Posts from the Spurs Category at FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

Earlier today, Ziller mentioned how the Celtics wasted no time in offering recent Clippers castoff Corey Maggette a place on their championship roster, but it now appears that another title contender is likely to land him instead. Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the San Antonio Spurs are the front-runners to land Maggette, with a multi-year contract offer for the mid-level exception expected to be forthcoming.

The Spurs seem like a better fit than the Celtics for Corey. If he's taking less money to compete for a title -- and unless he wants to go somewhere like Golden State or Philadelphia for substantially more money, that's what he's doing -- he's going to want to see the floor. Maggette is a legitimate starter in this league, and with the Spurs more than happy to bring Manu Ginobili off the bench, Corey will get plenty of minutes and plenty of shot attempts. I don't think that would necessarily be the case in Boston, where he'd undoubtedly have a tough time cracking that starting five.

The naysayers point out that Corey has been a defensive liability at times in his career, and that, specifically in the Spurs' offense, he'll need to dramatically improve his three-point shooting from the corners. To both of these assertions, I say: hogwash.

Towards the end of an athlete's career, there's always a number of questions about whether it's noble that he or she continues to compete, or regrettable that they continue to cling to the remnants of their fading skills.

Such is the case with one Robert Horry, AKA, "Big Shot Bob." AKA "Cheap Shot Bob." AKA "Wily Pants McGee." Okay, I made the last one up.

Horry said in an interview yesterday that he plans to return to the NBA next season for his 17th season. He said that he would prefer to play for either the Spurs, whom he won championships with, or the Rockets ... whom he won championships with. So essentially there are two takes to have on this.

Take 1: "How noble, to play at his age (he turns 38 in August). To compete at this level at his age is truly heroic. And with his tenacious defense and clutch shooting, you can be sure that any team that picks him up will gain a major assett."

Take 2: "Now this is just sad. The guy can't rn with any of the elite athletes, he suffers in transition, his shooting is down, some blogs call him "the corpse of Robert Horry." And the only way he's able to stay relevant is by distributing cheap shots at his opponents."

Pick a side, and let's crank up Season 17!

For a team as perennially successful as the Spurs, 2007-08 could be labeled as a disappointment (the Spurs fell to the Lakers in the West Finals). But on the heels of San Antonio's elimination, point guard Tony Parker received some good news: He was named the cover guy for EA's NBA LIVE 2009. While being on the cover might not be the same as winning a title, it's still a pretty big deal to the guys who are actually featured in the game. FanHouse got a chance to chat with Parker about everything from being EA's cover dude to who he likes in this summer's Olympics. Here's what he had to say:

Kim: "Can you talk about how the Spurs' season ended? Would you sum it up as a disappointment? Or did you guys push it as far as you could?"

Parker: "I think in order to win the championship, you have to have a lot of stuff going your way. If you put everything in perspective, we had two tough series with Phoenix and New Orleans, so you have to be pretty happy with the season we had. Obviously people are disappointed because we didn't win the championship, but we will come back next year and try to do it again."

Kim: "How much would having a healthy Manu have helped you guys?"

Parker: "Well, I'm sure it would have been a lot different if Manu was 100 percent, but with if's you can redo the world, and I don't want to talk like that. We just need to focus on next season. I've been here seven years, and coach Popovich always has us ready to contend for the title. Next season won't be any different."

Earlier, the Spurs reportedly sent an email blast to the other 29 other teams in the league offering up the #26 pick. Houston has just selected Spurs favorite Nicolas Batum with the #25 pick, and guys like Mario Chalmers, Darrell Arthur, DeAndre Jordan and Chris Douglas-Roberts all remain on the board.

Anyone else think the offers are getting a lot better all of a sudden?

Arthur's presence in the "green room" is practically tragic. It's becoming clear his workout process was flubbed in some way; rumors of injuries kept him for working out everywhere, but apparently those injury rumors were overblown. If Arthur really skipped teams he didn't want to get draft by, it's going to be a loooong night of introspection.

