Category: In the News

Spurs notebook: Blair still attempting to fit in

Though he expressed doubt in July that the Spurs valued his services and no doubt he was being shopped to other teams, forward-center DeJuan Blair insisted he was not surprised to be back in training camp.

Blair’s doubt was fueled by his disappearance from the Spurs’ playing rotation in the playoffs, when he logged just 76 minutes in 10 of the club’s 14 postseason games.

During his participation in the U.S. Olympic team’s training camp in Las Vegas — Blair and teammate Kawhi Leonard were on the select team of young NBA players that helped prepare Team USA for the London Olympics — Blair told the Express-News he felt “torn down” by a postseason demotion that followed a starting role in 62 regular-season games. He was nearly certain the team would trade him, though he stressed that he did not ask for a trade.

There was no trade, and Monday, Blair reported to camp in decent condition and vowed to do what he can to regain a prominent role.

“I’ve got to go and try to figure out what this team wants from me and what they need from me,” he said. “I’ve got to use that as fuel to start my engine and just keep going. Right now, I’m just worrying about my body and getting ready for training camp.”

Asked directly if he preferred ending up elsewhere, Blair was evasive.

“I’m here,” he said.

They’re free: Reserve big man Tiago Splitter did his best Tuesday to ignore the nightmare of his horrid foul shooting in last season’s playoffs as he discussed one of the holes in his game. After a season of steady improvement from the foul line — he finished the regular season at 69.1 percent, a big improvement from the 58.2 percent he shot in seven seasons in the Spanish League — Splitter made only 16 of 43 postseason foul shots (37.2 percent).

“I’m always going to work on that,” he said. “Last season, I improved way more than the first season and struggled a little bit in the end. It was more confidence stuff than other things.”

Sloan visits: Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan, winner of 1,221 games as coach of the Bulls and Jazz, was a visitor at Tuesday’s first session of training camp. Long a role model for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Sloan retired 54 games into the 2010-11 season.

Open scrimmage: The Spurs will hold an open intrasquad scrimmage at the ATT Center tonight. The public is invited free of charge.

Tipoff is scheduled at 7:30 p.m., with fan activities starting at 6:30 p.m.

There’s a preseason game on tap Saturday at the ATT Center against Italian League power Montepaschi Siena, winner of six straight Italian League titles.

mikemonroe@express-news.net

Twitter: @Monroe_SA

Key dates

Today: Intrasquad scrimmage (free admission, open seating) — 7:30 p.m., ATT Center

Saturday: First preseason game — vs. Montepaschi Siena, 7:30 p.m., ATT Center

Oct. 31: Regular-season opener — @Hornets, 7 p.m., KENS NBA TV

Nov. 1: Home opener — vs. Thunder, 8:30 p.m., TNT

‘Spoon’ fed: Undrafted rookie leads Spurs past Houston


































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By Jeff McDonald

HOUSTON – When Spurs coach Gregg Popovich first informed Wesley Witherspoon he’d be in the starting lineup for Sunday afternoon’s preseason matinee at Houston, the rookie from Memphis tried to stay stone-faced.

All the while, his stomach was performing a gymnastics routine straight out of the Summer Olympics.

“Somersaults, cartwheels and everything else,” Witherspoon said. “The emotions were definitely flying.”

One day, Witherspoon will be able to tell his grandchildren he not only started next to Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, but he also outscored them.

With Popovich opting to give his top two small forwards — Kawhi Leonard and Stephen Jackson — the day off, Witherspoon pumped in a team-high 17 points in the Spurs’ 116-107 victory at the Toyota Center.

Gifted with his first extended playing time of the preseason, the 22-year-old undrafted free agent buried 6 of 9 shots — including a pair of 3-pointers — and hauled in four rebounds.

“The veteran guys tell us young guys to stay ready,” Witherspoon said. “You never know when your number’s going to be called. This was one of those cases.”

Aside from Witherspoon, Popovich used his regular starting lineup Sunday.

Duncan and Parker lasted a quarter, staking the Spurs to a 27-16 lead, before their coach gave them the rest of the afternoon off, too.

