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...

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?

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.

Spurs Camp: Plenty of options

With training camp just around the corner, the Spurs made a flurry of moves. First they signed Curtis Jerrells then gave Bogans a guarantee and now waived McClinton while adding Dwayne Jones. As it stands, the Spurs will have 14 players under guaranteed contracts (including Keith Bogans) heading into the camp. Malik Hairston and Marcus Williams are both partially guaranteed. And with a roster loaded with talent and virtually one final spot available, it could be one of the most difficult (decision wise) and interesting camp in Spurs history.

Now what position do the Spurs need to fortify? Small Forward? Point Guard?... I don't exactly know. Let's see, currently the Center position looks solid we have McDyess, Ratliff and maybe Mahinmi. But adding another big like Dwayne Jones is not out of the question 30-30 anyone? At Power Forward we have Timmy and Blair 'nuff said. Shooting Guard position looks stacked too with Ginobili, Mason, and now Bogans. Richard Jefferson should man the 3 spot when the season starts; Finley will back him up.

I'm inclined to think that the Spurs are leaning towards selecting either Williams (he can play the point) or Hairston (definitely a 3) for the final spot; the Spurs are just giving them high quality competition to prove their worth. But still, there is the possibility of James Gist sneaking in. Also, with only Parker and Hill at the point; the Spurs might just bring in another "true" Point Guard in Jerrells to add depth. It's really hard to tell. In a week or 2 we could have our answers but for now, we can only guess. Let's just hope that whoever comes out to fill the last roster spot is the piece we need as the Spurs tries to win another ring this coming season....