Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Mike Monroe: Now we know what caused Mavericks’ chemistry woes

While the Spurs surged to the top of the Western Conference standings in recent weeks, the Mavericks were sliding in the opposite direction.

The very day the Spurs eased past the Thunder and into first place by mere percentage points, the Mavericks were beaten on their home court by the 11th-place Trail Blazers and dropped into seventh.

Now we know what happened to befoul the chemistry that had been so important in Dallas last spring when a magical playoff run produced the Mavericks’ first NBA title.

It was Lamar Odom’s fault.

What other conclusion can be drawn from the decision by owner Mark Cuban and general manager Donnie Nelson to send Odom on an early vacation?

The Mavericks didn’t cut him or trade him, and they will pay the remainder of his $8.9 million salary for this season.

They simply told him they didn’t want him around any longer.

That is harsh reality, months in the making.

When commissioner David Stern nixed the trade that would have sent Chris Paul from the Hornets to the Lakers in December, many Lakers fans had mixed emotions.

Combining Paul with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum would have given Los Angeles a Big Three to rival Miami’s. But it would have come at the expense of the league’s longest frontline, one that had been dominant enough to produce two NBA titles.

Both 7-foot Pau Gasol and the 6-10 Odom, the 2010-11 Sixth Man Award winner, would have left the Lakers’ roster in the deal Stern refused to approve.

Stung by the knowledge his team had been willing to trade him, Gasol acknowledged hurt feelings. Then he went about playing power forward like an All-Star.

Odom didn’t get time to sort out his feelings. Just hours after the Paul trade was blown up, the Lakers sent him to the reigning champion Mavericks for a trade exception and a first-round draft pick that was protected through the first 20 selections in 2012.

Did Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak know something about Odom that made what seemed a great grab by the Mavericks something less? Had Odom’s fragile ego surfaced during his time with the Lakers?

The end of Odom in Dallas likely will improve the Mavericks. He had not been the skilled big man whose career averages of 14.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.9 assists invited comparisons to pre-injury Danny Manning. Or occasionally to Hall of Fame Lakers point guard Magic Johnson.

Instead, he put up the worst numbers of his career. Worse, he didn’t seem to care, and Mavs fans noticed. He was routinely booed when he entered recent games, including the Mavs-Spurs game in Dallas on March 17.

Cuban on Tuesday confirmed his halftime confrontation with Odom in the locker room in Memphis that prompted the banishment. It was the final straw after waiting for production that might have outweighed the distractions that Odom brought with him from L.A.

It may turn out to be the Spurs who benefit more from the Odom-to-Dallas trade than either team involved in the deal. Gregg Popovich always fretted about matching up against the Lakers’ length, and Odom was part of that.

Now the Lakers don’t have Odom, and the Mavericks must rediscover their own winning chemistry in the two-plus weeks that remain in the regular season.

mikemonroe@express-news.net

Twitter: @Monroe_SA

Five quick takes: Why deep bench should have Spurs surging for playoffs

As he watched Gregg Popovich alternate his players Wednesday night almost like a grandmaster would play a chess board, Spurs television analyst Sean Elliott couldn’t keep from raving about the Spurs’ deep bench.

Popovich used Wednesday’s 117-112 victory almost like a laboratory, utilizing 11 players in the first quarter alone.

Elliott raved at one point that the Spurs’ bench could be better than the team’s starters. And while that bit of hyperbole might be a little exaggerated, deadline trades and free agent-signings have placed this team in a better position heading into the latter part of the season and the playoffs than in recent memory.

Spurs captain Tim Duncan agreed he’s never had a supporting cast throughout his team like this one.

“This is as deep as I’ve ever had a team here,” Duncan told reporters after the Spurs’ victory in Sacramento. “We’re using everybody possible. And that’s been great, especially in the condensed season.”

For the first time since the trade deadline, Popovich had a complete roster at his disposal. And he got contributions from throughout his bench, which outscored Sacramento 55-20 in Wednesday’s game.