We'll update this with whatever we hear about the Spurs' pick.

UPDATE: The Spurs take a point guard, George Hill of IUPUI, which would be a completely anonymous school were it not for the rampant popularity of NCAA brackets. No word on whether this pick was made for the Spurs or not. San Antonio could in fact use another point. Whoever wanted Hill liked him more than Chalmers, apparently.

From the "I don't fricking believe how much of an expletive R.C. Buford and/or Gregg Popovich is" files, via ESPN.com's Chad Ford:

The Spurs sent an e-mail to every team in the league at 3:30 p.m. saying that they were willing to move the 26th pick. The e-mail asked league executives to "E-mail us your interest and your offers to 26."

This nugget could not exemplify both the incredible confidence and the irrefutable cockiness possessed by the Spurs front office. Knowing you run laps around most of the league, how large must your testicles be to slap a "YOUNG WING OR BEST OFFER" tag on your damn draft pick?

This is already one of the most magnificently explosive draft days in history. Good to know the Spurs could contribute something.

(Meanwhile, what happened to all those rumors the Spurs and Cavaliers had conspired to refuse to allow any other team to see Nicolas Batum's medical reports, in the hopes San Antonio could snatch him away with #26? Is Cleveland going to take him at #19 now? What kind of odds can I get on Sam Presti getting a sweetheart retribution deal for #26? I HAVE DRAFT FEVER, AND THE ONLY CURE IS MORE ADAM SILVER!

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

San Antonio has a solid foundation with Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, but for the most part, the rest of their roster has gotten very old all of a sudden. That's what happens I guess when you've been competing for titles for the last nine years. It would be great for the team to get some young talent who could step in and contribute right away, and for years to come as well.

Picks: #26, #45, #57.

Needs: Interior defense and rebounding, and someone who can spell Parker at the point guard spot.

Best case scenario: Mario Chalmers is still on the board, because he's experienced and could probably get some of those Jacque Vaughn minutes fairly early in the season.

Manu Ginobili had fully intended to play for Argentina in the Olympics this summer, but the ankle injury he sustained during the NBA playoffs may force him to change his plans. For the first time, Ginobili admitted that his injury was worse than he first thought, and that there was a possibility it would keep him from representing his country in the games. Which would be just fine with Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich.

Pop expressed his concerns, and made it very clear that he and the team would prefer that Manu rest his injured ankle and skip the Olympics.

"My concern is that it is going to get worse. He's got to seriously consider his health."

"He's just as hobbled as he was in the L.A. series. If we had a game today, he couldn't play."

"He's got to go back and live there (in Argentina) some day. But his bills get paid by his performance with the Spurs."

That last line is classic Popovich, isn't it? He should know by now though, after years of filling his roster with foreign-born players, that their country comes first, even before their lucrative job playing in the NBA. Just ask Yao Ming, who skipped out on the Rockets' season early to make sure he'd be ready to play for China in the Olympics.

Under the collective bargaining agreement, an NBA team can't order a player not to play in the Olympics. But it appears there's no rule preventing Popovich from making his feelings known, and for making the decision an extremely tough one for Ginobili.

As the legend of Big Shot Bob dissipates -- Robert Horry might retire this summer, and likely wouldn't be back in a Spurs jersey regardless -- another grows in its place. These days, it's possibly soon-to-be two-time champion James Posey who gets noticed as the defensive ace/heady, roughhouse leader/three-ball specialist who just plain wins.

Marc J. Spears of the Boston Globe got an anonymous exec type to discuss Posey's impending worth and the connection.

Posey will be an unrestricted free agent and the most Boston can offer is a mid-level exception deal, which would be expected to start at about $5.8 million. If the Celtics offer him the full mid-level exception or something close to it over four years, they should have a strong shot at re-signing him. But they shouldn't be surprised if several teams go after him hard, too.

