Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Leonard makes fast first impression

By Mike Monroe
mikemonroe@express-news.net

Spurs rookie Kawhi Leonard was the first player off Gregg Popovich’s bench in the team’s 95-82 season-opening victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night at the ATT Center, but it didn’t take him long to make an impact.

Entering the game with 6:57 left in the first quarter, Leonard’s first official statistic as an NBA player was a steal a minute after taking the court.

That his next statistic was a missed layup when he tried to turn the steal into a basket seemed somehow fitting. The Spurs gave up one of their top defenders, combo guard George Hill, in a draft-day trade because they believed Leonard could be an impact defender, rather than a ready-made scorer.

By game’s end, Leonard had taken nine shots in 13 minutes but missed seven and scored only six points. However, his energy and defense were vital as the Spurs gained their 25th victory in 36 NBA season openers.

“Kawhi is a very athletic individual,” Popovich said. “He’s got good size, good strength, and he possesses great length. It really helps him, and he’s active. He wants to be involved on the boards, running the floor and defensively. He’s not afraid to put up a shot.”

Leonard finished with six rebounds and two steals and declared his professional debut a success for the most important of reasons.

“We got our victory, and that’s what made it fun,” he said.

Admitting to pregame jitters, he attributed a pair of early turnovers to trying to play at too fast a pace.

“I was just trying to find the rhythm of an NBA game,” he said. “I was going a little bit too fast.”

His veteran teammates preached patience.

“It was his first official game,” point guard Tony Parker said. “You have to be patient.”

HOLT RELIEVED: Spurs managing general partner Peter Holt shared a hug and a laugh with Parker just before tipoff of a game played before a sellout crowd of 18,581.

“You had me scared over in France,” Parker told Holt, who served as chairman of the NBA owners labor relations committee and spent much of October and December in New York for negotiations with the players union.

Holt wished Parker luck in the opener before praising Spurs fans, who filled the arena to its capacity.

“I’ve got to tell you, that (lockout) wore me out,” he said. “I know why I never became a lawyer.

“At the end of the day, I’m just so happy we’re playing basketball again. These great fans here deserve it.”

HEISMAN WINNER IN THE HOUSE: Players from both the Baylor and Washington football teams that will play in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Thursday attended the game, including Bears quarterback Robert Griffin III, the Heisman Trophy winner.

“The Heisman was in the house?” swingman Danny Green said. “Why didn’t someone tell us? I could have run up and talked to him.”

T’wolves dangerous despite a slow start

MINNEAPOLIS — Gusting near 50 miles per hour, a howling wind that originated in Canada roared into the Twin Cities and greeted the Spurs when they stepped off their charter aircraft Sunday afternoon.

Presumably, the entire team traveling party took comfort in the fact its members could hole up in hotel rooms a few blocks from the Target Center, where they are to play tonight and where the Timberwolves had to report for a Sunday night game against the reigning NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.

That cold blast from the Arctic had nothing on the NBA’s schedule makers when it came to putting a big chill on the Wolves and their fans early this season.

New coach Rick Adelman may have reconsidered signing on in Minnesota had the post-lockout schedule been out before he agreed to undertake a major rebuilding project. Three of his team’s first four opponents included both teams in last season’s Finals, along with the Thunder, who gave the Mavericks a tough go in the Western Conference finals.

Tonight Adelman and the 1-3 Wolves face the 3-1 Spurs, with a starting lineup that produced the best record in the West last season and a coach, Gregg Popovich, who just joined him in the select company of NBA coaches with at least 800 victories.

But long-suffering Wolves fans can expect excitement in any given game because forward Kevin Love is always a threat to deliver a 20-point, 20-rebound performance and Ricky Rubio, at long last, is on the roster.

Minnesota general manager David Kahn made Rubio, then just 19, the fifth pick of the 2009 draft. Rubio opted to continue his career in Spain until December, when he signed a rookie-scale contract with the Timberwolves after the lockout was lifted.

Now Rubio, whose passing skills have been compared to those of Pete Maravich and Chris Paul, is coming off the bench behind veteran Luke Ridnour. It seems only a matter of time before he is Minnesota’s starter at the point, especially after his performance in an oh-so-close loss to the Heat on Friday. He had 12 points and 12 assists in that one, but lost track of LeBron James on an in-bounds play in the final seconds when Miami produced the winning basket.

Acknowledging Rubio’s talent, Spurs star Manu Ginobili said he won’t be waiting in anxious anticipation for Rubio’s appearance tonight.

“Anxious?” Ginobili said. “He’s one more player. Of course, I’ve heard a lot of things, and I’ve played against him a couple of times with the national team.

“I know he’s gifted. He’s very talented. But he’s doing his first games. He’s feeling comfortable. Of course, he has a bright future ahead of him.”

Ginobili is more eager to see the development of his own backup point guard, T.J. Ford. The former Texas Longhorns All-American has struggled with his shot in his first four games, but Ginobili understands Ford is a true point guard who allows him to play off the ball much more than his predecessor, George Hill, did.

So does Popovich, who likes Ford’s aggressive approach, both to the game and to learning the Spurs’ offense.

“T.J. is doing a good job of trying to learn our system,” he said. “He really has no clue where other players will be now in the motion offense. He’s just trying to get used to that. It’s really tough for him at this point for that reason. But he’s an aggressive player, he’s highly coachable, and he’s busting his butt to figure it out. He’s important to us.”

Spurs 9th in PBT’s first NBA power rankings

It’s never too early to start looking at power ratings — particularly with the season starting on Sunday.

Pro Basketball Talk’s weekly power ratings always are a must read.  It’s obvious they put a lot of thought into their weekly rankings of the NBA.

Kurt Helin starts the season with the Mavericks first in the league. I think the loss of Tyson Chandler will hurt them more than most and would be hesistant to place them at the top of my list. I might opt for Miami — despite the Heat’s NBA Finals loss to the Mavericks.

Helin tabs the . Here’s what he has to say about the Silver and Black:

“9. Spurs (61-21). They were the best team in the West last regular season, but they didn’t have the size up front to stop a team with a big front line in the playoffs. A team like Memphis. That hasn’t changed.”

Helin is right. The Spurs are depleted inside, particularly if Antonio McDyess makes good on his retirement threat and the Spurs don’t add another veteran player to replace him.

It’s a little much to expect Tiago Splitter to be able to make up for McDyess’ loss by himself. So the rationale having the Spurs in the bottom part of the top 10 probably is about right.