Tag: In the News

Will we ever see an NBA All-Star Game again in San Antonio?

The news that prompted a question about whether the league’s mid-season classic ever would return to San Antonio.

The league traditionally likes to revolve this game around, particularly for franchises with new buildings.

But with the ATT Center open since 2002, we still haven’t seen an All-Star Game there.

Since that opening, we’ve seen the league allow the game to be played in Las Vegas, at the Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium in Arlington and once before in Houston. And it will be heading back to Houston again with a gap of only seven years — shortest span in league history for a single franchise between times hosting All-Star Games.

The ATT Center was suitable for the WNBA All-Star game last month, but apparently might not be good enough — or the league can’t block enough hotel rooms in the busy convention period of late February — to bring another NBA All-Star Game to town when San Antonio’s climate might be at its best of the year.  

And the immediate future doesn’t look bright. The league will have the renovated Madison Square Garden open next year, along the with the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn for the New Jersey Nets. The league hasn’t had an All-Star Game at the United Center in Chicago, Canseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, the Palace at Auburn Hills (Mich.) and the American Airlines Center in Dallas or the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

The only franchises to have failed to host an All-Star Game include Toronto, Memphis and Portland. Oklahoma City hosted two previous All-Star Games when the frachise was in Seattle.

But with 14 different teams (including the joint Laker/Clipper All-Star extravaganzas) hosting the All-Star Game since the Spurs, it might be doubtful if the game is ever coming back.

The NCAA appears to have outgrown the Alamodome for men’s Final Fours after overlooking the facility in its last bidding cycle. And it seems that the NBA has similarly progressed past the ATT Center as well for its spectacle events as well.

Oberto’s hand injury could keep him out of FIBA Americas tourney

Former Spurs center Fabricio Oberto’s chances of playing for Argentina in the upcoming FIBA Americas tournament will hinge on a quick recovery from a recent hand injury.

Oberto sustained  a fibrillar rupture on his left adductor muscle, a long muscle buried deep in the hand that adducts to the thumb, last week. After the injury, doctors plan to limit Oberto’s practice for about two weeks.

But Argentina coach Julio Lamas told FIBA.com that he for use in the FIBA tournament next month. 

“I hope I can count on him for the tournament,” said Lamas, who plans keep Oberto on the 12-man roster even if he can’t play in early games of the tournament.  “I’m not sure he will make it, though.”

Oberto, 36, returned to his hometown of Cordoba, Argentina, for recovery before returning to the team earlier this week.

The Argentina team will play an exhibition Thursday night in Buenos Aires against Venezuela before Lamas trims the roster to 12 players.

Oberto, a member of the Spurs 2007 NBA championship team, was an important member of the Argentina team that claimed the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. And his absence from his current team would be a big loss, according to teammate Manu Ginobili.

“We need him,” Ginobili told FIBA.com.

But teammate Leonardo Gutiérrez expects Oberto to contribute to the team.
 
“Oberto will be part of the team,” Gutiérrez said. “He’s a key player and he has to be there even if he plays five, 10 or 15 minutes.”

A heart ailment cut short Oberto’s NBA career after he announced his retirement after five games with the Portland Trailblazers last season. He played with the Spurs from 2005-09.

Oberto worked hard to get back into playing shape and apparently can still help the Argentinian team. It would be a shame not to see him compete at the FIBA tournament because of his recent nagging injury.

Takes from my blog brothers: How Dell Demps first met Pop

Gregg Popovich and Dell Demps go back a long way.

The guys at the New Orleans Hornets’ blog Hornets Blog 247.c0m had an interesting story that Demps recently told Hornets season-ticket holders .

During his career as a college player at the University of the Pacific, Demps told of a chance encounter with Popovich that shaped his professional career.

Demps told the fans that “luck equals opportunity plus preparation.” His story about meeting Popovich bears that out.

Between his sophomore and junior seasons at Pacific, Demps often took his father’s car to a nearby military installation to run and then play basketball before finally returning the car home so his dad could go to work.

One day, Demps was approached by what he termed a “near-frantic man” asking him if he played basketball and had his gear. When told he had both, Popovich quickly ushered Demps into the gymansium.

Inside were seven Golden State players, including Tim Hardaway and Chris Mullin. Popovich was looking for an eighth player so his players could practice. Popovich was desperate and Demps was willing.

Even with his lack of experience, Demps eventually merited guarding after he found his shooting touch.

He was back again for the rest of the summer, eventually becoming a “test dummy” of sorts who would play 1-on-1 against potential draft selections or free-agent candidates. Demps got a tryout with the team, was cut, and then was invited back to the team after a year overseas.

Demps made the Warriors in 1993 and later played with the Spurs and Orlando in a three-season NBA career.

After his playing career ended, Demps eventually worked two years under Popovich as an unpaid intern and then spent two years coaching before returning to the Spurs. Eventually he worked as the Spurs’ executive vice president of basketball relations before accepting the Hornets’ job as general manager.

He maintains a close relationship with Popovich. It’s understandable why, considering how he got his start in basketball with him.

Here are some other Spurs-related stories from across the blogosphere to start the weekend.

  • Chris Tomasson of Hoops Hype.com from his list of 26 potential Hall of Famers who currently are active in the NBA.
  • Express-News Spurs beat writer Jeff McDonald had an interesting tweet about Tim Duncan, James Anderson and Danny Greenin this relentless Texas summer heat.
  • Trevor Zickgraf of Project Spurs.com pretends that he’s the Spurs’ general manager with a .
  • USA Today’s Fredreka Schouten and Christopher Schnaars relate how megabuck contributors like Spurs owner Peter Holt .
  • Robby Lim of Spurs World.com looks back at and ranks the Spurs’ top five draft-day steals since 1997. His first choice .
  • CBS Sports.com’s Eye on Basketball blog lists DeJuan Blair and Richard Jefferson as .
  • Bruce Pascoe of the Arizona Daily Star lists Steve Kerr among his in Arizona’s 100 years as a state.  
  • Jesse Blanchard of 48 Minutes of Hell.com has the story about how And Blanchard and Andrew McNeill have a podcast where Jackson about his time with the Spurs.
  • Brandy Simms of Severn Patch.com writes that 7-foot former Bowie State center Travis Hyman thanks to his strong performance at Nike Pro City League in Baltimore. (Hat tip to Michael DeLeon of Project Spurs.com)  
  • Kawhi Leonard is ranked No. 14 among Andy Leonard of the Bleacher Report.com’s for the upcoming season.
  • The Toronto Star ranks Jefferson as having one of its .
  • Steve Weishampel of the Denver-based blog Westword.com looks at what Duncan would demand if he was.