"Everyone in the league will go after him," an NBA executive said. "The Lakers probably will. But it will probably be the same money. He can pick and choose. He's like Robert Horry now. A team close to winning will sign him.

As solid as Posey has been, it is shocking to me that he'll get the full mid-level. Horry's last contract paid him $10 million over three years, roughly the same per-year as Posey's current deal. Bruce Bowen's per-year salary is similar.

Perhaps a big contract for Posey will serve as reparations for the years of financial bias against elite defenders. Shane Battier, one of the best swing defenders in the world, makes less than $6 million. (And if anyone's asking me, he's the real next Big Shot Bob.) These players deserve this money, but almost never get it. I mean, it's taken Posey two titles in three years as the best swing defender to get looked at for the frickin' midlevel, which guys like Mikki Moore and Jarvis Hayes Jared Jeffries have claimed. (Whoops, fixed.)

Earlier this week, the NBA made the official announcement that two Developmental League expansion teams will begin playing next season in Erie, Penn., and Reno, Nevada. As such, the NBA affiliation system got shuffled quite a bit.

One interesting switch pointed out by FanHouse's Matt Moore (who runs the excellent draft and D-League blog at Ridiculous Upside): the Sonics are now affiliated with the Tulsa 66ers. How convenient.

Meanwhile, the Knicks draw Reno, which is only convenient if James Dolan plans on uprooting from the Garden and building a spot in Carson City or beautiful Verdi. (Last Chance! Gold Ranch for the sausage-gravy-and-Keno win!) The Kings will join the Knickerbockers in The Biggest Little City in the World, while the Cavs and Sixers will take up shop in Erie, where the BayHawks (not a joke) are owned by a diehard Cavs fan. I'm sure Ed Stefanksi is stoked about that.

It amazes me only the Lakers and Spurs have taken the step to purchase their own D-League franchise. San Antonio is a tiny NBA market, and the franchise is constantly cost-conscious. It feels running a D-League team (the Austin Toros) is a good use of money. Meanwhile, the Knicks use cashier's checks as toilet seat covers ... but would rather send their prospects 3,000 miles (and 25 years, in cultural terms) than to open up a farm team? Makes sense. (I should note, in fairness, there has been rumor the Knicks want to start a D-League franchise in Harlem. But there's been no reported action, and the rumor's been around more than a year.)

It's as regular as the seasons. It's as predictable as the Grizzlies not getting the #1 seed. It's strangely comforting, like the rains of spring, only vaguely smelling like alcohol and weapon grease.

That's right.

It's that time of year when NBA players start getting themselves arrested.

We start with San Antonio Spurs and former D-League Austin Toro DerMarr Johnson, AKA Big Slim, who was arrested on May 31st for driving while intoxicated. He failed the breathalyzer and was driving 20 miles over the speed limit, "weaving and following other cars too closely" according to the police. Johnson said after leaving jail that he'd only "had a few cups of wine." Dixie cups, probably. That's some tricky stuff, right there.

Next up is the team soon to be formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics' forward Chris Wilcox. Wilcox was hanging out in his home of North Carolina when he was arrested on two counts of carrying a concealed weapon. One was probably a gun, and the other may or may not have been Earl Watson.

And finally, wrapping up the opening salvo, is Wizards forward Andre Blatche. Blatche was busted yesterday in south-central Virginia on charges of reckless driving and driving on a suspended license ... for the third time. He was clocked in at 86 miles an hour in a 70 mile an hour zone. Apparently in Virginia, the law is that anyone driving more than 80 can be tagged with reckless driving. Most impressive is that Blatche, after all his vehicular troubles, still thinks it's a good idea to go for a ride.

Guys, seriously. You're NBA players. If you're not spending your money on paying someone else to drive recklessly for you or carry your guns, what are you spending your money on? Oh. Cars to drive recklessly in, and guns. Right. Sorry.