Manu Ginobili came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points in his first back-to-back game since recovering from a hip flexor. Tiago Splitter produced seven points and six rebounds, all coming in a productive stint in the first quarter. Gary Neal shot his way out of a recent slump by hitting all four shots in the second half for 13 points after missing his first four shots. Stephen Jackson scored six points in 16 minutes in the second half when he received most of the playing time. And Boris Diaw didn’t score, but he grabbed four rebounds,dished off two assists and was a pest defensively.

“I really trust that unit,” Ginobili told FOX Sports Southwest. “We’re going to hustle and we’re versatile, we’re long and we can switch a lot. I think whenever we get used to playing with each other, we have a very special unit.”

That development could be the best part of this late-season transformation. The Spurs’ depth should make them more ready to withstand injuries like Ginobili’s late broken arm that helped derail the team’s playoff chances last season. If a starter goes down with an injury this season, the Spurs are better able to overcome the absence.

“I’m really excited about how we’re playing now,” Ginobili said. “I think we’re going to make things happen.”

The transformation will continue over the final 17 games of the regular season as the Spurs prepare for the playoffs. It should have them more ready than in any season since their last championship in 2007.

Here’s a look at a few other takes from a game where the Spurs’ offensive production bailed them out in the second half for a tough victory against the pesky Kings.

  • Patty Mills gave a strong demonstration of what he can bring coming off the bench as a backup to Tony Parker. Mills hit a deep corner three and was determined to push the pace when he was out there. He’ll be a useful part of the rotation very soon.
  • DeMarcus Cousins has the kind of talent that had Duncan raving after the young Sacramento center challenged him with 25 points and 11 rebounds. But as far as complaining and scowling, it looks that Cousins has taken the honor of the NBA’s surliest big man that has been vacant since Rasheed Wallace retired.
  • The early development of Kawhi Leonard has been greater than the Spurs could have ever imagined during his rookie season. And his 18-point, nine-rebound effort Wednesday might have been one of his best games of the season. He was disruptive on defense, more comfortable and controlled on fast breaks and confident shooting when he had his opportunities. And after he gets a chance to work with the team this summer and a full training camp, he could get scary good very quickly.
  • We run a weekly survey of power rankings from the NBA writers around the nation each week to gauge what the national perception of the Spurs is. I’m curious to see what they have to say after five victories in the last six nights, including the first back-to-back-to-back sweep for the team in 34 years. The Spurs don’t have the NBA’s best record at this point of the season. But they are playing the best basketball in the league. It will be interesting to see if that is reflected in anybody’s rankings early next week.

Allen should return, but might not start tonight vs. Spurs

Veteran Boston guard Ray Allen practiced Tuesday with his team and appears ready to return with the Celtics for their game tonight against the Spurs.

Allen has missed the last six games with a sprained right ankle he sustained during the Celtics’ eight-game road trip last month. He continued to play until a March 23 loss at Philadelphia.

Avery Bradley has played well in his place as the Celtics have charged to a five-game winning streak propelling them to a 1½-game lead in the Atlantic Division over the Sixers heading into tonight’s game.

Bradley has bolstered the team’s defense while in the starting lineup. But the real reason has been that Rajon Rondo has picked up his offensive game, notching a triple-double in the Celtics’ last game — a victory over Miami Sunday afternoon.

Boston coach Doc Rivers told reporters that Allen made it through Tuesday’s practice, but added “that still doesn’t mean he’ll play tomorrow. Because the practice could affect his ankle and he can’t practice tomorrow. Right now, he’s playing.”

It’s hard to believe that Allen won’t be in the starting lineup if he’s available. Bradley has played well in his absence, but Allen is a future Hall of Fame player.

“Whatever we need to do as a team, the effort that I’ve seen over the last week-and-a-half, two weeks, has been great,” Allen told . “That’s all we need to make sure we keep up. Whatever combinations we work out there, we’re all good enough and professional enough to understand it. But when we’re out there playing . . . we’re at a point in the season where everybody knows who each other are.”

Allen has never come off the bench for the Celtics since joining the team in the 2007-08 season. He’s played as a reserve only four times in his career — most recently on Dec. 5, 2002, with Milwaukee.

It’s hard to believe that streak would end Wednesday night against the Spurs, who have lost seven of their last nine against the Celtics.

But the Spurs have been successful in Boston over the years, notching an 11-2 record there during the Tim Duncan era.