Returning from a two-game respite while dealing with a sore right heel, Manu Ginobili — the third leg of the Spurs’ Big Three — contributed 11 points and three assists off the bench. More importantly, he logged nearly 18 minutes of playing time and came out no worse for wear.

The Spurs — who also got 16 points out of DeJuan Blair and 15 from formerly slumping shooting guard Danny Green — led nearly wire to wire in handing the Rockets their first preseason loss.

“The good thing is, we really moved the ball well and got a lot of people involved,” Ginobili said. “Defensively, we’ve got a lot to do to get where we want to.”

The new-look Rockets, whose offseason makeover included the acquisition of point guard Jeremy Lin, big man Omer Asik and reserve guard Carlos Delfino, spent much of the first half in disarray.

Lin, last season’s Cinderella storyline, finished 1 of 10 with one assist in little more than 25 minutes. The Spurs held Houston to 43.2 percent shooting, and squeezed 21 points from 15 Rockets turnovers.

As an example of how he hopes the rebuilt Rockets will one day learn to play, Houston coach Kevin McHale pointed to the visitors in silver and black.

“The Spurs are a smart, disciplined team,” McHale said. “They know what they want to give you, and they know what they want to take away. We didn’t take what they gave us, and we attacked what they wanted to take away. That’s the worst-case scenario.”

Even as the Spurs improved to 3-1 in the preseason, Ginobili said the team remains a work in progress.

“We’ve just been working together for 10 days,” he said. “This is just the beginning.”

If Sunday was the end for Witherspoon, he at least went out in style.

The Spurs have only one roster spot available, and are well-stocked at Witherspoon’s position. Most likely, cut day is coming soon for Witherspoon. Deep down, he probably knows it.

But for one stunning Sunday afternoon in Houston, he was a rookie starting among NBA All-Stars. And if you squinted just right, it was difficult to tell which was which.

“I grew up watching those guys, watched them win championships,” Witherspoon said. “To be on the same team as them is a blessing.”

jmcdonald@express-news.net
Twitter: @JMcDonald_SAEN

Ginobili: Contract no cause for worry

By Mike Monroe

Just as Spurs captain Tim Duncan angered his agent when he declared himself a Spur for life weeks before hitting the free-agent market in June, veteran guard Manu Ginobili on Monday undercut what bargaining power he may have had when his contract expires in July.

Saying that he plays for the love of the game, Ginobili asserted that being in the final season of a three-year, $38.8 million contract won’t change his approach this season.

“I don’t even think like this,” he said. “I don’t care. If it’s for a lot of money, a huge amount of money, I don’t care. I’m fine with what I’ve earned in my career. That is not a point of emphasis this year. I just want to play well and help my team make it as far as last year.”

Ginobili, 35, gave no hint if he will play beyond this season, but stressed his preference to stay with the Spurs if he does.

“If I’m going to play next year, it’s highly likely it’s going to be here,” he said. “So I really don’t care (about this being a contract season).”

Big addition: It was hard to miss the surprise addition to the training camp roster during Monday’s media day session. Seven-foot, 295-pound center Eddy Curry always has been a magnet for attention, starting with his selection at the No. 4 overall pick in the 2001 draft.

Curry, with career averages of 13.0 points and 5.2 rebounds over 10 seasons with the Bulls, Knicks and Heat, was signed to a non-guaranteed contract after participating in open gym sessions last week. He says he lost 15 to 20 pounds over the summer.

“I came here last week, and I like how they play,” Curry said. “I think I showed them I can get up and down the court when I came here. I think Pop knows what I can do. The main thing now is just to build on that and have a good camp.”

After playing pickup games with Curry, Duncan said he was encouraged by his conditioning.

“I see potential, potential, potential,” Duncan said. “He does seem fit, and I think he’s anxious. I hope that translates into something. He’s a heck of a body, a heck of a talent, and I hope we can turn that into something and give us another huge piece. It would be great.”

Curry is one of six non-roster players invited to camp and one of three with NBA experience. Other former NBA players are 6-8 forward Derrick Brown and 6-9 forward Josh Powell.

Also invited to camp: 5-11 guard Sherron Collins, 6-8 forward Tyler Wilkerson and 6-9 forward Wesley Witherspoon.

mikemonroe@express-news.net
Twitter: @Monroe_SA