Tag: Patrick Mills

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’ renewed defensive effort takes shape

By Mike Monroe

There are some strange new markings guiding the Spurs’ renewed emphasis on defense, reminders to the team’s interior defenders about how to approach certain defensive matchups.

At each end of the three full courts inside the team’s practice facility, magenta-colored lines mark the sides of trapezoids that delineate an area in which defenders are reminded to play traditional post defense — squared-up and keeping their bodies between offensive players and the basket.

The baseline and free-throw line form two sides of the trapezoid. The magenta lines run from the corner of each baseline and sideline diagonally to the sides of the free-throw line.

Curiously, the magenta markings are inscribed with the letters K and M because the club is calling the area inside the trapezoid the Karl Malone zone, homage to the Hall of Fame Utah Jazz power forward who did the bulk of his scoring inside the delineated area.

“If you’re on the line or closer, you play post defense,” Spurs forward Matt Bonner explained. “If you’re on the other side, you play perimeter defense. It determines how you position your feet.”

How did Bonner know that the shape of the Karl Malone zone was a trapezoid?

“I learned that from my daughter’s Sesame Street shape book,” he said.

Jazzy influences: In addition to having a daily reminder of Malone, the Spurs last week were under the observation of another Jazz Hall of Famer, retired coach Jerry Sloan.

Long a favorite of Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, Sloan spent several days at camp and sat in R.C. Buford’s box in the stands at ATT Center to observe Wednesday’s intra-squad scrimmage.

“Having Coach Sloan here was really special, not just for me, but our players,” Popovich said. “They all respect him so much. Being able to just talk basketball and be around the guy was really special for me, because every time the season begins everybody is doing their own thing with their own team and you don’t get to do that. Being able to go to dinner with him, to have him in our coaches meetings and add to what we’re doing is really a win for us. I think he enjoyed it, too.”

First cut: The Spurs waived point guard Sherron Collins, the former Kansas star who played 20 games for the Charlotte Bobcats in 2010-11.

With a backcourt that includes five other players with guaranteed contracts who are either point guards or combination guards — Tony Parker, Gary Neal, Patrick Mills, Cory Joseph and Nando De Colo — the odds were stacked against him.

Nineteen players remain on the training camp roster.

mikemonroe@express-news.net
Twitter: @Monroe_SA

Summer League Game 3: Joseph gets the keys, Spurs get L

LAS VEGAS — For two eye-opening games, second-year small forward Kawhi Leonard was the catalyst of the Spurs’ summer league team. Having seen enough out of him, the Spurs’ decision-makers freed Leonard from the rest of the week in Vegas and turned the keys over to the other member of his draft class.

Cory Joseph didn’t disappoint.

The second-year point guard finished with 22 points and six assists Wednesday, though the Spurs lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 86-80 at Cox Pavilion for their first summer league loss since 2009.

It is a pivotal summer for Joseph, who faces an Oct. 31 deadline for the Spurs to pick up his contract option for 2013-14. So far in Vegas he has helped himself, averaging 19.3 points  and five assists, while shooting 50 percent. More than that, Joseph has demonstrated a command of the Spurs’ offense he didn’t have as a 20-year-old rookie.

“We’re trying to put him in differenct situations and see how he deals with them,” summer league coach Jacque Vaughn said. “He’s done a pretty good job this week. It’s all about learning experience, game situations, clock management. It’s a lot going on, especially at the point guard position. This is really good for him.”

Asked what he’s liked most about Joseph’s effort in Vegas, Vaughn said: “Just seeing some maturity. It’s fun to see. We just want him to keep improving, and he’s doen that on both ends of the floor.”

Say this much for Joseph: He’s having a better inaugural summer league than George Hill had in 2008. And Hill turned out to be pretty good for the Spurs, and now the Indiana Pacers.

To be sure, Joseph has a long way to go before he’s ready to help in the NBA, and with Patrick Mills and Nando de Colo already on board for next season, the Spurs can afford to be patient.

One good week in Vegas is not going to cement Joseph into the Spurs’ long-term plans, but he’s not hurting himself with a solid performance so far.

With Leonard back home in San Diego, Joseph will have even greater opportunity to prove himself in the Spurs’ final two games here.

“Those two are definitely our priorities this summer,” Vaughn said. “Kawhi did a good job while he was here. Cory gets a chance to continue to do a good job. We’re looking forward to the games going forward.”

Other thoughts from the Spurs’ loss to the Clippers:

* Vaughn passed the buck when asked to discuss the decision to set Leonard loose. “I’m the head coach of the Spurs’ summer-league team. Someone else is the head coach of the Spurs,” Vaughn said. Of the call to remove Vaughn of his best player, the Spurs assistant coach joked, “Maybe my head was getting big from my 2-0 start.”

The Spurs insist Leonard’s removal from summer league was pre-planned, and not related to the sore left wrist he suffered in the Spurs’ victory Monday.

* Newly resigned shooting guard Danny Green was in attendance, and spent a few minutes laughing and talking with Spurs coach Gregg Popovich in the bleachers. Green, who inked a three-year, $12 million contract earlier this month, said the new deal was “a big stress reliever.” He added he was glad Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford decided to bring back the bulk of last year’s roster. “I think it shows the faith they have in us,” Green said. “And they’re a lot smarter than I am.”

* None of the Spurs’ big man prospects are playing well enough to force the Spurs into using their 15th roster spot on them. Eric Dawson, a Sam Houston High grad, has been the most solid, having posted a pair of double-doubles and has the added advantage of knowing the Spurs system. Ryan Richards, a second-round pick in 2010, has shown little in his limited engagement but a propensity to foul. Alexis Ajinca, who has 77 games of NBA experience on his resume, is tall (7-foot-2) but little else. At this point, the best any of them should probably hope for is a training camp invite in October.