Tag: Mike Monroe

Spurs’ Mills happily back to work

By Mike Monroe

Back on the Spurs’ practice court Monday after missing a week with a sprained right ankle, backup point guard Patrick Mills worked on catching up with his teammates.

“You never want to be out too long with injuries,” said Mills, the Australian who will vie this season with Gary Neal, Cory Joseph and Nando De Colo for playing time behind Tony Parker.

“Mine was a little ankle sprain that recovered really well. I’ve been rehabbing the last week. I got a little itchy watching the last three games.

“You never want to be off the court, but I felt the stuff I did off the court — watching film, talking to the coaches, talking to the players — I still felt I was in the mix. All the new stuff that got put in, I made sure I understood all that.”

Watching three preseason games from a vantage point behind the Spurs’ bench gave Mills a good perspective on newcomer De Colo and much-improved second-year player Joseph.

“What Nando’s brought to our team is exactly what he’s good at and what he’s been great at playing internationally,” Mills said. “He’s got great vision. He sets up the team really well. His passing is unbelievable, which he’s shown the past few games. And he can shoot, as well.

“Cory’s come a long way from last year. He had a big summer. I think of all the stuff he did individually in the weight room and individually with the coaches. He got after it a lot, and you can see the stuff he put in (out on) the court. He’s becoming a real point guard.”

With Neal, the team’s top scorer (13.5 points per game) in the preseason, also off to a great start, Mills joked that he might have to shut up about how good De Colo and Joseph look.

“I don’t want to backtrack on all those compliments,” he said. “But the great thing about this environment is we’ve got a number of point guards that are really good, really solid. If nothing else, it’s going to make every one of us even better, the more we push ourselves.”

Early practice, early departure: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich changed his training camp practice schedule Monday to accommodate Matt Bonner’s annual golf tournament that benefits the Kids Sports Network.

He pushed up the start of practice by one hour, and when it ended, he and Bonner headed to TPC at San Antonio for the event.

No Duncan: Spurs captain Tim Duncan did not practice because of an undisclosed illness.

mikemonroe@express-news.net
Twitter: @Monroe_SA

Spurs’ non-guaranteed players show off

By Mike Monroe

There was good reason for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to give Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Matt Bonner a night of rest during a 101-99 preseason victory over the Hawks. But it had nothing to do with saving their energy.

“It’s early in the preseason, so it’s an opportunity to look at some other guys,” Popovich said. “I know we’re not going to do it the fourth, fifth, sixth game, so we’ve got to do it now to give those guys time to see if we like anybody.”

Those benefiting from resting the Big Three, plus Bonner, were non-guaranteed big men Eddy Curry, Josh Powell and Derrick Brown as well as wing players Wesley Witherspoon and Tyler Wilkerson.

Curry (11 points, eight rebounds) and Brown (10 points, two rebounds) started. Powell came off the bench and was the team’s top scorer with 14 points. Witherspoon made 2 of 3 3-pointers.

Popovich withheld judgment about the play of the five non-roster players.

“I pretty much reserve those opinions right now, rather than get somebody excited or get somebody depressed,” he said.

Ferry gets down to business: When new Hawks general manager Danny Ferry pulled the trigger on one of the biggest offseason trades of the summer, it came as no surprise to Popovich.

“Danny’s not a fool-around type of guy,” Popovich said of the former Spurs’ player. Ferry also did two separate stints in the club’s front office before Atlanta hired him as its GM in July.

Soon after getting his new job, Ferry traded All-Star guard Joe Johnson and his $18 million-per-season contract to the Brooklyn Nets for five players with expiring deals and a future first-round draft pick.

“If he sees something that is going to improve the team he’s going to get after it and get it done,” Popovich said. “He’s already done a good job, with little time, to jump start it and get their team the way he wants it to be.”

Ferry believes the deal will prove to be a win-win.

“I think the deal with Brooklyn is good for Brooklyn, good for Joe and, hopefully, ultimately, it will be good for us in the long run.”

Anderson back in building: James Anderson, the Spurs’ first-round draft pick in 2010, started for the Hawks and scored five points in around 17 minutes. The 2009-10 Big 12 player of the year for Oklahoma State is trying to earn a spot on Atlanta’s roster.

The Spurs did not pick up the option on a third season of Anderson’s rookie contract, making him a free agent July 1.

“James has done a good job in camp,” Ferry said. “He certainly plays hard every play and brings a lot of intangibles to the court that we really like.”

mikemonroe@express-news.net
Twitter: @Monroe_SA

Jackson: De Colo ‘another Manu Ginobili’

By Mike Monroe

In just 14 minutes and 36 seconds of his first preseason game with the Spurs, rookie guard Nando De Colo established himself as a fan favorite Saturday with some of the slickest passing seen at the ATT Center since Manu Ginobili’s rookie season 10 years ago.

He also impressed some teammates.

According to Stephen Jackson, De Colo is reminiscent of another fan favorite.

“Nando,” Jackson said, “is another Manu Ginobili.”

Officially, De Colo had only three assists in the Spurs’ 106-77 victory over Italian team Montepaschi Siena, but he was denied at least three more because his teammates weren’t prepared for some of his best passes.

“We must just need to practice together and to know each other,” De Colo said. “All the team knows what they must do. I am the only new one on the team so I must do my job with respect for the team and we will see.”

The highlight of De Colo’s NBA preseason debut was a no-look wraparound to forward Derrick Brown for a fourth-quarter dunk. He made only one of three shots, but also had three steals in little more than a quarter’s worth of court time.

“It was the first time, preseason game, and it was great,” De Colo said. “Everybody played. I’m very happy to be here and working to do something this season.”

Splitter sits: Center Tiago Splitter missed the preseason opener with an injury. The 27-year-old from Brazil has been battling back spasms for the last three days.

The third-year big man missed much of his rookie training camp in 2009-10 with a calf injury.

“Tiago’s getting better, but he’s going to miss the beginning of training camp again, unfortunately,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “It’s been a habit for him. (Head athletic trainer) Will (Sevening) thinks he’ll practice on Monday.”

Splitter’s absence was an opportunity for backup big men Josh Powell — a 6-foot-9 veteran of 315 games over six NBA seasons with the Mavericks, Pacers, Warriors, Clippers, Lakers and Hawks — and 10-year veteran Eddy Curry.

Powell scored seven points and grabbed seven rebounds in 17 minutes. Curry also had seven points, with two rebounds, in the final 9:18 of the game.

Still Spurs property: If Montepaschi big man Viktor Sanikidze’s name sounds vaguely familiar to Spurs fans, it’s because the team acquired his NBA rights in a draft-day trade in 2004. Chosen by Atlanta in the second round (42nd overall), the Spurs still own the rights the 26-year-old from the Republic of Georgia.

Sanikidze, a 6-7 forward, scored five points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.

mikemonroe@express-news.net
Twitter: @Monroe_SA