Tag: San Antonio Spurs

Spurs’ non-guaranteed players show off

By Mike Monroe

There was good reason for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to give Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Matt Bonner a night of rest during a 101-99 preseason victory over the Hawks. But it had nothing to do with saving their energy.

“It’s early in the preseason, so it’s an opportunity to look at some other guys,” Popovich said. “I know we’re not going to do it the fourth, fifth, sixth game, so we’ve got to do it now to give those guys time to see if we like anybody.”

Those benefiting from resting the Big Three, plus Bonner, were non-guaranteed big men Eddy Curry, Josh Powell and Derrick Brown as well as wing players Wesley Witherspoon and Tyler Wilkerson.

Curry (11 points, eight rebounds) and Brown (10 points, two rebounds) started. Powell came off the bench and was the team’s top scorer with 14 points. Witherspoon made 2 of 3 3-pointers.

Popovich withheld judgment about the play of the five non-roster players.

“I pretty much reserve those opinions right now, rather than get somebody excited or get somebody depressed,” he said.

Ferry gets down to business: When new Hawks general manager Danny Ferry pulled the trigger on one of the biggest offseason trades of the summer, it came as no surprise to Popovich.

“Danny’s not a fool-around type of guy,” Popovich said of the former Spurs’ player. Ferry also did two separate stints in the club’s front office before Atlanta hired him as its GM in July.

Soon after getting his new job, Ferry traded All-Star guard Joe Johnson and his $18 million-per-season contract to the Brooklyn Nets for five players with expiring deals and a future first-round draft pick.

“If he sees something that is going to improve the team he’s going to get after it and get it done,” Popovich said. “He’s already done a good job, with little time, to jump start it and get their team the way he wants it to be.”

Ferry believes the deal will prove to be a win-win.

“I think the deal with Brooklyn is good for Brooklyn, good for Joe and, hopefully, ultimately, it will be good for us in the long run.”

Anderson back in building: James Anderson, the Spurs’ first-round draft pick in 2010, started for the Hawks and scored five points in around 17 minutes. The 2009-10 Big 12 player of the year for Oklahoma State is trying to earn a spot on Atlanta’s roster.

The Spurs did not pick up the option on a third season of Anderson’s rookie contract, making him a free agent July 1.

“James has done a good job in camp,” Ferry said. “He certainly plays hard every play and brings a lot of intangibles to the court that we really like.”

mikemonroe@express-news.net
Twitter: @Monroe_SA

Brown, Powell highlight camp additions

With the first practice of training camp looming next week, the Spurs’ training camp roster is beginning to take shape.

The team on Thursday formally announced four more additions, all of  them forwards, including two with NBA experience:

* Derrick Brown, 6-foot-8, spent most of his three NBA seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats. The 25-year-old started 17 of 65 games with Charlotte last season, averaging 8.1 points and 3.6 rebounds.

* Josh Powell, earned championship rings as a reserve with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2009 and 2010 and last played in the NBA in 2010-11 with Atlanta. The 29-year-old, who stands 6-foot-9, spent last season in China, Switzerland and Puerto Rico.

* Tyler Wilkerson, also 6-foot-8, is a veteran of  two Spurs Summer League squads. The 24-year-old spent the past two seasons playing professionally in Israel.

* Wesley Witherspoon , 6-foot-9, is an undrafted rookie out of Memphis, where he appeared in 121 games in four seasons, averaging 8.2 points and 3.7 rebounds. He was Conference USA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 2008-09.

With the signings, the Spurs’ training camp roster stands at 18, two below the maximum. The roster must be trimmed to 15 before the start of the season.

The Spurs open camp Tuesday.

Mark Cuban takes the low road…again

Nobody’s ever accused Mavericks owner Mark Cuban of being tactful. Or classy, or dignified, or humble, or…well, you get the picture.

So it comes as no surprise that Cuban eschewed the high road after Deron Williams, whom the Mavericks made a major run at in free agency, said he elected to stay with the Nets in part because Cubes couldn’t drag himself away from a taping of his reality TV show, “Shark Tank,” for Williams’ visit to Dallas.

As told by the :

Asked if Cuban’s absence affected his decision, Williams said flatly, “Of course.”

Williams added: “A lot of the questions that me and my agent had for them really didn’t get answered that day — you know, pertaining to the future. And I think if he was there, he would have been able to answer those questions a little bit better. Maybe would have helped me.”

Never one to admit he’s wrong, with a barb of his own before the Mavericks’ exhibition game in Spain:

“I’m a big D-Will fan, but I’m kind of surprised that he would throw his front office under the bus like that by saying that I would make a difference,” he said. “I would have expected him to say — like I’d expect one of our guys to say — ‘Hey I’m so thrilled with the front office and the moves we made and our team that it wouldn’t have mattered what he did.’

“I’m flattered that he thought my presence would have made more of a difference than what the Nets’ management did.”

This, after Cuban admitted to a Dallas radio station in August that his presence might have made the difference in Dallas’ sales pitch.

dmccarney@express-news.net

@danmccarneySAEN