Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Former Spur Walker jailed after allegedly eating his weed after traffic stop

Maybe it was the munchies.

But there’s more to the weekend story about former Spurs player Samaki Walker on drug possession charges that helps explains his arrest.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that Walker was arrested by police in Kingman, Ariz., after a routine traffic stop. Arizona authorities allege that as a Department of Public Safety officer approached his 2002 Mercedes-Benz late Thursday in Kingman.

Officials said about 10 grams of marijuana was seized from the vehicle along with some prescription drugs and eight bottles of liquid steroids.

Walker, who played with the Spurs from 1999-2001, cooperated with officers at the Mohave County Jail, police said. He told police that he uses steroids to improve his athletic ability because he still plays professional basketball in Syria.

Walker told police the steroids are legal in Syria, but possession is a misdemeanor in Arizona, police told the Review-Journal.

The Woodland Hills, Calif., resident was drafted ninth in the first round of the 1996 NBA draft by Dallas. His 10-year NBA career ended in 2006 after stints with the Mavericks, the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami, Washington, Indiana and the Spurs.

He was a member of the Lakers’ 2002 championship team, starting 63 games during the regular season.

Bond was set at $2,000 for Walker’s release with a preliminary hearing set for Friday.

His story should be an interesting one for lawmen once his trial begins.

The Admiral’s big season: Recalling how versatile Robinson really was

As dominant as David Robinson was during his Hall of Fame career, there’s a tendency among some basketball observers to discount some of his most notable accomplishments.

It’s understandable because Robinson’s career is judged by many as mainly what he achieved after Tim Duncan’s arrival.

And the fact that the Spurs made only one Western Conference Final appearance before Duncan came to the franchise makes some forget how truly dominant Robinson was before his sidekick donned the Silver and Black.

One recent statistical analysis ranks Robinson as the most dominant center of the complete statistical era of the post-merger NBA.

Neil Payne of Basketball-Reference.com crunched the numbers to figure the peak seasons of every NBA player during that time. Payne’s idea is to .

Robinson’s landmark 1993-1994 season ranked second among all NBA players in history, trailing only Michael Jordan’s 1987-88 production.

That was a unique season for Robinson. Dennis Rodman was in place to take care of the majority of the team’s rebounding needs. Coach John Lucas opted to run his offense through Robinson, who in effect became a point center for the team.

In the process, Robinson played the best basketball of his career during the second half of that season. It enabled him to make history as the only Spur in franchise history to lead the team in scoring, assists, steals, blocked shots and field-goal percentage in the same season. He was second in rebounding behind Rodman.   

Here’s another example of Robinson’s versatility during that season. Since the 1985-86 season, a player has notched at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and six blocked shots in the same regular season game only 46 times. Robinson leads the list with nine times in his career, followed by Hakeem Olajuwon with eight.

No player other than Robinson accomplished the feat more than twice in the same regular season. And during his streak late in the 1993-94 season, Robinson notched a 20-10-6-6 four times in a 22-game span.

Included was of 34 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 blocked shots on Feb. 17, 1994 –  the most recent quadruple-double in NBA history.  

Robinson’s numbers were actually better  in 1993-94 than the following season, when he led the Spurs to the Midwest Division title, the best record in the league and earned the Most Valuable Player award. His 1993-94 numbers remain the most impressive all-around statistical season by any player in Spurs history.

There’s a tendency among some to remember Robinson as the supporting player who with Duncan led the Spurs to titles in 1999 and 2003.

But Robinson’s overall production before Duncan arrived actually topped anything Duncan’s or anybody else not named Jordan has achieved in any season in the NBA’s modern statistical era.  

The numbers bear him out.

George Hill considering playing in Europe during lockout

Former Spurs guard George Hill always has enjoyed basketball competition.

The lockout has to be killing Hill, even with the excitement of moving back home to play for the Indiana Pacers after his trade there by the Spurs last month in the Kawhi Leonard swap.

Now, it appears that Hill during the lockout.

Hill’s agent Michael Whitaker told Hoops Hype.com that his client is taking a “wait and see approach” to going overseas to play.  

“If a team with the appropriate budget – that’s an Euroleague or Eurocup team – is willing to give him an NBA out if and when the lockout ends, George will highly consider the offer,” Whitaker said. “If the NBA season is fully canceled, it will be more likely that George pursues an opportunity to play in Europe or China.

“We had a few Euroleague and Eurocup teams very interested and willing to grant him an NBA out, but at the time George was not ready to commit to such offers.

“If such an offer comes at this point, I believe George will be more willing to consider it and accept it.”

Hill’s attitude to playing overseas is similar to those of other players.

If he is convinced there will be no basketball played in the NBA this season because of the lockout, he’ll be ready to play somewhere else.