Tag: Tim Duncan

Spurs notebook: Dad-to-be McDyess glad to be retired

By Mike Monroe
mikemonroe@express-news.net

HOUSTON — Admitting it felt strange to be sitting in the stands 10 rows behind the Spurs bench, and even weirder seeing Tim Duncan sitting out the second half of the third game of the season because the Spurs were being blown out by the Rockets, Antonio McDyess put to rest any thoughts that he might elect to come out of retirement at any time this season.

“Uh-uh,” he said, flashing his characteristic smile. “A lot of people have been asking, but it’s not happening.”

McDyess and his wife are expecting their first child in a few days and he said he is comfortable with his decision to leave the NBA after 16 seasons, the last two with the Spurs.

The former All-Star and Olympic gold medal winner paid a short visit to the Spurs locker room after the Rockets’ 105-85 drubbing, to the delight of coach Gregg Popovich.

“The best part of this whole night was seeing Antonio,” Popovich said.

ANXIOUSLY WAITING: Second-year shooting guard Gary Neal is looking forward to the Spurs’ next practice session, whenever that may be.

Cleared to begin contact work after undergoing an appendectomy on Dec. 12, Neal has been working hard on conditioning this week but understands he needs a practice or two before he can expect to get in a game for the first time this season.

“He’s working out with Sean Marks back in San Antonio,” Popovich said. “We won’t practice tomorrow, but he’ll do something.

“He’s got to have contact before we get him into a game. It might be a month-and-a-half before we have a chance to practice again, but we can get some of the rookies in there with him so he can get some contact. I expect he’ll be back in another week, or so.”

RATINGS MONSTERS: After drawing more viewers for their regular season opener against the Grizzlies than ESPN’s Monday Night Football game that featured Saints quarterback Drew Brees’ quest for a single-season passing record, the Spurs continued their domination of local prime-time TV for their Wednesday night game against the Clippers.

That game posted an 11.1 overnight Nielsen rating, more than doubling the ratings for the University of Texas-Cal Holiday Bowl game, which came in at 5.1.

DOMINANT THIRDS END: The Spurs went into Thursday’s game against the Rockets having outscored their first two opponents 67-31 in the third quarter.

The trend ended against the Rockets, who outscored the Spurs 25-24 in the third.

Normal lineup expected tonight against Houston

Coach Gregg Popovich told the media that all of his players will see action tonight against Houston.

Popovich will start with what would appear to be his normal starting lineup of Richard Jefferson and Tim Duncan at forward, DeJuan Blair at center and Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker at guard.

Duncan and Parker both got the night off for the opener against the Rockets Saturday night in Houston. Both players have said this week that they hoped to play in the Spurs’ preseason finale as a way to build the team’s continuity.

Buck Harvey: Ginobili locked in after the lockout

“I had such low expectations,” Manu Ginobili said as he was leaving the arena Monday night, and he wasn’t being modest.

His coaches had low expectations, too.

They’d seen him in practice looking like a guy who, well, had spent the past three months playing with his twins. To them, Ginobili appeared to be weeks away from being himself, and this scared them as they faced a 66-game season.

So what happened Monday stunned them. If Ginobili can play this way this quickly, don’t all their plans change?

The Spurs felt the opposite emotion last spring. Then, when Ginobili’s right elbow bent the wrong way, so did the Spurs’ locker room.

One coach admitted this over the summer: While they said the right things, the players lost their belief when Ginobili went down.

While all of the Spurs had something to do with a remarkable regular season that produced 61 wins, Ginobili had something to do with all of them. On his way to All-Star resurgence, Ginobili led the Spurs as he has Argentina. The pieces fit because of him.

That’s also a reason many in the league don’t see the Spurs as legitimate contenders anymore. Most forget the Spurs lost close games to the ? Grizzlies last season either without Ginobili or with Ginobili’s right arm in a brace. Most remember Ginobili’s age, which is 34.

Ginobili is certainly aware of the reality, too. After leading Argentina’s national team to an Olympic berth in September, he opted to rest his body over the next three months.

Given his history, it was a smart move. But the cost was clear, and his two preseason games showed that. Then, Ginobili shot a combined 7 of 22 from the field and did not make a 3-pointer in four attempts.

“I’m not exhausted, I’m just out of basketball shape,” Ginobili said at the time. “When I want to do a step-back, I’m out of rhythm. I still need to fine-tune it.”

Nearly everyone in the league has a similar excuse today, not just the Mavericks. Everybody wanted more preseason games and more time, and Memphis showed the same needs Monday; the same team that was careful with the basketball last spring in the playoffs ended with 24 turnovers.

“It happens,” Ginobili said. “It was the first game of the season, and it goes either way. We all need time to get in shape.”

Ginobili thought he would need more time. He said he went into the game thinking he would “take it easy,” and the first quarter fit with that.

“What did I take, one shot?” he asked afterward.

No, two.

But then something happened, and he listed what likely got to him: “The fans, adrenaline, the pressure.”

Soon, he was taking charges and rebounding and finding cutters. A high, arcing 3-pointer fell, and suddenly he had returned to last season.

Ginobili’s behind-the-back pass to the rookie, Kawhi Leonard, all but demanded Leonard make the following 3-pointer. “It was one of those plays that happen every once in a while,” Ginobili said, when they seem to happen with him every game.

When he sat down, the Grizzlies pulled closer. And then Ginobili returned as if the lockout had never happened.

Ginobili gave Rudy Gay a ball fake, drawing a foul on 3-point shot. He made all three free throws, then drove again for another two free throws. He followed that by finding Tim Duncan on a cut, then led a break for another score.

Then there’s this for his low expectations: A steal and dunk to finish his night.

“I thought they executed much better than I expected,” Gregg Popovich said afterward.

The “they” was likely Ginobili.

bharvey@express-news.net