Tag: New Orleans

Buford in the Middle East, preseason sked released (again): Get yer links here

Consider this entry your one-stop shop for Spurs-related stuff around the WWW today:

* Spurs general manager R.C. Buford recently completed a trip to the Middle East to conduct basketball clinics for an organization called PeacePlayers International. The charity uses basketball to bring together children from Israel and Palestine. B

* The NBA officially released its complete 2011 preseason schedule today, even though the lockout shows know signs of abating. The Spurs, however, were several steps ahead of the league. Their preseason slate, highlighted by games against Orlando, Oklahoma City and New Orleans, was released last month. You can , if you’re into such things.

* Stephen Jackson and Tony Parker, reunited for ASVEL? Don’t count on it., but basically quotes the French power’s general manager saying it isn’t going to happen.

* New Spurs strength and conditioning coach — er, Director of Athletic Performance — Matt Herring says one of his goals is to help

* about whether Wizards swingman Nick Young will participate in this weekend’s ballyhooed exhibition between All-Stars from the Drew and Goodman pro-Am leagues in D.C. The Drew League’s commissioner says Young is refusing to play because he wasn’t named that circuit’s MVP. Young’s reps say he’s still in. This doesn’t relate to the Spurs, per se, except that Gary Neal is definitely in. The Baltimore native will be playing for the Goodman League.

* The Georgetown men’s basketball team was involved . It ended with fans pelting the court with water bottles. Not that NBA players, like Parker, during the lockout, but fans’ unruly behavior might have provided one.

* A bit late on this link, but the boys at 48 Minutes of Hell poke fun at Ime Udoka .

Do the Spurs really have only the NBA’s 16th most talented roster?

The Spurs streaked to a 61-21 record during the regular season, ranking only a game behind Chicago for the league’s best record before they were upset by Memphis in the first round of the playoffs.

But if we are to believe CBS Sports.com blogger Ben Golliver, Gregg Popovich might have done it with mirrors last season.

Golliver has ranked every NBA team in terms of its roster composition.  Included with each team are its key assets (stars, emerging rookies, players with reasonable contracts), its key anchors (bad contracts, mismatched roster pieces, aging stars owed more money than they are worth) and roster questions (free agency decisions, roster construction questions). 

Golliver makes the supposition that  if a new NBA owner in an undisclosed location was granted the ability to poach an entire roster from a current team — taking with it all of the players and their contracts, but not coaches and management types — which one would be the most attractive? And what would the list look like?

Here’s what he has to say after ranking the Spurs as 16th among the 30 NBA franchises.

“16. San Antonio Spurs

“Assets: Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair, Kawhi Leonard

“Anchors: Richard Jefferson

“Questions: Age

“Analysis: Like the Celtics, the Spurs are about to enter a new franchise era. They’ve hedged against losing Duncan to some degree and have a solid crop of younger talent, although there’s not a star in the bunch. Parker was recently locked in to a fairly reasonable extension and will become the face — and motor — of the franchise, with Ginobili doing what he does best for the next few years. The 2011 playoffs felt like a slamming of the championship window, though. The best days are in the rearview mirror.”   

NBA champion Dallas is ranked  as only the league’s eighth best  roster.  And among playoff teams, only Boston (17th), Denver (22nd), New Orleans (24th) and Orlando (29th) ranked lower among playoff teams in Golliver’s roster rankings.

Golliver ranks the Los Angeles Clippers’ roster above the Lakers. And he has Miami ranks as his No. 1 pick.

This obviously underscores the high regard that the basketball acumen of Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford is regarded around the league.

But doesn’t it still devalue what the Spurs were able to accomplish for most of the last season, and also what the team has with young players like Leonard, Gary Neal, Blair and Splitter for the post-Duncan era?        

What about it Spurs Nation?

Is Golliver dissing your team?

Spurs announce preseason slate

And now, something for the overly optimistic among us …

A day after the NBA announced a full 2011-12 regular-season schedule that probably won’t happen due to labor woes,  the Spurs on Wednesday unveiled a seven-game preseason slate beginning in Oct. 9 at home against New Orleans.

We shouldn’t have to tell you that these games are very, very tentative, pending the resolution of the NBA lockout.

Oct. 9 — vs. New Orleans

Oct. 11 — at Sacramento

Oct. 15 — vs. Sacramento

Oct. 17 — vs. Cleveland

Oct. 20 — vs. Orlando

Oct. 24 — at Houston

Oct. 27 — at Oklahoma City