western Conference.

After missing 24 games this season, T.J. Ford might be able to play Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls.

But it doesn’t mean the team is letting their guards down.

“I saw that,” Tony Parker said. “ But we have a lot of work to do and we need Manu Ginobili at 100 percent.

It’s like I told everybody at the All-Star break. We’re not going anywhere without Manu at 100 percent.

“Oklahoma City is a very, very good team. The Clippers are a very, very good. Dallas is good, too. We need everybody ready to go and at full strength. If not, we aren’t going to go anywhere.”

There is some good news too, the Spurs’ injury situation appears to be getting a little better (via Spurs Nation).

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said reserve point guard T.J. Ford could return to the lineup for Wednesday’s game against Chicago.

Ford has missed the last 24 games with a torn left hamstring.

“I’m feeling good. It’s still a process,” Ford said after Tuesday’s practice. “It felt good to finally practice with these guys, get out there and get a little contact. Usually I’m out there working with the coaches, one on one, so it felt good today.”

“I think he’s going to dress. He may or may not get in,” Popovich said. “I’d like to get him a few minutes if I can.”

That step would be a big boost for Ford, who signed with the Spurs as a free agent in order to boost depth at point guard.

“It will feel good to be in a uniform,” Ford said. “If it’s just me shooting some layups in layup drill I’ll take that. Little baby steps.”

But Ford said he doesn’t expected he could play for an extended period.

“Short, short,” Ford said with a chuckle. ” Not too many long stretches.”

But any break would be a boost for Parker, who has played extended minutes and leads the team with an average of 34.3 minutes per game. It’s the most that Parker has logged since his third season in the NBA.

”Yeah, it looks like he’s ready to go,” Parker said. “He practiced well this morning. Hopefully we can get everybody and be full strength.”

Rookie forward Kawhi Leonard missed practice as he recovered from tightness in both calves that he sustained in the Spurs’ most recent game Thursday night. The injury kept him out of the Rising Stars Challenge at All-Star weekend on the following day.

Popovich said that Gary Neal (hamstring) and Tiago Splitter (strained calf) will be game time decisions against the Bulls. Ginobili (strained oblique muscle) is out and Popovich hinted that Leonard likely will not play Wednesday night.