Category: In the News

Blog brothers analyze Spurs’ 2K12 playing grades

To a big segment of the NBA’s viewership, the release of the ratings for NBA 2K12 games was a big deal.

Twitter accounts were buzzing as the ratings across the league were released Wednesday. LeBron James had the highest score of any NBA player with a 98. Dirk Nowitzki, who thoroughly outplayed James as his team won the NBA Finals, claimed an 85.

Jesse Blanchard of 48 Minutes of Hell.com has a little better handle on these ratings than me. He breaks down what the Spurs ratings mean in this that accompanies the recent release of the game. Project Spurs  analyst Jeff Garcia also provides his.

While we’re in suspended animation today as the Rosh Hashanah holiday has shelved lockout negotiations for the day.

Here are a few Spurs-related posts from across the blogosphere to get you ready for Friday’s return to the negotiating table.

  • Robby Lim of Spurs World.com writes that cutting Richard Jefferson for the rumored amnesty provision of the league’s new collective bargaining agreement .
  • The posters at Real GM.com weigh the merits of Tim Duncan as the .
  • We missed this one during our engrossment with the Big 12 realignment saga, but Michael DeLeon of Spurs Nation.com provides his ever-cogent analysis in .
  • Graydon Gordian and Andrew McNeill of 48 Minutes of Hell.com take to the podcast platform to once the lockout ends.
  • BJ1dr of Pounding the Rock.com for the Spurs  future.
  • Bill Simmons of Grantland.com analyzes that no team would be as in the upcoming season as the Spurs.
  • Spurs director of media services Tom James to catch up with one-time Spurs fan favorite Tom Copa.   
  • Steve Kerr tells Ryan Kartje of USA Today of the , including his 1999 and 2003 rings earned with the Spurs.
  • Nate Timmons of the always entertaining Denver Stiffs.com provides a tidy blog  roll of, including the Spurs.
  • Shawn Cayley of the Toronto Star was there when , Pickering High School in the Toronto area.
  • Nigel Broadnax of the Bleacher Report of every Spurs player.
  • Jefferson’s name popped up in Robin Leach’s gossip column in the Las Vegas Sun after he participated in a at the Cosmopolitan Casino.

Lindsey emerging as top choice for Toronto GM job

So much for inactivity during the NBA lockout — at least for Spurs assistant general manager Dennis Lindsey.

Toronto Raptors president Bryan Colangelo has interviewed four finalists for the Raptors’ vacant general manager position. 

Well-connected Yahoo.com NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski reports that sources have told him thatOther remaining candidates include former New Orleans Hornets general manager Jeff Bower, Indiana pro personnel director Kevin Pritchard and Philadelphia general manager Ed Stefanski.

Lindsey also is still in the mix for the vacant Portland general manager job.

His association with the Spurs, R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich clearly help his candidacy. But he likely will be careful before taking a job just for the opportunity to be an NBA general manager.

Wojnarowski reports that Colangelo would have to delegate some decision-making responsibilities to get Lindsey to take the job. And that’s sometimes easier said than done for a leader like Colangelo who has been actively involved in nearly every front-office decision since taking the Raptors job.

Portland owner Paul Allen has shown a quick trigger with his most recent general managers. Pritchard and Rich Cho both were relieved of their duties as Portland’s general manager in the last 15 months.

It might turn out that Lindsey has a better job working with one of the NBA’s top front offices in San Antonio than running his own team under less than ideal upper management with either of his potential opportunities.

Anderson, Novak shoot better outside the arc than in it

James Anderson has been turning heads at the early games of the Impact Basketball workouts in Las Vegas with strong work.

After a fast start in preseason camp last season, Anderson’s stress fracture effectively ended his season. He struggled to earn his way back into the rotation after Gary Neal developed into a strong perimeter threat as the season continued.

But according to Project Spurs.com, Anderson’s numbers in Las Vegas. In his first three games with Team Royal, Anderson is averaging 21.0 points per game while shooting 76.5 percent from the field.

Those numbers are a huge improvement over last season, when Anderson was among a handful of NBA players who had better shooting percentages from beyond the 3-point stripe as they did from the field.

It’s unclear how much defense is being played at the Impact games. But 76.5 percent from the field and 21 points per game would be impressive if Anderson was throwing up Nerf balls. So it’s a good step for Anderson and his improvement heading into his second season.

Only 14 NBA players had better 3-point percentages than from the field last season. Included in the list were Anderson and Steve Novak.

Here’s a list of those players and their percentages during the 2010-11 season. 

Player, team                                               3P%                  FG%

Steve Novak, Dallas-Spurs           .565                 .522

Brian Cardinal, Dallas                             .483                  .430

Carlos Arroyo, Miami-Boston             .449                  .440

Mike Bibby, Atlanta-Miami                 .440                  .431

Brian Cook, Clippers                                .430                 .424

James Jones, Miami                               .429                   .422

Daniel Gibson, Cleveland                     .403                   .400

Derek Fisher, Lakers                                .396                  .389

Cartier Martin, Washington                   .394                 .390

C.J. Watson, Chicago                               .393                   .371

James Anderson, Spurs                  .391                  .383

Steve Blake, Lakers                                 .378                   .359

Roger Mason, New York                        .364                   .338

Rasual Butler, Clippers-Chicago         .338                   .333